How is it actually decided what loot the bosses drop in World of Warcraft? There are many rumors about this – but the truth is quite simple.
In the history of World of Warcraft, there have been many myths and a lot of “half-knowledge,” especially during the vanilla era of the game. One particularly popular myth dealt with how loot was created in the game. The rumors became so intense that Blizzard had to explain how and when loot is generated.
What was the myth? During the time of the first major raids – namely Molten Core, Blackwing Lair, and Ahn’Qiraj – there were many rumors about how exactly it is determined what kind of loot is dropped by bosses. Particularly common theories were:
- The loot depends on the exact timing of the mob kill.
- The loot depends on the person who delivers the killing blow.
- The number of individual members of different classes decides which loot drops.
However, the most common theory back then was: The character who enters the dungeon or raid first and thus generates the “ID” of the instance also influences the loot. For example, if the protection warrior goes into the raid first, there’s a higher chance of getting the stylish mage sword. But if a hunter enters first, the priest’s mace is more likely to drop.
All these theories led the community to repeatedly ask: When is it actually really decided what loot a boss drops today?
No character can influence loot
How is loot generated? Blizzard explained almost 20 years ago how loot is actually generated and at which moment (via bluetracker.gg):
Loot is determined at the moment a creature spawns. The moment a creature appears in the world, dungeon, or raid, it has already been decided what loot will drop.
The random factor is based, as so often in the digital realm, on the time that is taken as the basis for a random number generator. This makes it nearly impossible to influence.
What about quest items? Some doubted this statement from Blizzard at the time. Because if loot is really determined at the moment of a creature’s spawn – then what happens when you accept a quest and need to obtain quest items from enemies? Because then you would have to defeat all enemies first so they respawn with their quest items.
Blizzard clarified here: No, mobs with quest items always have these with them. However, they are “hidden” if you haven’t accepted the corresponding quest.
Of course, there are now many more factors that influence loot generation. Systems like “Personal Loot” ensure that only loot can drop that will actually be used. However, old game content that relies on the “Legacy Loot” system should still function just as Blizzard explained back then.
In “Mythic+” dungeons, loot is created at the moment you defeat the last enemy of the dungeon and fulfill the requirements for the reward chest. Because with the spawn of the chest, the loot is generated. Therefore, you can sometimes unlock achievements (like reaching a new item level) before you have opened the chest. Because at the moment the chest appears, the loot already belongs to you and is already linked to your character.
However, there is also loot that you can influence significantly more. For example, there are a number of stylish mounts that you can earn in the Visions of N’Zoth. Stormwind is currently active, and these 3 pretty mounts are waiting for you.
