reward merits

[Ukase]

So, the question is fairly straightforward. What's the best way to get reward merits. The answer is, sadly, like most things in game, "It depends". Best for a level 50 is not necessarily best for a level 12. 

But the real question is - what do you want merits for? What is it that these reward merits are going to get you that you want them? 

There is probably a better way to get what you want then to pursue reward merits. 

For me, a weekly tf with a speedy team is always preferable to a km TF. To each their own, of course. 
Following that, GM hunting is additive and profitable. Sometimes, you can get 10 or more Kronus in one session, which takes all of 10-15 minutes. Maybe it's longer, but I'm helping to kill, so it may be taking longer than it seems to in my brain. Time flies, and all that. 

Story arcs for Atlas, The Hollows, Faultline, Striga, Croatoa and RWZ, if you complete the arcs of that zone, you get a 20 reward merit bonus.  (with Twinshot's arc being part of the Atlas requirement, this 20 reward merit bonus is probably not worth it.) 

The Noble Intentions arc by Dr. Stribbling that came in a couple of patches ago is super fast. Maybe 12-15 minutes once you know what you're doing. Certainly faster if you have the lrtp and mission transporters. And that gives 20 reward merits. 

Properly motivated, a level 1 character on it's journey to 50 can earn about 150 hero merits by the time it gets to 50+3, t-4 in all. Probably more. It just depends on what content you like to do, and how often you play that specific character. Oh, and it probably does matter the server you're on. Excelsior is easy to get merits. When I was on Indom, hami raids were an exercise in patience - of which I have very little. And you could get about 70 RMs killing GMs in fairly short order, every day, if you're on at the right time. I can't speak for the other servers. 

[lemming]

On the more populated servers, raids and such are easy merits.  Hami on Everlasting, 3 times daily if done with 3 different chars, that's 360.

Smaller population servers, story arcs.   Dr Q for 244 reward merits, though as mentioned, the stribbling arc is fast and there are others.

 

Once I got my badge char up all the badges, etc... and fully equipped, aquiring more merits didn't get to be a problem since I usually only buy a few things with merits.  I think I tend to buy converters for crafting purposes more or less.

[Heliphyn34u]

Doing TFs (especially the WSTs), completing missions arcs, GM defeats, joining Hami Raids, all good ways to get reward merits.  Couple other things:

 

1. Get all the exploration badges in a zone.  Yeah, it's a piddly 5 merits per zone, but it doesn't take long, and it's easy enough to do some of this in between TFs/arcs/etc.

2. MSRs, aka Rikti Mothership Raids.  Once you've taken down the pylons, planted bombs, and punched many many Rikti in the bowl as part of a league, you should end up with a bunch of Vanguard Merits, which can then be converted into Reward Merits.

 

Plenty of ways to acquire Reward Merits, but the upshot is, it's easier when on a team or league.