Patch 5.4 PTR: How to get Golden Lotus reputation in 5.4
In patch 5.4, several fairly dramatic changes are taking place, but none quite so dramatic as the state of the Vale of Eternal Blossoms. So severe, in fact, that it seems that the achievement Eternally In the Vale is being turned into a Feat of Strength with the next patch. Why? Well ... let's just say that the quests required for completing the achievement are no longer possible to complete, when patch 5.4 hits -- we'll leave it at that.
This has many players wondering, however, what happens to Golden Lotus reputation when the new patch arrives. Will it go away? Where will all the daily quests go? How do you get reputation with the Golden Lotus, when many of the quest objectives and NPCs have been altered in a significant fashion? We poked around a bit on the PTR and while we may not have solid answers, we do have a general idea of where things are going -- and don't worry, your reputation will still be obtainable.
Needless to say, patch 5.4 spoilers abound within this post.
After making a premade level 90 with no reputation, I went to check out the Golden Lotus reputation master in the lower ring of the outdoor Shrine -- he's still there, and he's still giving quests. However, his quest still sends players to the Golden Pagoda. If you check the screenshot above, you'll see why that's an utter impossibility -- the Golden Pagoda's been smashed, and there's no sign of the regular quest givers. So how do you complete the quest?
Well ... you don't. I expect we'll see the quest removed entirely before patch 5.4 hits live servers. However, you can still complete some of the Golden Lotus dailies -- simply head to the Setting Sun Garrison, all the way on the other end of the Vale. Quests dealing with the Garrison, the mantid, and the mogu in Guo Lai are all still available to complete. Mistfall Village also appears to be unaffected, but I've yet to see any quests available there.
But wait! Doesn't that mean less reputation per day? Not quite. The former quest areas players either love or loathe have been stricken by sha -- and those sha reward reputation when you kill them. At present time, it's only 5 rep per sha, although other sha-touched creatures in the Vale are rewarding 10, and rares are now rewarding 200. This may seem like a pittance until you realize there is absolutely no cap on how many mobs you can kill in a day. Feel like grinding critters until you're blue in the face for reputation? Go right ahead. If you'd rather not grind your heart out, you can simply continue doing the limited daily quests that are available for reputation instead -- or you can do both, and speed your reputation boost.
While it's clear by the addition of the Feat of Strength that the story quests, present at each level of reputation you gain currently on live, are now gone, it doesn't mean the story of the Vale is gone. It's just changed in a significant way. Since the old quests are still in place at the moment on the PTR, it's unclear whether these quests will simply be removed, or replaced with new quests that set players against the sha that have now overrun the Vale. We're pretty early in the PTR cycle, so we should see more changes as time goes on. For more on the changes, Wowhead has an excellent post rounding up what you'll see.
Until then, there's no need to worry. You'll still be able to get your reputation and all the rewards that come with it. If, however, you've been wanting to complete the story of the Vale ... I'd get a move on with that, because it's about to change in a significant way. While the Golden Lotus took a fairly long time to grind out at the beginning of Mists, there are reputation items, boosts via scenarios and dungeons, and work orders that can help speed that process along now. If you'd like your Eternally in the Vale achievement before it goes away, get it done now.
