"Look at this place," Igor said. "Dark Iron dwarves drinking under a succubus barmaid. How far the mighty have fallen."
"That's Mistress Nagmara," Gabryell said. "Succubus, barmaid, quest NPC. Welcome to the Grim Guzzler."
Once they reached the Grim Guzzler, they picked up The Love Potion from Nagmara. After turning it in on a later run, they would not have to kill Plugger Spazzring anymore. They could simply have her lure Private Rocknot away and open the back door.
"Friends don't let friends drink and drive," Gabryell said. "So we're smashing the kegs."
He headed into the cellar and broke the Dark Iron ale kegs.
The moment they shattered, Hurley Blackbreath charged into the bar with three cronies, roaring as they rushed toward the cellar.
"I'll sheep one," Gabryell said. "Carlos, hold the rest. Burn Hurley first."
They needed to finish this quickly. Gabryell polymorphed one add, then dumped all his damage into Hurley. Only after the boss died did they turn on the remaining trash.
"Wait, he didn't drop gear?" Carlos said. "Seriously?"
Hurley was exactly that kind of scam boss. He had blue items on his loot table, but that did not mean he was guaranteed to drop one.
Gabryell had no interest in his junk gear anyway. If Carlos and the others had not needed the Lost Thunderbrew Recipe for a quest, he would not have bothered fighting him at all.
"Carlos, go talk to Ribbly Screwspigot up ahead, then come straight back."
After recovering, Gabryell sent Carlos to trigger Ribbly, who had three bodyguards with him.
Compared with dwarves, goblins were richer. If anyone in this place was carrying something valuable, it was probably one of them.
Carlos went over and spoke with Ribbly. He did not bother reading the dialogue and simply clicked through it. The moment the conversation ended, Ribbly and his guards turned hostile.
"Why does every boss in this bar bring an entourage?" Igor complained.
"According to the quest text, he's a deadbeat who ran off with his family's fortune and blew it all," Gabryell said. "Then Baron Revilgaz of Booty Bay started hunting him, so now he's hiding in BRD because he doesn't dare go outside."
A deadbeat like that deserved to die.
Gabryell polymorphed one of the guards and used the same strategy they had used against Hurley.
Ribbly had a threat-splitting bug that allowed him to be separated from his bodyguards. Solo players needed tricks like that, but a full party could just fight him normally.
"No way he burned through the whole fortune," Carlos said. "If he's broke, how is he still drinking here with three hired guards?"
"Kill him," Gabryell said. "Call it a favor to his family."
Driven by the promise of loot, the group quickly beat Ribbly Screwspigot to death.
"Luna, you're up," Hugo said. "Loot the family fortune."
"Pull something expensive," Carlos added.
Lunatori went up and checked the corpse.
"Wait, it's green?" Igor said.
Carlos leaned closer. "Is that... a bag?"
Gabryell looked at the drop and smiled without saying anything.
The most valuable things Ribbly could drop, aside from Plans: Dark Iron Plate, were the three containers. The quiver and ammo pouch were only useful to Hunters, but Wayfarer's Knapsack could be used by everyone.
A bag everyone could use was much better than a Hunter-only drop.
Wayfarer's Knapsack
Uncommon
Binds when picked up
Unique
16 Slot Bag
"Damn, it really is sixteen slots," Igor said, his eyes lighting up. "Now that's good loot."
Among the five of them, only Gabryell and Carlos had one each, both opened from arena treasure chests. The others were still using the 14-slot Journeyman's Backpacks Gabryell had picked up while farming Maraudon.
World of Warcraft had three bag names that confused plenty of players: the 14-slot Journeyman's Backpack, the 16-slot Wayfarer's Knapsack, and the 16-slot Traveler's Backpack. Many people mixed up Journeyman's and Traveler's, then assumed Traveler's Backpack was also 14 slots.
"Roll for it," Gabryell said. "Highest gets the bag."
Carlos rolled first.
13.
Great. No chance.
Hugo rolled next.
26.
Also dead on arrival.
Gabryell and Lunatori rolled at the same time.
57 and 85.
"No one broke 90?" Igor rubbed his hands together. "Watch me clean house."
He rolled last.
11.
His face immediately darkened.
He had rolled the lowest number in the entire party.
Carlos burst out laughing. "You cleaned house all right. You cleaned yourself right out of the roll."
Hugo laughed too. "An 11, Igor. Two lonely little ones standing side by side. Even the dice know you're single."
Igor sank into silence.
Of all the numbers he could roll, why did it have to be 11?
"I won," Lunatori said happily.
She equipped the knapsack right away.
There were still no Mooncloth Bags on the Auction House, probably because no one knew how to make them yet. Traveler's Backpacks were extremely rare, and each one cost several hundred gold. Only wealthy players could afford them. The price would not drop until more people started making Mooncloth Bags.
"No rush," Gabryell said. "This boss isn't going anywhere. We can come back and farm him when we have time."
Dire Maul was not open yet, so Gabryell could farm gold with two Mages in Stratholme first. He definitely would not lack Traveler's Backpacks later. Missing one Wayfarer's Knapsack did not matter.
Then he glanced at Igor and suddenly thought of something amusing.
"Igor, when we get back, give me one of your 14-slot bags. I'll conjure you a 16-slot bag."
Igor immediately perked up. "You're giving me the one you're carrying?"
A mysterious smile tugged at Gabryell's lips.
"We'll do it when we get back. You trade me a 14-slot, I give you a 16-slot. You don't lose anything."
Igor pointed at him at once. "You said it. No take-backs."
Of the three bar bosses, they had already killed two. Only Plugger Spazzring remained.
"This guy's neutral," Carlos said. "How do we fight him?"
Clicking Plugger opened a merchant window. Right now, he was just an ordinary vendor NPC.
"Simple," Gabryell said. "We make him mad enough to hit us first."
The bar key was on Plugger. Since they had not completed The Love Potion and had no Rogue to steal it, they had to kill him and force the back door open.
"How do we make him mad?" Carlos asked. "There's no dialogue option."
Gabryell smiled and grabbed the drinks sitting on the table.
Taking the roast suckling pig would immediately turn Plugger hostile, but stealing drinks was better. A few bottles now and then made the whole world feel like yours.
"If someone grabbed your stuff without paying, would you get mad?"
"I'd break his legs," Carlos said.
Gabryell took three drinks in one go. That was enough to trigger Plugger's aggro.
The goblin turned hostile on the spot.
Carlos and the others immediately understood.
Right.
Goblins valued money more than life. Taking their goods was basically the same as taking their lives. Of course he was furious.
"Carlos, pull him over here."
Gabryell had Carlos drag Plugger toward the area near Lokhtos Darkbargainer, the Thorium Brotherhood NPC. That way, they would not accidentally hit the other drinkers and pull the whole bar.
As long as Plugger did not die and the players did not actively attack them, the patrons would not come looking for trouble.
"I'll AoE the small ones," Gabryell said. "You guys kill Plugger."
Pulling the four mobs around him into combat was unavoidable. This was a party run, not a solo farm, so there was no need to throw bottles and lure them out one by one. The adds only had around two thousand health each. They could just stack them up and burn them down.
Plugger was a Warlock. Interrupt Shadow Bolt, dispel Immolate, and he was trash.
No, that was insulting trash.
He was a weak boss anyone could solo. Even without interrupts or dispels, he was still easy.
"The barkeeper has to be loaded," Igor said. "Luna, loot him."
Ribbly had already dropped a 16-slot bag, so everyone naturally assumed the owner would be even richer. They let Lunatori handle the loot again.
Barman Shanker
Rare
Binds when picked up
Main Hand
Dagger
51 - 95 Damage
Speed 2.00
36.5 damage per second
Durability 65 / 65
Requires Level 50
Chance on hit: Wounds the target for 100 damage over 30 seconds.
Schematic: Goblin Jumper Cables XL
Uncommon
Requires Engineering (265)
Requires Goblin Engineer
Recipe
Engineering
Use: Teaches you how to make Goblin Jumper Cables XL.
Those little hands really were blessed.
Two items dropped at once. One was the most famous weapon in the Grim Guzzler, and in real life, it would have been a perfect bar-fight weapon too.
The other was a schematic every Goblin Engineer wanted. If you did not have jumper cables, could you even call yourself an Engineer?