Lunatori truly lived up to her reputation as the group's lucky charm, somehow beating Blizzard's terrible drop rates once again.
Pendulum of Doom (Rare)
Item Level 44
Binds when equipped
Two-Handed Axe
124–187 Damage, Speed 4.00
(38.9 damage per second)
Durability 100 / 100
Requires Level 39
Chance on hit: Crushes the target, dealing 250 to 351 damage.
Gabryell was extremely glad Lunatori was in their party—and in Fearless. He hoped she would stay humble, keep it up, and keep bringing that absurd luck to the team and the guild.
"We're rich!"
That was his first thought.
The Pendulum of Doom in 2004 was nothing like the one from later WoW Classic. Their value was completely different.
In later WoW Classic, the axe was initially worth five or six thousand gold. But not long after battlegrounds opened, too many Mage bots started farming Uldaman, and farming crews forced the price down to just over a thousand.
After farming crews killed PvP, battlegrounds were basically empty aside from premades farming reputation turn-ins. Pendulum of Doom's price crashed, falling from legendary PvP weapon to unwanted junk that sold for only a few dozen gold.
World of Warcraft in 2004 did not have the same rampant farming crews as later years. Battlegrounds and PvP would not die. In fact, after arenas opened in The Burning Crusade, PvP would reach an even higher peak.
Many people loved level 39 battlegrounds, so Pendulum of Doom's price would stay high and keep rising. Once Uldaman was revamped and the weapon became unobtainable, its price would be hyped up to an astronomical level.
"Everyone roll. Don't use this thing yet. Save it and sell it later."
Gabryell deliberately reminded them, just in case Igor won the roll and equipped it.
Right now, battlegrounds had not opened yet. Pendulum of Doom was only a level 39 two-handed axe, so it would not sell for much—maybe a few dozen gold at most.
Keeping it in the bank to gather dust could be treated as an investment. The longer they held it, the more valuable it would become. They could sell it when they needed money.
"4.0 attack speed? Damn, that's slow." Igor's eyes widened, shocked by the weapon's 4.0 speed.
Carlos looked at it from a different angle. "124 to 187 damage, 38.9 DPS, and a high-damage proc. If that proc triggers on a swing, even a mail class loses half their HP."
He finally understood why Gabryell had said this weapon could dominate level 39 PvP. If even mail classes got hit that hard, cloth and leather classes would be erased.
Everyone rolled.
Gabryell's luck exploded. He rolled a 99 and crushed everyone else.
Looking at the axe in his bag, he made a decision. "Carlos, trade me your Expert Goldminer's Helmet too. I'll put both items in the bank and sell them after battlegrounds open."
Blizzard had clearly put Expert Goldminer's Helmet and Pendulum of Doom into Uldaman for a reason. Since Pendulum of Doom eventually became mythologized as a level 39 battleground weapon, Blizzard's hand was probably behind it.
"How much is this axe worth?" Carlos asked.
Gabryell thought for a moment. "Right now, at most a few dozen to a hundred gold. Once battlegrounds open and level 39 battlegrounds become a thing, it might break ten thousand gold."
Ten thousand gold!
The other four all sucked in a breath. What kind of number was ten thousand gold? In an era where one gold equaled four dollars, they could barely imagine it.
"That expensive?"
Igor, who had originally wanted to mess around with it, immediately sided with money. "Then we absolutely have to save it and sell it once battlegrounds open."
He had no interest in level 39 battlegrounds, so he had no use for it.
Carlos had no interest in level 39 battlegrounds either. In his view, max-level battlegrounds were the real battlegrounds. "I'm in favor of holding it until it appreciates."
Between selling for a few dozen gold and selling for over ten thousand, anyone would choose the latter.
"I support it," Lunatori said.
Hugo echoed, "I support it too."
"Then it's settled," Gabryell said. "After we sell the weapon later, the five of us split the money evenly."
"Good!"
The other four answered in unison. And just like that, Pendulum of Doom was treated as an investment and temporarily put into the bank to gather dust.
A legendary weapon, hidden away.
"Are we continuing?" Carlos asked.
The drop had swept away everyone's gloomy mood. Now that they were in better spirits, they could do whatever they wanted.
"No. We already got the most valuable thing in Uldaman. What else are we fighting for?"
Gabryell had lost the desire to continue. Since he knew they would wipe, they might as well go run Scarlet Monastery Cathedral a couple more times. That way, Carlos and the others could hit level 40, and they could see if Whitemane's Chapeau and Triune Amulet would drop.
"Portal back. We'll run Cathedral twice."
He suggested, "Once you're level 40, go quest in Stranglethorn Vale. Try to reach 45 by tomorrow so I can organize Zul'Farrak and Maraudon runs."
Everyone agreed. They had nearly wiped on Galgann, so they had no real confidence in the next two bosses.
Portal opened.
Back to Ironforge.
Gabryell went to the bank first and stored Pendulum of Doom and Expert Goldminer's Helmet.
"Coach, I can reach level 35 today. Once I do, I'll learn how to make 12-slot bags."
Snowlily—or rather, Danielly—messaged him first. She was leveling quickly and was already level 32, with Smooch helping her quest.
"Don't put too much pressure on yourself," Gabryell said.
Danielly replied, "I want to catch up to your level sooner and run dungeons with you."
She had never run a dungeon before and wanted to join him and the others in battle.
Gabryell didn't want to dampen her enthusiasm. "Keep it up. Your coach believes in you."
Going to Scarlet Monastery no longer required a long trip. There were plenty of Warlocks there. He casually whispered a guild group with a Warlock and took a summon straight over, as convenient as modern-day air travel.
With their previous Cathedral experience, the run went unusually smoothly. Gabryell didn't even need to command them, and in a little over 40 minutes, they took down Mograine and Whitemane.
As hoped, Lunatori finally looted Whitemane's Chapeau for him. 14 Spirit, 14 Intellect, and 9 Stamina gave his core stats a solid boost.
"Again."
Since Triune Amulet had not dropped, Gabryell had no intention of leaving. Lunatori had already gotten the hat and necklace last night while running with David's group.
Hard work paid off. On the second Cathedral run, Luna kept her lucky streak going and looted Triune Amulet for him. 7 Spirit, 7 Intellect, and 7 Stamina boosted his core stats again.
Gabryell's current core stats were definitely the best among all casters in the game. His HP was comparable to a mail class, and his mana was around 30% higher than an ordinary Mage's.
"Carlos, you guys go quest in Stranglethorn Vale."
Carlos, Igor, and Hugo had successfully reached level 40. There was no point staying in Scarlet Monastery any longer. They could go quest in Stranglethorn Vale until level 45.
Gabryell said, "When you're questing in Stranglethorn, check Gurubashi Arena often. The chest respawns every three hours, and the trinket inside is very good for melee classes."
Arena Grand Master was perfect for melee players who liked dueling. Its permanent 1% dodge was currently the best trinket for main tanks, so there was no downside to getting it.
Thinking of PvP, he added, "Be careful of the Horde. There will be plenty of them in Stranglethorn. Later, I'll take you to Arathi Highlands first to kill Prince Nazjak once and get Tidal Charm."
Prince Nazjak had probably respawned by now. Gabryell planned to get each of his brothers a Tidal Charm.
Tidal Charm had a 40% drop rate. With Lunatori's lucky hands around, he was not worried it would fail to drop.
He opened a portal back to Ironforge and gave the extra Water Breathing Potions to Carlos and the other three.
"You four go. I'm heading back to Zul'Farrak to farm the graveyard."
Gabryell still had a "debt" of 1,000 gold on his shoulders. Since he had promised to hand out the rewards the day after tomorrow, he absolutely could not break his word.
He currently had more than 300 gold. At a rate of 40 gold an hour, two days would be more than enough to scrape together 1,000 gold.