Last week I mentioned that our guild formed an alliance to do 25-man content. So far this has worked out well. We’ve cleared everything but Thaddius, Sapphiron and Kel’Thuzad, and we are very close on Thaddius.
Last night we began using a DKP system for loot distribution.
I’ve personally never been part of a DKP system, so I’m not sure if I like it or not.
The main advantage of DKP is to ensure that players who have been regularly participating in the raids get rewared. If everything is just left to open roll then the guy who is on his first run will have the same opportunity to get an item as the guy who has been on every run.
Like any loot system there remains the possibility of shenanigans. The good news is this group doesn’t strike me like that. So I’d be surprised to see things like upbidding, cherry picking and the like.
Still though, with limited points one does have to consider prioritizing their needs. And although we us a silent auction for spending points, everyone’s DKP totals are publicly available on the guild site. This makes it easy to see who your competition is and determine the maximum amount of points you need to spend on an item. All of this could lead to a loot distribution system where individuals fare better than the raid as a whole.
What really concerns me is that not all of our guild members can participate every run. This means they won’t be earning as much DKP, and may not wish to fill spots if they know they haven’t got a shot at getting upgrades.
I’m in the fortunate position that for the most part there is only one other physical dps mail wearer in the group. I am also the only hunter. Mail pieces and ranged weapons shouldn’t be too hard to come by. /fingers crossed.
I’m mostly glad to be finally doing the 25-man content. With any luck we will be giving Sapphiron a try by Monday.
DKP is fundamentally flawed. No matter how you set the system up, it does not take into account where the items will do the most good for the guild. It also complicates matters by generally adding a bit of time spend talking about loot after every boss. Lastly, by making “bring a good raider” a currency, it doesn’t encourage people to help others up. For example, in my guild, people can roll for main spec (with certain limitations designed to spread the loot around), but it’s a common occurrence to see a seasoned raider decide not to roll on a slight upgrade if it’s a large upgrade for someone else. That kind of behavior is very rare in the DKP world.
**meant to write “BEING a good raider”, not “bring a good raider”
You are absolutely right (I really like your blog by the way). We raided again last night and the DKP was a mess. I’m going to post about it later today.