Loot



In World of Warcraft, loot can mean a couple of things:
 * 1) Stuff (treasure: items or money) you get from mobs or containers (barrels, boxes, chests, etc).
 * 2) The act (to loot; looting) of getting the stuff mentioned above.

Looting while solo
When soloing, looting is easy — a "lootable" corpse emits a "glittering" effect, and the cursor will change to the "trade" cursor when you mouse over the corpse. Simply right-click (or Command-click on a Mac with 1-button mouse) on the corpse of the mob you just killed, and a window will pop up containing any loot the mob was carrying. (If the loot window is empty, this normally indicates a bug, as corpses that have no loot on them simply cannot be right-clicked.) Using Shift-right/Command-click "autoloots" the corpse, which picks up all items except "Bind on Pickup" items. For Bind on Pickup items, you will be prompted to accept the item, binding it to you, or turn it down, leaving it in the corpse. You can return and loot the corpse of any remaining items until it disappears.

Personal Loot
Introduced in Mists of Pandaria, Personal loot is the default for all group content. Under personal loot, the game chooses a number of players (based on group size) and awards them a random item for their spec, while everyone else receives an amount of gold specific to them. Mounts can also be won via this method from bosses that drop them. Like solo looting, the drops are retrieved by directly looting the corpse of the boss, with the chat logs showing who's won something. Loot from Personal Loot is tradeable to anyone in the group, as long as it is also not an ilvl upgrade for yourself.

The Bonus Roll system, also introduced in Mists of Pandaria, uses this loot type as well. Players in possession of a specific token, such as the Seal of Broken Fate, will be given a chance to spend the token for another try at loot from a recently defeated boss. This can be done on any difficulty as well as on world bosses. The chance of obtaining loot from a boss drop is currently theorized to be approximately 15% (equivalent to an average of 3.75 items from a 25-player kill), but this has not been confirmed.

Finally, Legion legendary and artifact quest items are treated as what's called 'personal push loot', meaning these items do not need to be directly looted from the boss' corpse and are instead directly placed in the player's inventory.

This loot method is preferred by developers and, with Battle for Azeroth, has replaced the other methods.

Legacy Loot Mode
Introduced in the Battle for Azeroth pre-patch, Legacy Loot Mode is automatically enabled when a player enters an instance at 11 levels or more above the maximum level of the content. Under Legacy Loot rules, drops will include a chance for all items that would drop for a full party or raid at the instance’s level.

Quest loot
Quest loot is on a separate loot distribution and there are two common modes for this to occur.
 * 1) For most quests which require collecting several items of a type (harpy feathers for example), the quest items will drop on some mobs and be looted in the normal way, except that if the current looter can't collect the items (not on quest, already has full set) then the quest loot is FFA for those members who can still pick up the quest items. Other items on the corpse are governed by the party loot setting. On some quests, the quest loot is always free-for-all.
 * 2) For most quests where the party is to collect one of a specific item from a specific mob (Collect the head of (mob name here)) then regardless of loot setting, each member may loot the quest item off the same corpse. The other loot on the corpse is subject to the party loot setting. Though less frequent, this sometimes occurs even on quests that require looting multiple items from a type of mob (such as the Shaman Voodoo Charm for The Sleeping Druid).

Battlegrounds
In battlegrounds, players can loot enemy corpses. This will remove their insignia so that they must revive at the graveyard, and give the looter a small sum of money. Note that if the player's ghost is running toward the corpse when its insignia is removed, he'll have to run all the way back to the graveyard to resurrect, so it may be wise to wait a moment before looting. Looting the player's corpse will also force its spirit to release, if they have not already done so, thus preventing their ghost from spying on the area around their corpse.

Older loot methods
The other loot methods available to parties before patch 8.0.1 were vastly more complicated. The leader of the party could set the group looting parameters, as well as the threshold where items of particular quality are automatically rolled for. There are five group looting parameters:


 * Free-for-all: (FFA) First-come, first-serve. You snooze, you lose. This is a good setting if you are assisting someone and intend for them to be able to loot all the kills, or if your party is not in the same area, this setting will prevent meaningless roll prompts. It also makes sense when grouping somewhere that isn't a dungeon when it's very unlikely a really valuable item will drop.


 * Master Loot: One person in the group, designated by the leader, loots all corpses and distributes the loot. This setting can be unpopular with party members, particularly in pick-up groups, because it gives the Master Looter a lot of power to abuse, and requires a lot of trust. However, if the Master Looter is trustworthy, fair, and knows what (s)he is doing, this can be the fairest system. Sometimes Master Loot is used in place of a random-roll system in raids, in which case the designated master looter loots the boss and then announces the looted items one by one. Whoever needs the announced item then types /roll in the chat prompt, which initiates an individual numeric roll. The one who has the highest roll is awarded the item. This loot type is only available to guild-group raids.


 * Round-robin: Party members take turns looting corpses. Seems like it might be fair, "What drops, drops", but a savvy player can manipulate the order that kills are made and get a disproportionate amount of better loot.


 * Group Loot: Like Round-robin, except that there is a threshold set by the leader for which items must be rolled off (see details in the following discussion). Group Loot is commonly used because it is a reasonable compromise based on a generally deserved lack of trust for other players. It is a baseline attempt at fairness at best. It is also the default setting for all groups outside Random Dungeons.


 * Need before Greed: Party members who are unable to equip the item being rolled are not given the option to "need" roll on it, meaning those that can equip the item have an automatic preference on it if they want it. Not as fair as it seems at first glance. Just because you can equip an item does not mean you need it. This is the unalterable default for pickup groups created via the new Dungeon Finder interface introduced in Patch 3.3.

In all loot settings, money on the corpse is distributed as evenly as possible among all the party members.

The group leader may set an item quality threshold. Items below this threshold are handled in a round-robin way preventing people from wasting time rolling for vendor trash. By default, uncommon and better items are rolled for. In raids, it's common to raise the threshold to rare or epic, since uncommon items are insignificant to players equipped enough to raid.

Loot options: Need, Greed, Disenchant and Pass
Items of Uncommon (green) quality or higher might not be immediately lootable, depending on the loot rolling threshold established by the party leader. When an item is available that falls within that rolling threshold, the looter is prohibited from taking the item and a 'roll window' pops up for all party members with an image of the item and three or four buttons — a pair-of-dice button, a coin button, and a red circle with diagonal line button, and possibly a button showing a disintegrating sword.

The high-roller among those who roll is awarded the item, and it goes in that character's backpack. If their backpack is full, that person, and only that person, may loot it by clicking on the monster's corpse after first clearing up space.

If everyone passes on a rollable item, the item becomes freely lootable to anyone in the party.

The roll window has a timer shown as a shrinking bar; if the timer expires before you choose "need" or "greed", you will "pass" on the item. This is generally the recommended action for Bind on pickup items that you cannot equip.

For very valuable Bind on Equip items - which nearly any player can be expected to sell on the Auction House - it is sometimes customary for everyone to click Greed unless someone really needs it for equipping. Need should not be used unless the player really needs it. In Dungeon Finder groups, a BoE item will generally become Soulbound if the player rolls Need, so this is generally a safe policy for BoE items.

On the other hand, if one person rolls Need when everybody else has rolled Greed, the Needy player will automatically win. This is commonly referred to as "ninja looting", though Blizzard does not see it as such and generally will not intervene. To prevent arguments, you may wish to discuss a looting policy beforehand if you know that the instance has a chance to drop a rare item, whether BoE gear or a vanity item such as the Fiery_Warhorse%27s_Reins. If a player agrees to such a policy, then violates it, you may be able to find a sympathetic GM who will restore the item.

Since patch 5.0.4, when a player wins a loot roll, a new pop up window (similar to achievements) appears letting the player know they won the roll and also displays their winning roll number.

Group policies and other loot options

 * The generally accepted looting policy is to need on items you plan to use now or in the near future (1 or 2 levels). Generally people greed or pass on gear, and pass on profession recipes they do not want or need. Sometimes if a group member is unhappy with the outcome of a roll, another roll will be done using the /roll command. It is generally expected to greed or pass on a lockbox if one comes up; anyone who needs on one will likely be branded a ninja looter.
 * Some groups have a policy that, when a bind on pickup item is found as loot, all characters are expected to 'pass' on the item so that a more deliberate selection can be made. It's good to know if your group follows this policy before you find such an item. While this system does nothing to stop a ninja from taking an item, some groups still insist on using it. Going against the grain while in a group usually just creates unrest and fights over loot.
 * If you are the group leader, or the group leader seems levelheaded, it would be wise to use (or ask to use) the normal, built-in looting systems. While a ninja can still roll need on items they do not actually need, other people who do need the item will still have a shot at it, rather than the ninja just picking it up after everyone passes, or rolling after everyone else has passed.
 * Often, Instances will be run with one character of much higher level leading the charge. This is frequently done in clans where senior members want to help others in acquiring good loot. In these cases, it is common that the senior party member will serve as party leader and set loot settings to Master Loot, so as to best distribute all loot.
 * Another common protocol for distributing chest loot is 'high to low', where the highest level member of the group gets first crack at the chest, takes anything he likes, then anything left is available for the next highest level group member, etc., until the chest is empty or no one wishes to take anything else. Money in chests is distributed evenly among the party members who are nearby just like money from corpses.
 * Many players consider it to be very rude if someone intentionally loots a corpse while combat is still going on. To avoid any conflicts, it is best to wait until combat is over and everyone has been rezzed (waiting for everyone to be rezzed is less important than it used to be, as players used to be unable to roll on an item if they were not close enough to the body when it was being looted. This has been corrected and everyone in the instance how can roll on the item, but it's still courteous to rez your party members before looting corpses).
 * Abandoned loot on a corpse prevents it from being skinned, and it is considered polite for a party to loot all corpses if a skinner is in the party. The same applies less frequently to mobs that can be 'skinned' via engineering, mining, or herbalism.
 * A flaw in the mandatory Need before Greed system used in Dungeon Finder groups is that classes may not roll on gear of lesser armor level even if it is an unambiguous upgrade, such as a holy paladin wanting mail with spellpower and intellect. The only way for that player to be sure of getting that item is either for all other players to pass or for whoever wins that item to trade it afterward. Since many players are in the habit of mindlessly clicking disenchant, this can be a problem, since the item will be immediately destroyed. The only solution is to announce before the fight that you are looking for a particular item and hope that everyone will pass on it if it drops.

Note that loot from containers — chests, food crates, and the like — as opposed to corpses, also uses the party loot threshold (if one is in effect), although the container will always be lootable by any party member. If the container holds a high-quality item, that item will be rolled on (or not), the same as if it were looted from a corpse.

Looting etiquette

 * 1) Read the item descriptions, know what you are rolling on.
 * Know if your character needs the item, or can even use the item.
 * Know what stats are important for your character class, and for your spec.
 * Know what gear you already have.
 * 1) If you think you need everything, you need to consider others in your group. While you may need every single piece of gear that drops in an instance, being greedy might reduce your chance to be allowed to roll on that one piece that you really want.
 * 2) You do not "need" any and all green items merely because disenchanting them will help you level enchanting. Nor do you "need" all gems that drop to level your jewelcrafting. You get these things by buying them, and other people need money just as much as you do.
 * 3) Research the instance you will be going into for what loot has a chance to drop and decide ahead of time what you need.
 * 4) If it is a Bind on Pickup item, you cannot give it to an alt. You cannot auction it. It probably has a poor vendor value.
 * 5) Think beyond yourself. Stretch, you'll get better at it.
 * 6) Loot your kills. Even if your bags are full, open the corpses that are yours to loot (other than on free for all). This distributes the gold to the party and makes the corpse available to your party members when you close it.
 * 7) Communication goes a long way toward solving anything. If you are in a particular instance to acquire a specific item for which other party members may raise questions, make sure you are honest about it upfront and understand there is a chance you will be turned down and will have to join another group.
 * 8) If you are the group leader (have the controls), do not tolerate a ninja. Try education first, but if they insist on keeping to their behavior, quickly kick the member from your group. Realize that this may mean being undermanned and having to restart an instance, but a player with questionable intents will get your party killed anyway, so better now than later.
 * 9) If you are in such a group, politely make your concerns known. If nothing changes, ask the leader privately if they intend to take action, if not then politely state your intention to leave the group if that is your wish.
 * 10) If you need an item for off-spec, either ask if you can roll need on it, or look at the loot window and wait until everyone who could possibly need the item for main spec picks an option other than need.
 * Example: a Retribution paladin with a Protection off-spec sees a plate item with dodge drop. If the tank is not a plate wearer (that is, not a warrior, paladin or death knight), or already has an equal or better item equipped in that slot, it is generally safe to roll need right away. Otherwise, wait and see what the tank rolls. If it's greed, disenchant or pass, then it's also generally okay to need it. You may ask in party chat first to be extra sure.

Secondary rolls
In the event of two or more rolls being equal (for example: if 2 players have a 'greed' roll with the number 56 for a certain item), the system performs a hidden secondary roll to determine which player will receive the item.

Loot systems
Groups and guilds that party regularly go beyond the built-in loot distribution mechanisms that Blizzard provides. There are numerous loot systems that can be used to distribute loot, with their own set of trade-offs.