WoW Brewfest Racing Ram Tips
In World of Warcraft Brewfest, there are several quests that you’ll have to do that involved riding rams. Now, these are fun, as you get to control how fast they go and so on. But, they are also a pain in the rear as you really have to pay attention to different things and develop strategies to riding them and completing the quests in time. To help you out, here are some basic racing ram tips that you have got to know:
Keep in mind that these tips are for both Horde and Alliance players. If you want to know about basic Brewfest information, Alliance Brewfest Quest Information, or Horde Brewfest Quest Information, we have you covered here on Fantasy-rpg.
Racing Ram Tips
Several of the quests involve the racing rams, including the barking runs and the keg delivery. The ram racing event mechanics do not depend on character level.
The rams have 5 speeds, accessed through the [Ram Racing Reins]. Using the reins “encourages” the ram to speed up; encourage it enough times and its speed increases (see the speed table below). It takes a few clicks to go up to the next speed and you have to click on a regular basis to stay in a speed range. Clicking faster than the maintenance rate will speed up the pace, while not clicking for a while will slow down. Binding your reins to a hot key will give you an easier method to more easily and precisely control your use of your reins. The first ram practice quest that teaches you how to achieve the speeds.
If you get into Canter and Gallop speeds, you get a stacking debuff called Ram Fatigue which tracks your ram’s fatigue. If this debuff stacks to 100, your ram becomes exhausted and slows almost to a crawl for 15 seconds. It is essential that you manage your ram’s fatigue, and the two repeatable ram racing events, delivery and barking, provide two different means for doing so.
Calculating Ram Speed
Exhausted: 14% 1/7 -15 after 15 seconds Occurs if you stack the Ram Fatigue debuff beyond 100
Walking: 43% 3/7 -4 every 2 seconds Rams start here and if you do nothing this is how fast they go
Slightly faster than a player walking backwards
Trot: 129% 9/7 -2 every 2 seconds Slower than a regular mount
Canter: 200% 14/7 +1 every second Equal to epic mount speed with no trinkets
Gallop : 286% 20/7 +5 every second
(Faster than Epic with Crusader)
Keg delivery
Ramstein’s Swift Work Ram lasts for a total of 4 minutes. During the keg delivery daily quest, the time limit for the ram is increased by 30 seconds for each keg delivered. However, the buff has a maximum duration of 15 minutes. Even if you deliver the 23rd keg successfully, which increases the duration to 15m30s, you will be dismounted at the 15m mark. If you gallop the whole way, a single keg trip can easily take as little as 40-60 seconds, earning you 2 [Brewfest Prize Tokens], meaning that expert ram riders can stretch out the four-minute keg run to 8-10 minutes, getting 20 Brewfest Prize Tokens or more (down from 50 in the beginning of the event in 2007).
For the keg deliveries, there are apple barrels which, if you ride by closely enough, will remove the Ram Fatigue debuff entirely and allow it to start at zero again. This is very important to maximize token gain from the keg delivery daily quest, it allows you to gallop at full speed throughout the event. (The apple barrels work on any ram, and there are some barrels near the barker quest NPCs, but the barking run does not have barrels along the barking route.)
Players with lag may find that riding past the barrels does not always dispel the debuff. If this happens to you, compensate by ramming the barrels for a half second or so and then slide around them. An alternate method is to make an arching, banana shaped path around the barrel resulting in a longer path through the barrel’s trigger radius without having to actually pause the forward movement of the ram. Jumping in the proximity of the barrel seems to give you a fraction of a second longer for the fatigue dispel to proc. This extra time in proximity to the barrel will reduce the chance that you will miss your reset and exhaust your ram. In the 2007 Brewfest you could stop (by pressing the key that would normally cause you to back up) momentarily, again creating extra time in proximity to the barrel, but this is not possible in the Brewfest 2008.
You should keep tabs on the debuff and watch for the red flash when it dispels, but beware, the red flash is an unreliable indication, check that the debuff reset to zero. If the debuff fails to dispel, it is much more expedient to return to the barrel than to allow the Exhausted Ram to proc. The endpoints can also fail to proc, and it is useful to keep your main bag open so that you can see when you get the keg and when you’ve delivered it. By all means ensure that you delivered the keg, you will not get the extra 30 seconds until you do. If you have to revisit an end point, you will probably also need a trip to an apple barrel.
One very easy way to keep tabs on whether or not you’ve gotten and/or dropped off your keg on any given run is to designate a specific inventory spot where the keg will go, and then set up a macro to use the item in that slot (make sure, however, that the first line of the macro reads “#showtooltip”, without the quotation marks). Drag the macro to a spot in your UI where you can easily see it (if you’ve got an addon like Bartender, which will allow you to make a bar with one single giant button wherever you like, so much the better), then make sure before starting any given race that the slot you’ve picked is the first available slot in your inventory. A very easy way to ensure this is to set your macro to “/use 0 1″, then before every race move whatever item is in the top-left corner of your backpack to a different bag somewhere – your kegs will then go into that slot every time you get them, for the duration of the race. Any time that inventory slot is empty (for example when you don’t have a keg), the button will show as a big red question mark; any time you DO have a keg, it will show up on the button.
The best time of day to do this quest is when the server is least busy, because you will have less problem with events not proccing. Evening is the prime time to avoid, if your schedule allows it.
Optimal path for Alliance:
There are four apple barrels along the route – barrel 1 in the ram pen, barrel 2 at the crossing, barrel 3 at the gnome house (new in 2008); this was moved to across the street in 2009, and barrel 4 in Kharanos behind the keg thrower (moved in 2009 to near the carts on the other side of the street). You should avoid using barrel 4, since barrel 3 is so close to the keg thrower. Just make a quick 180 shortly before you’d ride past the guard (Ironforge Mountaineer), and ride back to barrel 3. Similarly, you should avoid using barrel 1, since barrel 2 is so close to the keg receiver. Just make a quick 180 shortly after you ride into the clearing where the receiver stands. You should use as few barrels as possible; each entails a slight but cumulative delay. There are a few fast routes, but you will have to compromise some guidelines.
Strategy 1 – The first strategy is less risky, but a little slower (14-15 deliveries). Just ride to barrel 3, get the keg, ride back to barrel 3, then ride to barrel 1 at the ram pen (skipping barrel 2 entirely). Rinse and repeat. Uses 3 refreshment barrels.
Strategy 2 – The second strategy is like the first, but reverses the refreshing scheme. Ride to barrel 2, ride toward barrel 4, but approach from the keg thrower’s side. There is a line of barrels stacked near the road, if you ride along either side of that, you are close enough to get a keg. Ride around keg four, or jump and spin over it, and ride back to barrel 2. Ride toward the keg receiver, turn in the clearing before you get to him, and repeat. Uses 3 refreshment barrels.
Strategy 3 – The third route (16-20 deliveries) goes like this: You start by going to barrel 3, get the keg, ride to barrel 3, then ride towards the ram pen in a straight line. Now there are two flags in front of the ram pen: Flag 1 in front of it next to a big tree, and another one next to a smaller tree. When you ride a couple yards past flag 1, you’ll throw your keg. Make a quick turn there, and ride around the big tree towards barrel 2. Your fatigue should be 50-55 when you make that turn. Just to be safe you should stop using your Ram Racing Reins at 45-50 fatigue. You’ll fall back to Canter when your debuff stacks to ~90 (this is where it gets a little risky). Just make sure your debuff resets, then start using the Reins again and Gallop to barrel 3, etc. So this is the path: Barrel 3, pick up the keg, barrel 3, deliver, barrel 2, barrel 3, pick up the keg, barrel 3, deliver, 2->3->pick up->3->deliver->2->3 etc. Uses 3 refreshment barrels, none of which are end point turns.
Strategy 4 – Another route you might want to try is hit both middle barrels in both directions, and skip both end barrels: (start), barrel 2, barrel 3, pick-up (yards in front of the NPC), barrel 3, barrel 2, deliver (yards in front of the NPC), repeat. This is a very fast, yet forgiving route, and you can adjust your pickup and delivery turns as you gain confidence. Uses 4 refreshment barrels, none of which are end point turns. This is slower than the third strategy, but the timing is not as tight, so it is less risky as you are building confidence.
Strategy 5 – It’s possible to use only barrel 3. The path is very simple: Barrel 3, pick up, barrel 3, deliver. You should only try this route if you’re very good at using the jumping trick below (keep the Galloping speed midair while only getting Canter fatigue ticks). You need to use it about 6 times when delivering the keg. It’s the fastest possible route (very close to a straight line), but also the hardest. Tip: Practice with the ram from the barking quest.
Optimal path for Horde:
There are also four apple barrels along the route, which goes along the road toward Razor Hill. Barrel 1 is in the ram pen behind the tent, barrel 2 along the west side of the road (right side when you are starting), north (toward org) of the goblin merchant’ cart and clearing, barrel 3 hidden behind a small hilly outcropping on the east (left side when you are starting out) at the entrance to the canyon, and barrel 4 in the canyon behind and across the road to the east of the keg thrower. The same guidelines and strategies apply with the additional advice that barrel 2 seems particularly conveniently placed. It’s safest to eat from all three barrels, but Barrel 2 is close enough to the keg receiver than you can eat from Barrel 2, toss the keg, and return to Barrel 2 just as your ram’s fatigue hits 90-95. The timing is very close, and players with server lag might not wish to risk the two seconds it could take for your ram to register that an apple barrel is nearby.
General tips:
A tip for quick, easy course changes: Once you get your ram pointed on a clear straight path to an apple barrel or keg pick-up or drop-off point, rotate your camera to face the direction you’ll want to travel after getting there. That way, when you reach your destination, you can press the right mouse button to change your heading instantly and accurately. The rams are always running, but the game still keeps track of whether your character is in run or stand mode. If you are in run mode many peoples’ camera swings to face forward. You can just press your key bound to turn off movement. Your ram will still be running, but your camera will stay in place as if you were standing still.
You can also hold down your left mouse button after rotating the view to remain facing where you’ve turned the camera. While doing this, pressing the right mouse button will instantly change the direction as above.
Another tip to try and maximize your runs involves jumping. If you jump while your ram is Galloping, then in midair you switch to Canter, you can get a few seconds of Gallop speed with the fatigue cost of Canter. So with some good timing you can get 2 to 4 seconds of free Gallop time between the barrel thrower and the apples. Also for those without lag, take note of how soon you can turn around. It’s much sooner than you may think.
Keep your thumb on the space bar to jump, because you will get hung up on scenery items, and jumping will usually release you. If that doesn’t work, try quick turns.
If the Exhausted Ram debuff procs, you are kind of screwed; even if you are at a barrel, with zero fatigue, the debuff will run for its full 15 seconds. Don’t sweat it, just do your best and get the most tokens you can out of the remainder of the run. If the debuff procs and your fatigue is still high, around 85, then trot or canter to the nearest barrel, don’t gallop, then resume the run after you’ve cleared your fatigue.
Seconds count To restate the point, if you can consistently shave seconds off your runs, you will get more tokens. Don’t feel bad if you screw up, it is a learning process, and this run has all kinds of room for improving your technique. If you at least try, you will get some tokens. But the curve of run time vs how many tokens you get takes off asymptotically toward infinity as you approach a 30 second run. So, as your runs get very good, fractions of a second saved can accumulate to several tokens difference.
Barking runs
For the barking runs, there are no apple barrels along the route, and you will have to pace yourself. Gallop becomes counterproductive; you will build up fatigue too rapidly and be forced to go too slow. Mixing canter for speed and trot for fatigue recovery while still moving will allow you to complete the task.
When you complete the quest and are returning to the NPC, both the Alliance and Horde versions will afford you the opportunity to take a downhill shortcut. Take it if you can. Leaving Iron Forge, go down the mountainside toward the Brewfest. If you pick your way, you can have damage under 1%, but expect over 1%. If you jump straight down expect over 50% damage. In Orgrimmar, leaving the Valley of Spirits, fortuitous use of jumping down to rooftops will allow you to take a straighter route out of the city.
The quest objectives are to bark at four locations in the city, but returning to the quest NPC is not a quest objective. This means you only have to return to the NPC to turn in the already completed quest. You can switch to your normal mount, as long as you barked at all four locations while mounted on the ram. (Unconfirmed, but you probably need to have the reins in your possession when you talk to the NPC, so walking back may not be fast enough.)
Other ram tips
The rams work much like any other mount, an performing most actions while mounting will despawn the mount. That means when you are on a ram, and if you are you are on a ram racing quest, stay focused on the ram quest, do not do anything else. Be careful which hot key you press. Your faction’s , next to NPC offers replacement reins. These do not summon a ram, however, they are useful to prep for the non-quest mechanic, when continuing to help out Brewfest.
The rams are actually a spell Rental Racing Ram that lasts for four minutes. You could probably creatively exploit this for your low level character. You might use it to run toward Loch Modan for the delivery quest and to pick up the fight path. If you do this on the initial ram racing quests, rather than the repeatables, you can abandon the quest and get another ram.
(Thanks to WoWWiki for this great Brewfest information.)
Tags: Brewfest, World Of Warcraft, world of warcraft achievements, WoW, wow achievements, wow brewfest
Some more articles you might be interested in:
Leave a Reply
Advertisement
Advertisement
Ad
