Daggerfall:Reputation
Reputation is the most important influencing factor in the game. Your reputation determines which people will talk to you, which quests you can get from a Faction, influence goods and services transactions, and if your Skills are high enough, whether you can receive a promotion within the factions you have joined.
The reputation you can have with a faction or person can vary from -100 to 100 and starts for most factions and people at zero at the beginning of a new game.
Improving Reputation
Your reputation can only be affected by doing quests. The outcome of a quest determines the gain or loss of reputation with the faction you got the quest from, as well as the effects on reputation with other factions.
Many factions are aligned with a number of other factions, and they can have allies as well as enemies. In such cases your reputation gain or loss with the faction has an immediate influence on the reputation with the associates and its allies and enemies. For detailed information regarding the organization of a faction, see the Political Views of its respective article.
Temples provide an exception to the rule; it is possible to increase your reputation with a specific deity by giving large donations. A donation of 2000 gold will increase your reputation by one point, 4000 gold gains two points of reputation, and so on. This method however works only for the deity of the Temple. Your reputation with the Temple itself and its associates will not be changed.
Reputation Gain
Most quests give 5 reputation points to the faction if completed successfully, a few provide 10 points. The reputation gain with the faction's associates and allies, or the loss with its enemies, is half the reputation you get with the quest giving faction. Numbers are rounded down, so if you get 5 reputation points with the faction, you only gain 2 points with its associates and allies, and lose 2 points with its enemies.
Reputation Loss
A failed quest results in the loss of 2 reputation points with the faction, and one point with its associates and allies. An enemy faction will gain one point of reputation.
Special Correlation
Some quests add or remove additional reputation to a certain faction or person, dependent on the direction in which the quest moves. For example, quests for nobles often interfere with affairs of the Thieves Guild. So if you complete the quest for the noble successfully, you will lose a considerable amount of reputation with the Thieves Guild, and its associates and affiliated characters. Such special correlations are mentioned in a quest's walkthrough.
Maintain Reputation
The reputation of your character with any faction or person (positive or negative), will get one point closer to zero every month if you don't do a successful quest for them. Don't let the guilds forget you, because you may lose your ranks.
There are some exceptions however, and at a certain high rank within a faction your reputation will no longer drop, even if you don't do any quests in a month.
Allies and Enemies
Many factions and people have allies and enemies. If you gain influence with a faction, you also gain influence with that faction's allies (and lose influence with their enemies). However, you do not gain or lose any influence with any factions allied to the allies.
Allies and enemies affiliations are not always static for factions and subgroups. They are generated randomly at the start of a new game. This is likely related to the background you create for your character. Hence only affiliations that remain unchanged are noted on the wiki.
Allies and enemies affiliations also change randomly every new year, on the mid of First Seed.
Overview of Reputation Gain/Loss for major factions
General
A successfully completed quest results in a reputation gain according to the table below.
| Faction/Person | Reputation Gain |
|---|---|
| Questgiver's faction | +5 |
| Questgiver's associated factions | +2 |
A failed quest (time limit expired) results in a reputation loss according to the table below.
| Faction/Person | Reputation Gain |
|---|---|
| Questgiver's faction | -2 |
| Questgiver's associated factions | -1 |
Guilds
Dark Brotherhood
A successfully completed quest results in a reputation gain according to the table below.
| Faction/Person | Reputation Gain |
|---|---|
| Dark Brotherhood | +5 |
| Dark Slayers | +5 |
| Associated factions | +2 |
A failed quest results in a reputation loss according to the table below.
| Faction/Person | Reputation Gain |
|---|---|
| Dark Brotherhood | -2 |
| Dark Slayers | -2 |
| Associated factions | -1 |
(Allies/Enemies affiliations for listed factions are not considered in the tables)
Fighters Guild
A successfully completed quest results in a reputation gain according to the table below.
| Faction/Person | Reputation Gain |
|---|---|
| Fighters Guild | +5 |
| Fighter Questers | +5 |
| Associated factions | +2 |
A failed quest results in a reputation loss according to the table below.
| Faction/Person | Reputation Gain |
|---|---|
| Fighters Guild | -2 |
| Fighter Questers | -2 |
| Associated factions | -1 |
(Allies/Enemies affiliations for listed factions are not considered in the tables)
Knight Orders
A successfully completed quest results in a reputation gain according to the table below.
| Faction/Person | Reputation Gain |
|---|---|
| Generic Knightly Order | +5 |
| Knight Order | +5 |
| City-State where the order is located | variable |
| Nobility of the city-state where the order is located | variable |
| People of the city-state where the order is located | variable |
| All other factions of the city-state where the order is located | variable |
A failed quest results in a reputation loss according to the table below.
| Faction/Person | Reputation Gain |
|---|---|
| Generic Knightly Order | -2 |
| Knight Order | -2 |
Mages Guild
A successfully completed quest results in a reputation gain according to the table below.
| Faction/Person | Reputation Gain |
|---|---|
| Mages Guild | +5 |
| The Mercenary Mages | +5 |
| Associated factions | +2 |
A failed quest results in a reputation loss according to the table below.
(Allies/Enemies affiliations for listed factions are not considered)
Temples
A successfully completed quest results in a reputation gain according to the table below.
| Faction/Person | Reputation Gain |
|---|---|
| Deity of the Temple | +5 |
| Temple and its associated factions | +2 |
A failed quest results in a reputation loss according to the table below.
| Faction/Person | Reputation Gain |
|---|---|
| Deity of the Temple | -2 |
| Temple and its associated factions | -1 |
Thieves Guild
A successfully completed quest results in a reputation gain according to the table below.
| Faction/Person | Reputation Gain |
|---|---|
| Thieves Guild | +5 |
| Shadow Schemers | +5 |
| Associated factions | +2 |
A failed quest results in a reputation loss according to the table below.
| Faction/Person | Reputation Gain |
|---|---|
| Thieves Guild | -2 |
| Shadow Schemers | -2 |
| Associated factions | -1 |
(Allies/Enemies affiliations for listed factions are not considered in the tables)
Nobles
Nobles have a very complex reputation system.
If you complete a Quest given by a royal or noble successfully you will gain reputation as shown in the first table in most cases. Depending upon the quest there may be an additional reputation gain with other factions. If you did a quest for any noble, you will also get the same reputation with their associated kingdom as you will get with them personally.
If you fail a quest given by a royal or noble you will always lose reputation as shown in the second table. If you did a quest for any noble, you will also lose the same reputation with their associated kingdom as you will lose with them personally.
Example: If you fail a quest for King Gothryd you will lose 23 reputation points (22 points with his person; one additional point coming from the loss with Daggerfall and its associated faction). You will also lose 23 reputation points with Daggerfall (22 points from the loss with Gothryd and one point from the loss with Daggerfall). With all other factions of Daggerfall you will lose 12 reputation points (11 points from the loss with Gothryd/Daggerfall and one point from the loss with Daggerfall).
An exception to this rule is Lady Bridwell, as she does not belong to any factions. The 22 reputation points lose is with her only. All other royals and nobles are associated with Daggerfall, Sentinel, or Wayrest.
A successfully completed quest results in a reputation gain according to the table below.
| Faction/Person | Reputation Gain |
|---|---|
| Noble you got the quest from | +5 |
| Noble's associated factions | +2 |
A failed quest results in a reputation loss according to the table below.
(Allies/Enemies affiliations for listed factions are not considered)
Charvek-si, the healer of Palace Sentinel, who also offers noble quests, doesn't fit into this pattern. Completing quests for her will raise the reputation with herself, Akatosh, The Akatosh Chantry and its associates as well as with the city-state of Sentinel, with whom she is allied. The same applies for a failed quest, but in this case for the reputation loss.
Vampire Clans
The reputation gain or loss for vampire clans is for most cases as seen, below. It is noticeable however, that one will always lose reputation with many other factions, regardless of the quest's outcome.
A successfully completed quest results in a reputation gain according to the table below.
A failed quest results in a reputation loss according to the table below.
(Allies/Enemies affiliations for listed factions are not considered)
The Vampire Bloodline will always be the dominant bloodline of the region were the quest takes places.
Reputation and Rank Skill Levels
This list shows the required Reputation and Skill Levels for any Rank within a joinable faction.
| Rank | Reputation | High skill | Low skill |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 22 | 4 |
| 1 | 10 | 23 | 5 |
| 2 | 20 | 31 | 9 |
| 3 | 30 | 39 | 13 |
| 4 | 40 | 47 | 17 |
| 5 | 50 | 55 | 21 |
| 6 | 60 | 63 | 25 |
| 7 | 70 | 71 | 29 |
| 8 | 80 | 79 | 33 |
| 9 | 90 | 87 | 37 |
Checking Reputation
You cannot actually check your reputation with different factions inside the game. You will have to use a save game editor or a similar external tool to extract reputation information from your save games.
Reputation Titles
On the Info screen you can check your characters regional reputation. It starts at 0 at the beginning of a new game and is unique for every Region within the Iliac Bay.
Your regional reputation also ranges from -100 to +100, however it is only visible to you in 13 ranks.
("In the eyes of the law of <region> you are ... .")
| Regional Reputation | Rank |
|---|---|
| > 80 | Revered |
| > 60 | Esteemed |
| > 40 | Honored |
| > 20 | Admired |
| > 10 | Respected |
| > 0 | Dependable |
| 0 | Common Citizen |
| < 0 | Undependable |
| < -10 | Scoundrel |
| < -20 | Criminal |
| < -40 | Villain |
| < -60 | Pond Scum |
| < -80 | Hated |
The purpose of the regional reputation is not completely understood. It has apparently no influence on the way you are treated by the regional populace. It has however an influence on the justice of a region. When your regional reputation drops beyond a certain level the town guards will appear shortly after you enter a settlement and try to arrest you. If you are caught you will be accused of high treason, which will result in a severe punishment if the court finds you guilty. Even if the town guards arrest you for smaller crimes like lockpicking or vagrancy, the court will accuse you of high treason. There are several quests that lower your regional reputation for the duration of the quest, or if you fail, even after.
The following table lists all quests in the original game that influence your regional reputation.
| Quest Name | Regional Reputation Gain | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Cure for Lycanthropy |
-10 |
In case you transform the child into a wereboar |
| The Assassin | -75 | In case you complete the quest successfully |
| The Escort |
+10 |
In case you turn your employer over to the town guards |
| Smuggling |
-100 |
In case you accept to do the quest |
| A Mix-Up |
-200 |
On the quest's start-up |
| A Rare Tome | -30 | When you get the tome from your contact |
| Missing Prince | -20 in Sentinel | In case you show the death certificate either to Akorithi, Greklith or Lord Vhosek |
| Lysandus' Revenge | -50 in Daggerfall | In case you show Lord Woodborne's diary either to Gothryd or Aubk-i |
Restoring Regional Reputation
If your regional reputation is too low, guards will appear every time you enter a settlement. There are two ways to fix this:
- Wait until your reputation has returned to zero. As with all other forms of reputation, regional reputation regresses to the default value of 0 by a single point every in-game month.
- Restore your regional reputation by doing quests. There are three quests in the game that can be used to improve regional reputation:
In The Escort, you can improve your regional reputation by 10 points by turning your employer over to the town guards when prompted to do so. However, this option only presents itself 25% of the time. The low reputation gain makes this the least effective quest for restoring negative reputation, but it is the only quest which can be used to improve positive reputation.
Completing the Smuggling quest will negate any negative reputation, as regional reputation values can never go below -100 and completion of the quest improves your regional reputation by 100 points.
Doing A Mix-Up is the best way to restore your regional reputation, as the +110 bonus for completion will restore any negative reputation to a slightly positive value. Caution: Only complete this quest if your reputation is already negative, as accepting the quest will automatically reduce your regional reputation by 200 points, leaving you with a net loss of 90 reputation.
At Court
If your character is arrested by the authorities, you will be brought to court. You are deemed arrested when you are injured while the authorities are after you. It will also count as being arrested if you injure yourself when falling from a rooftop, take sun damage when you are a vampire, etc.
The crimes you can be accused of at court are listed in The Daggerfall Chronicles. However, the Chronicles lack information on the more obvious crimes like pickpocket or murder. It also does not mention a formula, or anything similar, to work out how long your character will be imprisoned for if found guilty.
| Crime | Description | Regional Reputation Loss |
|---|---|---|
| Breaking and Entering1 | Attempt to break into a house during daytime and being seen, whether lockpicking was successful or not Being seen while leaving an area where one has been trespassing |
10 |
| Trespassing | Being seen while going into an area where one does not have the privilege to be | 5 |
| Assault2 | Attacking a person during daytime and being seen as long as the attacked person is not killed | 8 per attack |
| Criminal Mischief (Criminal Conspiracy) | Being seen by a law official while consorting with a member of the underworld | 2 |
| Vagrancy | Camping within range of a town or settlement | 2 |
| Pickpocket | Pickpocket citizens | 2 |
| Theft | Stealing someones property | 8 |
| Murder | Killing an innocent person without being attacked | 20 |
| High Treason | The Daggerfall Chronicles has no information on this crime. | unknown |
If you are found guilty, you will lose regional reputation according to the table and be imprisoned for a certain amount of time—the more severe the crime, the longer you will stay imprisoned. While imprisoned, your character's skills will decrease over time.
Characters with a high Streetwise skill may lie to get out of court without harm, while a high Etiquette skill may help to debate one's way out of court. Members of underworld factions like the Thieves Guild or the Dark Brotherhood may have means to bribe the court for certain crimes.