Houndmaster Grebmar

Houndmaster Grebmar is a Dark Iron dwarf who keeps his pack of hounds in the kennels beneath the Ring of the Law in Blackrock Depths. He sits off the main path, so many groups never meet him. Those who do go looking usually want one item: the [Spritecaster Cape], one of the better caster cloaks a player could get in their early 50s.

Background

Grebmar's full name is Grebmar Fleabeard. The Adventure Guide, written long after Classic, says he grew up an orphan and started breeding dogs for company and as guards; his hounds are the only family he has ever had. When he isn't walking the depths with them, he takes them to the Grim Guzzler, the tavern run by Plugger Spazzring, and treats them to Dark Iron ale.

He is a close friend of the mage Warder Stilgiss: when Stilgiss was made keeper of the Black Vault, Grebmar gave him one of his fiercest dogs, the darkhound Verek, as a gift.

Abilities

Grebmar fights like a warrior and leans on his dogs:

• Dual wield: he attacks with a weapon in each hand.
• Demoralizing Shout: lowers the attack power of players within 10 yards for 20 seconds.
• Pummel: a hit that interrupts spellcasting for 4 seconds.
• Bloodlust: sends an ally, such as one of his hounds, into a frenzy that raises its attack speed by 30% for 30 seconds.
• Runs away: at 15% health he flees, and can bring other enemies back with him.

Several of his hounds stand with him and join the fight. In Classic he greeted intruders with "Ahh, a new chew toy for my dogs!", a line later removed from the game.

Strategy

Getting to Grebmar is harder than killing him. His kennels lie under the arena, out of the way of the usual route, and the trip is hard for any class that can't sneak past the packs on the way.

In the fight itself, the tank picks up Grebmar while area damage or a second player handles the hounds, which have little health. Interrupting is not an issue, since he is not a caster, but his Pummel can stop a heal, so the healer should stay out of melee range. Because he runs at 15% health, groups save a stun, a slow or a ranged burst for the end so he can't drag another pack back with him. Many classes at level 60 could solo him, which made him a common target for players farming the cape.

Loot

From our database (patch 1.12):

The [Spritecaster Cape] gives spell damage and healing, and it fills a slot many casters struggled to fill before their first raid. The bow and the rifle both carry beast slaying, a bonus to attack power against beasts, which suits the master of a kennel.

Quests

No quest in Classic asks for Grebmar's death or uses one of his drops. He matters to the dungeon's story mostly through his dogs.

Sources

• Houndmaster Grebmar - Warcraft Wiki
• Warder Stilgiss - Warcraft Wiki