Hey, how about that landslide of Mists of Pandaria information? It has taken a few days, and will probably take a few more, for the nuance of everything to really sink in. One of the topics we’ve been getting lots of questions about is the crazy new loot model we’re introducing in Mists. We’ve answered several related questions in the forums, but thought it might be prudent to just put all the information in one place.
I should clarify that the systems we’re introducing are actually pretty simple in practice. I’m only going into a fair amount of detail because those are the kinds of questions we are getting. You don’t have to understand all the particulars to participate, and we’re certain that it will just all make sense once you are experiencing it in-game instead of hearing it described (that whole “show, don’t tell†thing). Let’s begin:
Personal Loot
Here is how looting works in today’s Raid Finder groups:
The boss dies.
The game randomly decides which items off of the boss’s loot table drop.
The group rolls Need, Greed, or Pass on each item.
If you were raiding with a group of friends, you might discuss who should get each item. Even if you ultimately lost, hopefully you are happy that a friend got an upgrade and that your group as a whole is now a little bit stronger.
But if you’re in Raid Finder, you are quite possibly alone with a bunch of strangers.
So, if you can Need, you probably do, because there’s no time for discussion, some of the rollers may be AFK, and even if you piss someone off, you aren’t likely to have to pay the social cost of doing so since you’ll never see them again.
The highest roll wins.
Drama ensues.
Here’s how the new Raid Finder system will work in Mists of Pandaria:
The boss dies.
The game automatically decides who won some loot, and gives those players a spec-appropriate item.
Some players may still get mad, but hopefully they are mad at the laws of probability and not at the rest of the raid.
So, realistically, that’s really all you need to know to understand how it’ll play out in-game. For those looking for more detail, here’s what’s happening behind the scenes:
The boss dies.
Each player has a chance to win loot, independent of the other players.
For each player who wins loot, the game randomly assigns them a spec-appropriate item from that boss’s loot table. This subset contains only items that the game (meaning the designers in this case) thinks are appropriate for your class and current spec.
Notice that you aren’t rolling Need or Greed. You don’t have an option to Pass. The game just says “Take this.â€
You can’t trade this item, or that would defeat the purpose of removing the social pressure on groups of strangers. If you don’t want the item, you are free to vendor, delete, or disenchant it.
The big difference here is that instead of kill -> loot -> roll, the new system uses kill -> roll -> loot. The loot is not determined until the winners are determined. It’s all automatic, and you’re under no obligation to pass or roll — these choices no longer exist. The game decides who gets loot, not the players. The end. Nobody is going to be a callous jerk and take the item that you rightfully deserve. Nobody is going to try to talk you into trading an item to them because they are down on their luck and can’t ever win a weapon. No DPS dude is going to ninja the tanking shield that you need for your guild to progress.
We understand some players are interested in off-spec or transmogrification loot, and we will consider future changes to the system to accommodate those desires. However, we’re not sure fundamentally that Raid Finder is the best avenue for acquiring that loot. You would either need to take it from another player who actually desires it for their main spec, or a conversation would have to take place to make sure nobody else needed it more than you do. In other words, you would have to stop people from just rolling Need whenever they could. I’ve seen some suggestions that we allow an option for essentially “I’m happy to get loot beyond just what my main spec can use,†and maybe that’s the kind of approach we could take, but let’s make sure the basic design works first. For now, there are other avenues, such as dungeons, faction gear, normal raids or older content to provide off-spec or cosmetic gear.
