Hey everyone,
I’ve seen a lot of people asking about the best ways to farm reputation in Vanilla WoW, so I figured I’d throw together a comprehensive guide on reputation farming for the key factions. Whether you're working towards that epic mount, the ZG shoulder enchants, or just want the bragging rights of hitting Exalted with a particular faction, this guide should help you out. Vanilla rep grinds can be quite the slog, but with a bit of planning, it’s doable!
General Reputation Tips:
Tabards Don't Exist in Vanilla: Sadly, you can't just throw on a tabard and grind dungeons for rep like in later expansions. Each faction has specific quests, repeatable turn-ins, or dungeons that reward reputation.
Prioritize Early: Many reps can be farmed while leveling, so it's a good idea to start early. Some of them have dailies or dungeon farming options that can be done alongside leveling or at max level.
Honored Discounts: When you hit Honored with any faction, you get a discount on most of their services (like repair costs), so getting to Honored with your capital city factions early on is a nice bonus!
Key Vanilla Reputations to Farm:
1. Argent Dawn (Undead Stratholme, Scholomance, and Plaguewood Faction)
Why Farm: The primary reason is for Naxxramas access and the Argent Dawn shoulder enchants. Additionally, you'll need AD rep for certain quests in Stratholme and Scholomance, and to buy specific consumables for those dungeons.
How to Farm:
Quests: There are various quests in the Western Plaguelands and Eastern Plaguelands that give Argent Dawn rep.
Scourgestones: As you farm Scholomance and Stratholme, loot the Scourgestones and turn them in to Argent Dawn NPCs (requires Argent Dawn Commission).
Dungeon Runs: Farming Scholomance and Stratholme runs while wearing the Argent Dawn Commission gives rep. You can do these runs solo later as a high-level character or with a group for farming.
2. Timbermaw Hold (Furbolgs in Felwood/Winterspring)
Why Farm: Access to Felwood/Winterspring, crafting patterns, and a few useful items. Plus, it's a relatively quick farm compared to other Vanilla reps.
How to Farm:
Kill Furbolgs in Felwood and Winterspring for reputation gains.
Quests: There are several quests from the Timbermaw NPCs, mostly involving killing hostile furbolgs or gathering materials.
Repeatable Turn-ins: You can turn in Deadwood Headdress Feathers (Felwood) or Winterfall Spirit Beads (Winterspring) for rep.
3. Cenarion Circle (Silithus)
Why Farm: You'll need Cenarion Circle rep for Ahn'Qiraj gear and recipes. Plus, there's a special Nature Resist gear and some nice consumables available at higher rep levels.
How to Farm:
Quests: Start in Silithus by doing quests that reward rep, like hunting Twilight Cultists and Elementals.
Twilight Texts: Farm Encrypted Twilight Texts from Twilight Cultists and turn them in for reputation. You can also summon stronger enemies with their gear (Twilight Sets).
Ruins of Ahn’Qiraj (AQ20): Farming bosses and trash in AQ20 also provides rep.
4. Zandalar Tribe (Zul’Gurub)
Why Farm: Zandalar Tribe rep is essential for the Zul’Gurub shoulder enchants, and it also unlocks class-specific gear rewards.
How to Farm:
Zul’Gurub Raid: Running Zul'Gurub (ZG) repeatedly is the best way to farm rep. Each boss and mob gives rep until you hit Revered, at which point only bosses grant rep.
Bijous & Coins: Collect Bijous and Hakkari Coins from ZG mobs, which can be turned in for additional reputation.
5. Thorium Brotherhood (Searing Gorge/Blackrock Mountain)
Why Farm: The Thorium Brotherhood is essential for Blacksmithing recipes and Fire Resist gear. Fire resist is especially useful for Molten Core.
How to Farm:
Quests: Initially, you’ll do quests in Searing Gorge to unlock the rep grind.
Turn-ins: You’ll be turning in items like Dark Iron Residue, Core Leather, and Blood of the Mountain to hit higher rep levels. Dark Iron Ore is especially important, so farming or buying it is a must.
6. Hydraxian Waterlords (Molten Core)
Why Farm: Hydraxian Waterlords are the only source of Aqual Quintessence, which you’ll need for extinguishing runes in Molten Core (MC). At Revered, you’ll get Eternal Quintessence.
How to Farm:
Molten Core: Simply running MC gives Hydraxian Waterlords rep. Bosses provide the most reputation, but trash mobs provide some as well.
Elemental Killing: There are elite water elementals in Azshara that grant rep, but this is generally slower than MC runs.
7. The Wintersaber Trainers (Winterspring)
Why Farm: For the Winterspring Frostsaber, one of the coolest mounts in the game! This grind is infamous for its length.
How to Farm:
Quests: The main quest giver in Winterspring has three repeatable quests involving killing mobs like Winterfall Furbolgs and Chillwind Chimaeras. You will need to do these over and over for rep.
Solo Grind: This grind can be done solo, but it’s extremely time-consuming (think hundreds of hours).
8. Capital Cities (Stormwind, Orgrimmar, etc.)
Why Farm: For discounted services (at Honored), racial mounts, and additional reputation rewards.
How to Farm:
Cloth Turn-ins: The repeatable cloth turn-ins (wool, silk, mageweave, runecloth) are the fastest way to get rep with capital cities.
Quests: You’ll naturally gain reputation with your capital cities while leveling, as most quests give rep for the city they originate from.
Final Thoughts:
Reputation farming in Vanilla WoW requires dedication and patience. Most reps are a marathon, not a sprint, but they come with some great rewards that can make a significant difference in both PvE and PvP. Remember to prioritize the reps that offer the biggest payoff for your playstyle and goals. Good luck out there!
If you have any additional tips or want to share your experiences with specific reps, feel free to drop them in the comments!
For Azeroth!