The Stormstout Brewery is a 5-man dungeon located in the Valley of the Four Winds, Pandaria. Available in Normal (level 85+) and Heroic (level 90, item level 435 required) modes, it tasks players with helping Chen Stormstout reclaim his family’s brewery from hozen, virmen, and alementals. The dungeon features three boss encounters: Ook-Ook, Hoptallus, and Yan-Zhu the Uncasked. This guide provides strategies for each boss, quest details, and loot information.

Dungeon Overview

Location: Valley of the Four Winds, Pandaria (entrance at coordinates 36.17, 69.90, near the river separating the Valley and Krasarang Wilds).

Level Requirement: 85+ (Normal), 90 (Heroic, item level 435)

Modes: Normal and Heroic (mechanics are identical; Heroic has higher health and damage)

Bosses: 3 (Ook-Ook, Hoptallus, Yan-Zhu the Uncasked)

Loot: Item level 450 (Normal), 463 (Heroic, except Inelava, Spirit of Inebriation, at item level 476 in Heroic)

Quests: Two quests available from Chen and Auntie Stormstout at the entrance.

Quests

Two quests can be completed within the dungeon, given by Chen Stormstout and Auntie Stormstout at the entrance:

Family Secrets: Collect 5 Stormstout Secrets (items found on the ground throughout the dungeon). Rewards item level 410 gear (e.g., Stormstout Drink Napkin, Used Bar Rag, Blackened Chain Cloak).

Trouble Brewing: Defeat Yan-Zhu the Uncasked, the final boss. Requires completing Into the Brewery (speak to Chen inside the dungeon). Rewards item level 410 gear.

Progression

A progression bar tracks the number of hozen killed (40 required) to unlock the first boss, Ook-Ook, in the Stormstout Brewhall.

The dungeon has a linear layout with three zones: the lower brewery (hozen), the Grain Cellar (virmen), and the Tasting Room (alementals).

Boss Encounters and Strategies

1. Ook-Ook

Location: Stormstout Brewhall, after killing 40 hozen to fill the progression bar.

Abilities:

Ground Pound: A frontal cone attack dealing heavy physical damage. Avoidable by moving out of the cone.

Rolling Barrel: At 90%, 60%, and 30% health, hozen guests throw barrels that roll across the room, exploding on contact with players or walls (deals AoE damage).

Going Bananas: Increases Ook-Ook’s attack speed, stacking over time.

Strategy:

Tank: Face Ook-Ook away from the group to avoid Ground Pound hitting others. Move to dodge barrels.

DPS: Click rolling barrels to ride them and crash them into Ook-Ook, dealing damage and applying a debuff that increases his damage taken. Focus on single-target damage on the boss.

Healer: Watch for Ground Pound and barrel explosion damage. Be prepared for increasing tank damage from Going Bananas.

Everyone: Dodge Ground Pound by moving to the boss’s sides or back. Avoid rolling barrels unless intentionally clicking to ride them.

Key Tip: Riding barrels into Ook-Ook is crucial for faster kills. Coordinate to ensure barrels hit the boss, not walls or players.

2. Hoptallus

Location: Grain Cellar, after clearing virmen trash.

Abilities:

Furlwind: Hoptallus spins, dealing AoE physical damage to players in melee range.

Carrot Breath: A channeled frontal cone attack. Hoptallus rotates, spraying the cone in a circle.

Virmen Adds: Small virmen (Boppers, Hoppers, Vermin) spawn periodically, dealing light damage but overwhelming in numbers.

Strategy:

Tank: Keep Hoptallus centered to give ranged players space. Move with the group to avoid Carrot Breath.

DPS: Ranged DPS and healers should stay 15-20 yards away to avoid Furlwind. Kill virmen adds quickly (use AoE abilities). Move in a circle around Hoptallus to dodge Carrot Breath.

Healer: Focus on melee players during Furlwind and the group during add waves. Be ready for Carrot Breath damage if players are caught.

Everyone: Stay alert for Carrot Breath and move with Hoptallus’s rotation to avoid the cone.

Key Tip: Prioritize killing adds to prevent being overwhelmed. Ranged players should position carefully to avoid Furlwind.

3. Yan-Zhu the Uncasked

Location: Tasting Room, after defeating three waves of alementals.

Alemental Waves: Three waves of alementals (e.g., Bloated, Stout, Yeasty, Fizzy) spawn before Yan-Zhu appears. Abilities vary (e.g., Brew Bolt, Wall of Suds, Bloat). Kill them quickly to avoid overlapping mechanics.

Abilities (Yan-Zhu’s abilities depend on the alementals faced):

Brew Bolt: Magic damage to a random player.

Wall of Suds: Lines of bubbles that deal damage and knock back players.

Carbonation: A room-wide AoE that deals increasing Nature damage and slows players. Players can jump into bubbles (from Bubble Shield) to avoid it.

Blackout Brew: Applies a stacking DoT that can disorient players at high stacks.

Ferment: Heals Yan-Zhu and nearby alementals if not interrupted.

Strategy:

Tank: Interrupt Ferment and face Yan-Zhu away from the group to manage add positioning. Pick up any remaining alementals during waves.

DPS: Focus on interrupting Ferment and killing alementals during waves. During Carbonation, jump into bubbles to avoid damage. Burn Yan-Zhu down quickly.

Healer: Dispel Black{ffBlackout Brew if possible. Heal through Carbonation and wave damage. Use AoE heals during add phases.

Everyone: Dodge Wall of Suds by avoiding bubble lines. Spread out to minimize knockback impact. Jump into bubbles during Carbonation to float and avoid damage.

Key Tip: Interrupt Ferment immediately and coordinate bubble usage during Carbonation to reduce healing pressure. Save cooldowns for add waves.

Trash Mobs

Hozen: Found in the lower brewery. Use crowd control to manage groups, as they can swarm with melee attacks and thrown objects.

Virmen: In the Grain Cellar. Boppers and Hoppers deal light damage but come in large numbers. AoE abilities are key.

Alementals: In the Tasting Room. Watch for Brew Bolt and Wall of Suds. Interrupt casters and focus on high-damage adds like Stout Alementals.

Tip: Pull carefully to avoid overwhelming the group. Use CC on casters and prioritize ranged enemies.

Loot

Item Level: 450 (Normal), 463 (Heroic, except Inelava, Spirit of Inebriation, a staff from Yan-Zhu at item level 476 in Heroic).

Notable Drops:

Ook-Ook: Ook’s Hozen Slicer (one-hand sword), Brewmoon Cord (cloth waist).

Hoptallus: Gao’s Kegbreaker (two-hand mace), Hopping Mad (trinket).

Yan-Zhu the Uncasked: Inelava, Spirit of Inebriation (staff), Yan-Zhu’s Bracers (plate wrists).

Quest Rewards: Item level 410 gear from Family Secrets and Trouble Brewing (e.g., cloaks, bracers).

Achievements

Stormstout Brewery: Complete the dungeon (Pandaria Remix requires a Timerunner).

Hopocalypse Now!: Kill 100 virmen in under 1 minute (use AoE abilities in the Grain Cellar).

How Did He Get Up There?: Find and kill a hozen hanging in the brewery (non-Classic, typically near the entrance).

Ling-Ting’s Herbal Journey: Collect 8 Ling-Ting’s Herbs (non-Classic, scattered throughout the dungeon).

Challenge Mode: Gold: Complete the dungeon in Challenge Mode with a Gold rating (requires fast completion with normalized gear).