There are more than a few achievements in WoW that could easily be categorized as slightly insane (looking at you 
Warlord of Draenor), but only one carries the word in the title. 
Insane in the Membrane is a feat of strength achievement. It requires an Exalted reputation with six of the, let’s call them seedier, factions in WoW and Honored with Bloodsail Buccaneers.
The Insane
EmbarrassedTip9 decided to take the plunge and go bananas in the pursuit of the achievement and the coveted title of “the Insane”. You’d think the reward would be something more. Like maybe an immunity to the Yogg-Saron encounter, but no. All you get is a title.
There were changes to the achievement in Cataclysm, which makes it just a tiny bit easier to get certain reputations. It doesn’t diminish the work, or the patience required for it in the least. EmbarrassedTip9 goes into great detail of his journey in the discussion, including locations, mobs, classes, and items required or speeding up the journey. We’ll fly here through the order of their reputation grinds.
TLDR for Your Sanity
- Ravenholdt was first on the menu, the reputation grind going down in the Arathi Highlands (BfA version), and then doing some trash cleaning pickpocketing Heavy Junkboxes. 1405 of them to be exact. We’re starting to see the Insane part of this achievement already. Are you?
- Up next was, in EmbarrassedTip9’s own words, “…easiest of them all”, the reputation grind for Bloodsail Buccaneers. Going to war with Booty Bay is the solution here, which also reduces all your reputations with the Steamwheedle Cartel. Luckily this would have had no repercussions in 11.1.
- It was then time to drown the four factions of the Steamwheedle Cartel (Booty Bay, Everlook, Gadgetzan, and Ratchet) in cloth for some quick reputation mending. Give the Goblins what they want, and all the infractions, and wanton slaughter, are forgiven.
- After also cleaning up all the quests for the Cartel factions, some good old pirate slaying was next. The chosen place was directly east from the Caverns of Time in Tanaris, on the coast.
- The final push to Exalted for the entire Steamwheedle Cartel comes from Fray Island, just south of Ratchet.
- Darkmoon Faire, the worst part due to its seasonal nature, was saved for last. There are no quests or reputation grinds for this one, just dailies and the nine Darkmoon artifacts. Oh, if you’re filthy rich and not against buying your insanity, you could also make Darkmoon decks and turn those in.
Always a Big Achievement
And so congratulations to EmbarrassedTip9 for undertaking this journey, finding the calm and serenity to get to the end of it, and having enough sanity after to share it. If you’ve got a few screws loose and wish to have a go at this, completing this entire list gives you the Insane in the Membrane achievement. Congrats, and was it worth it?
You might want to go pay respects to Abdul or Or’kaos after you get the title. After all, they both seem to have beat most players to it and are both slightly off their rockers.
