Re-activating your WoW account, or interested in "Trying Before You Buy"?Under 77? Number One Thing To Avoid in Brewfest 2009
Priest on Swift Brewfest Kodo
If you're taking part in the Brewfest festivities and are under level 77 in World of Warcraft right now, you might have noticed that working towards the Brewmaster title is quite a challenge!
In fact, it's likely not even possible to do in one seasonal setting, and that's because of the sheer number of Brewfest Tokens you'd need to buy all the things you need to buy.
[edit - see comments at the end of this entry for a way to get past needing 550 tokens, and doing the whole thing with just 350!]
Brew of the Month Club membership - 200 tokens!
Disturbing the Peace achievement - 350 tokens!
That's a mountain of tokens.
But tokens are only going to be one of your challenges in pursuing the Brewmaster title when you're level 75 or lower. The main challenge you're going to face is one that actually looks easy on the surface:
Your challenge, should you choose to accept it:
Killing Coren Direbrew while Avoiding being put on people's Ignore lists out of sheer ignorance of the social dynamics at play during this event.
Is Coren Direbrew Hard To Kill?
Killing Coren Direbrew may be where you have the most troubles, outside of the billion tokens you need to gather as well.
Coren Direbrew is the "Brew Boss" in Blackrock Depths, and one I made a video about last fall, which is available on my YouTube channel (which I encourage you to subscribe to of course!). Killing him is a daily quest that one can do, and it's quite a popular seasonal daily quest.
To answer my own question from above, No, the actual battle against Coren Direbrew isn't really that hard. If you take a look at the video you can see how little my healer had to work. Even though last year's Coren was level 70 and this year he's level 80, the fight looks pretty much the same when you're doing it with well-geared max-level players like are represented in my video.
The fight doesn't last that long, the healer can generally put in some time DPSing, and the additional mobs that spawn are nothing more than a nuisance that despawn as soon as Coren himself is killed. I've even heard of people two and three-manning Coren to get the quest done.
But when it comes time for a player under level 77 to find a party to whip through the Coren initial quest and a round of other people's daily summons, Coren may suddenly seem "Hard To Kill".
Why PUGs Don't Want You In Their Party
I'm going to be direct here, instead of dancing around the topic.
If you're under level 77 or 78, strangers through the LFG system or general chat line aren't going to want you in their party (healers excluded - you're always welcome at a lower level).
Why? Because Coren is a level 80 elite, and players below level 77 aren't going to be able to contribute very much damage to the battle (and don't even try to offer to tank, they'll laugh at you).
Even though it's "only one boss", It's just like a player wanting to go into Halls of Lightning or The Oculus or Utgarde Pinnacle, with the same outcome: The rest of the members of the party have to carry the complete stranger through the encounter, and the complete stranger (if oblivious to this truth) is quietly seen as abusing the good will of other players.
Of course, that's not where it ends, my friend - no, it's not only that they're thinking poorly of you while they carry you through the instance. It's that they worry that at the end to add insult to injury, you won't have the social graces to pass on high-demand loot (like the [Swift Brewfest Ram] and [Great Brewfest Kodo], or the [Direbrew's Remote]) after having contributed so very little to the success that generated the loot.
And if you DO have the poor graces to roll on the rare loots and WIN, you'd better hope they have no influence on recruitment to their guild, if you ever desire to join it ;)
Do I Agree With These Sentiments?
I don't really spend much time thinking about whether I agree or disagree, but I'd love to hear feedback from YOU about what YOU think of this practice, and whether it goes on on your realm or not as well.
In the mean time, this entry is about avoiding committing social suicide day after day during this great seasonal event, so here are some good things to keep in mind if you're under level 77 and pursuing the Brewmaster title and Brewfest achievements:
- Friends are always the best people to turn to when you're considered "under-leveled" for the content. Even one friend in a group with 3 complete strangers is enough social proof to get you in
- Realize that the Mount and Remote drops are highly coveted. Asking in advance if the group members mind if you roll despite your level will rarely get a "yes we mind, please don't roll" response (nobody wants to look like the jerk). If someone does object, you're free to find another party early on, or to decide to just roll on trinkets, which nobody minds about because they're plentiful from this event.
- As the event continues throughout the week, interest in it will wane and the ability to get into parties improves. People tend to already have the loot they want from the Brew Boss and are happy to see others get the special loots and achievements as well.
- If you're in a group with others who aren't yet 80, don't worry about a thing I'm writing about here!
Brewfest Comes Around Again and Again... and Again
Ultimately, if you're under level 80 then this is one thing you can rest assured of:
There will be a Brewfest 2010, and another round of opportunities for you to complete the Brewmaster quests you weren't able to get done this year, and get the Brewmaster title with your friends.
I've personally been to three Brewfests and have had great fun with it every year and on every toon that ventures through its quests.
I never seem to get bored of the fun seasonal events!
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!Related posts:
- Brewfest 2009: Top 5 Things For Players Under 77
- How To Get The Swift Brewfest Ram / Great Brewfest Kodo
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Not technically cheating, but it made me feel like one!
With the new vendor system in place, you can save yourself a TON of headache, (heartache?) as far as acquiring tokens.
If you save up 350 tokens, you can buy the three pieces of Brewfest duds and RUN to Dalaran, get plastered, /dance, get the acheivement, then run back and, (as long as it hasn't been 2 hours), SELL BACK THE CLOTHES FOR YOUR TICKETS.
I know, it feels like cheating, but I really don't need Brewfest clothes 364 other days of the year. Plus, you will automatically have the tokens you need for the Brewfest of the Month club with lots left over for other vanities.
Just saying. /wink
wrthofnino´s last blog ..A Noobish Mistake
Yeah agree with general sentiment of the post here.
I found so far Brewfest Boss more fun when done with your own guildies. Especially because of the loot. Most my Alts so far got what they wanted on guild runs. Though yet to see any mounts drop.
In ever pug run I've been unlucky every time. Plus with your own guildies at least if they won something it's won within your guild as well.
The lvl 77 point thing i agree with. Man it would just give me hearthburn to carry a lower lvl thru and for them to roll on a mount drop and win when your a 80 and need it as well. Hearthburn that would be. So I'm not doing it..... Unless I already got the mount as well.
Last Boss pug I was in since was pressed for time to do. I just wanted the Mace Tankard for my MH for my Shaman. I said I would pass on rest. The WoW gods dropped the Remote. So I passed as agreed in the Pug. The warlock in group won it. On same drop the Tankard Mace dropped. I rolled and got beaten by the same Warlock that won the remote as well. Sour grapes that was. I was only melée in group other than Tank. Warlock wanted mace for his low level rogue.
Best to run with guildies Like before to ensure you get what you want.
Ardent Defender´s last blog ..I Got It
I don't need mounts anymore on any of my toons (I have kodo and ram on my achievement hunter and ram and kodo on two other toons). I need the trinkets on my alts. I ask the party if they want another try if a warlock is in it (most people want the mounts only anyway) and then let them summon my alts. I got my lvl78 hunter through (I was complimented for my 1.8k dps) and my lvl75 protwarrior (*cough* 74 dps *cough*) who got the +170 stamina trinket yay :D
You only need 350 tokens. Buy the clothing, do the achievement withhin an hour, return clothing and buy membership and the pink elek instead. With 3 dailies I can get 55 tokens a day (at least 40 if you're bad at riding the ram).
The level 70 version was much more difficult. At 70 you atleast needed a full group, but if you had a full group it was easy... now all you need is a tank and a dps... I've ran it a few times on one of my tank toons with a friend dpsing.
I've brought my rogue and druid in starting when they were 75 without any kind of issue. My advice would be to simply advertise that you are offering up your daily turn in and that you won't roll on the mounts.
I'll admit I haven't tried to pug it... but mainly because there is no need to get a full group to run the event. Heck I dragged my sister pally in when she was lvl 64 just because.
What's my main Again?´s last blog ..Da PvP
Your article is absolutely spot-on. I have a Level 74 warrior in the guild who asks me to take him (lol... must know I have the remote) on a daily basis. I explain most of the points you have indicated above... and he'll go, "oh... sadface"... It's tomorrow and I get another PST (crap, man). You are right, Direbrew is not a hard fight but without 'some' group mix/dynamics he's not necessarily a pushover.
Pretty much everyone I know who got the Brewfest title this year took advantage of the liberal outfit return policy noted by wrthofnino above. My level 76 mage has been lucky in that friends and guildies have brought her along for her summons (and her mole machine trip there and port home)
candy´s last blog ..Brewfest Mission Accomplished!
As others have said, buy brewfest gear, get smashed in Dal and dance your head off. Port to Org and sell back to vendor (don't forget you are on a timer to sell it back). Buy brew of the year club. Enjoy your new title.
Rinse and repeat on your other toons.
My level 75 priest finds it impossible to find a pug to do this quest, even with the remote (won on guild run). However, I run it with in game friends and guildmates and it is more congenial and fun to be honest. No issues with finding a group on my DK.
Cindy´s last blog ..Friday Night Class 25 Sep 09
Well, if you are a warlock there's actually a nice way to win your place: Summonings. You see, often these people have a few alts each and would like to get it done on all of them (multiple times, for the mount).
I didn't need to on my warlock, but imagine getting offered the ability to summon alts straight to the bar, with the only price being allowing the lowbie warlock to complete the direbrewfest achievement.
May take an intelligent PuG to do the math, but I bet they'll be smiling!
I've been lucky on this boss... only went in twice (5 fights each, though) and won the remote and (of course) the trinket... got the kodo this weekend.
I must say your comments are spot on. The amount of sad facing I'm getting from other guildies to run them for the Coren event is becoming a headache. Even the few times I do take them the item they want never drops - thus beginning the cycle anew the next day :(
I know a little late, but you also don't actually need to win a mount to get achievement. You can just buy the item and turn any of your current mounts into one for just a bit o time and you get the achievement.
I did get my tankard o' terror.. which is verryy cool IMO!