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Raid Loot Rules

Here are some thought from Ignis concerning Loot Rules during an Alliance Raid.

Loot distribution is always an important issue in any game. Whatever the rules are, it is important to have them written down and posted on the web for all to see. That way the rules are clear, concise and won't be changed once the raid has started. If a person or guild doesn't like the rules, they have their free agency to make a stand by not joining the raid.

Obviously, there are more reasons to be on a raid than just the loot such as having a new experience, exploring new territory, completing a difficult quest, gaining new experience, and just having fun. Often one or more of those things outwiegh the loot issue.

I do have a suggestion that I have tested and implemented on Dark Age of Camelot that is having some good results. My experience tells me that there will be a small handful of players who have the leadership ability and skills to actually lead raids. These people tend to provide the leadership for most raids. In general, 99% of the rest of the players "come along for the ride" and have no interest in leading, coordinating, scheduling and dealing with the stress and pain of leading a big raid. It is my opinion, that these individuals or guilds should be rewarded for their work and effort.

I started a new loot rule in DAoC that goes like this; "Whoever leads the raid (guild or person) gets to select one item as their reward for leading the raid". This selection happens before any other loot is distributed and is not to be disputed. Yes, this usually means that the best item dropped goes to the raid leader or guild who is leading the raid.

The upside to this concept is that it motivates individuals who are seeking an specific item and a guild who needs a specific item for a guild member to lead a raid. The result is more raids.... more success, more fun time... more experience...

What happens is that people see how easy it is to farm a particular item and they try to form a raid to get it. Then by leading the raid, they are gauranteed success. This concept was not accepted at first because it looks to be selfish at face value, but over time most people see the added value to more raids and more experience. People are leveling more, more raids are happening which means more cool items are now available to players. In a short amount of time, the guilds start to form up more often to farm the good stuff and more and more people have great equipment.

Now WoW will be different in one aspect. There is the notion of "rare items" that randomly drop. These items will be highly sought after. I believe that this will drive individuals and guilds even more to lead raids in hope of having that chance to pick their one item and get the "rare drop".

Well, something to think about. Whatever we do, it is my opinion that whoever organized the raid controls it. I don't even mind if each guild has their own rules and when you go on a Dwarven Blacksmith raid, you have to follow their rules and when you go on a Shadows Edge raid, you follow their rules. I just believe that it is important to have those rules posted before the raid and then followed in-game.

Loot Rules for Guild Only Events

A few screen shots from the Alpha release have shown a change in loot distribution from random distribution to anyone in the group, to distribution directly to the group leader. This makes sense in a five man group. However for large raids or dungeon crawls, large groups of players work through an area to kill very high level monsters that require massive amounts of people to be successful. In this scenerio, no single player can lay claim to loot because it took a lot of people to get it. Therefore, an enhanced loot distribution plan is required.

Shadows Edge will lead many Raids and Dungeon Crawls. Anyone with experience in an MMORPG understands that regardless of what loot system is used, there will always be someone who feels left out or cheated. That being said, it is the intention of Shadows Edge to create a Raid Loot System that is as fair as possible and easy to manage. We will do our best to meet the following goals to create a fair and equitable system.

Our Goals for Loot Distribution:

• Give everyone an equal chance to win loot.
• Use a system that is easy to manage for the raid leader.
• Use a system that reduces arguments and debates over who should get a loot item.
• Try to be equitable as much as possible.

Our Rules for Loot Distribution:

1. Loot will be collected by one person and distributed after the raid.
   The raid will not continue until all items are collected.
   
   
2. You must participate in the raid to receive loot.
   
   
3. If you participated in the entire raid, you do not have to be present to roll.
   Someone can roll for you. It is up to you to get someone to do this for you.
   Don't ask the raid leader to do it for you.
   
   
4. Class specific loot will go to someone who has a character of that class.
   
   
5. Loot that has a level requirement will be rolled on by those that meet that requirement.
   If no one meets the requirement, then those close to it get to roll for it.
   
   
6. You can use your roll for loot for one of your alternate characters.
   This allows you to bring the character that best fits the raid, and still get loot for the character you are building.
   
   
7. One roll per round. You can only roll for 1 item each round, so choose wisely.
   
   
8. A round is complete when a chance to roll for all items has been given. Sometimes, there are items that have lesser value and nobody chooses to use their covetted first round roll. If nobody wants to roll on an item during round one, these items will be set aside and will be rolled on again during round two.
   
   
9. You can only win ONE item per raid, unless everyone in the raid has won an item. Then everyone can roll on the loot that was not won during round one.

Rolling for Loot

We hope that there will be a random roll or number feature in the game. If so, we will use that random number generator to roll for loot. We will describe the article and those interested will make it known that they want a chance to win that item.

For example, we will announce that the "Glowy Uber Sword" is up for roll. Four people say "I want in". The first person who said "I want in" will be given #1, the second person #2, etc. Then the raid leader will do a random 4, assuming a total of 4 people "want in", and one of those people will win that loot item. If nobody "wants in", the item will be saved for the next round.

This concept is a work in progress. This system depends on a random number generator in-game. If one does not exist, we will have to find another method to randomize the winner. We have a few months to debate this issue and ammend it before the game is released. Therefore, if you have concerns or wish to make suggestions about this sytem, please post those concerns and suggestions in our forum.

Kindest Regards,
Ignis Faatus