Ravendawn Infamy Guide: How It Works, Consequences, and Managing PK Reputation

Ravendawn’s Infamy system is the game’s player-kill (PK) reputation mechanic. Every time you kill another player in PvP-enabled zones, your Infamy score increases. High Infamy marks you as a dangerous character to other players and NPC systems alike — guards become hostile, certain vendors refuse to trade, and you become a preferred target for bounty hunters. Managing Infamy is essential for players who engage in open-world PvP.

What Is Infamy?

Infamy is a numerical score that tracks how much unprovoked player-versus-player killing your character has committed. It functions as a reputation system specifically tied to morally grey or outright hostile PvP actions.

In Ravendawn, combat zones exist on a spectrum:

• Safe zones (cities, starter areas) — PvP is disabled
• Mixed zones — PvP is possible but has limited consequences
• Open PvP zones — full PvP enabled, Infamy consequences apply

Gaining Infamy is intentional — it’s the game’s way of flagging your character as a threat to the broader player community and applying systemic consequences for repeated killing.

How You Gain Infamy

Infamy increases when you:

• Kill another player in an open PvP zone — the main source of Infamy
• Attack a player below your character’s relative power threshold — killing significantly weaker players may give more Infamy
• Kill players who are not flagged for PvP — attacking peaceful players carries heavier Infamy penalties

The amount gained per kill depends on the game’s current Infamy scaling formula. Generally, killing the same player repeatedly (spawn-killing or camping) gives diminishing Infamy per kill to discourage targeted harassment, but the Infamy you gain from the first few kills is the standard amount.

Consequences of High Infamy

High Infamy subjects your character to meaningful in-game penalties:

Guard Hostility: NPCs guards in settlements become aggressive toward high-Infamy characters. You cannot enter certain cities safely when heavily flagged. Guards will attack you on sight above specific Infamy thresholds.

Vendor Restrictions: Some NPC vendors refuse to trade with characters above certain Infamy levels. This restricts access to specific items, repairs, and services in NPC-controlled areas.

Bounty Board Listing: At high Infamy levels, your character appears on the regional Bounty Board, visible to all players. This actively incentivizes other players to hunt you down — you become a legitimate and rewarded target. Players who kill you while you’re on the Bounty Board earn bounty rewards.

Item Drop Risk: At the highest Infamy tiers, dying in PvP zones risks dropping equipped items (depending on server rules and Ravendawn’s current patch settings). This creates a serious risk-reward calculation for players who choose to live at maximum Infamy.

Respawn Penalties: High Infamy characters may face longer respawn timers or restricted respawn locations after dying in PvP zones.

How to Reduce Infamy

Infamy decays over time through:

Time-based Decay: Infamy naturally decreases as real time passes. The decay rate is typically slow enough that a high-Infamy character takes multiple in-game days to return to neutral. Simply stopping PvP activity and waiting is the most reliable method.

Confession/Penance Mechanic: In some Ravendawn server settings, there are NPCs that allow players to perform a “penance” — completing a task or paying a gold fee to accelerate Infamy reduction. Check if your server/version has this NPC available.

Avoiding PvP Zones: Infamy does not accumulate in safe zones, and it decays faster when you’re not actively engaging in the behaviors that caused it. Spending time in safe zones questing, crafting, or trading while Infamy naturally falls is the standard approach.

Strategies for PvP-Focused Players

If you intentionally play as a PK character (pirate-style playstyle), Infamy management becomes a game within the game:

Know your threshold: Each Infamy tier has specific penalties. Learn exactly when guards become hostile, when vendors cut you off, and when bounties start. Play just below the most punishing tiers to maintain your PvP lifestyle without excessive consequences.

Maintain a trading alt: Keep a second character at low or zero Infamy for conducting trade, accessing restricted vendors, and entering cities. Use your main PK character purely for PvP and your alt for economy.

Use Infamy-clearing windows strategically: If you’re planning a session where you’ll need city access (selling loot, buying supplies), let Infamy decay to a safe level first. Don’t PK heavily the same day you need to use NPC services.

Build for bounty defense: High-Infamy characters attract bounty hunters. Build your character for survivability against other players — bounty hunters are often well-equipped and specifically hunting you. Don’t invest purely in offensive stats if you’re carrying a bounty.

Common Mistakes

Reckless PKing near city borders: Killing players near city boundaries can trigger guard aggression before you realize the zone changed. Know the exact borders of PvP-enabled areas.

Ignoring the Bounty Board: When you appear on the Bounty Board, other players are actively looking for you. Don’t continue farming or questing in predictable locations — vary your play patterns to make tracking you harder.

Letting Infamy compound unchecked: Some players PK heavily for several sessions and then find themselves unable to access NPC services they need urgently. Check your Infamy level regularly and plan clearing windows.

Assuming repeated kills on the same player are safe: Spawn-camping one player still adds Infamy and puts a target on you. It also risks triggering server interventions or community retaliation organized in chat.

Is High Infamy Worth It?

High Infamy is a playstyle choice, not a mistake. Ravendawn’s Infamy system is designed to allow aggressive PvP while creating meaningful consequences that other players can participate in (bounty hunting). If you enjoy the high-risk outlaw lifestyle, the game supports it — you just need to manage the trade-offs.

For players who want PvP without Infamy management headaches, engaging only in consensual PvP (duels, guild wars) avoids the Infamy system entirely while still providing competitive combat.