Read First: How to Use These Guides

Why This Guide Exists

There isn't really a guide like this. After 10+ years of World of Warcraft, including handling loot/splits for RWF guild <Pieces> in Sanctum of Domination and Sepulcher of the First Ones, plus being an officer in <Turtles> (one of the best two-day guilds, which has unfortunately disbanded), I've seen the same Discord discussions every single tier.

Most loot advice is theoretical; it's based on sims and raw numbers, sometimes even basing first week decisions on full-BiS gear sims. Players fall back onto this advice because it's concrete and measurable, but it must be taken in context. Real loot optimization is far more nuanced. It's not just about what's best for your DPS on paper. It's about understanding that loot optimization exists on a spectrum: guilds choose their targets, then invest more or less time accordingly.

If you are already happy with your loot distribution, you can skip these guides and keep going as you were. If you have any questions, suggestions or want to discuss something you can always hit me up on Discord. I'm active in Viserio's Discord↗, WowUtils Discord↗ and Raid Leader Exchange (RLE)↗.

The Complexity of Loot

Loot decisions in a raid are never simple. Every choice you make has a ripple effect on other players and future drops. Here’s what you need to consider:

Key Insight:
All these factors are interconnected. Optimizing loot isn't about following a simple rule; it's about weighing these variables for your specific team and goals. Most of the time you're going for big upgrades, but weigh the other factors eventually there will be a tipping point.

The Reality of Guild Loot

Over 10 years, I've seen loot be one of the biggest sources of drama and frustration in guilds. People get emotional about gear. They feel entitled, they feel overlooked, they feel like the system is unfair. And honestly, sometimes they have a good reason to feel entitled, sometimes they are overlooked and sometimes the system isn't fair.

The truth is: you can't make everyone happy. Someone will always feel like they deserved that piece more. Someone will always think the system is biased against them.

And if you are a guild leader, you'll have to make these decisions. You'll have to make them based on the context of your guild, your raid team, and your officers. Choosing to give an item to a player who basically terrorizes you into it is not persé a mistake although it might feel bad. Standing your ground and doing what you think also doesn't have to be wrong.

This loops back to it depends, but my main advice would be is to always actively make decisions. Don't let indecision passively form into a mistake. And be open and honest if in hindsight it's clear a better decision could've been made. What's done is done, but you can learn about it and do better in the future.

How to Use These Guides

For Raiders

Use this guide to understand what feeds into loot decisions, contribute constructively to discussions, and appreciate other points of view. The more you understand the factors officers consider, the better you can advocate for your position while respecting the bigger picture.

For Officers

You need deeper knowledge to avoid loot-related blunders, prepare splits efficiently, and support consistent progression. The decisions you make affect 20+ people's gaming experience, so the more context you have, the better your choices will be.

The Officer Reality Check

And yeah, it's stupid sometimes. Maybe you're for example raiding 8 hours a week but spending 30 hours preparing the loot. The raid comes, everything goes well, but then there's drama with someone who disagrees. You still think it's the best decision, but it's hard to explain to the raider because they're not as deep into the matter as you are. They would have to understand a lot of other things you've looked at.

Or perhaps the real answer is that they're not as good as they think they are, or at least you don't think so. That's an annoying situation with no easy answer.

My Advice for Handling Disagreements

The loot is already given out. The potential mistake has been made. Listen to them and take it into account for your next decision. Instead of arguing by throwing statements and numbers at their head, ask them the questions that lead up to those statements and numbers. Have them find their own truth.

The Loot Optimization Spectrum

Instead of thinking about "casual vs competitive," think about loot optimization as a spectrum of investment (time/sanity) and complexity. Every guild falls somewhere on this spectrum, and where you land determines what's realistic for you.

We have a quiz for you to figure out where you fall on the spectrum. Don't take it too seriously, it's just a fun way to get a sense of where you are on the spectrum.

And finally remember that just because you could, doesn't mean that you should. Loot is only one of the many factors that go into a guild's success. It's not the only thing that matters.