Reputation Exploration: Gondor Factions

 

After scooting ourselves through the Paths of the Dead, we have made it out the other side, and have left the massive region of Rhovanion behind. Our first stop is the kingdom of Gondor, a massive land ruled by Men. As a costal area, we see other forces (including the sea-faring corsairs) attempting to overthrow the land.

In prior articles, we have looked at the Eriador factions and Rhovanion factions. We will now take a focus on the factions within the regions of Western Gondor and Central Gondor. For West Gondor, we find outselves with one main faction for this area, and eight sub-factions which encompass the sections of Dol Amroth (or DA for short; chief capital city of West Gondor). Over in Central Gondor, each of the three areas has its own faction, and there is a faction for the capital city (Pelargir). Eastern Gondor continued the Pelargir rep, as well as introducing the Rangers of Ithilien. Finally, Old Anorien brought us the Defenders of Minas Tirith.

 

*(ACQ) = Max reputation tier is Acquaintance – 10,000 reputation
**(SU) = Mason & Swan-Knight require a collaborative server-unlock to accrue

 

It is of interest to note that we see a return to consumable reputation in Gondor! Western Gondor offers this as quest rewards for completing the various Dol Amroth dailies, and Central Gondor offers it both through a couple of specific quests, and also via landscape.

 

Dol Amroth (Western Gondor)

The faction simply labeled “Dol Amroth” acts as the main source of reputation gain between levels 95-100. Reputation can be gained with this faction by the following means: zone quests, daily repeatables (including warbands and a fishing daily in DA), Gondor task boards, or the completion of slayer/zone deeds in the area. The fishing daily in mind is called “Fishing on the Wharf” (500 reputation), located on the east side of town at DA’s port.

If you are running through the region’s quest line, be aware there is a fellowship area, Tarlang’s Crown, whose quests will reward DA rep. However, you will want to be well-prepared with a fellowship/raid in order to survive the tough gauntlet through this part of the zone. Alternatively, the completion of extra warbands/tasks/fishing daily should be enough to get you to Kindred with fair ease.

 

Dol Amroth – City Watch Districts (Western Gondor)

Various City District-specific Tokens (250/500/2500 rep each) – Level 90 required

Once you reach character level 100, you will receive an auto-bestowed quest that will enlist your character into helping the people of Dol Amroth watch and defend their city from enemy attack. There are a total of eight “mini-factions” that are included, each representing a certain building or section of the city. Imagine this kind of like a Hytbold system, with the focus switching from rebuilding a city to defending one.

The other interesting piece, which make these more of sub-factions, are the current reputation tier caps. At this time, each faction of the city will cap at Acquaintance, which will require 10,000 reputation (filling up a bar with blue just once). In order to accrue reputation with a faction, you will need to complete daily quests available in DA (remember, you must be level 100 to start doing these quests on that character). These are available from eight different NPCs, each displaying their corresponding district (though you may only complete six of these quests per day, followed by a special instance to finish up). They can be found just south of the large fountain in DA, quest rings displaying in places near the smaller fountain.

Upon completing objectives for each quest, you will receive a box to open. The chances for receiving a consumable piece of reputation (a hybridized form of consumable rep, attainable not by landscape drop, but by quest completion and RNG from revealing contents of a box) respective to that district’s NPC is greater, but you are essentially able to receive almost any faction’s consumable reputation from any box (except for two locked factions, which require the players on each separate server to work toward unlocks, see next paragraph). These consumable items require character level 90 to use, and the values are for the most part either 250 or 500 rep (the Library token is a special case only as part of an intro to the Dol Amroth dailies, and rewards 2500 rep each).

Six of these factions can be worked on right away. The other two, however, are tied behind a collaborative server unlock. The Mason and Swan-Knight factions will require that players work together to donate Silver Tokens of Dol Amroth to two respective NPCs to unlock those instances, and as such progress with those factions. The Masons require a total of 8,000 quest turn-ins (or 80,000 total tokens) for Emyn Ernil, and the Swan-Knights require 12,000 quest turn-ins ( or 120,000 total tokens) for Paths of the Dead. Thus, each server will need to donate 200,000 of the tokens in order to have both of these instance areas unlocked for all on that server.

At this point, all servers would have unlocked the additional collaborative server unlock. I have decided to retain the info here just for info-sake.

 

Men of Ringlo Vale (Central Gondor)

Ornamental Skull (50 rep each) – Level 90 required
Weathered Gondorian Relic (250 rep each) – Level 90 required
Pristine Wood-Carving (500 rep each) – Level 90 required

Completing quests in the Ringlo Vale should get you a decent chunk into completing this faction. Repeatable quests are also available from Ethring (NPC: Candur; patrols around town), as well as war-bands in this area rewarding Ringlo rep. Once you complete the quest chain for the area, additional repeatable quests will unlock from the same NPC that had given the bounty quests. These include actual rep items as part of their reward, with the one to kill Scythe-jaw (bring a fellowship with ya!) rewarding the 500 point rep item. As you advance your tier of reputation, you may also see additional repeatables unlock.

As for farming rep via landscape (a triumphant return to this system, last time being in Moria!), you’ll want to look toward the north part of this area to do so (the southern areas are pretty much all animal foes). If you begin a route north-east of Ethring, near Grishru (see nearby flag in image), and follow through the enemy camp toward the east (to the far right flag), killing anything along the way, you should be able to accrue several pieces of at least the 50 & 250 rep items. It seems that the 500 rep items are rare drops from just the signature enemies – this camp contains a couple of trolls & an enemy captain that will fit the bill.

Once you make it to the end of the camp, you should notice a cave entrance (Nimrond). Enter this, and proceed westward through the cave, killing the orcs & oathbreakers along the way. Exit the other side, and clear this small camp of enemies. Afterward, you can decide whether you’d like to go in reverse back through the cave & other camp, or simply get on your steed and ride back to the first camp (the plus with choosing the latter is that you can stop @ Ethring for anything you need & to re-acquire a bounty quest).

Ringlo Vale TL;DR: Zone questing/war-band & repeatable bounty (in Ethring); additional dailies for finishing area quests & via increasing rep tier. Farming consumable rep route in NE orc camp (Grishru) & through cave in far NE (Nimrond).

 

 

Men of Dor-en-Ernil (Central Gondor)

Coast-Raider’s Sash (50 rep each) – Level 90 required
Jewel-Encrusted Scimitar (250 rep each) – Level 90 required
Unblemished Swan Statue (500 rep each) – Level 90 required

Completing quests in Dor-en-Ernil will garner you rep with the peoples in this area. As with the prior area, completing war-bands here will get you the appropriate rep. Repeatable quests are also available, both from this area’s main hub, Linhir, and the camp in the far northwest of the area, Erchar’s Camp (79.1S, 52.5W). Upon completion of the area’s storyline quests, additional dailies will be unlocked in Linhir to complete (of which will reward additional consumable rep, just like those in Ringlo Vale), and advancing your reputation tier may unlock even more dailies. If you plan on taking on the roving threat, a half-troll named Anburz, you’ll probably want to bring a group with you. Completion of that quest will reward the unblemished swan statue (500 rep), along with 500 reputation for the quest.

As for farming rep via landscape, there are two fairly-sizable camps that are pretty close to one another. As shown in the image to the left, the top right camp, Lang Boha (82.2S, 49.4W) can be found west of Linhir. There are a mix of Corsairs/Haradrim/half trolls all about, so be careful of patrolling enemies. If you are solo, enemies will probably start respawning before you clear the camp, in which case you can just stay put. However, if you are with others, and clear the camp quickly, another option is to alternate between this camp, and the nearby lighthouse, Barad Rill (86.4S, 50.4W), which can be found southwest of Lang Boha. This encampment starts off flat, but soon turns into a vertical battleground as you make your way up two floors – naturally slaying all the mix of enemies along the way. There are half troll and Haradrim signature enemies, so be careful of your pulls.

In addition to the rep items found in these camps, each of these two camps are also part of daily repeatable quests picked up in Linhir. Making at least one loop between the camps are therefore recommended to complete the respective quests involved.

You should be able to find a decent number of the rep items at either of these camps, and if paired with the use of reputation accelerator scrolls (buy those from the Curiosities vendor @ a skirmish camp, offer a bonus cache of 1000 rep, which doubles the next 1000 rep attained), should do well to reach Kindred.

Dor-en-Ernil TL;DR: Zone questing/war-band & repeatable bounties (Erchar’s Camp, far NW); additional dailies for finishing area quests & via increasing rep tier (find these in Linhir). Farming consumable rep spots include Lang Boha and/or Barad Rill (the lighthouse far south). Both of these spots are also involved in daily repeatables, so hit both at least once.

 

 

Men of Lebennin (Central Gondor)

Bone Carving (50 rep each) – Level 90 required
Gold-Studded Staff (250 rep each) – Level 90 required
Worn Medallion of Castamir (500 rep each) – Level 90 required

As with the prior areas, completing quests & war-bands in this part of Central Gondor will get you reputation with Lebennin. Repeatable quests are available from Ost Anglebed (unfortunately, there is no stable route to this city, but it is not too long a ride from Pelargir), and you can gain additional dailies by increasing your reputation tier.

As for farming reputation, I have two locations that have a different layout of enemies, so it comes down to a personal choice. The first, what I find to be more of a safe option, are the Ruins of Ethillorn. You can get here by starting from Linhir, and travelling south (see image below for the location). This encampment consists of just Corsair Pillagers, normal melee enemies. As such, this is a great camp for AoE specs to gather up a whole bunch and let loose. Although you will likely not find any of the 500 rep items, the speed at which you can clear this camp should net you a decent amount of the other items.

The other options in this region will pit you against multiple enemy types, including signatures. The enemy camp west of Pelargir, Hata Kabir (see image for location), is also the site for a repeatable quest (“Out of their Depth”), so I’d probably recommend this spot. With signatures in the mix, this will add the rare chance to attain the 500 rep pieces. The only problem is that if you aren’t careful of enemy locations (including static & roaming mobs), you might end up fighting more than you can handle. Enemies in Central Gondor certainly seem to bring their A-game, and they can all be found in this camp – the half-trolls can do some nasty stuns (check for induction) and damage, the sorcerers (non-signatures) can cause blurry camera vision and channel damage, and I believe even the regular enemies can stun you.

Basically, the Ruins offer easier, non-signature melee enemies, and the other camp significantly ramps up the challenge, with the offer of signature enemies (though not necessarily a guarantee of finding the premium rep items).

Lebennin TL;DR: Zone questing/war-band & repeatables (Ost Anglebed, no stable but close to Pelargir); additional dailies for finishing area quests & via increasing rep tier. Farming consumable rep spots include an easier camp (Ruins of Ethillorn; south of Linhir, non-sig melee enemies), and a more difficult camp (Hata Kabir; west of Pelargir, signature enemies – also part of a daily repeatable).

 

Pelargir (Central Gondor/Eastern Gondor)

Completing quests within the city of Pelargir will raise your ranks with this faction. All tasks at all boards across Central Gondor will also reward reputation with Pelgargir. Additionally, all Central Gondor deeds will reward reputation with this faction. Completing the Retaking Pelargir Epic Battle (as long as you have the main quest) will also reward you with some Pelargir rep.

From what I have come across so far, I have not seen any repeatable quests offered in Pelargir. This may require a higher tier of reputation to unlock repeatables.

Additionally, with Update 16, Eastern Gondor provides a hearty amount of Pelargir rep advancement. All quests in two of the three regions – Upper Lebennin and Lossarnach, will reward reputation with Pelargir. Eastern Gondor task boards will reward Rangers of Ithilien rep, not with Pelargir.

 

 

Rangers of Ithilien (Eastern Gondor)

After crossing a boat from Lossarnach over to South Ithilien, you’ll start your journey aiding the Rangers of Ithilien. As such, all quests in this area will reward you reputation with this faction. Additionally, all task boards in Eastern Gondor will reward rep with the Rangers of Ithilien (in any of the three areas within the region).

Osgiliath is a dangerous place for any Ranger, let alone a travelling hero of the Free Peoples. Fortunately, should you decide to lend a hand, there are plenty of opportunities to gain the respect of the Rangers. First, follow the quest chain through the city. This should involve finding several rangers, and aiding each with a couple of tasks. They will return to the city culverts. Once they do so, each of these rangers will offer various repeatables to complete in Osgiliath for additional Rangers of Ithilien rep.

 

Defenders of Minas Tirith (Old Anorien)

Upon leaving Osgiliath and heading toward the immense city of Minas Tirith, adventurers will be able to start earning reputation with the Defenders of Minas Tirith. Earning reputation with this faction is only available by completing quests. Task boards in this region will also reward reputation with this faction.

Repeatable-wise, both the North and South Gates in Pelennor have a group of repeatable quests offered which will all reward reputation with the Defenders of Minas Tirith. As a reminder, you can pick up a quest to lead you to each NPC at the Gates through two NPCs near the front of Minas Tirith (the Smiths’ Fellowship and Builders’ Fellowship barterers). Along with several landscape repeatables from each, they will also offer an instanced quest. This quest opens up a slew of objectives to do within that instance, so make sure to pick up each of those quests before entering the instance.

 

Conclusion

I do applaud the development team for the work put into the end-game reputation system. They have also tied all of this into acquiring certain pieces of gear. These NPCs are all scattered around the central area of DA, and range from actual armor (both regular sets for each class, and the new socketed armor – based on armor class – meant to be used in combination with the introduction of the essence system), to various decoration or LI support items, and even to the possibility of having your very own various cosmetic pets.

As mentioned earlier, this also combines the use of attaining non-bound consumable reputation (so you can trade with friends, or an alt) tied directly to the completion of questing. As such, fans of either system now have a chance to cross over and experience both reputation technologies in cooperation. This has its similarities to Hytbold, but I feel the reason for the implementation and story works a bit better in Dol Amroth, where we can get a better sense of why we are tasked to aid the city in its defense.

The implementation of landscape-dropped consumable reputation to the region of Central Gondor is certainly a cool return, and a good accompaniment to reputation you’ll gain via questing. The last time we saw this format of dropped rep was Moria (West Gondor had unbound, consumable rep, but only via quest reward and not via landscape), so it has certainly been awhile. It’ll be interesting to see if they continue to employ these items, or if they decide to switch back to quest-only rep.

In the last and final scheduled guide in this series, I’ll try and close things up by discussing some of the odds-and-ends in the reputation-sphere, such as rep via tasks and skirmishes.

As always, if you have any comments or suggestions to offer to the community, please feel free to share below. If you found that I made any major goofs, please feel free to let me know below. May the beacons guide you along, and the rolling waves keep you relaxed as you aid the people of Dol Amroth & Pelargir against the attacking Corsairs & Haradrim from across the sea!