TBC Anniversary Keepers of Time Rep Guide: Phase 3.5 Route

Quick summary

• The Key of Time needs Honored, not Revered, since October 22, 2026 (Blizzard's Zul'Aman announcement). It opens heroic Old Hillsbrad Foothills and heroic Black Morass.
• The quest chain alone is worth 14,020 rep, by Warcraft Tavern's per-quest values. Hero of the Brood is 8,000 of that. The chain plus your first clear of each dungeon takes you from Neutral well into Honored.
• No Keepers of Time source is capped. Normal runs give rep all the way to Exalted, so there's no reason to hold back quests.
• A full clear is worth about: Old Hillsbrad 900–1,050 normal (up to 1,199 if you clear everything before the events) or 2,000–2,300 heroic. Black Morass 1,000–1,110 normal or about 1,725 heroic.
• Exalted is 42,000 rep from Neutral. Humans earn 10% more reputation through their Diplomacy racial, so they need fewer runs.

This Keepers of Time reputation guide is current for Phase 3.5 of TBC Anniversary, the Zul'Aman update that went live on October 22, 2026. Blizzard's update notes lowered every heroic key to Honored and moved heroic dungeons to their final, easier tuning. For Keepers of Time, that means the quest chain alone now almost gets you the key.

Why Keepers of Time rep matters in Phase 3.5

• Heroic access: the Key of Time opens heroic Old Hillsbrad Foothills and heroic Black Morass. Both drop Badges of Justice for the new G'eras gear.
• Recipes: Exalted sells Recipe: Flask of Supreme Power and Formula: Enchant Gloves – Superior Agility. Honored and Revered sell Jewelcrafting designs used to finish Jewelcrafting at 360–375.
• Gear: Revered and Exalted items such as the Continuum Blade, Timelapse Shard and Bindings of the Timewalker are still useful for fresh 70s.
• Hyjal link: Mount Hyjal is reached through the Caverns of Time, and its Scale of the Sands quartermaster stands in the same cavern. You'll be visiting Tanaris often either way.

Know every rep source

Source	Rep	Cap	Notes
Caverns of Time quest chain	14,020 total	None	Hero of the Brood alone is 8,000
Old Hillsbrad, normal	900–1,050 per clear; up to 1,199	None	Trash 8, bosses 80
Old Hillsbrad, heroic	2,000–2,300	None	Trash 15, bosses 250
Black Morass, normal	1,000–1,110	None	Rift Lords and Keepers 50, bosses 120
Black Morass, heroic	~1,725	None	Rift Lords and Keepers 65, bosses 250
Wanted: Rift Lords (daily, Nether-Stalker Mah'duun)	250	Daily rotation	Normal Black Morass
Wanted: The Epoch Hunter's Head / Aeonus's Hourglass (daily, Wind Trader Zhareem)	350	Daily rotation	Heroic final-boss drop

Both daily givers are in Lower City, Shattrath. The dailies rotate, so a Caverns of Time dungeon only comes up on some days. The per-run and per-quest values in this guide follow Warcraft Tavern's Keepers of Time guide.

Plan your route by standing

Standing (from Neutral 0)	Cumulative rep	What to do
Neutral → Honored	0 → 9,000	The quest chain plus one normal run of each dungeon gets you here, most likely to mid-Honored
Honored	9,000	Buy the Key of Time from Alurmi; you can now run heroics
Honored → Revered	9,000 → 21,000	Heroic Old Hillsbrad is the best rep per clear; add heroic Black Morass on daily days
Revered	21,000	Communal Time Pouch for alts, Glyph of the Defender, Revered gear and recipes
Revered → Exalted	21,000 → 42,000	Same loop; take every heroic daily

Example: you hit 70 and turn in the whole chain while doing your first normal clears. That's 14,020 from quests plus about 2,100 from the two runs, so roughly 16,100 total. You're Honored with about 4,900 to go to Revered, and about 26,000 rep remains to Exalted. At roughly 2,000 per mixed heroic clear, that's about 13 heroic runs, fewer if you pick up the 350-rep dailies. If you only run normals at about 1,050 each, expect about 25 runs. Both counts are our arithmetic from the values above.

Do the Caverns of Time quest chain

The quests are also the attunement: you have to finish the Old Hillsbrad story before Black Morass opens (Warcraft Tavern).

Step	Quest	Where	Rep
1	To The Master's Lair → The Caverns of Time	Steward of Time, then Andormu in the caverns	10 + 250
2	Old Hillsbrad	Andormu sends you into the dungeon	10
3	Taretha's Diversion	Erozion, inside Old Hillsbrad	1,000
4	Escape from Durnholde	Inside, after freeing Thrall	1,000
5	Return to Andormu	Back outside	3,000
6	The Black Morass → The Opening of the Dark Portal	Andormu, then Sa'at inside	250 + 500
7	Hero of the Brood	Back outside after Medivh is safe	8,000

Should you save Hero of the Brood? Older advice was to hold the last turn-in until later in the grind. Now that the key unlocks at Honored and no Keepers of Time source is capped, turning everything in straight away gets you heroics sooner and doesn't cost any rep. Turn it in.

Clear Old Hillsbrad for the most rep

1. Talk to Erozion at the start to get the Pack of Incendiary Bombs.
2. Before you burn the barrels, clear every Durnholde mob you can reach. The Warcraft Wiki says some enemies despawn once the events start, and that a full clear before the events is worth up to 1,199 rep instead of the usual ~1,045.
3. Burn the five barrels in the internment lodges. Lieutenant Drake then spawns. Kill him.
4. Free Thrall and escort him through the keep. Captain Skarloc rides in at the gate.
5. Clear Tarren Mill and Southshore trash before you trigger the church and inn events.
6. Kill the Epoch Hunter at Tarren Mill, then talk to Erozion to finish.

Keep Thrall alive. If he dies, wait for him to return and pick the escort back up.

Run Black Morass in order

Black Morass is a defence event. Portals open around Medivh, and you have to stop the Infinite dragonflight from draining his shield to 0%.

Phase	What spawns	Rep note
Portals 1–5	Rift Keepers or Rift Lords plus waves	50 each normal, 65 heroic
Portal 6	Chrono Lord Deja	Boss: 120 normal, 250 heroic
Portals 7–11	More rifts	Kill the portal guardian to close each rift
Portal 12	Temporus	Boss
Portals 13–17	More rifts	Keep the shield above 0%
Portal 18	Aeonus	Final boss; heroic drops Aeonus's Hourglass for the daily

Bring Chrono-beacons from Sa'at if your group needs extra help. Split damage between the portal guardian and whatever is attacking Medivh.

Go heroic once you're Honored

• Buy the Key of Time from Alurmi (Tanaris 63.6, 57.6, by the orc farm outside the caverns entrance).
• Heroic Old Hillsbrad (2,000–2,300) is your best rep per clear. Heroic Black Morass (~1,725) adds the Aeonus daily on rotation days.
• If the Shattrath heroic daily is Epoch Hunter or Aeonus, do that dungeon first for an extra 350.
• Every heroic boss drops Badges of Justice. See our heroic dungeons and keys guide for every key at Honored, and our badge gear guide for what to buy.

Set up an efficient Caverns of Time session

1. Check the dailies first. Look at both Lower City givers before you leave Shattrath. A Rift Lords or Epoch Hunter/Aeonus day is worth an extra 250–350 rep for the same run.
2. Plan the trip. Until the Revered teleport is available, there's no direct route. Take the Shattrath portal to your capital, then fly or ride to Tanaris. If you're farming several days in a row, set your hearthstone at the Gadgetzan inn.
3. Chain runs on one lockout reset. Normal dungeons reset as soon as your group leaves and resets the instance, so two or three Old Hillsbrad clears back to back is the fastest normal loop.
4. Bring the same group for heroics. Heroic Black Morass punishes groups that split damage badly. A steady tank and healer who know the portal order make each clear quicker than a pug.
5. Track your numbers. Note your rep before and after each clear. If you're short of the ranges above, you're skipping mobs, usually Durnholde or Tarren Mill trash in Old Hillsbrad.

Pick the rewards worth the grind

Standing	Reward (Warcraft Tavern)	Who wants it
Honored	Key of Time	Everyone running heroics
Honored	Glyph of Frost Warding	Frost-resistance head enchant
Honored	Formula: Enchant Gloves – Major Spellpower, Enchant Ring – Spellpower	Enchanters
Honored	Design: Enigmatic Skyfire Diamond, Facet of Eternity	Jewelcrafters
Honored	Pattern: Drums of Panic, Greater Drums of Panic	Leatherworkers
Honored	Class gear (Satin Gloves, Evoker's Silk Raiment, Stalker's Chain Armor and more, item level 115)	Fresh 70s
Revered	Glyph of the Defender	Tanks
Revered	Communal Time Pouch	Alts (heroic access)
Revered	Continuum Blade, Timewarden's Leggings	Casters, plate tanks
Revered	Design: Living Ruby Serpent, Pendant of Frozen Flame, Stone of Blades	Jewelcrafters
Exalted	Bindings of the Timewalker, Timelapse Shard, Riftmaker	Healers, PvP, rogues
Exalted	Recipe: Flask of Supreme Power; Formula: Enchant Gloves – Superior Agility	Alchemists, enchanters
Exalted	Keepers of Time Tabard	Collectors

Warcraft Tavern also lists a Revered portal to the Caverns of Time from Zephyr in World's End Tavern, Shattrath, and files it under the Zul'Aman phase. Blizzard's update notes don't mention it, so check whether Zephyr offers it on your realm before you plan around it.

The Leatherworking drum patterns sold here pair with the new Greater Drums recipes that came to Outland faction vendors on October 22. Our Leatherworking leveling guide covers both.

If you're returning, boosted, or on an alt

• Returning players: if you already finished the chain years ago on this character, you start from your old standing. Check whether you're already Honored before you farm.
• Boosted characters: a level-boosted 70 still has to do the quest chain to open Black Morass. Run Old Hillsbrad first.
• Alts: one Revered character can buy a Communal Time Pouch, which is account-bound and needs only Friendly to use (Warcraft Tavern). Our Honor Hold and Thrallmar, Cenarion Expedition and Sha'tar guides cover the other key factions.
• Raiders heading to Hyjal: our Zul'Aman guide and fresh 70 catch-up guide show where heroics fit in the full gearing plan.

Reputation services from independent sellers are listed on the TBC Anniversary reputations page, and other guides and services are on the TBC Anniversary hub. Blizzard's End User License Agreement restricts account sharing and paid in-game services, and a marketplace listing isn't publisher permission.

FAQ

What reputation do you need for the Key of Time in TBC Anniversary? Honored, since October 22, 2026, when Blizzard lowered every heroic key from Revered. Buy the key from Alurmi outside the Caverns of Time.

How do you get Keepers of Time rep fast? Turn in the whole Caverns of Time chain (14,020 rep), buy the key at Honored, then farm heroic Old Hillsbrad. Take the Lower City daily whenever it points at a Caverns of Time dungeon.

Is Keepers of Time rep capped in normal dungeons? No. Normal Old Hillsbrad and Black Morass give rep all the way to Exalted.

How many runs to Exalted with Keepers of Time? After the quest chain, about 13 heroic runs or about 25 normal runs, by our arithmetic. Dailies and full clears lower both numbers.

Where is the Keepers of Time quartermaster? Alurmi, at Tanaris 63.6, 57.6, near the orc farm before the main cavern area.

Should I save Hero of the Brood? Not on Anniversary realms anymore. The key is at Honored and no source is capped, so turn it in right away.

Related guides

• TBC Anniversary heroic dungeons and keys guide
• TBC Anniversary Honor Hold and Thrallmar reputation guide
• TBC Anniversary Cenarion Expedition reputation guide
• TBC Anniversary Sha'tar reputation guide
• TBC Anniversary Jewelcrafting leveling guide
• TBC Anniversary new badge gear from G'eras