Merchant's Favor is the currency of World of Warcraft: Forever's two supply factions, the Azeroth Commerce Authority for the Alliance and Durotar Supply and Logistics for the Horde. You earn it by filling the Waylaid Crates that monsters drop and handing them in at the factions' trade hubs. You spend it on 313 profession recipes, on certifications that unlock a title for your whole account, and on a mount, a companion, a toy and tabards. Blizzard calls the two factions "a major source of new tradeskill activities". The figures come from the beta client, build 1.60.1.70291, and from Wowhead's Forever database, which records what the vendors and quests show; the few that only a guide gives are marked as such.
What Merchant's Favor is
The game describes it as "worth a considerable amount of gold and thus used as an interim currency among high-traffic merchant organizations". The idea comes from Season of Discovery's Waylaid Supplies. In Forever the work is split in two: crates pay Merchant's Favor, which you spend, and Craftsman's Writs raise your reputation with the faction, which unlocks some of its rewards.
Where to go: the two trade hubs
| Faction |
Side |
Trade hub |
Crates go to |
| Azeroth Commerce Authority |
Alliance |
Three Corners, Redridge Mountains (10.2, 72.3) |
Marcy Baker (9.5, 71) |
| Durotar Supply and Logistics |
Horde |
west of the Crossroads, the Barrens (49.7, 29.5) |
Dokimi (50, 29.2) |
Both hubs have the same staff: a recipe vendor for each of seven professions, who also sells its certification, except for cooking; a Supply Officer for the tabard, the license and the companion; a Contract Coordinator, who takes the license's paperwork; and a mount vendor. Coordinates are Wowhead's:
|
Alliance |
Horde |
| Crate hand-in |
Marcy Baker (9.5, 71) |
Dokimi (50, 29.2) |
| Tabard, license, companion |
Tamelyn Aldridge (10.5, 71.4) |
Gishah (49.4, 29.4) |
| License quest |
Elaine Compton (10.2, 71.2) |
Jornah (49.8, 29.4) |
| Alchemy |
Nina Surefire (10.8, 72.5) |
Apothecary Durelle (49.8, 29.5) |
| Blacksmithing |
Stondry Darkhammer (10.4, 74.5) |
Gor'mak (49.8, 29.6) |
| Cooking |
Kalsey Sanden (10.8, 72.5) |
Aza'bek (49.6, 29.4) |
| Enchanting |
Alynsia (11.2, 71.5) |
Beneris (49.6, 29.8) |
| Engineering |
Fritz Fizzle (10.4, 74.4) |
Fizzlefuse (49.8, 29.6) |
| Leatherworking |
Daniel Stitchsong (10, 72.5) |
Pawani (49.6, 29.6) |
| Tailoring |
Mivin Shadowweave (10, 72.6) |
Jim'bek (49.6, 29.5) |
| Mount |
Huey Sunnydale (8.5, 71.9) |
Okamache (49.6, 28.8) |
In the Barrens, Wowhead also lists Kurvelk Shadowhoof (49.8, 30), an Uncertified Scribe who sells two tools for 15 Merchant's Favor each, the Forger's Quill and the Forged Delivery Receipt; both are explained below.
Earning Merchant's Favor: the Waylaid Crates
Monsters drop a Waylaid Crate. Reading its label turns it into one of 30 typed crates, and the game then asks you to "fill the crate with any bundle from the following list": you choose one bundle, not all of them. The filled crate becomes a sealed crate, such as the Sealed Apprentice Crate, which you hand in to Marcy Baker or Dokimi for Merchant's Favor. Green crates ask for crafted goods, such as bars, bolts of cloth, cured hides or engineering parts, and pay twice what a white crate of the same rank pays.
| Crate |
From level |
Merchant's Favor |
Fill it with one of |
| Apprentice Herbs |
10 |
5 |
20 × Peacebloom · 20 × Silverleaf · 10 × Earthroot · 10 × Mageroyal · 10 × Briarthorn |
| Apprentice Ore |
10 |
5 |
20 × Copper Ore · 20 × Tin Ore |
| Apprentice Textiles |
10 |
5 |
40 × Linen Cloth · 20 × Light Leather |
| Apprentice Curiosities |
10 |
5 |
20 × Strange Dust · 4 × Greater Magic Essence · 6 × Small Glimmering Shard · 2 × Large Glimmering Shard |
| Journeyman Herbs |
10 |
10 |
10 × Stranglekelp · 10 × Bruiseweed · 10 × Wild Steelbloom · 10 × Grave Moss · 10 × Kingsblood |
| Journeyman Ore |
10 |
10 |
10 × Silver Ore · 20 × Iron Ore |
| Journeyman Textiles |
10 |
10 |
20 × Wool Cloth · 40 × Silk Cloth · 20 × Medium Leather |
| Journeyman Curiosities |
10 |
10 |
20 × Soul Dust · 4 × Greater Astral Essence · 6 × Small Glowing Shard · 2 × Large Glowing Shard |
| Earthly Expert Herbs |
20 |
15 |
20 × Liferoot · 10 × Fadeleaf · 10 × Goldthorn · 10 × Khadgar's Whisker |
| Flowering Expert Herbs |
20 |
15 |
10 × Wintersbite · 10 × Firebloom · 20 × Purple Lotus · 10 × Arthas' Tears |
| Expert Ore |
20 |
15 |
10 × Gold Ore · 20 × Mithril Ore |
| Expert Textiles |
20 |
15 |
40 × Mageweave Cloth · 20 × Heavy Leather |
| Expert Curiosities |
20 |
15 |
20 × Vision Dust · 4 × Greater Mystic Essence · 6 × Small Radiant Shard · 2 × Large Radiant Shard |
| Apprentice Fabrics (green) |
10 |
10 |
2 × Cured Light Hide · 20 × Bolt of Linen Cloth |
| Apprentice Ingots (green) |
10 |
10 |
20 × Copper Bar · 20 × Tin Bar · 10 × Bronze Bar |
| Apprentice Parts (green) |
10 |
10 |
16 × Handful of Copper Bolts · 16 × Copper Tube · 4 × Copper Modulator |
| Journeyman Fabrics (green) |
10 |
20 |
6 × Bolt of Woolen Cloth · 10 × Bolt of Silk Cloth · 2 × Cured Medium Hide |
| Journeyman Ingots (green) |
10 |
20 |
10 × Silver Bar · 20 × Iron Bar |
| Journeyman Parts (green) |
10 |
20 |
8 × Bronze Tube · 7 × Whirring Bronze Gizmo · 4 × Bronze Framework · 45 × Gold Power Core |
| Expert Fabrics (green) |
20 |
30 |
8 × Bolt of Mageweave · 2 × Cured Heavy Hide |
| Expert Ingots (green) |
20 |
30 |
20 × Mithril Bar · 15 × Steel Bar · 10 × Gold Bar |
| Expert Parts (green) |
20 |
30 |
8 × Iron Strut · 5 × Mithril Tube · 12 × Unstable Trigger · 5 × Mithril Casing |
The Favor is Wowhead's, read on the quests that take each sealed crate. One guide adds a few silver per crate, from 2s 50c for a white Apprentice crate to 10s for a green Journeyman one; Wowhead shows none. The client also holds 10 Artisan crates, from level 35, for goods such as Runecloth, Thorium Bars or Dreamfoil, but no quest that takes them is known yet, so neither is what they pay.
Your first filled crate carries a Shipping Label. Delivering it to the hub is a one-time quest that pays 50 Merchant's Favor and 2,000 reputation with your faction, according to Wowhead; guides add 660 experience, which Wowhead does not show.
Which crates repay the effort best? Counted in items to gather, these bundles pay the most Favor per item:
| Crate |
Lightest bundle |
Merchant's Favor |
Per item |
| Expert Fabrics |
2 × Cured Heavy Hide |
30 |
15 |
| Journeyman Fabrics |
2 × Cured Medium Hide |
20 |
10 |
| Expert Curiosities |
2 × Large Radiant Shard |
15 |
7.5 |
| Expert Parts |
5 × Mithril Tube |
30 |
6 |
| Journeyman Parts |
4 × Bronze Framework |
20 |
5 |
| Journeyman Curiosities |
2 × Large Glowing Shard |
10 |
5 |
| Apprentice Fabrics |
2 × Cured Light Hide |
10 |
5 |
| Expert Ingots |
10 × Gold Bar |
30 |
3 |
Counting items leaves out what they cost: a Cured Heavy Hide or a Mithril Tube is crafted and a Large Radiant Shard comes from disenchanting, so check their price at the auction house before you buy them for a crate.
Performance Bonus, a perk of the Legacy system, gives each crate a chance to pay twice the Favor: 5% at rank 1, 10% at rank 2 and 15% at rank 3. During the beta, Blizzard listed one known issue with the crates: "Waylaid Crates do not function on items with a maximum stack size smaller than the quantity required."
Raising your reputation: Craftsman's Writs
Your first delivery gives 2,000 reputation; after that, reputation comes from Craftsman's Writs. Monsters drop a Sealed Craftsman's Writ, according to one guide, and tearing it open reveals a writ; Wowhead knows 150 of them. Each writ is a daily quest, a crafting order: make the item it names and deliver it to the customer marked on your map. A writ pays 75, 125 or 200 reputation depending on its tier, and Wowhead lists that reward with both factions; 12 writs also give a Coin Pouch. Writs exist for five professions:
| Profession |
75 reputation |
125 reputation |
200 reputation |
| Alchemy |
9 (Elixir of Wisdom, Elixir of Defense, …) |
12 (Shadow Oil, Mana Potion, …) |
9 (Gift of Arthas, Distilled Firewater, …) |
| Blacksmithing |
9 (Golden Rod, Big Bronze Knife, …) |
12 (Truesilver Rod, Steel Plate Helm, …) |
9 (Ebon Shiv, Radiant Belt, …) |
| Engineering |
9 (Practice Lock, Shadow Goggles, …) |
12 (Flash Bomb, Fire Goggles, …) |
9 (Green Lens, Sniper Scope, …) |
| Leatherworking |
9 (Heavy Quiver, Barbaric Gloves, …) |
12 (Swift Boots, Dusky Bracers, …) |
8 (Chimeric Vest, Frostsaber Boots, …) |
| Tailoring |
9 (Blue Overalls, Colorful Kilt, …) |
12 (Star Belt, Mageweave Bag, …) |
10 (Soul Pouch, Runecloth Bag, …) |
Two tools from the Uncertified Scribe help. The Forger's Quill rewrites an unwanted writ into a random writ of the same tier, and the Forged Delivery Receipt lets you return an empty Waylaid Crate to your faction for 50 reputation, a use for a crate whose goods you don't have.
Both factions start at Neutral. Counting from there, Honored is 9,000 reputation away, Revered 21,000 and Exalted 42,000: after the first delivery's 2,000, that is 35 writs of the top tier to reach Honored. The Legacy perk Diplomat raises reputation gains by up to 10%.
What reputation unlocks, from the client: at Honored, the Advertising License Application, which starts a quest for a toy, the Dwarven Tradeskill Signpost for the Alliance or the Orcish Tradeskill Signpost for the Horde; at Exalted, the faction's tabard. Wowhead adds the Packmule Treat, a companion, at Revered. The client also ties a Skyborne Tabard to Exalted with the Azeroth Commerce Authority, but no vendor sells it on Wowhead's lists yet. Every other reputation of the game is in our guide to WoW Forever's new reputations.
What to buy with it
Whether recipes ask for a standing is not settled. Wowhead's vendor lists show one on 181 of the 313 recipes, Friendly on 83 and Honored on 98, the same at both hubs. The client shows none: the vendor sets that condition, not the recipe, and the client only carries a standing on the license and the tabards. We are checking it in game; until then, the tables give Wowhead's standing.
Prices in Merchant's Favor are the same at both hubs. Two cooking recipes are sold for coins, and Wowhead shows them about 10% cheaper at the Alliance hub; both prices are given as recorded.
The 311 recipes sold for Favor cost 26,685 Merchant's Favor together. Each profession's recipes follow, the rarest items first, then by skill; a recipe's name leads to the item it makes, or to the formula of an enchantment.
Alchemy
29 recipes, sold by Nina Surefire for the Alliance and Apothecary Durelle for the Horde. Every recipe's reagents and skill-up colours are on our Alchemy page.
Blacksmithing
61 recipes, sold by Stondry Darkhammer for the Alliance and Gor'mak for the Horde. Every recipe's reagents and skill-up colours are on our Blacksmithing page.
Cooking
8 recipes, sold by Kalsey Sanden for the Alliance and Aza'bek for the Horde. Every recipe's reagents and skill-up colours are on our Cooking page.
Enchanting
39 recipes, sold by Alynsia for the Alliance and Beneris for the Horde. Every recipe's reagents and skill-up colours are on our Enchanting page.
Engineering
28 recipes, sold by Fritz Fizzle for the Alliance and Fizzlefuse for the Horde. Every recipe's reagents and skill-up colours are on our Engineering page.
Leatherworking
81 recipes, sold by Daniel Stitchsong for the Alliance and Pawani for the Horde. Every recipe's reagents and skill-up colours are on our Leatherworking page.
Tailoring
67 recipes, sold by Mivin Shadowweave for the Alliance and Jim'bek for the Horde. Every recipe's reagents and skill-up colours are on our Tailoring page.
Certifications, mount and the rest
Each certification costs 1,000 Merchant's Favor, needs skill 300 in its profession, the goal of our profession leveling plans, and unlocks a title for every character on your account.
The rest of the shop, where the Pack Kodo is the most expensive purchase at 6,000:
The two chefs, Kalsey Sanden and Aza'bek, also sell cooking supplies for coins, from spices to Thick Logs.
