I'm super excited to get started this expansion. Tonight's going to be fun.

One of the reasons I'm excited is the addition of Loot Council as a loot distribution strategy. I think loot council provides the optimal distribution of loot to benefit the raid.

Anytime changes happen, people get antsy. That's understandable. While I've not been around from the VERY beginning, I've been in DF for a long time. This new loot system will be a change for many. Consequently, I've decided to make some boilerplate FAQ type language for those who've got questions about the system.

Q. Why Loot Council?

A. Because it helps the raid's dps go up the fastest per piece of gear earned in a raid enviornment.

Q. How can you be sure that Loot Council makes the raid's dps increase more quickly?

A. Well, because bosses don't care what your dps is. What I mean is this: Raid DPS and, to a lesser degree, HPS matters in encounters, personal DPS and HPS do not. Imagine that DPSer A does 100k dps and DPSer B does 10k DPS in our fictional 2 man raid, that's a raid DPS of 110k. The boss doesn't care how you got there. It follows then that what a good loot system should do is to make raid DPS go up the most.

Q. Does this mean I won't get upgrades sometimes?

A. Yes. Probably. But, rest assured that you didn't get upgrades only in service of the raid's DPS or HPS going up. Imagine if the Loot council gave the fictional DPSer A an upgrade that made her dps go up by 15k (up to 115k), but if the same piece of gear went to DPSer B it would have only been a 10k upgrade...that would double DPSer B's dps, yes, but it would have been a net 5k loss to the raid's dps. Remember, bosses don't care about your individual DPS--they care about your raid's DPS.

Q. It feels like my DPS is WAY below others' DPS, but the rich seem to keep getting gear? Sup' with dat?

A. It is a fact of life in Loot Council guilds that the top DPS get entirely geared out first while lower DPS do not. The shitty truth is that sometimes whole classes are undertuned. Given the choice of (as of this writing) gearing out a balance druid vs. a demonology warlock is a no brainer. You gear out the druid 10 times out of 10. Gearing them out provides more raid dps faster. Often when you look at the highest performing guilds in the world (if they make their logs public) in the early part of new raiding content, you'll see that several dps players are way ahead of the pack. This is because putting gear on them provides the greatest raid benefit.

Q. So it's okay that my dps / hps is low?

A. Well, yes and no. There are lots of reasons DPS can be low. Most of those reasons are NOT related to the gear you're using. There are always things to do to improve your DPS--focusing only on gear is a mistake. In fact, loot council frees you to not think about gear. If you get a piece, well awesome. But ultimately, loot council forces you to focus on min-max your way to your own personal best dps performances. WarcraftLogs.com provides great metrics to show how your overall dps and hps performance improves from week to week. 

Q. Ok, I got it, but does all that mean that raid leaders will expect some inequity in the DPS / HPS charts?

A. Within reason, yes. 

Q. So what do I do to prove myself in raid if my performance isn't only DPS chart-centric.

A. Several things. I would suggest starting with not standing in fire. That's a symptom of a greater problem which is a lack of raid awareness. When you die to something, figure out what it is and how to fix it. Make sure you're DPSing the right targets at the right times. Make sure you're not wiping the raid. Show improvement WITHOUT gear to provide evidence that you should get MORE gear. If you can battle rez, don't wait for a brez to get called out--just do it, same applies to decursing, using defensive cooldowns, etc.

In truth, it's not even raid DPS that's important. It's overall Damage  / Healing by the end of the encounter. which means that Lower DPS / healers that live longer by avoiding mechanics will be of a greater overall benefit to the raid than higher ones.

Q. Will this loot inequity last forever?

A. Absolutely not. That wouldn't be in the raid's best interest. Before long you'll be getting handed loot hand over fist. You'll probably feel guilty, but you shouldn't. Eventually, everyone benefits.

Q. So basically the message is, Loot Council requires me to a) trust the council about what's best for the raid and b) just focus on the things I can change about my own play?

A. Yes. You've got it.

A quick summary of the raid meeting that was held on Monday.

1. Earn your spot - Everyone invited to the mythic raid will earn their spot.  We will not be carrying people in this raid.  If you do not pull your weight in raid you will be replaced.  This isn't an invite all your friends type of raid.  This raid will progress and will be progressing with the most qualified players available to the raid.  As blunt as that sounds it's the truth.  The first couple of raids will be a try out peroid.  I want to get as many raiders as I can into the raid and then reduce that list as we start mythics in a few weeks.  Earn your spot in this raid.

2. Raid days and times - Our normal raid times will be Wednesday, Thursday, and Monday from 9pm to 12am EST.  We will however be raiding Dec 2nd which is a Tuesday.  We want to get a jump on the content and start clearing as fast as possible.  

3. Know your class - I expect anyone that enters a raid with me to know their class upside down and sideways.  This means know other specs than just your main spec.  Know what your class brings for the raid and how to use them when we expect it.  

4. Be on time - We will be starting raid invites 15 minutes before the raid starts.  I want to be pulling trash at 9pm.  If you cannot be on time your spot will be replaced for the night.  Time is important and I expect everyone to respect others time as well.

5. Be prepared and knowing strats - BEFORE RAID you should have all consumables ready.  Don't come to raid asking if someone can craft some flasks for you.  These things should be done before raid.  Know the strats for the bosses.  Do not come into raid blind and not know boss mechanics.  There are plenty of resources out there to find what you need to know.  Do your homework.  I do expect everyone to be fully equiped with these materials and knowlegde of boss fights for Dec 2nd.

6. Loot council - There will be a loot council.  They will choose who gets loot and it will be based on dps, skill, and progression.  It really all boils down to who can help us progress faster.  

7. No Drama - I hate drama.  Drama will not be tolerated at all.  If you're looking for a quick way to get raid kicked or even gkicked...start drama.  We don't have time for it.  If there's a problem contact me AFTER raid and we shall discuss it, but again, I don't deal with drama.

8. Addons - Weakauras2 and DBM/Bigwigs are mandotory.  I'd love to see more people use ElvUI, but it's not required.  If an addon comes out like Malkhelper, or whatever, those will be required also.

9. Raid Name - We need a raid name!  A post has been made in the forums for this.  Feel free to post any ideas you have concerning the raid name.  Hopefully we can all agree on a name Tuesday.

Again this was a really brief recap of the meeting.  If you have any questions regarding anything that I've said please let me know.  I'm so excited about this raid.  I'm looking forward to progression with you guys.

Since my time will be my own in the not too distant future, I may actually return to raiding in the January/February time frame.  In the meantime I'll practice up on being evil and manipulative so a spot can mysteriously open up.

Much white hair, such joyful meeting.

Will be there!

How about scheduling an event for this at the Website?