Reputation (WoW)  

what is reputation and how do I get it, what is it good for and what are quartermasters, what groups exist in the world?

Reputation, also sometimes called "faction" as a carryover from other games, is your standing with a particular group of people. A group of people might hate you initially, but there are actions you can perform to improve their attitude toward you. It is, of course, also possible to make people hate you more.

You can view the reputation (or rep for short) with groups you have made contact with in your Reputation Window (Default key: U). Initially this window will only list the races of your faction. As your time in the game progresses, this list will be filled with a great many different affiliations. See the table below for a list of factions you might have reputation with.

The worst attitude an NPC can have toward you is Hated. Unless that character is pre-disposed to not attack players, he will come after you. This is the default setting for most MoBs in the game. Slightly better, but still "kill on sight," is Hostile. If you can reach the next level up, Unfriendly, you will only get the cold shoulder from these NPCs.

Beyond Unfriendly is Neutral. Neutral will allow you to interact with an NPC, such as getting most quests from them or being able to buy and sell from merchants. Many groups begin as Neutral, and earning their trust provides additional rewards.

Positive levels of reputation begin with Friendly, continue into Honored, Revered, and finally Exalted.^[1] Achieving this level of reputation will sometimes open up new quests, allow new purchases from a quartermaster, and will make purchases from all their merchants less expensive. Some actions, such as receiving riding training with another race, can only be done once a high level of reputation has been acquired.

A person's reputation level can be partially identified by pointing at him or her with the mouse. The color can help indicate your reputation with him.