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Tabard refers to a type of clothing bearing a symbol or design and worn in the tabard equipment slot over a character's chest armor. It was once a purely cosmetic item intended to add individuality to a character's look, similar to a shirt, but in Wrath of the Lich King and Cataclysm, many tabards resulted in reputation bonuses.
Overview
Historically, a tabard serves both as a sleeveless shirt or coat (often over armor), and as a means of displaying heraldry (as livery). For players, it can show membership in a guild or (for roleplay purposes) allegiance to a particular group, boast of deeds performed, or simply be decorative.
Patch 3.0 introduced the achievement system, which includes rewards for tabard collectors. Upon obtaining a tabard, a general achievement called "Represent" is granted; subsequent achievement points are granted at ten and twenty-five tabards, with the latter granting the Tabard of the Achiever. There is no current plan to alleviate the amount of bag space taken up by tabards as has been done with mount and non-combat pet collections (which grant similar achievements), but Blizzard has said it is a possibility in the future. However, keeping tabards is not required for the achievement; only equipping them. You can equip and sell or delete each tabard as you get it, and it will still count toward the achievement. Some tabards can be discarded and repurchased or reacquired at a tabard vendor. These generally include rewards from non-repeatable quests and achievements (such as the [Green Trophy Tabard of the Illidari]).
Tabard vendors
There are, generally, two types of vendor that tabards can be purchased from.
Tabards associated with a faction are almost always available from the Quartermasters for that faction.
Visitor's Centers in most major cities have tabard vendors who sell Guild tabards. They also sell:
Burning Crusade faction tabards
Honor rank tabards
Battleground tabards
These additional tabards have the same purchase restrictions and costs from the visitor's center vendor as they do from the relevant quartermaster.
City/Faction tabards
As of Patch 4.0.3 (Cataclysm and the Shattering), you can buy a tabard for a specific city/faction faction and gain some reputation for each kill in a non-Outland dungeon.[1]
Killing level-appropriate mobs in instances will yield 15 faction per kill while wearing an appropriate tabard.[citation needed] High level characters in newbie zones yields 3 faction for trash mobs,[citation needed] 60 for bosses.[citation needed] (Will you get more faction per mob at 70 killing in Strath than in Ragefire?)
You can go all the way to max exalted through the use of tabards. Thus, it's worthwhile to pick up the tabards from each city and switch once you max out one. You'll get to exalted in all eventually.
The City/Faction tabards are available from each faction's city quartermaster and cost 10:
The whole tabard system is reverting back to its pre-Wrath form, where tabards were vanity rewards only available at Exalted..[2].[3]
Guild tabards
Guild tabards can be purchased for 8 from a tabard designer/vendor in the Visitor's Center of any faction capital city. Guild leaders can customize the symbol and color scheme of the guild's tabard for 10.
Officers' tabards were available for 4 at rank six (Knight and Stone Guard). Somewhat more glorified, these look similar to the enlisted tabards, but are significantly more detailed.
Battleground tabards can be obtained at various reputation with each faction through vendor purchase or quest completion. These tabards have a unique appearance.
Alterac Valley tabards are available from the Supply Officers at the entrance to either BG for 15,000 (Honor Points).
[Stormpike Battle Tabard] has a red backdrop with golden trim, with the emblem of a spear with a golden bolt at the bottom.
[Frostwolf Battle Tabard] has a blue backdrop with white trim, bearing a wolf's head at the center, with a crude shield covering it, both made out of blue and white, and with ice-colored and shaped symbols signifying the cold of Alterac Valley.
These tabards were available for a limited time, and cannot be obtained currently. Some of these tabards may be reacquired from tabard vendors if the player had previously owned them.
Unless otherwise stated, exalted reputation with the respective faction is needed to purchase their tabard. These faction tabards are purchased from the faction's quartermaster for 1, 90 after discount.
The Argent Tournament tabards are available from each faction once you become their Champion. They used to cost 50 Champion's Seals (in ), but now cost only 10 (as of ).
Although shields are often used to display heraldry, they have more than cosmetic purpose in the game. Not all characters can wield a shield, and the attributes of a shield are intrinsically linked to the appearance of that shield. For roleplay purposes, tabards are superior in that all characters can wear one, and they have no effect upon other abilities of that character.
^Although the actual tabard is not obtainable, you can appear to wear one by wearing [Dalaran Wizard's Robe]; a cloth chest armor that drops randomly from Dalaran NPCs in Silverpine Forest. Only Horde can obtain the robe, as these NPCs are Friendly to Alliance. However, they can be sold at neutral Auction Houses. In addition, the [Tabard of the Kirin Tor] is available for sale.
^ abThis particular Scarlet Crusade tabard is unobtainable. It is worn by many of the higher ranking members of the organization. The [Tabard of the Scarlet Crusade], which is worn by the lowest-ranking members of the Crusade, is obtainable. See the Other tabards section above.
^There is a tabard similar to this that can be obtained through the Argent Tournament.
Patch changes
Patch 4.0.3a (2010-11-23): Tabards from Icecrown vendors now available for 8 (at Exalted) instead of 50 .
Patch 4.0.3 (15-Nov-2010): City faction tabards now available from city quartermasters in their respective cities for 10 (8 at Exalted).
Patch 3.1.0 (14-Apr-2009): City faction tabards added with Argent Tournament for 50 from Argent quartermasters.