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While everyone knows that Classic World of Warcraft is undergoing a heap of hype surrounding the Wrath of the Lich King expansion, for good reason too, there are plenty of reasons to get excited, Brewfest is a great opportunity for loot and laughs right now. It is, however, also an opportunity for cheeky people to try and scam some extra loot from under the noses of their fellow adventurer. Such are the joys of Classic WoW.
But first, what is Brewfest. For those not in the know, Brewfest is a one-per-year limited time event where players can buy some drinks, get smashes, and get some exclusive rewards. It’s unsubtly based on the German holiday Octoberfest, and features a variety of events and tasks for players to complete if they so wish.
It also has a special boss fight — Corren Direbrew — in the Blackrock Depths, which in turn can provide some truly illustrious loot. These could be powerful trinkets, special toys that allow quick transfer to the dungeon, and even two very rare mounts with roughly a 1% drop-rate from Corren. Since right now players are gearing up characters for the next expansion, an even greater number of players than usual are jumping in for a chance at some handy shinies in this already bustling activity.
So, in order to get their hands on this gear, players will form groups of 5 to head into Blackrock Depths (after they’ve completed a short mandatory quest chain that unlocks the boss fight) and take on Corren. Each player needs a daily quest they can pick up in the dungeon, which has them talk to Corren to turn him hostile. In a regular group, each player will take turns handing in the quest, triggering the Corren fight, and killing Corren leading to five back-to-back fights and five loot drops in total.
Here’s where the scammers come in. Since each player has to talk to Corren one after the other, unaware parties can group up with dubious fellows who can pretend they’ve got the quest, roll on the gear dropped from the other player’s hand-ins, then feign ignorance or act as though they haven’t done a prerequisite quest required to grab the daily in the dungeon. This way, those with sketchy morals can jump from group to group, rolling on gear and robbing players of an additional chance at loot.
The reason they’re doing this is clear. While some loot drops like trinkets are fairly common, it’s the mounts that tempt some into devious practices like leeching off Corren dungeon groups. With just a 1% drop chance on two separate mounts, you’d need to get very lucky to come away with both prizes before the event ends early next month. Sure you could wait, or you could just sneak into a few parties and try your luck.
It’s annoying, obviously. It leads to this paranoid stand-off where five strangers stand around waiting for each other to hand in the quest, uncertain if they’re about to lose out on a loot roll. It has led to more and more players forming groups of people they can trust, rather than running the content with random strangers. This is fine of course, and playing with friends is always preferred, but it sucks that it’s due to general distrust.
However, there are ways around it. Some players with a sensible head on their shoulders have come up with their own ways of sniffing out Brewfest scammers. “Always make everyone pick up the quest and check that they all have it in your quest log when pugging, the leeches are a pain.” says Itunda via in-game whispers. They ran Brewfest runs last year and were more than happy to share their method of weeding out bad actors.
A similar strategy was shared to me by Sovpally, a max-level Paladin who has been running Corren groups since Brewfest started: “It’s easy to stop. Just get them all in the place and make sure everyone accepts the quest. Check your quest log and if there isn’t another 4 people on it. Don’t do it until then.”
So, if you’re trying your luck on some boozy-rewards this September, be sure to make sure there aren’t any sketchy characters alongside you!
For more Classic WoW content, check out our article on Alterac Valley farmers and the 8 must-have addons you’ll need headed into Wrath of the Lich King.