Agree boss tokens are >>>> random drops.

Maybe if you have a linear content progression, you could have the random result be equivalent to the reward from the next step in the progression. Then you are just winning the right to have the reward early, but if it doesn’t drop you just move on to the next step where it is guaranteed, instead of grinding it out randomly.

I also have a problem with the assumption in an MMO that I want to run the exact same content 6+ times, especially when 2 runs are enough to master it. I’m currently playing Dragon Age and taking a break from WoW. I’m on my second playthrough, but I couldn’t imagine playing it 6 times, especially in a row. I get that content creation for an MMO is expensive, so they want you to replay it a lot, but it still gets old quick.

Also, the ONE time I missed an MC clearing run, BOTH pieces of the legendary sword dropped and our 4th tank got them. We never saw another piece in all our MC runs.

RNG is a bitch.

For those that don’t listen to Radiolab, shame on you. ;) But the show on Stochasticity is relevant to this discussion, methinks. :)

I got mine on the guild’s 37th kill.

Yes.

Thirty.

Seventh.

F**k that guy.

It always felt wrong to me that in a raid only few people of say 25 get something worthwhile, while the rest has repair costs.

LOTRO really managed to take it to the extreme with radiance gear coins being most of the time the only really valuable thing. Crafted Lothlorien gear is better than the Moria instance stuff in general. So the only thing I will ever need are the starter radiance gear coins.

1/6 chance, as you mentioned. Sometimes some don’t need it, so 1/4. All others are there to complete some kill x Orcs in Fil Gashan traits or something like that.

That everyone gets a token for the successful participation where he can later exchange some of them for something worthwhile makes the system so much more bearable.

P.S. the whole idea behind this radiance gear content gating is still total BS.

Unexpected random rewards are great because they are unexpected so there is no feeling of loss if you don’t get one. On the other hand when something you expect to get, be it a piece of set armour or an achievement or a key to unlock content, is dependent on the whim of chance then some players are inevitably going to be terribly disappointed.

I think an obvious solution is that only unexpected rewards be random.

I managed to get the Chasing Marcia quest in about five days. The Dalaran cooking equivalent as one quest, “Mustard Dogs”, just would not appear for weeks. Seriously. Weeks. I was prepared to ram that Cheese and Whine board down Glowergold’s throat for the amount of times I had to do that quest.

Then I swapped servers and the first cooking quest to appear? Yup, you guessed it, Mustard Dogs.

More recently, I faced the inevitable RNG grind of trying to get the Hallowed Helm and Squashling from the two week Hallow’s End event. That meant an hourly “trick or treat”, a daily and killing the Horseman five times a day for every day for two damn weeks (for the second year in a row). All for a simple acheivement and title reward. Why do I do it to myself. (Apart from Stabs’ very good point – it’s a goal that I set myself) I got the last drop on the penultimate day of the holiday.

Ironically, the day before I got that drop, I pugged the Horseman and his mount dropped (0.5% chance I think?). I rolled 100 and won it. What are the chances of that eh?

Little things…

DKP was introduced because it’s bad for guilds to have some lucky players get lots of epics and some unlucky players go long periods without winning loot. Because the unlucky ones leave.

Although mathematically it makes no difference if a player always seems to lose rolls they will try to change their luck by raiding with a new guild, a new alt or a new game.