Loot rules

An unfair loot system breaks even the most fun guild. Across every forum thread on why guilds die, loot is the single most cited cause, and councils fail “when decisions seem arbitrary, not when they are wrong.” verified So the rules are written before the first raid, published here, and never changed mid-tier. This is version 1. The short charter’s line 3 is the summary; this page is the whole thing. The reasoning behind each system, and the addon fallback stack, is on Loot systems.

System 1: soft reserve (10 and 20 player raids, until a core forms)

This is the friends-scale system for Barrow Deeps (10) and Hyjal Summit (20) while the roster is still forming. DKP and EPGP are overkill under roughly 25 raiders. verified

Soft reserve (SR). Before the raid, each raider names one item they want from that raid. Declare it in the raid signup thread by the deadline (24 hours before start; 6 hours is the absolute floor). When your reserved item drops, you roll only against the other people who reserved it. If nobody reserved it, it goes to open rolls.

Main spec over off spec (MS>OS). On open rolls, everyone who needs the item for the spec they raid as rolls first. Off-spec rolls happen only if no main-spec roll is made. Your main spec is what your character sheet says (!sheet), and you tell the raid leader before the raid if it changes.

One item per run, and +1. One contested item per run. When you win a contested roll, you are +1 for the rest of that run: anyone at 0 beats you on the next contested roll, and you only take a second item if nobody at 0 needs it. Uncontested drops (nobody else rolls) do not count against you. The +1 resets every run.

Rolls. /roll (1 to 100), highest wins, ties re-roll. The loot master or raid leader calls “SR roll for X” or “MS roll for X” in voice, waits ten seconds, awards.

Off-spec definition, Forever-specific. Forever changed healing and damage stat conversion, so a healer’s +healing piece is still main spec for healers, and a caster DPS piece is main spec for casters, not “off spec” for a healer because it gives some healing. verified Hybrid classes declare one raid spec.

BoE epics from the raid go to the bank alt to fund progression consumables. See Guild bank.

System 2: loot council (once a core forms, or any 40)

Council starts when either of these happens, whichever first:

A core roster of 20 has cleared Hyjal Summit twice under soft reserve and wants the switch, or
The guild hosts a 40 player Onyxia raid. If we join someone else’s 40, their rules apply.

The switch is announced at least two lockouts ahead, takes effect at a reset, and never applies to loot already awarded. Hyjal’s 13 bosses, nine-class tier, and crafting essences make rolls waste a long instance, which is why the council exists at 20. verified

Council mechanics

Council of 3 to 5: the loot officer, the raid leader, and at least one non-officer rotated monthly, so the council is visibly broader than the friend group. verified
Decide inside 60 seconds on farm, 3 minutes on progression. If it takes longer, the rubric is missing a row.
Council members abstain on items they themselves want.
One player cannot take two pieces off one boss unless the second is uncontested. verified
Every award is posted in the loot-history channel with the two highest totals.
Appeals: DM the GM within 48 hours. The GM reverses only for a rubric error, never for taste.

The rubric

Scores are 0 to 3 per row, multiplied by the weight, summed. Highest total wins. Ties go to fewest items this tier, then a /roll. The numbers are ours; the structure (attendance, upgrade size, tier completion, role priority) is what the research recommends. verified

Criterion	0	1	2	3	Weight
Upgrade size (main spec)	Sidegrade	Minor	Solid	Best in slot, or replaces a green or blue	x3
Attendance, rolling 4 weeks	Under 50%	50 to 74%	75 to 89%	90%+ or benched-available	x2
Preparation (consumables, attunement, enchants on time)	Repeatedly missing	Sometimes	Usually	Always	x1
Loot received this tier (main spec)	3+ items	2	1	0	x2
Role impact for the raid	Cosmetic for the raid	Small	Meaningful (a healer’s mana, a tank’s health)	Progression-blocking piece	x2
Rank	Trial	Member	Raider	No bonus above Raider	x1

Tier set pieces have one extra rule: the fourth piece matters more than the second, so a player completing a four-piece bonus scores upgrade 3 even if the single item is a small stat gain.

Worked example

A tank chest drops in Hyjal Summit. Two tanks want it.

Row	Tank A	Tank B
Upgrade	3 x3 = 9 (replaces a blue)	2 x3 = 6 (solid)
Attendance	3 x2 = 6 (92%)	3 x2 = 6 (95%)
Preparation	3 x1 = 3	2 x1 = 2
Loot this tier	2 x2 = 4 (one item so far)	3 x2 = 6 (nothing yet)
Role impact	3 x2 = 6	3 x2 = 6
Rank	2 x1 = 2 (Raider)	2 x1 = 2 (Raider)
Total	30	28

Tank A gets the chest. Tank B is first in line next time, and the loot-history post shows both totals so everyone can see why. That last part is the whole point.

The essence rule

Forever’s Hyjal crafted epics need Malleable Essence of Nature, a reagent acquired by disenchanting items from Hyjal Summit or Barrow Deeps. About 72 patterns use it, all sold by a vendor in Mount Hyjal, across Tailoring, Leatherworking, and Blacksmithing sets. verified (datamined; class mapping not yet documented) That makes disenchanted raid loot a guild resource, so:

One designated Enchanter is in every raid.
Every BoP item nobody needs is disenchanted and the essence goes to the bank alt, logged on the ledger.
Crafted essence pieces are assigned exactly like drops: by SR rules while we run SR, by the council rubric once council starts.
The crafter keeps any bonus procs; the guild covers vendor costs. See Guild bank and Professions.

Rules that apply to both systems

Trials are behind members on contested main-spec items for the trial period only, equal on uncontested. The end date is stated when the trial starts. See Recruitment and trials.
Mains before alts. Alts roll only if no main needs. Alt raids only after the main roster has cleared the content twice.
Legendary questline items: the first recipient is named in advance, at a monthly meeting, once the item is known.
Pug loot: if we bring a pug to fill, they roll under our rules, told before the first pull. Ninja-looting in pugs while wearing the tabard is a ladder-removal offense per the charter.
Nothing changes mid-tier. A rule change is proposed at a monthly meeting, announced two lockouts ahead, and starts at a reset.

Transparency

Every award, under either system, is posted in the loot-history channel: item, winner, and the reason (SR roll result or the two highest rubric totals).
Loot history is exported from whatever tool we use, or kept by hand in the sheet if the addons lag. Gargul imports soft reserves and exports awards; RCLootCouncil has a loot history log. Neither had a Forever build as of this writing, and the retail builds are untested on Forever’s API. verified The rubric works in a spreadsheet.
Appeals and reversals are logged too.

The GDKP ban

Blizzard banned GDKP (gold DKP: loot auctioned for gold, pot split among the raid) in Forever. The stated reasons: in regions where it ran longest it overtook the traditional guild structure, and it is a barrier to entry for new and poorer players. Gold buying will be “very aggressively” punished, up to permanent account loss. verified

What that means for us:

No GDKP under the guild’s name. No gold-for-loot inside the guild. No paid carries advertised in guild channels.
Do not run or join gold-split pugs on your main. Enforcement inside guilds has not been described anywhere, and one careful source explicitly warns against inventing a penalty ladder. We do not want to find out. verified
GDKP organizing under the guild’s name is instant removal per the charter.

Unknown as of 2026-09-24

Master loot. Not answered at the beta Q&A. The Deep Dive says raid appearances go “only to the player the item binds to, leaving organized loot decisions in the hands of raid groups,” which is suggestive, not explicit. If master loot is gone, both systems run on need/greed/pass and trade within the two-hour window, as retail guilds do. The rules above survive either answer. unverified
Tier priority order per class and role, and the crafted-set class mapping. Filled in on the raid pages once the data exists.
Whether Gargul or RCLootCouncil retail builds load on Forever. Re-check on December 1. See Addons.
Exact raid unlock dates, which set when these rules go live.