For the past couple of weeks now I have been working on this title and figured I’d share what I found as this actually wasn’t nearly as painful a process as I initially expected.  In order to achieve this title you need to obtain Kindred reputation rank with the main 11 factions in LOTRO.  Once you do that you get the title and the pretty, fast, and sturdy reputation mount.

This task certainly has become much easier of late as there are many ways to obtain reputation but it still takes some patience and planning, not to mention a little grinding.  But there are quite a few rewards including the end goal:

• Good way to make money
• Great way to earn Turbine Points
• Journeying to parts of Middle-Earth that either you haven’t been to or haven’t seen in a while.
• Swift Travel Horse Routes
• Reputation Ports (for all but your race)
• Hunter/Warden Ports
• Reputation with your race rewards a bonus racial trait that boosts 3 specific virtues
• More cool mounts!
• Various cool cosmetics, housing items, armor, jewelry, and weapons.

A couple of general things before I go into the details for each faction.  I did use the Auction House for items quite often and I highly suggest this as it will just make things go much faster, but be careful as many do try to jack up the prices.  Keep an eye out for items with low initial bids and see if you can get lucky with those.  And of course, any left-over items make sure to put back up on the AH if you’re not planning on giving to an alt or kin member.  Skirmishes are also a GREAT way to gain reputation as not only do many of them reward reputation but you can barter for many of the reputation items.

When I started on this journey, I did create a spreadsheet to track things keeping track of my progress, how many items I would need, and how many skirmish marks that would require.  I didn’t use SMs for everything, but it gave me good milestones to work for such that at times I could knock out one faction with the SMs I had left.  Also, I personally found it easier to focus on one faction till I hit kindred as opposed to spreading it out.  Although you do want to make sure you get in your dailies for skirmishes and reputation quests for factions like those out in Enedwaith.  Also remember that all of these zones have quests that reward reputation, so don’t ignore questing in these zones if that’s something you enjoy more.  And finally (thanks to Jim for reminding me about this) the newly introduced task system provides reputation in exchange to vendor trash.  These only go up to level 50, but can be a nice boost as you level up.

I’m going to cover each of these separately and include not only the options but the ones I seemed to find easiest.  For all the reputation mounts, I highly suggest checking out the Steeds of Middle-Earth site as they not only have all the mounts but pictures and stats such that you can decide which you want.

In general for the reward for the turn-ins goes as follows:

• Crafting (all Bind on Acquire)
  • Major Item – 700 for 1 item
  • Minor – 500 for 5
  • Tertiary – 300 for 5
• Reputation Items (tradable)
  • Major Item (at skirmish vendors) – 700 for 1 item
  • Minor item – 500 for 10
  • Tertiary item – 300 for 10

In order to be able to turn in the minor and major items, you need to be at least Acquaintance with the respective faction.  There also is a one-time quest for each reputation turn-in that provides more reputation for that first time you turn in that item.

Men of Bree

• Crafting – Woodworker
• Reputation Instance
• Skirmish – Thievery and Mischief/Defense of the Prancing Pony
• Reputation Items
  • Major – Cardolan-Trinket (60 SMs)
  • Tertiary – Barrow Treasure

Hobbits of the Shire

• Crafting – Cook
  • Superior Study inside Mathom House
• Reputation Instance – None
• Skirmish – Trouble in Tuckborough
• Reputation Items
  • Major – Well-kept Mathom (78 SMs)
    • Gift Mathod – Guest reward – 700 reputation for 1
  • Minor – Mathoms

Dwarves of Thorin’s Hall

• Crafting – Jeweler
  • Superior Workbench in Blue Stone Garrison
• Reputation Instance – Sarnur
• Skirmish – Siege of Gondoman
• Reputation Items
  • Major – First Age Relic (106 SMs)
  • Tertiary – Dourhand Crests

Elves of Rivendell

• Crafting – Scholar
• Reputation Instance – Goblin Town
• Skirmish – Ford of Bruinen
• Reputation Items
  • Major – Elvish Relic (78 SMs)
  • Minor – Goblin Tabards
  • Tertiary - Signets of Rhudaur

Eglain of the Lone-lands

• Crafting – All
  • Vendor in Ost Guruth with a repeatable quest for 700 reputation
    • Quest based on your profession
    • Tier 3 crafting quest
      • I did Tailor which requires Sturdy Hides
        • Great place to farm is the near Esteldin with all the Aurochs as they can drop 2 hides
• Reputation Instance – Garth Agarwen
• Skirmish – Stand at Amon Sul
• Reputation Items – None

Rangers of Esteldin

• Crafting – Tailor
• Reputation Instance – None (Fornost possibly)
  • Dol Dinen good place to farm for items
• Reputation Items
  • Major – War-Master’s Lash (46 SMs)
  • Minor – Orc Campaign-Medallion
  • Tertiary – Orc Battle-Medallion

Wardens of Annuminas

• Crafting – Weaponsmith
• Reputation Instance – Annuminas Cluster
  • Ost Heryn good place for Tomb-raider Sashes
  • Annuminas Docks good place for Badges and Bands
• Reputation Items
  • Major – Band of Numenor (92 SMs)
  • Minor – Black Badge
  • Tertiary – Tomb-Raider’s Sash

Council of the North

• Crafting – Metalsmith
• Reputation Instance – Urugarth, Carn Dum, Barad Gularan
  • Bail Catharnakh good place for Dispatches and Daggers
• Reputation Items
  • Major – War Dispatch (92 SMs)
  • Minor – Wicked Daggers
  • Tertiary – Bone Amulets

Lossoth of Forochel

• Crafting – None (Thanks to Chris for pointing out my mistake)
• Reputation Instance – none
  • Near the Ironspan is a good spot to farm items
  • Any mob can drop, so look for mob clusters to farm
  • Western area of Bay (Thanks Balamanth)
  • Worm dens over by Zigilgund
• Reputation Items
  • Major – Lossoth Luistin (78 SMs)
  • Minor – Gauradan Claw
  • Tertiary – Lossoth Spear-Heads

The Grey Company and the Algraig, Men of Enedwaith are each done through questing only currently.  As you progress through Enedwaith questing and working on the Epic line you’ll receive reputation for the quests you do there.  Once you finish those, you’ll need to do daily repeatable to finish off your reputation.  You will be quite a bit short on the Algraig but their daily rewards were boosted such that you can complete them in relatively the same time.  I actually finished them both on the same day.  My daily routine covered 3 quest areas and provided 2400 reputation for the Grey Company and 5800 for the Algraig.  I would start by grabbing the 3 repeatable from Echad Dagoras and doing those, finishing with the cave.  I’d then drop down and grab the 2 at Gavar Cadlus which upon completion would vector to Saeradan’s camp.  On the way I’d grab the quest at Uch Cadlus and then do the various back and forths between these 3 locations.  I would then finish off with the 3 quests at Lhanuch.  All in all, this would take somewhere around 45 minutes depending on drop luck and population in the zone.

Overall, looking back at this I’m glad I did it and not sure why I waited as long as I did.  I may actually do a similar process on my other characters as well – but I need to take a little grinding break   One thing I definitely realized it that grinding out mobs as a level 65 is by far the FASTEST way to gain reputation as the drop rate for the reputation items is very high.  When farming in Annuminas I was getting 7-8 Bands per 10-12 mobs, not to mention a bunch of black badges as well.