WoW TBC Anniversary: Brewfest trinkets raised to item level 141

Brewfest, the yearly beer festival, runs from 20 September to 6 October, Blizzard says, both in the modern game and in Classic. On the Burning Crusade Classic Anniversary servers, the festival's boss, Coren Direbrew in Blackrock Depths, now drops trinkets at item level 141, according to a report published on 21 September and to players on Blizzard's European and American forums. Item level is the number that shows how strong a piece of gear is. The original versions of these trinkets were item level 110, and players on the EU forum compare the new ones with loot from Black Temple, one of the 2 raids Blizzard opened on these servers in August.

The report's example is the Empty Mug of Direbrew, a trinket for characters who fight with attack power. It now adds 98 attack power instead of 72 while it is worn. When used, it adds 376 attack power for 20 seconds instead of 278, with a 2-minute cooldown. The report gives only this example. Besides the mug, 3 of Coren Direbrew's trinkets were item level 110: Direbrew Hops for healers, the Dark Iron Smoking Pipe for spell damage and healing, and Coren's Lucky Coin for shield block. The game's files hold item level 141 versions of all 3. The report calls the upgraded trinkets new best-in-slot options, meaning the strongest item a character can wear in that slot.

Players on Blizzard's forums are split. Some welcome the change; one says they were pleasantly surprised. Others say it takes value away from Zul'Aman, a raid that has not yet opened on the Anniversary servers. One player on the EU forum, who calls the change great for anyone making a second character, writes that the upgraded Brewfest trinket works like Berserker's Call, an attack power trinket from Zul'Aman, but is stronger. The same player questions whether loot from a limited-time event should be the best available, and asks Blizzard to at least lower the trinkets to Zul'Aman's level.

We have found no comment from Blizzard as of 24 September. Its Brewfest announcement says that in Classic, Coren Direbrew drops epic weapons, trinkets and rare mounts, but it gives no item levels, and its list of hotfixes, with entries up to 23 September, does not mention Brewfest. One player on the EU forum suggests the servers are running a later version of the festival, the one from just before Wrath of the Lich King came out. Others in that thread take this as a possible reason for both the stronger loot and a reward that another player says is missing from the vendor, the Honorary Brewer Hand Stamp. This is a players' theory, not Blizzard's. Apart from players' posts, the upgrade so far comes from one news report; Blizzard has not confirmed it or said whether it will stay.