First off: nice guide. Well-written, clear, and quite accurate. But I would like to point out a faster (and as yet unmentioned) way to get Steamwheedle rep. Specifically, grinding Southsea Freebooters (just south of Ratchet) and Wastewander (and/or Southsea Pirates*) in Tanaris. I find the rep/hour is *much* better than grinding shackle keys in Diremaul -- at least for me, who averages just over 2 keys/hour in DM (despite killing all 5 guards/captains 5 times an hour). And this can actually be done all the way to Exalted, if you are smart about when you grind what.

*I actually find that the Southsea Pirates (in the cove in eastern Tanaris) are a faster grind than Wastewander, since they are far more clumped. But I haven't done extensive testing.

Rep Rates in Diremaul:
Even if you get 5 keys per hour in DM + 10 Tannins (1 from knot, 1 from basket), the theoretical absolute maximum rep/hour is 5*350 + 10*75 = 2500. My own rates (based on 4 separate 1-hour tests) were closer to 1150 rep/hour (2 keys + 6 tannins) for 5 full "miniboss clears" per hour. My luck absolutely STINKS though, so I'd be willing to accept that you can average up to 2000 rep/hour in DM.

Rep rates outside Ratchet:
Nothing complex here: I have been able to maintain well over 2500 rep/hour without too much effort simply running around killing southsea freebooters (and Baron Longshore). This is 2500/hour Everlook/Booty Bay/Gadget "spillover" rep -- actually 5k/hour Ratchet rep, and I have read that 3k-3.5k/hour spillover is possible.

Rep rates in Tanaris:
Have only done limited testing here, but was able to maintain 2100 rep/hour grinding wastewander (while half asleep) and I am guessing a good deal more from the southsea pirates. Again this is 2100/hour Everlook/Booty Bay/Ratchet "spillover" rep -- actually 4.2k/hour Ratchet rep.

The point is, even the half-credit "spillover" rep is faster grinding pirates than what you can get in DM.

Getting to exalted:
Most people assume that because the direct rep from pirates stops at revered, that you *must* go to DM (or zap giants) to get to exalted. This is untrue. The key is to switch zones at different points in your grind to make sure you are always progressing:
1. grind one area at full-credit until you hit revered (and stop gaining rep with the local faction),
2. switch to the other zone and grind until you hit exalted with the originally capped faction
3. switch back to original zone to finish grinding the other 3 factions to exalted.

Example (which I am using personally, though only about 30% through step 2a.):
1a. Started grinding south of ratchet, from 0/36000 hated for all 4 factions
1b. Grind Ratchet rep to 11999/12000 (revered), resulting in the 3 other factions at 31500/36000 hated
2a. Switch to Tanaris, and grind until Ratchet is exalted (another 21000 rep), resulting in:
Everlook & Booty Bay at 1500/12000
Gadgetzan at 11999/12000
3a. Switch again to pirates south of ratchet, until all factions are exalted

The downside is that you don't earn any cash (the rep rates assume no looting), but it is definitely faster than the DM key grind, even if your luck is considerably better than mine.

I hope the above makes sense. It certainly does work, but it may be beyond my ability to explain it clearly & concisely in a single email. If you plan to update your guide, feel free to use the above info. If you have any questions, feel free to email back...

-Ebullana (Vek'nilash)

Hi Ebullana,

I've taken some time to add your guide to my guide (giving you credit of course). Wastewanders were mentioned in the guide (in the DM section and the Emails section), but I feel they wern't obvious enough. Since I don't play WoW anymore, I really couldn't experiment with the rep grind and form my own guide. This is exactly what I was looking for.

I cut and pasted your email (almost word-for-word) and added a new section: 2.2.3 - Farming Pirates (Submitted by Ebullana). You can find it at the link below:

http://files.spectralcoding.com/files/wow/index.html#section_2.2.3

If there is anything at all that you need, PLEASE let me know.If you see anymore changes that need to be made, I can go ahead and change them.

Thanks,
Callahan