Fishing for Rogues

I do A LOT of fishing. Not because I find it relaxing or am an avid angler. Rather it is because, as I have stated over and over again, I am cheap and fishing generally provides me with buff food for little more than time. (Beyond that I hear the Omega 3's are great for you.) When I was a skinner, my diet tended more towards the red meats (Ravager Dog or Warp Burger anyone?)  Even after that I wouldn't turn my nose up at a good Mega Mammoth Meal, but I hated leaving behind the evidence of my presence. Fishing doesn't do that.

The irony of this expansion is that very few of our best foods do not come from water sources. Even those you have to hunt down (Baked Turtle, Seasoned Crab, Salted Eye from sea eels and Crocolisk Au Gratin) live in or near the water. Yeah, you could have a Basilisk Liverdog or the Grilled Dragon, but sadly the Dragons mostly give you scales when you skin them and really who wants to eat LIVER? You can make it look like a hot dog all you want but it is STILL liver.

Now beyond all the foods already named there are others we can specifically fish up. The fresh water Boiled Mountain Trout from Mt Hyjal's streams and lakes. Lavascale Fillet and Lavascale Minestrone both come from fishing the lava pools in Deepholm. Skewered Eel is made using Fathom Eels which can be found along the coast of Uldum or Tol Barad making it one of the more plentiful sources out there for us.

There is one difficulty with all these, they do require you to also know how to COOK. However if you have never managed to learn this basic skill you may still be in luck. Many guilds are pursuing their guild achievements Set the Oven to "Cataclysmic" and Time to Open a Restaurant. So you might be able to persuade another guild member to cook them all up for you, since unlike the Wrath recipes they don't require any special spices.  Even better if you state you are working on the That's A Lot of Bait achievement. (Of course this only works if your guild actually CARES about the achievements and the feasts they unlock.) Unlike the Fish Feasts of Wrath these new feasts cater to our most desired stat, like the Fortune Cookies.

For some of you even all of this is not enough persuasion to consider taking up fishing. There have to be additional perks like Non Combat pets or mounts. Well, if you haven't learned by now they already have those in game and have had them for years. There is one overwhelming problem however. The fish all seem to know that when I catch them I plan on eating them. So when it comes to the more "vanity" items you get from fishing, I can't seem to catch any of them to save my life. Now this is only true for Daraia, none of my alts seem to have this curse, but Giant Sewer Rat?, Mr Pinchy? and the very bane of my mount collection the Sea Turtle? They all have played least in site for YEARS while my alts somehow manged to pick them up not even trying. I have some information for you all though, I do know for a fact that you can at least get the Sea Turtle from fishing the high end fishing pools. Tol Barad Eel pools. I love you.

Dailys can be Dangerous

I have always been somewhat of a Daily Quest fanatic since their induction to the game in Burning Crusade. Being a fairly active person I liked the idea of questing even at level cap and I found playing the auction house, while profitable, rather boring. The only problem was that with the old system, the daily quests never changed. You would do the same ones over and over again until it got to the point of going into auto pilot, knocking off the limit in less than 30 minutes and remembering little to nothing of the experience. Cata's daily system has changed that to a certain degree. While some quests never change, they did add a little variety to certain zones, with some daily quests only appearing randomly, or having them generally change each day like the cooking and fishing daily did in Wrath.

There are also a plethora of zones which contain daily quests so you can easily reach the limit of 25 without doing the same daily quest hubs every day. Only the Twilight Highland's quests are annoyingly repetitive but since you can also gain reputation with those necessary factions via use of the tabards they can be skipped. The "Wack a Pygmy" quest in Uldum is one that I will do just for the chuckles and I can't imagine ever getting old.

Tol Barad has become my new favorite daily quest zone. Why? Because doing the dailys there are a challenge every time. Unlike the Wintergrasp daily quests they don't have to be done while pvp or during the Battle Ground situation. However the mobs that litter these two islands are no joke, some of them hit quite hard and respawn rapidly. For a new 85 (as you can't enter the zone until then) they can even become overwhelming. With 34 different quests to cycle through are is always variety and the items they have available are useful for more than just pvping, including but not limited to a pet and two mounts, a flying and a land. One of the most frequent complaints I hear about Tol Barad is that you CAN NOT fly there. Personally this is one of the things I LOVE about the Islands, it brings us back to the basics of remembering how to move around without the advantages flying gives us. Everything is hostile and attacks come from all directions, threat in a questing zone is not something we have had to deal with for a LONG time. I find it refreshing.

There is one other random thing that has added an element of spice to the daily quest grind. Deathwing and his sporadic visits.  Now I made the mistake of complaining that the first of my toons to get the "Stood in the fire" achievement was an alt. Then when Daraia got hit I was afk and missed it completely. Apparently Deathwing heard me mouthing off, because since then I have been hit FOUR TIMES while trying to do my daily quests, if he keeps this up I am going to be VERY grateful for my guild perk which reduces durability damage.

Feat of Strength: Avast Ye, Admiral!

Avast Ye, Admiral is one of the better known Feats of Strength though it is sometimes called "Bloodsail Buccaneers". One of the nice things about it is that it DOESN'T require you to get all the way to exalted with the faction. The other is that you actually get quite a bit of fun "Role Play" or "Costume" gear out of it. The largest PROBLEM is that it is VERY easy to lose reputation with the faction and this prohibits you from using numerous flight paths which can become troublesome. Now come Cataclysm this hardship will not be as much of an issue.

The only way to GAIN reputation is to kill Booty Bay Faction members but you get the greatest return by killing the Booty Bay Bruisers, all other members will only net you 5 rep each where the Bruisers grant you 25. While you can solo grind, the quickest way to do this is achievement is to get a group together by spamming trade. What I like to do is get a group, inform them to focus on the Bruisers and try to leave the quest givers, Auction house, flight masters and Inn Keepers alone if they want to remain a part of the raid group and get easy rep. I will then announce in General that a raid is going to be farming Bloodsail Rep for the next few hours. While people may not like it I have found it greatly reduces the harsh feelings and general discontent that can happen as a result of this type of thing. Especially if you get some idiots that insist on killing inn keepers, flight masters and quest givers just to be jerks. Remove them from the group and suddenly the rules seem more reasonable when they are no longer able to find any mobs.

By doing this you can obtain the achievement in a matter of hours rather than WEEKS of solo grinding with out all the harsh feelings. Once you reach just over Neutral with the Bloodsail Pretty Boy Duncan will send you to Fleet Master Firallon to pick up a bag full of goodies. This includes a Shirt, Belt, Pants, and Boots. Just a little more grinding will get you to Friendly and the real quest that gives the achievement its name. Avast Ye, Admiral. Now for this you WILL want to announce you are going to be doing the quest because it REQUIRES you to kill quest givers, which annoys lowbies. Kill the Baron and his right hand Tauren and you get yourself a Title and a fancy hat.

Now if you are NOT planning on working on the Insane in the Membrane Achievement and would like to make use of all those convenient Goblin flight paths there IS a way you can quickly get back all that goblin reputation you lost with out losing your new title, though you WILL lose your hard won Bloodsail reputation.

Just outside Bootbay on a nearby hill is the Bloodsail Traitor. He has a quest for you called "Traitor to the Bloodsail" which has you turn in two stacks of Silk cloth and 4 Red dye to deceive the Baron into thinking you have been killing Bloodsail pirates. Another option is to head over to Rachet and speak with Mupsi Shacklefridd, she has a similar quest called "Mending Old Wounds" which only requires two stacks of linen cloth and 4 empty vials. Many prefer this since it is often cheaper and easier to farm. The other options are Rumsen Fizzlebrack in Tanaris with "War at Sea" who wants Mageweave cloth and Strong Flux. As well as Bronn Fitzwrench in Winterspring who is after Runecloth and Coal with "Making Amends". Each of these deal with the specific factions of the zone they are located in. And will take about 168 linen and 336 empty vials, 84 silk and 168 Red Dye, 42 Mageweave and Strong Flux, and 22 Runecloth and 44 Coal to get you back to Neutral with the Steamwheedle Cartel. Or 34 turn ins for each faction if you do them equally.  Just check the cost and  ease of farming for you then calculate accordingly.

The other option is to head over to Dire Maul North and do Free Knot which grants 350 reputation for ALL of the Steamwheedle Factions EQUALLY without hurting your Bloodsail reputation. I could usually do five clears an hour before I had to sit around and wait due to the "to many instances" debuff. If you focus only on the guards you have a high chance of getting a key almost every run. Take the time to do some full clears and you may also pick up some other goodies like Librams or Pristine Black Diamonds which can be sold to those crazy people going after the Insane in the Membrane achievement.

Good luck to all you future Admirals!

Rogue Lore: Alrin the Agile

I wasn't planning on talking about Alrin today but this guy has been the bane of my existence for three weeks running now so maybe if I give him his day in the spot light he will vanish for a while. Alrin the Agile is another member of the Argent Crusade's special forces working as part of the Ashen Verdict. He presently is in the position of  supervisor over all the covert operations within Icecrown Citadel, most specifically dealing with reconnaissance.

As with his dwarven colleague Minchar Alrin is wearing his Alliance armor, (though why he is only using one dagger is beyond me.)  Also like Minchar you should only see him if he needs your assistance. Alrin will report  that Infiltrator Minchar has been captured and is presently being tortured by the Blood-Queen Lana'thel. (The dwarf's screams of "Eep" are kinda funny though.) Alrin informs you that Minchar is fading fast and won't last more than a half an hour in her hands, you need to fight your way past all the San'layn and rescue him. Most raiders HATE this quest. The GOOD part is you only need to make sure that Lana'thel is ENGAGED within that 30 minutes and then kill her successfully. The problem is getting past all her annoying trash and long winded speeches in that time. The timer starts as soon as the first trash mob is pulled (though I have heard there are ways to get around it for the first trash mob which makes this SLIGHTLY easier, I personally have never seen them work.) Even if NO ONE has the quest the timer will start.

If you are successful Alrin gifts you with your tasty reward, 56g and a Sack of Frosty Treasure which contains 5 emblems of Frost and a chance to contain epic level gems or even BOE 265 gear. While the carrot he dangles is quite tasty, sometimes I have to wonder if Minchar thought being killed at the hands of the lovely Lana'thel was preferable to continuing to work with Alrin.

Know Your Rogue Lore: Infiltrator Minchar

Infiltrator Minchar is a member of the Argent Crusade whose background almost certainly includes association with the Hidden Circle and SI:7. Interestingly enough unlike Captain Rupert who is wearing neutral armor, Minchar is proudly displaying his Alliance colors. His job specifically for the Ashen Verdict is reconnaissance. As a result this dwarven rogue will play least in sight for players unless he needs their specific assistance in accomplishing his goal. Minchar is involved in two separate weekly quests located within Icecrown Citadel. Both of them are considered VERY annoying by players.

In the first quest Deprogramming, Minchar charges players with rescuing one of his fellow spies, a human by the name of Darnavan. Apparently Darnavan was so over come by Lady Deathwhispers persuasive powers he decided to switch allegiances. One has to question his reasoning and sanity as personally I am always looking for a mute button to shut Deathwhisper UP. For this quest you have to locate Darnavan amongst the followers Lady Deathwhisper summons during the fight then pull him off to the side so he doesn't get killed. Once you have managed to defeat Deathwhisper Darnavan is fetched by his colleagues to be "deprogrammed" from his brain washing.

The next time you have the opportunity to encounter Infiltrator Minchar it is HE that needs rescuing. While investigating the San'layn in the Halls of Blood Minchar is captured and taken before Queen Lanathel herself for questioning. Minchar's superior Alrin the Agile requests that players rescue him from her clutches. What makes this quest annoying is it is timed. You have 30 minutes from the first pull until his execution, (this was recently increased from 20 minutes) even if no one accepts the quest. That means you have to kill all the trash, the Blood Princes AND Queen Lanathel in order to save Minchar who is being suspended by blood chains in Queen Lanathel's thrown room.  Many consider this to be the HARDEST of the weekly quests located within Icecrown Citadel.

There is also some debate about where exactly Minchar's NAME came from. Some feel it is as result of Elitist Jerks (a precedent that has been set), others think is has something to do with the coding itself. As Blizzard has not seen fit to enlighten us it will just have to stay up for debate and theory.

Know Your Rogue Lore: Captain Rupert

Quite a while ago I used this series to argue that someone many thought of as a Rogue really wasn't. This time I want to do the opposite. There is a hidden rogue in our midst that gets missed because he is so deceptive. His true nature has not been discussed until now.

Captain Rupert is a member of the Argent Crusade, first introduced as part of a series of quests in Zul'Drak. Dressed exactly like his colleagues, his only distinguishing feature is that Rupert is VERY fond of explosives. Players assist Rupert in securing his section of Zul'Drak by taking his bombs and blowing up Nerubian tunnels, burning the corpses of falling comrades or bulling fearful Argent Crusaders back into the fight. As a Forsaken Rupert knows better than anyone what it means to be under the control of the Lich King. His aversion to returning to that state fuels him on.

When we reach Icecrown Citadel and head towards the Frostwing, Captain Rupert, as well has his colleagues appear via the transporter. If you take the time to look you will notice they have all undergone a wardrobe change. These new looks give you a hint as to the classes they represent. Captain Brandon is a paladin, Captain Grondel a warrior, Captain Arnath a priest but what about Rupert? He just his throws bombs around and talks about explosives right? Take a look at his gear.

Rupert is wearing the Terrorblade set, they didn't even take the time to recolor it. Perhaps they thought that since he was a Forsaken we would miss the distinguishing marks. My friends, Rupert is an engineer loving Rogue.

When Rupert first arrives at Icecrown Citadel he remarks that he can feel the Lich King watching, his former service giving him an added awareness. As you make your way down the hallway towards Sister Svalna she will peg each of the Captains off with a lance. When Rupert falls he refers to having a worthy afterlife and asks you to burn his body just as he requested for the fallen soldiers in Zul'Drak there by preventing him from becoming a mindless pawn. When he is raised to serve the Lich King for a second time, Rupert is not pleased. For your failure in fulfilling his last wish Rupert treats you to an added taste of his explosive arsenal, proclaiming we will all burn. In the end however Rupert will fall, sadly this is finally the end for a worthy Rogue. So the next time you are in ICC take the time to get a closer look at Captain Rupert.

Know Your Rogue Lore: Deathstalker Visceri

Deathstalker Visceri is one of the Argent Grand Champions from Trial of the Champion. This individual is the essence of "divided loyalties".  For the Horde he represents the Undercity within the Sunreaver Pavilion.  Specifically he sends players off to get weapons from the various " Water Ladies" as well as starting and ending the Undercity Valliant quests.

Many fail to make note of his Title, it means more than just an identification of his class. Visceri is a DEATHSTALKER. You remember these guys?  The Deathstalker's were Varimathras' elite collection of assassins and spies who assisted in the work the Royal Apothecary was doing with the New Plague. Usually by keeping any information concerning it from getting out to the REST of the Horde. After the Battle for the Undercity there was much question as to WHO exactly these guys were loyal to, Sylvanas or someone else? Visceri ended up in Northrend working with the Argent Crusade and representing the Forsaken. The question then becomes, did he come of his own violation, looking for a fresh start or was he SENT for some OTHER purpose?

When the Argent Tournament was FIRST introduced Visceri was dressed in warrior plate garb. This changed when the actual Arena was finished and he is now appropriately dressed in Deadly Gladiator's Vestments. It is his WEAPONS that are the most intriguing. He is sporting a pair of Spinal Destroyers. These daggers can only be obtained by Horde, who may purchase them with Champion's Seals. Usually when you see a weapon there will be others using the same model but different colors. This is not the case for this particular dagger, it is unique. The bones along the upper edge seem fitting for an Undead who always has his spine poking out.

Visceri's fighting style is identical to his Alliance counterpart Lana Stouthammer. While in our present state of being over geared for encounters his Poison Bottle is not QUITE as deadly as it use to be, it can still be an annoyance. Many players still fail to avoid the deadly green goo which rapidly ticks away at their health. If you don't have a poison cleanser in your group it is best to just avoid them all together. His Fan of Knives was also not be as damaging as it once was, though he still favors this move.

Visceri still manages to hold on to his secrets and for the time seems pleased to be competing in the Tournament forcing players to joust despite how much they may hate it. What more could a Forsaken ask for?

Rep: Sons of Hodir

The Sons of Hodir are one of the most important factions to have reputation with (unless you happen to be a Scribe) because they control our much needed shoulder enchants. Where in Burning Crusade players had a choice to support either the Aldor or the Scryers,  in Wrath there are only the Sons of Hodir and they make you WORK to get THEIR enchants. Lets begin by covering who exactly this faction is then move on to how you go about gaining their favor.

The Sons of Hodir are not actually the biological offspring of Watcher Hodir as the name somewhat implies. Rather these Frost Giants are Hodir's creations. Servants designed to assist Hodir in his duties as guardian over the ice and snow. There is also some speculation that Hodir is where the concept of Father Winter first came about, his workers are just A WHOLE LOT larger than those of Santa Claus. When Prim Designate Loken betrayed the rest of the Watchers, Hodir disappeared from his Temple of Winter and the Frost giants believed him dead.  Before they could take the time to truly investigate however they found themselves under attack by their former ally Thorim who believed them responsible for the death of his wife. It is at this point that players first encounter them.

Thorim's followers, the Frost Vrykul and the Earthen, with the loss of THEIR leader to his grief are now in three separate camps. The Hyldnir, which are an exclusively Frost Vrykul female organization, have coped with their leader's despondency by continuing his war against the Frost Giants and battling amongst themselves in hopes of discovering one of them worthy to replace Thorim's deceased wife Sif. The idea is that if a NEW mate is found he will snap out of his stupor and get back to work. Of the Frost Vrykul males, they are treated as slaves to the females, (think blue skinned amazons). The rest of Thorim's Frost Vrykul followers have fallen to the thrall of the Lich King. The Earthen on the other hand have recognized that Thorim was deceived and battle alone against Loken's forces, continuing Thorim's work while he is unable to.

When players first enter Storm Peaks, not having a clue about any of this history they will discover that both the Hyldnir and the Frost Giants are hostile to them. In fact one of the goblin females located at the small outpost of K3 will ask for assistance in recovering her male colleges. Thus begins the long attunement like chain to discover exactly what is going on in Storm Peaks.

The first section of the chain which is sixteen quests in length begins with "They took our Men" from Gretchen at K3.  This part of the chain deals with learning about the Hyldnir and eventually becoming a part of them (via disguise). Once you are deemed worthy to be a fighting member of the Hyldnir you are asked to create bear riding  harness. This will send you on to an eight part chain in which you capture yourself a bear mount before entering competition to be Thorim's new wife. At the end of this section Thorim wakes up enough to explain what has happened and admits that he was deceived. It was the realization that he not only had lost his wife but one of his best friends that has sent him into deep depression. Finally he decides that purhaps it is time to attempt to repair the damage he caused so he sends you to help mend the fence so to speak.

While helping the Frost Giants against their common foe the Iron Giants you need to make sure you pick up the Slag Covered Metal off of one of the corpses. This will start a two part parallel chain which is needed to continue further. Once you have completed BOTH Mending Fences AND A Spark of Hope return to Thorim at the Temple of Storms. Now at this point you are Neutral with the Son's of Hodir. This means you can now land in their capital of Dum Niffelem with out fear.

Previously you would now see a variety of quests open up around Dum Niffelem, completing these will open the six daily quests. There is also a six part chain which sends you BACK to Thorim, now relocated to the Terrace of the Makers. Thorim has two quests for you The Earthen Oath and Loken's Lackeys. Once you have completed both of these Thorim asks you to accompany him to the Temple of Wisdom while he confronts Loken. It doesn't go well and in the end Thorim is captured just like Hodir was. When you report what you have seen to King Jokkum, the present leader of the Sons of Hodir he sends you to the Halls of Lightning, where Loken is known to be working. I personally find the quest he gives you rather disturbing as he wants Loken's lying tongue as proof he is no longer living.

Now since patch 3.0.8 there IS an easier way to get reputation with this faction. However you STILL have to do ALL the quests up to Forging an Alliance. Once you are neutral with the Sons of Hodir you can go to their quartermaster Lillehoff and turn in stacks of 10 Relics of Ulduar for 250 reputation each. The Relics drop off of pretty much any mob located in Storm Peaks or the Ulduar 5 man dungeons. Doing this can easily get you from hostile to exalted in just a matter of hours verses the WEEKS it use to take. Relics are also MUCH easier to farm than Everfrost. Not only that unlike Everfrost which is bind on pick up the Relics can be sold on the auction house so it is rather easy to pick up a stack if farming is not your thing.

Lillehoff has more than just the shoulder enchants to sell. Mount collectors will be interested in his TWO land mounts, the Ice Mammoth or the roomier three passenger Grand Ice Mammoth. Tailors will want to pick up the pattern for Glacial Bags, while these now have a 7 day cool down they will ALWAYS sell on the auction house for a decent amount. Leather workers can also find buyers easily for the Mammoth Mining Bag so that is recipe they should obtain.

At the beginning of Wrath players cursed this faction to all perdition due to the time consuming demand of grinding daily quests. Now they are MUCH kinder to the casual player. The only issue people seem to have is getting lost while working on the attunement chains. My encouragement would be to make sure you have a set aside a couple of hours of uninterpreted play time to work until you have access to Lillehoff.

Happy Grinding!

Rep: The Argent Crusade

The Argent Crusade is a faction of recent origin however it's roots are MUCH older. The name itself means "Silver" so the faction is in fact the "Silver Crusade". This name makes a great deal of sense when you consider exactly where this group came from and how they came to be. A great deal of this information has to do specifically with the faction's founder and leader Highlord Tirion Fordring. Many have stated that if Fordring were ever lost the Argent Crusade would crumble as this movement is really little more than an extension of his vision and personal charisma. Who is this guy who is always giving speeches and why should ANYONE especially the horde stop and take notice?

Tirion Fordring was one of the five founding members of the Knights of the Silver Hand, a group of paladins created during the Second War to counter the demonic forces accompanying the Orchish invasion. He was there when his friend Alexandros Mograine took an orchish artifact and assisted in purifing it so that it could later be crafted into the Ashbringer. After the war Tirion married and settled down to rule over the small hamlet of Hearthglen located on the outer edges of Lordaeron. His honor is one of his most valued possessions and something he would and has sacrificed all else to protect.

One day Tirion discovered a lone orc taking refuge in an abandoned tower near his lands. Convinced this was a scout sent to test the strength of his holding he attacked. The battle between the two combatants was so fierce that in the end the structure of the tower could not handle it and collapsed on top of them, knocking Tirion unconscious. When he awoke it was to discover his foe had pulled him from the rubble as well as put him astride his mount so that it would take him home.

Tirion recovered enough to go out again looking for the Orc who had saved him, eventually finding  him near the ruin of their first encounter. There they talked, for Tirion was shocked to discover that the orc who was named Eitrigg was fluent in common. Discovery his foe desired nothing more than a quiet place to remember better days, his family was all gone, killed during the invasion. Both recognized the honor in the other. When Tirion left it was with the vow that he would not betray Eitrigg and granting him safety on his lands.

Of course Tirion's secret was eventually discovered and Eitrigg captured. When Tirion refused to betray Eitrigg he was kicked from the Order of the Silver Hand, striped of his family, lands and most importantly to him, his communication with the Light. Even his great friend Uther Lightbringer could not understand Tirion's single minded devotion to protecting Eitrigg.

With nothing to left to loose save his life AND his precious honor, Tirion slipped into Strathome while they were preparing to execute Eitrigg, fought his way to the scaffolding and rescued his unlikely friend. The only reason this mad plan succeed was because another group lead by Thrall was ALSO there attempting to find Eitrigg. Tirion managed to drag the critically wounded Eitrigg out of Strathome. In despair Tirion called out to the Light to heal his friend. To his surprise and delight the Light answered, healing power poured from his hands into the lifeless body of Eitrigg restoring him.

When Thrall and his followers found them Tirion was certain this was the end. Instead Thrall gathered Eitrigg to be his mentor in shamanism and granted Tirion the chance to escape further into the wild outskirts of Loredaeran. From there Tirion kept tabs on his family and observed the incoming Plague that decimated his former home and people. To this day Tirion and Eitrigg consider each other brothers in arms and are the best of friends. Eitrigg can even now be located commanding Argent Crusade forces in Zul'Drak.

Players of the Old World would first encounter Tirion at his hiding place along the river in the Eastern Plaguelands. There he requests their help in freeing his son who is being used by the Scarlet Crusade. The end of this quest chain gives you your first glimpse into the type of "kick butt" fighter Tirion Fordring is. In the end Tirion realizes he must take up the mantle left vacant with the death of Uther Lightbringer and begins to rebuild the Knights of the Silver Hand.

Fast forward a few years. Tirion continues to stay in hiding but some of his disciples, individuals who once worked closely with Alexandros Mograine have created a group by the name of Argent Dawn. These individuals broke away from the Scarlet Crusade after Mograine's death because they felt that Tirion was right, they couldn't just focus on fighting the Scourge as the humans alone, other races also needed to be included, be they Alliance OR Horde. When Arthas' Death Knights attacks Light's Hope Chapel Maxwell Tyrosus, the leader of the Argent Dawn pleads with Tirion to come help. Tirion can not deny him and his presence there revitalizes the defenders. Unfortunately they discover it was all just a ruse to bring Tirion out of hiding.

As the last founding member of the Knights of the Silver Hand The Lich King wants to turn Tirion into his own personal champion. The memories Arthas has have shown him that only Tirion is truly still a treat to him as he is one of the few still alive that helped train the young prince. The gambit fails, instead of capturing Tirion the Lich King instead is faced with a Tirion now holding a purified Ashbringer.  At the conclusion of The Light of Dawn Tirion takes that moment to step into his own and declares that the Knights of the Silver Hand along with the Argent Dawn will now work together to bring about the Lich King's final downfall. The new hand picked group will be called the Argent Crusade and set sail immediately for Northrend.

Alliance players will stumble across Fordring shortly after their arrival at Valgarde in Howling Fjord. However for all others their first encounter with the newly formed Argent Crusade will most likely take place at either Dawn's Reach in Dragonblight or at the Argent Stand in Zul'Drak. Before patch 3.2 it was in Zul'Drak that people needed to farm for Argent Crusade reputation by doing the daily Troll Patrol. With the release of the Argent Tournament however gaining reputation with this faction is MUCH easier as numerous quests which grant reputation with this faction were added.

Age is starting to catch up with Fordring but his clear eyed vision is the same, no matter what others think he will do what he believes to be the best and most HONORABLE method of completing his objective dragging the rest of the Argent Crusade along with him. At times this puts him in direct conflict with those who over all support him. This can be clearly seen at the Argent Crusade's main outpost the Argent Vanguard located on the very edge of Icecrown.  It is here players can over hear the arguments between Tirion and Darion Morgrain regarding how Tirion plans to deal with the Lich King.

All told there are 119 quests which give reputation for this faction, of those 15 are daily quests (though they are not all available every day) located either in Zul'Drak or Icecrown. For Tanks this is a MUST HAVE reputation for the helm enchant. Tailors are also after this faction for the Brilliant Spellthread recipe.

I hope you enjoyed the overview of this faction, Happy Grinding!

Rep: The Oracles

The wolvar have an arch enemy, those they call the "Big Tongues" or The Oracles. These strange little reptilian people are actually gorlocs or the next evolution of the more common murloc. The reason that the wolvar have such issues with them is that the Oracle tribes actually inhabited the Sholazar basin FIRST so when the Frenzyheart tribe was displaced and chose it as their new home they were not to pleased to discover it already occupied.

The Oracles are made up of several different tribes of gorlocs with the main village being located at Rainspeaker Canopy. It is here you will end up after completing "Just following Orders" for the Frenzyheart. What makes this faction so interesting is their perceived PURPOSE in the area. When the gorlocs discovered this oasis in the arctic north they interpreted it to be a gift from the "gods" and all the artifacts left behind which keep the zone topical "shrines". So while they in fact know little to nothing about the Titans themselves, they have set themselves up as guardians for all of the relics they left behind.

Since the Oracles see themselves as having a purpose they view the intrusion of the Wolvar as more of a annoyance than anything else. The "puppy-men" as they call them keep wanting to fight over the territory while they would rather just focus on collecting "shinies" for their shrines. Any attempts to compromise with the Frenzyheart have been rebuffed because the wolvar just can not comprehend SHARING period.

So where does that leave the Oracles? Looking for helpful "Dry Skins" to provide a buffer. Unlike the wolvar the Oracles have a concrete grasp on the value of a good "Treasure" motivator to get individuals to help them out and thin out the Wolvar ranks FOR them. They offer four different non combat companion pets and even better a MOUNT to keep people coming back even AFTER they reach exalted reputation with them.

So how do you build that reputation? As with the Frenzyheart once you have completed the "Hero's Burden" chain you will be given a choice as to WHO you wish to support. The nice thing about choosing Oracles at that point is that you are already honored with them so reaching exalted and it's promised prizes is that much closer. Each day you will be offered three daily quests at Rainspeaker Canopy.

Appeasing the Great Rain Stone will always be available. Make sure you have your Oracle companion to help you gather the "shinies". If you happen to loose your companion's summoning item just speak to High-Oracle Soo-say who gives out the quest and you can get another one. Now there is some debate as to which of the three is best for this quest, Lafoo, Jaloot or Moodle. My personal favorite is Jaloot as I find Moodle's constant complaining irritating and Lafoo is easily distracted by bugs, Jaloot seems to REALLY enjoy doing this quest however.

Oracle Soo-nee will send you out each day to do "routine maintenance" for all the shrines by dealing with the various spirits in the area. He has four different quests he offers at random. A Cleansing Song, Song of Fecundity, Song of Reflection, and Song of Wind and Water.

Oracle Soo-dow will offer three quests which deal with the Wolvar annoyance. Mastery of the Crystals, Power of the Great Ones, or Will of the Titans. Each of these quests is actually turned in not back at Rainspeaker Canopy but at another Oracle village called Sparkedtouched Haven to Lightningcaller Soo-met. While each of the quests DOES give you some device to help, you don't have to use it to get credit, so for those classes who can AOE it is often easier to just do it yourself rather than use them.

Completing all eight quests will gain you the achievement Savior of the Oracles. Reaching exalted reputation with them grants The Oracles achievement.

Rep: Frenzyheart Tribe

Located in the Sholazar Basin are two factions who cause a great deal of confusion and frustration as people first encounter them. This week we will focus on the Frenzyheart Tribe or more commonly referred to as the "Wolvar".

This species of Wolverine people is native to the area so they are located in places other than Sholazar such as Howling Fjord, Dragonblight and  Zul'Drak. The difference is that (with the exception of the Rageclaw Tribe from Zul'Drak who start out friendly) they will continue to be hostile even after you gain exalted reputation with the Frenzyheart Tribe since the tribes don't really interact much nor get along.  Don't confuse them with the bear based race of Furbolgs we have dealt with out entire leveling experience either, these guys are completely different.

Players can first start gaining reputation with the Frenzyheart after completing a quest located at Lakeside Landing for Tamara Wigglesprocket called Part-time Hunter (on a side note she is the only female human NPC in game who is known to be married to a Gnome). After you kill Pitch a group of Frenzyheart show up and accuse you of stealing their kill, as a result you are now their "captive" and must report to Frenzyheart Hill to make retribution.

What causes all the confusion to players is that you work for the Frenzyheart until you are well into honored reputation but then the quest chain sends you over to the opposing faction The Oracles. Don't worry, before you declare one faction over the other you must FIRST gain honored reputation with BOTH. Something easily done while completing the quest chain. How you declare factions is based on the final quest of the chain A Hero's Burden. This is a repeatable quest so switching back and forth between factions can easily be accomplished as most level 80's can solo this quest.

There are several reasons why you may wish to chose the Frenzyheart faction over the Oracles. The first is if you are attempting to complete the Mercenary of Sholazar achievement as this requires exalted reputation with BOTH factions at some point. Another reason is if you are a trinket collector and desire to get the Frenzyheart Brew. When Wrath first was released many rogues would chose Frenzyheart for the Azure Strappy Pants and Frenzyheart Insignia of Fury.

Faction reputation can be gained in only one way, by completing daily quests. So once you have done A Hero's Burden and declared yourself a Frenzyheart you will need to rebuild your reputation. This will take you about a 20 days as there are only 3 quests you can do each day.

Chicken Party! From Elder Harkek will give 500 rep and is available every day.

Vekar will offer you one of three quests each day to go out and kill a specific number of "Big Tongues". While each quest will give you tools to do them you don't have to kill the Gorlocs using them to get credit. They will each give you 700 reputation upon completion.

Kartak's Rampage
Secret Strength of the Frenzyheart
Tools of War

Rejek has four possible quests to give you which give 500 reputation as reward at completion.

A Hero's Headgear
Rejek: First Blood
Strength of the Tempest
The Heartblood's Strength

There is also an achievement for completing each of these daily quests called Honorary Frenzyheart. This is easily obtainable while working on the Frenzyheart Tribe achievement.

The biggest issue I had with these guys was while I found them cute they are just down right annoying. They remind me of my bossy younger brother with some of their remarks. (Though the "You go before I taunt you second time!" is funny.) The thing to keep in mind is while the form changing trinket has no dependence on reputation the other items they offer DO. This means that you can't get the pants for instance and then switch to Oracles with out loosing the use of those pants. The jewel crafting recipes you learned are still good though.

Another thing of note, during Children's Week in May Orphan Matron Aria will show up in Dalaran with a Wolvar pup named Kekek. You DO NOT have to have reputation with the Frenzyheart to choose to do his quests. Complete all seven of his quests before returning him to the Orphan Matron and you will get him in the mail as a Noncombat companion pet.

Happy Grinding!

Rep: The Kalu'ak

The Kalu'ak are actually a faction of the Tuskarr even though most players will refer to them AS the "Tuskarr". While they ARE a neutral faction they most closely relate to the Horde and are actually responsible for assisting them in the establishment of their bases in Northrend. At least this is the official lore NOW, however ORIGINALLY they were at War with the Taunka (the northern cousins to the Tauren) this was later quietly changed to having them constantly competing with the Kvaldir and a small number of Gorlocs who happen to live along the coast rather than in Solazar Basin.

Physically they resemble walruses and have a society completely devoted to earning a living off the near by ocean. As fisherman they are unparalleled. Their dependence on the bounty of the waters seen in their construction and art. Despite their jovial looking appearance they are fierce fighters with a intense dedication to familial ties.

The average player will not be in Northrend long before their first encounter with this group as their settlements dot the cost line. However it IS easy to miss some of their more heavily populated areas as they prefer isolated coves. The three main settlements are Kaskala in the Borean Tundra, Kamagua in the Howling Fjord and Moa'ki in Dragonblight. These settlements are connected via flight paths as well as the neutral "turtle boat" ferry.

It is in those three locations that players will discover the repeatable daily quests which can be used to get this reputation to exalted. Beyond that there are 54 quests total which grant reputation for this faction. Unlike the majority of other early factions reputation can ONLY be earned via the quests, they do not make use of a tabard. One of the quests is slightly tricky as in order for players to gain access to "The Way to His Heart" in Howling Fjord is by FIRST completing the quest Swabbing' Soap over at Scalawag Point. (Another example of players inadvertently creating a problem they now get to fix.)

So why bother? The Tuskarr are skilled craftsman. (Not unusual when you consider they spend a great deal of time indoors during the more foul weather Northrend has to offer.) For lower level players some of the gear pieces they have to offer can be very handy while leveling. In addition to this they provide several craft recipes for Jewelcrafters, Leatherworkers and even Tailors. The reason most individuals grind this reputation is for the Epic fishing pole and the Penguin pet.

 

Now Pengu DID undergo a recent coloration change so that he more closely resembles the Beta pet Chilly.  The above picture shows BOTH of them, with Chilly on the left and Pengu on the right. With patch 3.3 Pengu now ALSO has blue eyes rather than the original red, however he still larger than Chilly was and has a darker face color.

Happy Grinding!

Rep: The Sunreavers

There as been a great deal of confusion regarding this last faction of the Horde Expedition. Specifically who they are and how they came to be there. The Sunreavers are a group of Blood Elves who petitioned the Kirin Tor for the acceptance of the New Horde. This is HUGE as the Old Horde was responsible for almost completely destroying the city of Dalaran during the Second War. While the Kirin Tor and Dalaran specifically have attempted to remain neutral during the various conflicts that have plagued Azeroth that does not mean that they have remained uninvolved observers.  This dual citizenship conflict is most recently played out in the form of Archmage Aethas Sunreaver.

Archmage Sunreaver is a member of the Council of Six, the ruling body of the Kirin Tor. He took the position Prince Kael'thas abandoned following the destruction of Silvermoon City. It has not been an easy transition and his presence has not been welcomed by everyone, most notably his cousin Vereesa Windrunner, who happens to be the spouse of the Kirin Tor's present leader Rhonin. However he has persevered and though his efforts managed to establish a sanctuary for the Horde within Dalarn itself.  His supporters have taken the name "Sunreavers" to honor him and his tireless efforts. Another thing of note, at the beginning of the expansion Aethas was not wearing a tabard but that was later changed, while he still is affiliated with the Kirin Tor he wears the Sunreaver tabard.

Like their Silverwing counterparts players were teased at the beginning of the Wrath expansion with a faction bar but no way to gain reputation. This was rectified with patch 3.1 and the introduction of the Argent Tournament, here the Sunreavers play host to the Horde forces. Originally the plan was for the Tournament to take place in Crystalsong Forest just under Dalaran, as a result small bases were constructed in the zone complete with flight paths. However Blizzard soon realized that with all the activity taking place overhead it created to much lag so they relocated it to Icecrown.

Horde players can now gain reputation with the Sunreavers in two ways. By doing the daily quests located at the Argent Tournament or by running level 80 dungeons while not wearing a reputation granting tabard. Once you have reached Champion with at least one of the home factions as well as exalted with the Sunreavers additional daily quests will become available to you. More importantly players will be able to purchase the flying mount, land mount, pet and tabard for their various collections.


Happy Grinding!

Rep: Silver Covenant

The Silver Covenant is the last of the four members of the Alliance Vanguard we will be covering in our reputation series. When Wrath was first released this faction caused reputation buffs untold nightmares. The reason was that they were tired to an achievement requiring you to have exalted reputation with all four of the Alliance Vanguard factions but at that time there was absolutely NO WAY to gain reputation with Silver Covenant. Like vultures, players circled the small base in Crystalsong Forest (complete with flight path) attempting to discover the secret to gaining favor with these elusive guardians. Eventually the achievement was changed but the question still remained as to why we had a reputation bar for them to begin with.

That question was finally answered with Patch 3.1 and the introduction of the Argent Tournament. The Silver Covenant serves as a martial force within the Kirin Tor, lead by Veressa Windrunner, (wife of the Kirin Tor's Leader Rhonin and Sister to Lady Sylvanas.) Veressa and her followers look upon the blood elves as sick individuals so consumed by their desire for magic that they should not be trusted. (I am sure she was not pleased when Rhonin considered them as members of the Kirin Tor.) As a result they offer their services and support to the Alliance Vanguard, granting protection while in Dalaran as well as hosting the Alliance forces for the Tournament.

It is through the tournament that players can now gain not only reputation with this faction but fun toys as well.  There are no specific quests that will give you Silver Covenant reputation, rather you can get it either as "spill over" reputation from doing the daily argent tournament quests or as of patch 3.3 by running level 80 dungeons with out wearing a reputation granting tabard. Once you have reached exalted there are four items you can purchase from them. A land mount, a flying mount, a pet, and a tabard. In addition to that, if you have also reached Champion status with one of the racial faction cities you will also notice 3 additional daily quests available to you. You've Really Done It This Time, Kul will show up EVERY day (the dwarf never learns it seems), but the other two will vary options offered will vary. Narasi Snowdawn has four others that she cycles through besides the Kul one, A Leg Up, Rescue at Sea, Stop the Aggressors, and Light's Mercy. Savinia Loresong only offers three, Breakfast of Champions, Gormok Wants His Snobolds, and What Do You Feed a Yeti, Anyway?

Patch 3.3 brought another interesting tidbit to this faction. The introduction of the Quel'Delar quest chain. If SOMEHOW you managed to miss this, in side the Icecrown Citadel five man instances drops a BoE quest item the Battered Hilt. The story behind it is that when Kael went north after Arthas, with him went a warrior by the name of Lana'thel who was welding one of the legendary Quel'Serrar blades, gifted to the elves by the dragon aspects. When she fell no one knew what became of it. Now players will get to "repair" the weapon and carry it as their own. Of course the Silver Covenant will have a vested interest and assist you by telling you where to go and what to do along your journey.

While I have yet to be fortunate enough to see the silly thing drop even ONCE on ANY of my toons I have been able to help several guild mates complete the chain and it is well worth it. At the moment the Hilts are still commanding astronomical prices on the Auction houses but if you happen to come into possession of one the quest chain is well worth it.

Happy questing!

Rep: The Frostborn

If you are Alliance and have NOT done any of the quests in The Storm Peaks for this faction you have missed out on some of the BEST lore related quests in the game. While some are taken completely by surprise at its revelations, others may have caught the foreshadowing of its conclusion from a quest chain back in Dragonblight and like me have been anxiously anticipating it. With the release of Icecrown Citadel the "secret" is out. Muradin Bronzebeard, the second of the Bronzebeard brothers, weapons instructor and friend to Prince Arthas, is alive and wanting to clean up the mess he inadvertently created when he told his young companion about the legendary sword Frostmoure.

The Frostborn are a special race of dwarves discovered by Muradin shortly after his and Arthas' encounter with Frostmoure. Unlike the "Flesh" Dwarves who completely succumbed to the curse of the flesh, their stone "froze" locking them into the state they are presently in. They were exiled and while they continue to be aware of the Titans and revere them, they no longer serve them like the Earthen. This made them vulnerable to the battle that was going on between Yogg-Saron and the Titan Guardians.

When Alliance Players first encounter them in Storm Peaks that is exactly what is going on. The Frostborn are pinned in by the Iron Dwarves, a product of the Mecognomes and servants of Yogg-Saron. The Explorer's League has discovered the Frostborn and manged to gain their assistance in furthering their research by OFFERING assistance in protecting and defending the Frostborn. There are only Fifteen quests for this faction, only one of them is a repeatable daily. So before patch 3.3 gaining exalted with this faction took a LONG time. Now it is only a matter of running level 80 dungeons with out wearing a faction rewarding tabard.

Don't skip the quest chains though, as I mentioned they are rich in lore and some of them are the most enjoyable ones I have encountered in the game. My favorite of all time is The Brothers Bronzebeard in which you fly out off the Engine of the Makers on the Wing of Brann's Flying Machine and fight off Iron Dwarves. The ending of this quest is of course the very best part and had me jumping up and down yelling "I was right! I was right!" Just be careful to follow Brann closely so that you get credit.

Rep: Explorers' League

Also known as the Explorers' Guild this Dwarven lead branch of the Alliance Vanguard is really more interested in pursuing their personal agenda of uncovering the origins of the dwarven people than going after the Lich King. However since their research has managed to provided the Alliance with detailed maps, along analysis of all new resources discovered, they do not begrudge them their obsession.

Headquartered out of the Hall of Explorers in Ironforge the Explorers' League has been around since the very beginning of the World of Warcraft on line game and can be found scattered across every part of the globe even reaching into Outland. However it was only with the Wrath of the Lich King expansion that players gained the opportunity to finally earn reputation with this faction. (Much to the joy of many of us.) But prior to patch 3.3 it was NOT easy.

While you will find Explorers' League members scattered all about Northrend, reputation providing quests are located in only two zones, Howling Fjord and Storm Peaks. Of the 36 quests this faction gives only ONE is a daily, Steel Gate Patrol. Thankfully it is a low level one. So prior to patch 3.3 if you wanted to reach exalted reputation with this faction you could expect to do Steel Gate Patrol about 122 times. (That was if you were human, non humans it was even more.) Thankfully that is no longer an issue. Players will now get this reputation as spill over from doing Argent Tournament Daily quests as well as from running level 80 dungeons.

Does this mean that when you enter the Hall of Explorers after you've reach exalted they will greet you with great enthusiasm? Sorry, no. As one commenter put it: "I just try to imagine their indifference as stunned silence."
Lets say you want to try to fit in, look more like the most famous of the Explorers' Leagues Members Brann Bronzebeard. What would you need? It is actually rather simple. The basic uniform consists of a Russet Hat, Rugged Trapper's Shirt, Rugged Trapper's Pants, Rugged Trapper's Boots, and a Thick cloth belt.

In all honesty it looks very similar to my fishing outfit but that is neither here nor there.

Rep: Warsong Offensive

Last week we looked at the Alliance Expedition this week we are going to look at its Horde counter part the Warsong Offensive.  Lead by the controversial Garrosh Hellscream this branch of the Warsong Clans original objective was to gain a foothold and establish strongholds in Northrend in order for the Horde to advance their fight against the scourge. This would later change. This is a faction that is fighting tooth and nail every step of the way as it progresses across Northrend just to survive let alone achieve its objective.

When the Horde arrived in the Borean Tundra it was to find that the Alliance had already claimed the only harbor for their own. This forced them to locate their own fortress further down the coast. Warsong Hold, the main base of operations for the Warsong Offensive was plagued with difficulties from the onset not the least of which being their continued struggle with supplies. Garrosh is of the opinion that simply removing the Alliance will solve all the problems while his more experienced Co Commander High Overlord Varok Saurfang has made it quite clear he will remove GARROSH if the need arises rather than revisit the failures of the past. Tension within the command structure is common in this faction and players will quickly become aware of it as they journey along the quest hubs.

The Warsong Offensive also works closely with a second member of the Horde Expedition, The Taunka. I am not going to go into detail about these cousins to the Tauren at this time other than to say that it is the Warsong Offensive that is responsible for rediscovering them and Garrosh specifically for encouraging pursuing their recruitment into the Horde forces.

The tensions between the Horde and the Alliance are the least in Dragonblight, more due to their separation than true cooperation. With the Alliance focused more on Naxramas and the Horde on Azjol-Nerub the areas of conflict are minimal between the two factions. This of course completely dissolves after the events at Wrathgate. From that point on it is open warfare.

The leadership tensions are also at there most dramatic when Horde players head into Grizzly Hills shortly after and encounter the Sisters Krenna and Gorgonna. Here not only are you dealing with the conflict over the zone but a leader who cares not one wit about you as a trooper. Even going so far as ignoring vital information since it is not part of her personal agenda. The final showdown is one few players will want to miss.

From there players have a choice as to wither they will go into Icecrown or Stormpeaks. The play experience is very different as is the lore.

In Icecrown Horde players will find themselves chasing down the Zeplin Orgrim Hammer as they combat not only the scourge but the Alliance as well. A sharp contrast to the Argent Crusade's call for unity at the tournament close by. Some of the individuals you will find on the Orgrim Hammer like the Death Knight Kolitra Deathweaver of the Knights of the Ebon Blade are a good representation of both the internal conflict as well as the conflict of interest some players may have while questing. Those who have read the recent release World of Warcraft: Death Knight will be more aware of  Kolitra's close relationship with his Alliance counterpart Thassarian.

In Stormpeaks on the other hand Horde players are facing a completely different issue. This zone is almost all about history. Here Horde players encounter the intrepid Brann Bronzebeard for the first time along with the Horde version Xarantaur the Witness.  If you are a Lore nut don't skip the quests in this zone but as for reputation gaining quests there are really not that many of them at the two quest hubs located here.

One of the largest changes to effect this faction took place in patch 3.1. when this faction became the Command force for the Horde in the Stand of the Ancients Battleground. Another was in Patch 3.3 when players we able to begin gaining reputation with this faction by killing mobs and bosses in level 80 dungeons.

Over all this is a fairly easy faction to gain reputation with in that it has a total of 145 reputation granting quests over five zones and seven quest hubs. Of those 145, nine are repeatable daily pvp quests. Four in Grizzly Hills and Five in Icecrown.

Rep: The Tranquillien

Well we are almost done with all of the factions from the Burning Crusade expansion. There is just one more left and I am covering them last because I was just not sure where else to fit them in. The Tranquillien is a Horde only faction made up of  both Blood Elves and Forsaken located in the small town of Tranquillien in the Ghostlands. No other starting zone has a faction like this and how you gain reputation with them is also slightly different.

Overlooking the Dread Scar on the western slope of Sungraze Peak, the story of Tranquillien is fairly straight forward from a lore perspective. During the 3rd War the town was abandoned in the face of the advancing Scourge, its residents fleeing to Silvermoon City for refuge. Now it has been reclaimed by a joint group of Forsaken and Blood Elves in the desperate attempt to retake the Ghostlands. It is really nothing more than an isolated outpost surrounded by hostiles but easy to located as it is split in two by the main road.

As a result of its isolating environment supplies are constantly in short supply. This is reflected in the fact that there is only one place to repair, with the Blacksmith Frances. The only other type of training offered in this town is by the Master Chef Mouldier. However it does have a faction quartermaster Provisioner Vredigar who (if you have the proper reputation) can be convinced to part with some of his goods for the right price.

In total this faction offers 46 quests that give reputation. Each of these quests will grant you around 1000 rep EACH making it one of the quickest to grind up with the largest pay out. While the majority of these quests are either grinding or fetch and deliver there are two repeatable ones as well, More Rotting Hearts and More Spinal Dust.

One quest is considered an almost MUST DO as it will get you to exalted no matter where you are on the faction reputation grind. The Traitor's Destruction.While this is a group quest the average level 20 CAN solo him if they are smart about how they pull and clear the area around him FIRST. The reward for this quest makes it quite worth the effort to someone leveling.

All in all the vast majority of players can easily hit exalted with this faction by level 20.
Happy Questing!

Rep: The Consortium

The Consortium is a group of ethereal traders. (At least that is what they call themselves.) In reality these cloth wrapped energy beings are really little more than thieves and smugglers lead by their mob boss Nexus-Prince Haramad. Their main base of operations is located at Stormspire in Netherstorm, but they have smaller settlements and shops scattered all over Outland including such notable locations as Aeris Landing in Nagrand and within Mana-Tombs in Auchindoun.

One of the unique things about the Consortium is that once you reach friendly status with them you are officially considered a member and placed on the pay role. Once a month you can stop by Aeris Landing and receive your wages in the form of raw gems. The greater your reputation the better the quality and quantity of gems you will find in your Membership Benefits.

How you gain reputation with the Consortium has changes a bit over the course of the game so the options available to you are really manifold. Players usually first encounter this faction at Aeris Landing in Nagrad unless they happen to make it into Mana-Tombs first.

From Neutral to Friendly you could get reputation from:
NORMAL Mana-Tombs runs (These will get you reputation up through Honored)
Oshu'Gun Crystal Fragment turn in to Gezhe
Pair of Ivory Tusk turn in to Shadrek

Once you hit Friendly you can no longer do the Ivory Tusk or Crystal Fragments. Now is a good time to move on to either:
Obsidian Warbeads which can be farmed while working on Kurenai (Alliance) or The Mag'har (Horde)
Or the Zaxxis Insignia. which USE to be the preferred way to get you all the way to exalted.
But as I mentioned there was a change with patch 2.1.0 with the introduction of the Etherum Prision.

Now once you hit Honored you CERTAINLY want to head to Netherstorm no matter what. There you will find two quests (if you haven't been doing any of the other Consortium quests already) which will send you to Seek out Ameer. He will send you on A Mission of Mercy which will become in a sense a repeatable quest for you as you will continue to find keys and free prisoners. This will lead to the repeatable quest Ethereum Prisoner I.D. Catalogue. These keys can be farmed in three places: The Staging Area, and The Heap in Netherstorm and Bash'ar Landing in Blades Edge Mountains.

Where you chose to farm is entirely up to you. Some like the Heap as you can still get Insignias, some prefer the drop rate in Bash'ar Landing, and others prefer to stay close to all the prisoners at the Staging Area. There really is no BAD area to grind.  Each I.D badge will give you 250 rep. Opening a prison that frees a FRIENDLY prisoner will grant you 500 rep for THAT faction.

For those who like to break up the monotony of grinding there are a total of 90 quests offered that give reputation for this faction. Unfortunately a good chunk of them are tied to daily dungeons or repeatable "grinding" style quests. The majority of the quests are of course located in Nagrand and Netherstorm but don't miss out on those in Blades Edge Mountains as well.

Many consider the Ethereals one of the COOLER looking races and to be a part of them even if only by association is a lot of fun. While the "goodie bag" of gems may not mean as much now as it once did, they STILL are nice and those working on power leveling jewel crafting won't mind the extra help.

Happy Grinding!

Rep: The Mag'har

The intention was to cover this faction LAST week, however my computer decided to take a holiday so here we are. Some of you may have wondered why I didn't included The Mag'har the Horde only faction when I discussed their neighbors the Kurenai. The reason is quite simply their Lore. Even if their reputations are gained in VERY similar ways it just didn't seem right to over look their rich lore histories.

The "mag'har" in orcish means "uncorrupted ones". Which is ironic as this faction was created prior to the introduction of fel magic to the orcs due to a plague that was effecting them called the "red pox". The Frostwolf clan had established a quarantine village headed by Grandmother Geyah as a way to treat and contain the disease. As this Plague was both considered a weakness and more powerful than the average shaman could handle many of the other clans sent their sick to this village rather than deal with them themselves. This is why such notables as Gorrosh Hellscream, Jorin Deadeye and Saurgang the Younger are also located here.

As the rest of the orcs fell prey to Magtheridon and became corrupted by their close contact with those who used fel magic the Mag'har retained their original coloration and communion with the spirits. Even when Draenor was torn apart around them their area was basically untouched by the demons their brothers had unwittingly invited to invade as the Naaru worked to protect not just the Draenei but these Orc's as well. Interestingly while many of the other Orc spiritual leaders denied the Naaru's existence these orcs not only are aware of them but working with them.

Horde players will first encounter this faction in Hellfire Peninsula. With this much corruption in the world you can't expect that the Mag'har will just greet you with open arms! In Thrallmar you will find a quest called "The Assassin". This will start you along the path to finding out about the Mag'har and to reuniting Warchief Thrall with his birth family. This quest chain will first take you to a small Mag'har outpost just north of Hellfire Citadel. From there players must journey to the main Mag'har City of Garadar in Nagrand. (Note: you must complete to at least "A Spirit Guide" to speak to anyone in Garadar.)

Once you are in Nagrand the manner in which you can gain reputation with the Mag'har is very similar to the Alliance with the Kurenai. You can simply kill Kil'Sarrow cult members, Murkblood broken, Warmaul or Boulderfist Ogres. Personally I think farming the ogres and turning in the Obsidian Warbeads is the most beneficial. In addition to this, there are quests, (fifty seven in all) which will give you reputation towards this faction.

Again, WHY go after this particular faction reputation? There are actually a few things to consider.

Mount collectors of course will desire Provisioner Nasela's Talbuks. However LORE nuts will NOT want to pass up the LAST quest in the epic chain Hero of the Mag'har. (While this is NOT what you will see IN game it is a TASTE of what it is ABOUT.) Just a word of warning. If you are the type to turn in a quest and take off...DON'T, wait a few minutes or you will miss out. Sure we may not care for how it effects Gorrosh today. Some have even attempted to change the outcome, it is one EPIC quest chain.

Happy Grinding!