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Earning a high reputation level with the different groups in Windrose is the best way to transform from a simple sailor into a legendary pirate king. By trading specific reputation items with key characters, you can unlock exclusive rewards that are not found anywhere else in the massive open world.

This guide is for new and returning Windrose players who want to maximize their reputation gains with all four factions. Whether you want to upgrade to a powerful new ship or protect yourself with top-tier armor sets, understanding the reputation system is essential for your survival.

You do not have to worry about complex mechanics because increasing your standing is straightforward once you know where to go. By the time you finish reading, you will be ready to set sail and start completing quests to become the most respected captain on the high seas.

The Basics of Increasing Your Standing

Insignias can be obtained by defeating enemies and sinking ships, while Letters of Favor are earned through completing faction quests, both of which can be exchanged for reputation points with Bounty Agents in Tortuga.

Faction reputation in Windrose is focused on exchanging certain items with specific NPCs to unlock coveted items. When you increase the reputation level of a particular faction, you gain the ability to buy items ranging from ship blueprints to top-tier armor pieces.

This guide breaks down the different factions in Windrose, allowing you to choose which group should be receiving your insignias.

Faction reputation Windrose

Oftentimes, defeating enemies at pirate camps and sinking or boarding ships will reward you with insignias. There are four types of Insignias: Newhand, Deckhand, Veteran, and Old Salt, each providing different amounts of reputation points when exchanged.

You can exchange these items at Bounty Agents for each faction located in Tortuga. At the time of writing in April 2026, Windrose's early access has four factions:

  • Brethren of the Coast

  • People of Tortuga

  • Rogue Buccaneers

  • Smugglers of Port Royal

Your reputation level for each group begins at Level 1. Giving insignias to Bounty Agents provides you with reputation points to gain reputation. Increasing your point total will rank up the faction and unlock additional items for that merchant shop.

Different insignias exist in the world that provide increasingly higher reputation points. These reputation items and the points they earn are as follows:

  • Newhand Insignia: 1x Reputation Point

  • Deckhand Insignia: 4x Reputation Points

  • Veteran Insignia: 20x Reputation Points

  • Old Salt Insignia: 80x Reputation Points

Apart from insignias, you may also exchange letters of favor for reputation points. You usually get these letters of favor by completing quests and side missions. Note that trading one letter of favor only yields 10 reputation points. This makes Veteran and Old Salt insignias better options for increasing faction levels quickly.

Nonetheless, some side quests reward players with multiple letters of favor at once. For instance, completing the Catastrophe’s Aftermath side quest yields 10 letters of favor, which equate to 100 reputation points when exchanged with your preferred Bounty Agent.

All groups share the same requirements to rank up:

Reputation Level Points Required
Level 1 0
Level 2 100
Level 3 300
Level 4 600
Quick Tips to Increase Reputation:
  • Focus on completing easy quests and defeating enemies to collect Insignias, which provide higher reputation points based on the rarity of the enemies defeated.

  • Exchange Insignias and Letters of Favor for reputation points with Bounty Agents in Tortuga.

  • Letters of Favor are typically earned through completing faction quests, with some quests rewarding multiple Letters of Favor at once.

  • Completing certain quests can yield bundled rewards of up to 100 reputation points.

  • The fastest way to increase reputation is through the submission of Insignias and Letters of Favor.

Choosing the Right Faction for Your Goals

Remember that no additional benefits or disadvantages exist when choosing to increase the reputation level of one faction over another. Still, some factions are worth focusing on more than others, depending on what you need.

For instance, increasing your rank with the Rogue Buccaneers grants you access to cannon blueprints for ship upgrades. Alternatively, focusing on the Smugglers of Port Royal allows you to exchange your hard-earned Piastres for components of the pikeman's cuirass armor and pikeman's pants armor set. This is widely considered one of the best armor sets in the game.

Below is a detailed list of what every provisioner sells.

Brethren of the Coast

Brethren of the Coast Windrose

Level 1 Rewards

  • Shipwright's Tools.

Level 2 Rewards

  • Steel Nails, Salt, and the Brig Ship Design.

Level 3 Rewards

  • Coffee Beans, Whiskey, and Style Books for privateer flag designs and privateer flag designs ship visuals.

  • You also unlock stock hull colours ship, and stock sail colours, ship designs.

Level 4 Rewards

  • The powerful Frigate Ship Design.

  • You also get brethren flag designs, brethren flag designs ship, and specific brethren hull colours ship options to make your vessel stand out.

People of Tortuga

People of Tortuga Windrose

Level 1 Rewards

  • Sewing Tools and the Marble, Plaster, and Tile Base Set.

Level 2 Rewards

  • Merchant contract food buildings and merchant contract natural resources buildings.

  • You also get the privateer's coat armor, privateer's pants armor, marksman's doublet armor, and marksman's pants armor plans.

Level 3 Rewards

  • Plans for Tile Roof Extras.

Level 4 Rewards

  • Plans elegant stained glass doors, plans mahogany staircases, railings buildings, and various types of luxurious seating buildings.

  • You also unlock plans for mahogany tables, cabinets, and elegant cabinet buildings.

Rogue Buccaneers

Rogue Buccaneers Windrose

Level 1 Rewards

  • Master's Tools and the Clay and Logs Base Set.

Level 2 Rewards

  • Merchant contract animal products, buildings, and plans for 12-Pounder cannons.

  • You also get the flibustier's jacket armor, flibustier's pants armor, tracker's jacket armor, and tracker's pants armor plans.

Level 3 Rewards

  • Powerful 24-Pounder cannon plans, straw roofs, and clay walls designs.

  • Use weathered pillars to strengthen your dock.

Level 4 Rewards

  • The devastating 36-Pounder cannon plans, buccaneers flag designs, and buccaneers flag designs ship cosmetics for your crew.

Smugglers of Port Royal

Smugglers of Port Royal Windrose

Level 1 Rewards

  • Smithing Flux and the Stone and Planks Base Set.

  • They also allow you to trade between Piastres and Guineas.

Level 2 Rewards

  • Plans for the conquistador's cuirass armor and the conquistador's pants armor.

  • You also get plans keelhold hull bracing, keelhold hull bracing ship, plans iron resolve hull, and iron resolve hull bracing upgrades.

  • For extra defense, look for plans, standfast hull bracing, and a standfast hull bracing ship.

Level 3 Rewards

  • Access to Naval Tactics III, Stretch the supply naval tactics, naval tactics iv shipshape, and Shipshape Naval Tactics.

  • You also unlock the no quarter naval tactics and triangular walls with plans, timber pillars, and beams.

Level 4 Rewards

  • Luxurious fireplace buildings, fountains, and elegant iron utensil buildings.

  • You can also unlock the smugglers flag designs, the smugglers flag designs ship, and naval tactics v silence the guns naval tactics.

Conclusion

Understanding how to navigate the different groups in Windrose is the key to unlocking the best gear and ships in the game. By focusing on earning insignias and completing missions for letters of favor, you can quickly reach reputation level 4 and dominate the seas.

If you want a smooth and reliable experience while playing with your friends, you should consider using SparkedHost Windrose hosting to keep your world active and lag-free. Start building your reputation today and become the captain everyone fears.