brewfest
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Breakfast Topic: A kodo at last
Sometimes I don't have anything particularly deep or interesting to say. Sometimes, I just have a story. A story about a kodo that I didn't get. Several years back, when Coren Direbrew worked differently (he dropped mounts, you didn't get them in a keg after you killed him) a group of friends got together to run Direbrew over and over again to maximize people's chances to pick up the mount. With people rotating in alts, we managed a grand total of sixteen Direbrew kills. On the last kill of the night, I offered to rotate in my Death Knight - he was a new character, just recently arrived at level 80 and not particularly geared. But I really wanted the kodo, even if it would be on an alt and not my main. (This was before mounts were account bound.) I switched to said DK, we did the fight, and sure enough the kodo dropped. And then I realized my wife was in the group. She didn't have the kodo. She wanted the kodo. And she was a mount collector. So I did the only thing I could and passed - after all, I was on my alt, not my main. As soon as they made mounts account wide a tiny piece of my soul withered and died. I've watched friends get the mount over the years, but I never did. It just seemed to be out of my reach. Until tonight, when after years, after Wrath and Cataclysm and two years of Mists of Pandaria the bloody thing finally dropped. For my alt. So yes, my wife's finally off the hook. My draenei can finally ride around on a kodo, the one thing I desperately missed from playing Horde. Life is good. Now you tell your stories of long-awaited victory, I suppose. Or don't. I'll be busy tooling around on my kodo.
Guide to Brewfest 2014 achievements
Brewfest is back, as is Coren Direbrew, his cronies, and some of the easiest trinkets you'll ever farm for from the holiday boss. Now, you can get better gear for yourself and approximately 37,000 alts off the Timeless Isle if you've a mind to grind, but killing Coren can get you some quick and easy ilvl 470 trinkets without having to suffer endless "Is Huolon up?" spam in general chat. That might be worth it. It's up to you. Anyway, right now there's no indication that Blizzard has changed the holiday in any substantive manner, and although some new items have been found on the PTR and beta, they are not on live servers, which means the run of achievements is pretty much the same. This year, Brewfest runs from Saturday, Sept. 20 to Monday, Oct. 6. As always, check your in-game calendar for your server's exact start and end times, as they'll differ slightly by time zone. The Brewfest meta Brewmaster is required for the year-long What A Long, Strange Trip It's Been, so you'll want to get this done if you're working toward a Violet Proto-Drake.
A desire for more holidays and other events
Once upon a time, World of Warcraft's holiday events were one of my favorite parts of the game. Not only did they make the game world feel alive, they changed the standard day-to-day gameplay routine. When those events went live, I didn't even consider spending my time doing the same daily hubs, reputation grinds, or dungeons I'd been doing all along. There were new quests, light-hearted quests, and the holiday bosses asked me to revisit dungeons I may not have run in ages. I didn't even care much for the loot dropped by those bosses, I just liked seeing and fighting them. Before those bosses became something in the dungeon finder, I ran them as much as I could, just because I knew they'd be gone for a year afterwards. The rewards from quests, even when they were light-hearted items that didn't contribute to a character's power level whatsoever, were fun little short-term goals. Unfortunately, these events long ago fell to the wayside, receiving few updates beyond increasing the item level of gear drops from bosses. Patch 5.4 introduced a pandaren brewmaster to Brewfest, Love is in the Air's last update was the addition of the Swift Lovebird in patch 4.3.2, but generally speaking, ilevel increases have been the majority of the changes. The focus has been on the Darkmoon Faire more than anything else, which has, itself, become part of the routine. It's understandable that these events have fallen out of production, it's difficult to justify creating temporary content over something more permanent, but I do miss the temporary, fleeting content. More than updates to old events, I'd love to see new events, holidays pulling from Azerothian culture rather than our own, or even events on a smaller scale. Let's kick around some ideas, shall we?
It came from the Blog: Brewfest 2013 snapshots
Last month It came from the Blog celebrated Brewfest like we do every year: with lots of virtual beer and real fun. We began by meeting in Orgrimmar and then made our way over to the Brewfest grounds. We picked up quests and proceeded to Chug and Chuck. We then learned how to ride rams, which we were assured were not at all stolen, and proceeded to do some beer running. We then sold some brew by advertising it throughout Orgrimmar. Then the Dark Iron dwarves attacked. We fought them back by using our new found skills of chugging and chucking -- this year with non-alcoholic brew. So this was the first year we chucked without upchucking. I guess this was a good thing, though part of the fun was always having the screen get too blurry to see.
WoW Moviewatch: How to win at Brewfest
Wait, it's October already? How did that happen? Well, if we're busting out the Brewfest and the dirndl, then there's no better time to replay Wowcrendor's ale-soaked hit, How to win at Brewfest. Billy might not have been prepared for Brewfest, but I'm sure the rest of us are plenty eager for it. It's funny how well Crendor's explanation of Brewfest still applies today. Oh, Billy. We miss you. Come back to us, Billy! Make sure you watch all the way through the video. The "No Guy" makes a brief appearance. We miss him, too. Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at moviewatch@wowinsider.com.
It came from the Blog: Join us for Brewfest 2013
It's time for the annual It came from the Blog Brewfest celebration. We'll be imbibing virtual brews while participating in the many other activities Brewfest has to offer. When: Friday, Sept. 27 at 10:30 p.m. EDT (7:30 p.m. PDT, 8:30 p.m. server) Where: Meet in front of Orgrimmar on Zangarmarsh (US-PvE-H) Who: Any Horde character level 10 or higher How: Just ask any It came from the Blog member for an invite, if you are not already in our family of guilds We'll be traveling in a raid, which is why you need to be at least level 10. This event is always a lot of fun. We hope to see you there! Please join us on Zangarmarsh (US-PvE-H) in It came from the Blog. All guild ranks can invite, so /whisper Tizzi or any online member. You are all welcome as long as you play by our simple rules -- basically, don't be a funsucker! Visit the guild FAQ for more details.
Weekly news roundup with Panser of TradeChat
TradeChat's Panser returns with this week's WoW Insider news recap, where we look back at the hottest news from the past week and whatever other kickin' rad things may have come our way. This week's topics include: Warcraft movie casting rumors First wing Siege of Orgrimmar LFR bosses in 5 seconds Guide to every chest on the Timeless Isle Guide to Brewfest 2013 achievements Breakfast Topic: Will you be participating in Brewfest this year? If you enjoyed the show, make sure to subscribe to TradeChat, leave a comment, and come back next week for the next episode!
My holiday discontent
I don't like WoW's in game holiday events. I never really did. In general, I'm not a big pet/mount/special cruft kind of collector, although I'll admit I've always wanted the Great Brewfest Kodo on my Alliance characters, just because I miss kodo. They're one of my favorite mounts. But be it Love is in the Air, Hallow's Eve, the Harvest Festival, or the Lunar Festival I just don't like the in-game holidays. What ends up happening is this: a lot of people do a lot of stuff, then there's a dungeon I can run once a day for special rewards I either don't care about or won't get, and then it's over. Now, you could point out a few things here. First off, that it's okay if I don't like the content as long as I'm not forced to do it and I'll agree with you. The content is eminently avoidable. I do like that. I like not having to do any of this stuff. I don't have to rescue reindeer or go fight the Greench, but for some reason I find the holiday events annoying and I won't even pretend I know why I find them annoying. I just admitted I can avoid them. Why, then, do they bother me so much? And here's another weird but true fact: they annoyed me a lot less when you could chain-farm them. Ever since they put holiday bosses like Coren Direbrew, The Headless Horseman and Ahune on the dungeon finder and made them drop one special bag a day (for your first run) I've found them far, far more terrible and annoying even though it means I can run them less. I actually find myself looking back fondly on the day that I ran the Headless Horseman twenty-seven times, as everyone in our group of five switched to every max level alt they had to get another shot at the fellow. I don't even understand that one myself. I just said I don't like the holidays, and that I like being able to utterly avoid them, and now I'm saying that I don't like that I can run them less now?
Breakfast Topic: Will you be participating in Brewfest?
This year's Brewfest holiday has begun! This in-game Oktoberfest-alike has been a regular World of Warcraft resident since 2007 and offers plenty of amusements... at least for gamers who haven't ridden this merry-go-ground more than once already. We don't expect anything new this year -- though gamers who didn't hit level 90 before the holiday last year will now finally be able to tackle holiday boss Coren Direbrew. And so the question of the day is: will you be participating in this year's holiday? Or have you done it enough times that you're tired of the revelry of Brewfest? Participants will, of course, appreciate our guide to this year's Brewfest achievements. But for those of you who aren't, why don't you tell us what you'll be doing in-game instead?
Guide to Brewfest 2013 achievements
I suspect quite a few players will be seeing the level 90 version of the Brewfest holiday boss, Coren Direbrew, for the first time this week. Last year's Brewfest arrived so soon after Mists of Pandaria launched that you had to level somewhat quickly to be able to queue for Coren at all. Fortunately, that's no longer the case, so now you've got a choice. You can get better gear for yourself and approximately 37,000 alts off the Timeless Isle if you've a mind to grind, but killing Coren can get you some ilevel 470 trinkets without having to suffer endless "Is Huolon up?" spam in general chat. That might be worth it. It's up to you. Anyway, right now there's no indication that Blizzard has changed the holiday in any substantive manner, and [the developers said very recently at Gamescom](http://www.mmo-champion.com/content/1345) that there aren't any plans to overhaul holidays in the near future. This year, Brewfest runs from Friday, Sept. 20 to Sunday, Oct. 6. As always, check your in-game calendar for your server's exact start and end times, as they'll differ slightly by time zone. The Brewfest meta Brewmaster is required for the year-long What A Long, Strange Trip It's Been, so you'll want to get this done if you're working toward a Violet Proto-Drake. If you're leveling a monk who plans to tank, the Brewmaster title is basically mandatory. And yes, the Orgrimmar Brewfest area is smack in the middle of what's canonically a war zone at present, but when has free booze not trumped violence?
10 most common names for monks
It's another expansion with a new class, making it a perfect time to kick back and reflect on our auspicious naming conventions. After all, certainly the most popular monk names are steeped in lore and dignity, right? Our good pals over at GuildOx have sorted through huge, mountainous stacks of data to find the most popular monk names. These are the same folks who told us about popular warrior names like Cleaveland and Sunderwear, as well as common paladin names like Layonhooves and Unstopbubble. So, what are the most popular names for monks? Are they roleplaying names or original creations? Well, let's take a look and unveil the top 10 most popular monk names.
Reminder: It came from the Blog's Brewfest 2012 is tonight
Drop what you're doing, get on Zangarmarsh (US-PvE-H), and level a Horde character to at least level 10. Tonight's the night It came from the Blog celebrates Brewfest and we want you to join us. When: Saturday, Sept. 29 at 10:30 p.m. EDT (7:30 p.m. PDT, 8:30 p.m. server time) Where: Meet in front of the gates of Orgrimmar on Zangarmarsh (US-PvE-H) Who: Any Horde player level 10 and above How: Ask any It came from the Blog member for an invite, if you don't already belong to our family of guilds Beer. We'll be throwing it, drinking it, delivering it, advertising for it, and who knows what else. So get ready. We'll be expecting you. Please join us on Zangarmarsh (US-PvE-H) in It came from the Blog. All guild ranks can invite, so /whisper Tizzi or any online member. You are all welcome as long as you play by our simple rules -- basically, don't be a funsucker! Visit the guild FAQ for more details.
The OverAchiever: Guide to Brewfest 2012
Every Thursday, The Overachiever shows you how to work toward those sweet achievement points. This week, Azeroth has acquired another race of happy drunks. An early warning: Brewfest has definitely been updated for Mists of Pandaria. We don't have solid information on all of the changes yet, but in the hours after the holiday goes live, I'll be around to make sure that everything in the guide is updated and corrected for the new expansion. This year, Brewfest runs from Friday, Sept. 28 to Sunday, Oct. 14 (check your in-game calendar for your server's exact start and end times: Different time zones mean your Brewfest may end late on Saturday, Oct. 13). Why so late and so long this year? Because Coren Direbrew's been jacked to level 90, and you can't queue for him until level 89 at the earliest. Blizzard's planned around the awkwardness of having Brewfest go live so close to the Mists launch by bumping the holiday back by a week and extending the amount of time you'll have to get everything done if you're starting from scratch. So don't worry about leveling at a breakneck pace! If you really want to kill Coren this year -- and I'd advise doing it, because he drops ilevel 470 stuff this year -- you've got until mid-October to reach level 89. The Brewfest meta Brewmaster is required for the year-long What A Long, Strange Trip It's Been, so you'll want to get this done if you're working toward a Violet Proto-Drake.
It came from the Blog: Join us for Brewfest 2012
Tizzi's in her random holiday gear again and that can only mean one thing: it's time for another It came from the Blog event. We will be celebrating Brewfest together, as we usually do, and all are invited. When: Saturday, Sept. 29 at 10:30 p.m. EDT (7:30 p.m. PDT, 8:30 p.m. server time) Where: Meet in front of the gates of Orgrimmar on Zangarmarsh (US-PvE-H) Who: Any Horde player level 10 and above How: Ask any It came from the Blog member for an invite, if you don't already belong to our family of guilds We'll be completing quests, getting achievements, throwing steins, and other virtual beer-related activities. We hope you'll join us! Please join us on Zangarmarsh (US-PvE-H) in It came from the Blog. All ranks can invite, so /whisper Tizzi or any online member. You are all welcome as long as you play by our simple rules -- basically, don't be a funsucker! Visit the guild FAQ for more details.
Brewfest start date postponed after concerns raised
A few days ago, we told you about Brewfest being updated for Mists of Pandaria. At the time, the decision had been made to keep Brewfest on the same schedule as last year, which generated significant controversy. As it stood, Brewfest would start Sept. 20, which meant players would have five days of the event in which they could not challenge Coren Direbrew, and then they'd be forced to level as quickly as possible to reach the new level requirement for facing him before the event ended on Oct. 5. Happily, that decision has been rethought. In a blue post on the EU forums, Vaneras confirmed that the event has been pushed forward by over a week. (While the exact dates haven't been announced, it will likely now be Sept. 28 to Oct. 13, give or take a day.) This change is highly welcomed; personally, even though I'd planned to level fairly casually, the knowledge that I'd be missing out on a trinket or two had irked me. Now, I'm much more likely to complete my leveling a few days before Brewfest ends and get a few shots at it. Vaneras Hey guys, We are aware that many of you are concerned about not having enough time to level up and such, which is a concern we fully acknowledge, as we know that many of you would like to enjoy and experience the new areas and content at your own pace, and not feel like you have to rush through things and level up as fast as possible just to have a go at the Brewfest dungeon boss. Therefore, In order to make sure you guys have some more time to prepare for this year's Brewfest, we have pushed the whole event forward by just over a week, stopping short of overlapping with the Hallow's End event. source It's open warfare between Alliance and Horde in Mists of Pandaria, World of Warcraft's next expansion. Jump into five new levels with new talents and class mechanics, try the new monk class, and create a pandaren character to ally with either Horde or Alliance. Look for expansion basics in our Mists FAQ, or dig into our spring press event coverage for more details!
Brewfest updated for Mists of Pandaria, requires quick leveling
It's official: Brewfest this year will be updated for Mists of Pandaria. This means you'll have 10 days from launch to get to level 89 so that you can queue for it, according to CM Nakatoir on the EU forums. You won't be able to access Coren Direbrew until after Mists ships, and you won't be able to fight him until you level to 89. This means that over the entire 15-day run of Brewfest, Coren will only be accessible for 10 days, and you'll only have as many tries at him as you can squeeze in once you hit 89, whenever that is. You'll still be able to do the other Brewfest quests, because they don't have a level requirement. Man, I'm not going to get a lot of sleep this September and October, it seems. I need me my kodo. Someone stole the kodo from me back when it dropped directly from the boss, and I've never forgiven that person. She knows who she is. Hope to see at least a few of you alongside me in the land of those desperately leveling to 89. At least the fight won't be undertuned, for once. Coren should be pretty hard for all of us undergeared level 89s smashing our faces against him. I won't pretend I'm not extremely disappointed by this decision. Cutting back on my available chances for that kodo in this manner is not cool by me. It's open warfare between Alliance and Horde in Mists of Pandaria, World of Warcraft's next expansion. Jump into five new levels with new talents and class mechanics, try the new monk class, and create a pandaren character to ally with either Horde or Alliance. Look for expansion basics in our Mists FAQ, or dig into our spring press event coverage for more details!
WoW Archivist: Blackrock Depths, WoW's ultimate dungeon
WoW Archivist explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold? You don't trust this bar. First of all, you had to fight your way through a legion of Dark Iron dwarves and their constructs just to get here. Secondly, it's run by a shady leper gnome who has one grumpy-looking golem for a bouncer. Third, there's an awful lot of laughter, yet no one here looks amused. You are right to be nervous. This is the Grim Guzzler. This is not a nice place. Welcome to Blackrock Depths For someone who began playing WoW post-vanilla, it's hard to explain just how amazing Blackrock Depths was back in early 2005. It's true that people often got lost there, but it was also a fantastic place to simply lose yourself. No area of the game has ever been as convincingly comprehensive or offered more to discover. There always seemed to be another boss, event, or area to explore, another secret to unlock. It's no secret, however, that BRD remains a favorite dungeon of many WoW Insider bloggers. BRD wasn't just a dungeon. It was a civilization, and you were there to bring it to its knees.
The OverAchiever: The worst (maybe) holiday achievements
Every Thursday, The Overachiever shows you how to work toward those sweet achievement points. This week, some holidays are easier to survive than others. I've been getting a lot of comments and feedback from players recently over troublesome elder placement during the Lunar Festival (the one next to the Razor Hill flightmaster seems to be a particular issue -- more on this in a future article), and it spurred me to start thinking about problematic holiday achievements as a whole. Thing is, Blizzard's really put a lot of effort into its holidays over the past few years, and most of them are much less time-consuming and frustrating then they used to be. So how many really troublesome holiday achievements are there these days, anyhow? Most of them didn't figure prominently in our evil achievements series (with one sterling exception), but I'll grant that not all of them are sunshine and roses. But then of course, there's that one. Yes, that one -- the achievement shat into existence by Satan himself onto a bed of Ed Hardy clothing with bad Japanese pop music playing in the background. You know the one I'm talking about.
Breakfast Topic: Did you accomplish your Brewfest goals?
Brewfest 2011 has finally come to a close. We all had some laughs, threw a lot of mugs at Dwarves, and spent a little too much time in Blackrock Depths. So many memories, so many alcohol-fueled regrets. From farming i365 trinkets to hoping against hope for one of the two special holiday mounts, there was certainly a lot to do during this in-game holiday. (Did you know that 99% of the Brewfest mounts go to 1% of the population? #occupythegrimguzzler) But what about you? How did you spend your time during Brewfest? Did you accomplish all your goals? Or are you bitter over the fourth consecutive year of battling Coren Direbrew with nothing to show for it? Working on achievements? The Overachiever is here to help! Count on us for advice on Azeroth's holidays and special events, including new achievements, how to get 310% flight speed with achievement mounts, and Cataclysm reputation factions and achievements.
Phat Loot Phriday: Brewfest Keg Pony
The trio rode out of Undercity with a vengeance, desperately moving away from fallen Lordaeron in hopes the guards wouldn't notice the kitty druid looked a little funny. A tiny pony struggled to keep up, its back slightly bent by the massive kegs of beer. It sighed with relief when the men stopped for a rest in Hillsbrad. "No way of knowing which way they came," Throgg grunted. "I think we catch them from Menethil." The Gilnean nodded. "I can go into town and ask after her. Since the changes in the Wetlands, Menethil hasn't had nearly the traffic. Someone might have noticed a little girl by herself; they would definitely notice some Grimtotem." "What will we do in the meantime?" Lolegolas pondered. "Drink," Throgg replied. He gestured to the pony. "Portable Brewfest. Party on the hoof!" The druid look bemused. "You keep a keg pony on hand?" Lolegolas blinked in response. "You mean, you don't?" %Gallery-96786%
