DKP 2.0!

"As if raids weren't stressful enough, now you're telling me that the loot point system is going to change? You've gotta be kidding me!"

The current loot point system in the guild was developed in April 2008 as we were progressing through Karazhan. There have been minor changes to this system since then, but there are big changes on the horizon.

The current loot system is largely based on raid participation, i.e. the more you participate the more points you get. This system has served us well throughout BC and the beginning of WOTLK, but there is a growing, cautious consensus among guild officers that it is time to change the looting scheme to a merit-based looting scheme, which means that points would be based on accomplishments (boss kills, boss attempts, etc.).

The reasons for this change are numerous and beyond the reach of this blog entry, however it's obvious that this change will have significant effects on all raiders. In order to experiment and study how this change will effect raiders the guild officers have approved a motion that would allow for certain 25-man raids to award points based on an experimental system based on boss kills (and for certain high-difficulty runs to award small compensation for wipes).

The first experimental 25-man raid will be on April 12, 2009. There will be selected experimental runs for the rest of the month, while the rest of the runs will use the conventional participation system. By May, if everything works ok, I'm hoping that our 10 and 25-man runs will be fully converted to the new dkp model. I'm sure there's going to be thousands of questions, so be patient as I try to listen, address concerns, and plan for the future.

Need Before Greed and the Curious Case of Purple Syndrome

I've had some concerned parties express to me lately that there have been some questionable needs on epic loot drops, meaning that some people may be typing "u" for an item even though the loot may not be ideal for them. The loot auction process can be stressful enough and we're all looking for those items that will help move our characters to the next level, but it may be time for us to re-emphasize what a true "need" is. If nothing is done we risk wasting the value of epic drops.

People can spend their loot points however they wish insofar as their need for the item is a genuine need. There are a few common situations where a posted need may not really be a need and should be challenged by the master looter, raid leader, or other raid officers. I will list two common situations and would appreciate others' input.

1. Needing on a less-durable item: Sometimes we all may choose to wear an item that is less durable just for the exceptional stats (example: paladin wearing mail item, druid wearing cloth item, shaman wearing leather item, etc). However in a raid situation where loot is often contested many people feel that needs for less durable items isn't legit. Perhaps we should be more willing to support mail-wearers need for mail, leather-wearers need for leather, etc, and have their "needs" take priority.
2. Cloth healers vs cloth dps: Frequently cloth wearers of all kinds will type a "u" on similar non-token items. Stats such as intellect, spellpower, spirit, and haste rating are equally useful for healers and dps. However, certain stats help make an item look more like a dps item or a healer item. Hit rating is definitely a dps thing while mp5 is definitely more of a priority for healers. Many feel that we should keep this in mind when judging the validity of clothwearer's needs.

I appreciate any feedback on this issue and I will be talking to raidleaders about this. I think that if we as master looters, raid leaders, and raid officers will step in and screen all those "u" postings a little more we will get more usage out of our epic items before they get replaced and vendor trashed.

The Amazing Race -- Massacre Edition

It's time to use those mithril spurs, that crusader aura, and those mage portals because it's Amazing Race time! In order to celebrate the 2 year anniversary of the founding of Massacre I will be organizing a race through Azeroth and the Outlands that will award some nice gold prizes.

Rules of the Amazing Race

1. Each race participant must be a part of a 2-person team consisting of one higher level character (lvl 77+) and one lower level character (below 77).
2. There will be 8 checkpoints spread throughout Azeroth and Outlands. Participants will not know these checkpoints ahead of time and will be given clues at each checkpoint to help them determine where the next checkpoint is. Both members of a team must be present at a checkpoint before they will receive credit for it.
3. A checkpoint guild-member will be available at each checkpoint to give credit to teams. That person will provide a teammember with a random object. At the conclusion of the race a teammember will give me (Nistagmus) their 8 objects from their checkpoints.
4. Each team may use any travel skill at their disposal (including hearthstones, epic mounts, mage portals and warlock summons) to reach a given destination, but they will not get credit for a checkpoint until both teammates reach the checkpoint.

Rewards

1. The first place team will receive 800g (400g each).
2. The second place team will receive 400g (200g each).
3. The third place team will receive 200g (100g each).
4. The fourth place team will receive 100g (50g each).
5. The fifth place team will receive 50g (25g each).
6. Each additional team will receive 20g (10g each) for completing the race.