This Lower City rep guide covers the fastest way to Exalted with Lower City, the Shattrath faction whose Auchenai Key opens all four Auchindoun heroics. The short version: turn in Arakkoa Feathers and run normal Auchenai Crypts and Sethekk Halls until Honored, finish the Terokkar Forest quests, then farm Shadow Labyrinth (normal, later heroic) to Exalted. From a fresh level 70 that takes roughly 18 dungeon runs plus the quests, or about 10 runs if you buy feathers.
The numbers apply to the Burning Crusade Classic Anniversary realms, which are in Phase 3 (Black Temple and Mount Hyjal, live since August 27, 2026). They match the original TBC Classic realms from 2021 and 2022 except where noted. The biggest Anniversary-specific change is the heroic key system from Blizzard’s Burning Crusade Classic Anniversary development notes: your first character needs Revered, alts only need Friendly.
Updated September 25, 2026: rewritten for TBC Anniversary realms with rep per run, standing caps, run counts, the Communal Auchenai Pouch for alts, and the full reward list.
How to Get Lower City Rep: Every Source at a Glance
Lower City rep comes from four places: the three Auchindoun dungeons (Auchenai Crypts, Sethekk Halls, Shadow Labyrinth), about 8,000 rep of one-time quests in Terokkar Forest, Arakkoa Feather turn-ins in Shattrath, and a few dailies. Mana-Tombs is also in Auchindoun, but it gives Consortium rep, not Lower City.
| Source | Rep | Works up to |
|---|---|---|
| Auchenai Crypts (normal) | ~700 per full clear | Honored |
| Sethekk Halls (normal) | ~1,000 to 1,170 per full clear | Honored (see note below) |
| Shadow Labyrinth (normal) | ~1,750 per full clear | Exalted |
| Auchenai Crypts (heroic) | ~2,000 per full clear | Exalted |
| Sethekk Halls (heroic) | ~2,000 per full clear | Exalted |
| Shadow Labyrinth (heroic) | ~2,700 per full clear | Exalted |
| Arakkoa Feathers (30 per turn-in) | 250 per turn-in | Honored |
| One-time quests (about 34) | ~8,000 total | Exalted |
| Dungeon dailies (Wanted quests) | 350 each | Exalted |
Rep per run comes from trash and bosses. On normal, trash gives 8 to 12 rep and bosses 90 to 120 (Murmur gives 240). On heroic, trash gives about 15 and every boss 250, which is why heroic Shadow Labyrinth, with four bosses and a lot of trash, is the best single run in the game for Lower City.
Note on Sethekk Halls: Warcraft Tavern and Icy Veins list normal Sethekk Halls as capped at Honored for TBC Classic. The original game lifted that cap in patch 2.3.0. We could not confirm the Anniversary behavior, so plan with the Honored cap.
Fastest Way to Get Lower City Rep: Step by Step
The fastest Lower City rep path uses the capped sources first. Feathers and normal Auchenai Crypts or Sethekk Halls stop working at Honored, while quests and Shadow Labyrinth work at every standing. If you finish the Terokkar quests while still Friendly, you reach Honored earlier and every normal Crypts or Sethekk run after that gives nothing.
- Neutral to Honored (9,000 rep): Run normal Auchenai Crypts, Sethekk Halls and Shadow Labyrinth while leveling from 65 to 70, and turn in any Arakkoa Feathers you loot. One cycle of all three dungeons is worth about 3,500 rep, so two to three cycles get you there. If you have the gold, feathers replace these runs entirely.
- Honored to Revered (12,000 rep): Now do the Terokkar Forest quest chains (Skettis, the Tomb of Lights, the Refugee Caravan, the Sha’tari Base Camp) and any Auchindoun dungeon quests you haven’t turned in. That is about 8,000 rep; two or three normal Shadow Labyrinth runs cover the rest.
- Revered to Exalted (21,000 rep): Buy the Auchenai Key and run heroic Shadow Labyrinth. At about 2,700 per clear that is eight runs. Heroic Auchenai Crypts or Sethekk Halls need about 11 runs for the same rep, normal Shadow Labyrinth about 12.
- Every day along the way: Check Wind Trader Zhareem and Nether-Stalker Mah’duun in Lower City. When the daily heroic or normal Wanted quest points to Auchenai Crypts, Sethekk Halls or Shadow Labyrinth, it is 350 free rep on a run you were doing anyway.
Human characters get 10% more reputation from the Diplomacy racial, which saves about one heroic run on the way to Exalted.
How Many Runs Does Lower City Exalted Take?
Lower City Exalted takes about 18 dungeon runs by our count for a fresh level 70 at Neutral with no feathers bought plus the Terokkar quests: 7 to 8 normal runs to Honored, 2 to 3 normal Shadow Labyrinth runs after the quests, and 8 heroic Shadow Labyrinth clears. Most characters arrive at 70 already Friendly or Honored from leveling, which cuts the total to 10 to 14 runs.
| Stage | Rep needed | Main source | Estimated runs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neutral to Friendly | 3,000 | Normal Crypts, Sethekk, Shadow Lab | 2 to 3 |
| Friendly to Honored | 6,000 | Normal dungeons or 720 feathers | 4 to 5 (or 0 with feathers) |
| Honored to Revered | 12,000 | Quests (~8,000) plus normal Shadow Lab | 2 to 3 |
| Revered to Exalted | 21,000 | Heroic Shadow Labyrinth | 8 |
| Total | 42,000 | about 18, or about 10 with feathers |
A full normal Shadow Labyrinth clear takes a geared group around 40 minutes, a heroic clear 50 to 70 minutes depending on gear and pulls. That puts Lower City Exalted at roughly 15 to 20 hours of dungeon time for a new character. These are our own estimates based on the rep values above, not official numbers.
Arakkoa Feathers: The Gold Shortcut to Honored
Arakkoa Feathers are the only way to buy Lower City rep, and they only work up to Honored. Vekax in the northwest part of Lower City takes 30 feathers per turn-in for 250 rep: first through the quest The Outcast’s Plight, then through its repeatable follow-up, More Feathers. Going from Neutral to Honored with feathers alone takes 1,080 feathers (36 turn-ins).
Feathers drop from arakkoa all over Terokkar Forest and sell on the auction house, at prices that vary a lot between realms. Compare 1,080 feathers against seven or eight dungeon runs. For a main that has to run the dungeons for gear anyway, feathers rarely pay off. For an alt that only needs Friendly for the account-wide key (see below), 360 feathers is the quickest route.
Lower City Quests: About 8,000 Rep
Lower City quests give about 8,000 rep in total, and all of it works through Exalted. Almost all of them are in Terokkar Forest. Save them until you are Honored if you plan to farm normal dungeons, since the quests keep their value while dungeon rep would be capped.
| Quest area | Start NPC or hub | Approx. rep |
|---|---|---|
| Allerian Stronghold / Stonebreaker Hold: Skettis chain and Tomb of Lights chain | Kirrik the Awakened, Ethan, High Priest Orglum | 2,825 |
| Refugee Caravan (Before Darkness Falls, The Shadow Tomb, Escaping the Tomb) | Mekeda, Akuno | 1,175 |
| Sha’tari Base Camp (The Fallen Exarch, The Big Bone Worm chains) | Commander Ra’vaj, Chief Archaeologist Letoll | 1,600 |
| Skywing | Skywing escort in Veil Shalas | 350 |
| Auchindoun dungeon quests (Brother Against Brother, The Soul Devices, Into the Heart of the Labyrinth and others) | Isfar, Spy Grik’tha, Spymistress Mehlisah Highcrown | 1,950 |
| Profession specializations (Master of Elixirs, Mooncloth, Spellfire, Shadoweave) | Lower City trainers | 150 to 250 each |
Lower City Heroic Key: Revered Now, Honored Later
On TBC Anniversary realms the Auchenai Key currently requires Revered with Lower City. It opens heroic Auchenai Crypts, Sethekk Halls, Shadow Labyrinth and Mana-Tombs, and every player in the group needs one. Nakodu sells it for about 10 gold.
In the original TBC Classic, patch 2.5.4 lowered all heroic key requirements to Honored on March 22, 2022, together with the Zul’Aman release. The Anniversary roadmap lists Zul’Aman as the next phase (often called Phase 3.5), expected in autumn 2026. As of September 25, 2026, Blizzard has neither dated it nor confirmed that the key change comes with it on Anniversary realms.
Anniversary realms add the Communal Auchenai Pouch: once your first character is Revered, it can buy the pouch for 80 gold. It contains a Battle.net account-bound key you can mail to an alt, who then only needs Friendly with Lower City to use it. The same system exists for the other heroic key factions, like the Sha’tar key covered in our Sha’tar reputation guide.
Shadow Labyrinth has a second, separate key. The Shadow Labyrinth Key drops for everyone in the group from Talon King Ikiss, the last boss of Sethekk Halls, and opens the gate on the south side of Auchindoun. A rogue with 350 Lockpicking can open the gate instead. Run Sethekk once before you plan Shadow Lab rep runs.
Lower City Rep Rewards by Standing
Lower City rewards are mostly the heroic key, a healer trinket, a strong ring for agility users and several profession recipes. The quartermaster is Nakodu at the Lower City market in Shattrath (around 62, 69), in the southeast of Lower City.
| Standing | Reward | Who wants it |
|---|---|---|
| Friendly | Design: Potent Flame Spessarite | Jewelcrafters |
| Honored | Formula: Enchant Ring – Stats | Enchanters: +4 all stats on your own rings |
| Honored | Pattern: Cloak of Arcane Evasion | Tailors |
| Honored | Glyph of Shadow Warding (+20 shadow resistance head enchant) | Tanks for shadow resistance fights |
| Honored | Rare class armor pieces (Crusader’s, Seer’s, Dragonhide, Dreadweave and others) | Fresh 70s filling gaps |
| Revered | Auchenai Key (Anniversary Phase 3) | Everyone who wants Auchindoun heroics |
| Revered | Communal Auchenai Pouch (80 gold, Anniversary only) | Players with alts |
| Revered | Glyph of the Outcast (+17 Strength, +16 Intellect head enchant) | Retribution and Protection Paladins |
| Revered | Lower City Prayerbook (trinket, heals cost less mana for 15 sec) | Healers, a solid pre-raid trinket |
| Revered | Leggings of the Skettis Exile, Salvager’s Hauberk | Casters (cloth legs), mail wearers |
| Revered | Recipe: Elixir of Major Shadow Power, Designs: Falling Star, Felsteel Boar, Pendant of Thawing | Alchemists, Jewelcrafters |
| Exalted | Shapeshifter’s Signet (agility, stamina, expertise ring) | Feral Druids and Rogues, a common pre-raid ring |
| Exalted | Gavel of Unearthed Secrets (caster mace) | Casters and healers |
| Exalted | Trident of the Outcast Tribe (strength polearm) | Strength-based two-hand users |
| Exalted | Formula: Enchant Cloak – Dodge, Recipe: Flask of Chromatic Resistance, Lower City Tabard | Enchanters, Alchemists, collectors |
Icy Veins lists the class armor at Revered and Felsteel Boar at Honored; Warcraft Tavern and Warcraft Wiki say the reverse, and the table follows them.
Lower City has no rival faction. Nothing you do for the Aldor or the Scryers costs Lower City rep, so you can farm it alongside your Shattrath choice (see our Aldor or Scryer guide).
Lower City Rep FAQ
Does Mana-Tombs give Lower City rep?
No. Mana-Tombs gives Consortium rep, even though it is part of Auchindoun and its heroic mode needs the Lower City Auchenai Key. If you want Consortium rep from it, our Consortium reputation guide covers the details.
Does Sethekk Halls give rep past Honored?
Heroic Sethekk Halls gives Lower City rep all the way to Exalted. Normal Sethekk Halls is listed as capped at Honored in the TBC Classic guides from Warcraft Tavern and Icy Veins; the cap was removed in the original game’s patch 2.3.0, but we could not confirm the Anniversary behavior.
Which dungeon gives the most Lower City rep?
Shadow Labyrinth, on both difficulties: about 1,750 rep per normal clear and about 2,700 per heroic clear, and normal Shadow Labyrinth keeps giving rep up to Exalted.
Why did my Lower City rep stop going up?
You hit a cap. Arakkoa Feathers and normal Auchenai Crypts (and most likely normal Sethekk Halls) stop at Honored. Switch to normal Shadow Labyrinth, quests or heroics.
Can you buy Lower City rep?
Only indirectly: Arakkoa Feathers from the auction house take you from Neutral to Honored at 30 feathers per 250 rep. Past Honored there is no item you can buy that gives Lower City rep.
Where is the Lower City rep vendor?
Nakodu, the Lower City quartermaster, stands at the Lower City market in Shattrath City, around coordinates 62, 69.
Sources: Warcraft Tavern Lower City reputation guide, Icy Veins Lower City guide, Warcraft Wiki: Lower City and its Sethekk Halls, Shadow Labyrinth and Patch 2.5.5 pages, Blizzard’s Anniversary development notes, the TBC Classic 2.5.4 patch notes and Blizzard Watch’s Anniversary phase schedule. Key art: Blizzard Entertainment, from the Burning Crusade Classic Anniversary launch announcement.