Loot system

A Loot System refers to a system of distributing items ("loot") amongst a group of players. Whenever you join a group you're automatically participating in some sort of loot system, even if it's only the default roll system from Blizzard. Frequently, the terms DKP and "raid level loot system" are used interchangably, because DKP based systems are by far the most frequent and most widely accepted form of loot system used in raids.

Overview

Endgame loot distribution in MMORPGs is inherently unjust. Bringing down an endgame boss is a joint effort of many people, while the loot received cannot be split and goes to single individuals. In order to rectify this injustice, raids soon developed systems which provided some kind of compensation for those players not getting loot. Most raid groups eventually adopt a formalized loot distribution system. There are exceptions, but they are rare and are not the subject of this particular article. The variety of systems used is bewildering, typically each group choses a basic type, and then specifies its own variations to fit its unique goals. The basic idea of most systems is to introduce a kind of new currency (DKP) which is earned by participating in raids, and spent by "buying" loot.

The original base for this page was the massive thread "I will tear apart your Guild loot system" by Angelie (lvl 60 human priest from US Ner'zhul) in the official forums. This thread has vanished, but has returned as a sticky ^[1]. Unfortunately that new version somewhat watered-down, it lacks a few of the finer points. The quintessence remains the same: "No loot system is perfect".

Purposes of a Loot System

The purposes of a loot system are many. Sometimes desirable characteristics are at odds, sometimes properties are a matter of taste. The core idea is always to provide a kind of compensation for raid members who don't get loot. Loot systems provide a kind of "memory" for past acheivements, the goal is "fair" loot distribution over a long timespan. The following tries to be a list of fundamental desirable characteristics which all systems should strive to achieve:

Everyone should be happy with the System - or at least, happy enough to avoid drama
Progress towards the guilds goals and joining guild events (i.e. raids) should be rewarded
Equipment that is an upgrade (even a minor one) for any person should not be disenchanted
Inflation should not occur
Items should go to those who would benefit most
The System should be elegant, clear, and easy to understand
The System should be structured, unambiguous and consistent
A fair balance should exist between effort spent and reward gained for everyone (newbies and veterans)

Integrating Newbies

The last point sounds rather natural, but leads to an important, delicate and not obvious issue. Introducing newbies to an established raiding group is difficult. On one hand, the new member should not be discouraged and should also be able to win drops. On the other hand, the veterans like to claim first pick on certain rare or high-value drops. Obviously, veterans need to have some advantage over newbies. But after a certain time, every newbie wants to have the chance to become a "full member", to gain the right to be at least in theory able to compete even for top-of-the-line drops. One of the most difficult aspects when selecting and fine-tuning a DKP is getting this balance right (also see "The DKP gap" below). From which point on will a newbie have similar loot opportunities as an old member (assuming that both spend the same effort and time on ensuring the raid's success)?

Earning Points

Most loot systems use some form of DKP - points which are earned by participating in raids, and spent when acquiring loot. When considering the opportunities to earn points, it is most important to be aware what exactly is rewarded. Sometimes well-meant incentives can lead to degeneration. For example, if the bonus for turning up is high, people leaving early gain a profit. If points are handed out only directly after a kill, morale on learning runs will be low.

There are two basic methods to gain points:

Standard DKP

The most widely used method of earning points is to hand them out for every appropriate reason. This method is the most flexible, but also need careful attention. If more points enter the system than are spent, inflation will arise (see below).

Some popular reasons to hand out points include:

On-time: at the starting time of the event, all members present receive a reward for punctuality

Standby: If a raid member drops out, a readily available replacement receives a bonus

Duration: At the end of the raid, a reward is given for staying for the duration

Time spent: For each hour spent in the raid, a certain amount of DKP is handed out

Boss kill: Each boss killed gives all raid members a certain reward (this reward usually scales with the relative difficulty of the boss)

First kill: If a boss is killed for the very first time, an extra bonus is awarded to all participants

Points for tasks: Some systems expand "raid-related tasks" to include all activity that benefits the guild, like farming runs to acquire potions, runs for learning new encounters or donations to the guild item vault.

Using this kind of reward system usually needs adjustment in regular intervals. Especially if bosses have point values, it's usually necessary to reduce them from time to time.

Zero-sum DKP

The alternate method of earning points makes inflation impossible, and needs no special care on the income side at all. Everybody starts with a score of 0. This score changes only when loot is distributed. When a raid member pays DKP for some item (getting a negative score if necessary), the expenditure is evenly distributed back to the raid. Thus no points enter the system from the outside, the sum of all members' point scores is always zero.

The drawback of this method is that it's difficult to reward anything except being present at the moment of a boss kill.

Spending DKP

Both methods of gaining points can be combined with different ways to spend points. Some methods hold an auction, others allow the members of the system to decide in order of their current points whether they like the item.

Bidding systems

When an item drops, an auction is held.

Variable price

In these systems the person with the highest point score which is interested gets the item, and then has to spend a certain amount which depends on other circumstances (e.g. all or half the points, as many as the next person etc.).

Fixed price

All items have a fixed price which is known beforehand. Raid members decide in order of their point score whether they want the item.

Relational DKP

In many loot systems, the member with the highest current point score gets to choose whether he wants an item. Usually the current point score is the difference between points earned and points spent. Relational systems don't use the difference, but the quotient (points earned) / (points spent) to determine order.

Other loot distribution systems

The most prominent of the other systems is Blizzards standard system. There are variants using rolling, merit systems, and there are the extreme ends of the scale - "Quickest fingers win" and "Loot council".

Issues

All loot distribution systems struggle with the following issues, some with more success, others with less.

Boss importance

Not all bosses are equal, thus rewards should scale with boss difficulty.

Item value

The perceived value of an item can vary greatly. Depending on a players class and current equipment, the same drop can be the most valuable dream item, a minor upgrade, or even a downgrade. The biggest problem of all known loot systems is to find the correct price for a given item.

Disenchanting

In systems without bidding, items may get disenchanted for lack of anyone willing (or able) to afford it, even if there are players for whom the item would be an (although minor) upgrade. Disenchanting such an item is bad, because it hampers the progress of the raid as a whole.

Class bias

Some classes can end up with an abundance of DKP, due to none of their class-specific items dropping, or a dearth of DKP, due to a string of expensive items. The result is undue influence in either direction when members of that class compete for non-class-specific items - either they cannot win those items, or they simply take them away from the members of other classes. This leads to an imbalanced loot distribution over the whole raid.

Raid members from outside the system

Most loot systems are rather closed affairs, thus the raid group needs to set up rules for outsiders or potential new members who join for their first run.

Delay

Some players may need time to consider or discuss whether and how much to bid. At times, this can become a major hold up for the raid. Sometimes loot can even vanish if no decision is found fast enough (e.g. the chest of Majordomo Executus).

Hybrids and resist gear

Some classes are expected to acquire high amounts of resistance (e.g. warriors), hybrid classes are by nature interested in a large variety of items. In both cases these classes need to pay for a larger amount of drops than "pure" classes, and thus can easily find themselves at a disadvantage when competing for highend cross-class drops.

The DKP gap

Taken from Angelies^[1] article, the DKP gap describes the difference in points between a newbie and a veteran raider. Assume that in a fixed-price system some veteran has (after maybe 30 MC runs) luckily won his full Tier 1 set, and now a current DKP score of -100. The 8 pieces had a value of 460 points. A newbie (equipped in Dungeon Set 1) enters the system at 0 points. Although the visible difference in DKP between the two is -100, and the newbie seems to have a point lead over the veteran, the real gap is actually 360 points. The newbie will have to equip himself, paying the fixed prices for his gear, while the veteran will accumulate points, and only rarely take an item. When the newbie finally acquired his 8 pieces of Tier 1, the veteran will meanwhile either have some Tier 2 items, or a very obvious point lead. This game of hare and hedgehog will continue indefinitely - on top-of-the-line drops, the veteran will always have priority over the former newbie, even after both players contributed the same for several months.

This development is allright, up to a certain point. Many people have objections against all formalized loot systems because they fear to find themselves in this very situation - being behind in the priority list, with no possibility to do anything about it. In effect this will eventually lead to unhappiness, and possibly a change to another raid group. A possible development is that the newbie will run with his initial group until his chance to get meaningful drops becomes very low, and then simply look for another guild where he can enter the system at zero, and his chances for good loot are better.

This behavior is inherent in many loot systems. This is not an accidental problem, it's rather a case of a job done too well. Loot systems are meant to provide a kind of memory. A fixed and unattainable DKP gap just means that the memory is too good, and needs some toning down (by introducing taxes for example). Some people actually feel that such a situation is just, and doesn't really need a solution.

Common Solutions/Variations

Every guild's DKP system is almost always different from every other. While the basics are fairly common to all systems, there are dozens of variations in the details. Variations are limited only by the imagination of the guild officers; a list of common variations follows.

Standard phrases

To reduce confusion, some systems prohibit all raid chat during bidding, except for set phrases, such as "Bidding is open on [item]", "I bid [x]", "Bidding is closed", "going to [player] in 5 seconds", etc.

Bank items

Some guilds auction off items from the bank for DKP, usually by way of their discussion forum. Guild members can thus enter a bidding contest outside of the raid setting where they spend some of their DKP in return for goods that the guild has accumulated through their raids. If the guild is good at selling items on AH and earning money for the bank, the guild might want to auction off fixed money bags for DKP. This in turn ensures that active players also get funds to spend on gear, potions, repairs, and other needs.

Points separated by instance or class

Some systems maintain more than one point score for each member. Separate point pools can be set up for different instances (e.g. one pool for 20 man instances, another for 40 man), or for different types of loot (one pool for class set items, one for cross-class items). Separation by instance makes it easier to balance the system (so it's not possible to earn points in "easymode" runs while spending them on hard won loot), separation by loot type helps reduce the effects of collusion and class bias.

Class adjustment

If certain player classes experience an imbalance in DKP possessed, some systems impose a modifier on bidders in that class, particularly when they bid against members of other classes. The modifier may be either additive or multiplicative, and may either raise or lower that class' bidding power, as appropriate.

Point cap

Simply put, the total unspent DKP a single player may possess is capped at an arbitrary amount, typically the amount earnable in about 10-20 raids; that player may earn no more DKP until they bid on items.

Taxes

In order to faciliate newbie integration (see "The DKP gap" above) and related issues (like inflation), some systems introduce a DKP decay over time. For example this could mean that each member loses 1% of his points per week.

Free roll

If no one wants a given item (or wants to bid on it), it can be opened up to all who can use, disenchant, or sell the item. No DKP is spent on a free roll, although sometimes such items are associated with some minimum cost (e.g. the value of a nexus crystal). Introducing a free roll in an otherwise fixed price system breaks this very characteristic of the system (and thus introduces some of the problems which were avoided by introducing the fixed prices).

Forced bank

Certain items, reagents and crafting materials in particular, may be specified beforehand as automatically going to the guild bank. From there, they are turned into crafted items to be rolled on, possibly by all guild members and not only raid members.

Gifts

On rare occasions, the guild or raid officers may decide to award items to key players (such as the MT or Main Healer), either to increase the guild's rate of success on raids (and thus garner more DKP and/or rewards for all raiders), or to simply reward effort outside of the normal DKP system (e.g., maintaining the guild's website). Such gifts are arbitrary, and no transaction of DKP is involved. Obviously, there is a potential for abuse of this rule, so such gifts are typically only awarded when highly justified.

DKP for alts

Many veteran players have alts. Eventually, those alts may reach high levels, and that player may wish to play that alt in raids, and earn DKP. There are multiple ways to handle DKP for alts:

Pooled DKP

DKP is linked to that player, rather than to the character. All DKP is shared among all of that player's characters, and is limited by the point cap if one exists.

DKP per char

DKP is linked to that character. That character is, in effect, a completely different player, with its own point cap. No DKPs may be transferred between a player's characters.

One-time transfer

The player transfers some or all (typically all) of their main's DKP to the alt, and then play works like DKP per char. This is usually done when a player no longer wishes to play their original main, but wants to retain all the DKP they've earned.

Hybrid systems

Some guilds allow mains' and alts' DKP activities to be linked, without the full flexibility of the Pooled DKP approach. For example, a player could spend points earned by the main on his alt and vice versa, but when raiding with the alt only earns points at half the normal rate.

References

^ ^a ^b Angelies sticky

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