Loot in an MMORPG: what bosses drop and how a party splits it

Loot is why people run dungeons and raids in an MMORPG. But it always raises questions: how many items drop, what the chance of an epic is, who gets an item in a party and why you can't give it to a friend. In Zarhold, a card MMORPG in your browser, the loot rules are open and written down in numbers — and loot has recently become noticeably more varied. Here is how it all works.

How many items bosses drop

• A dungeon boss — 2–3 items per party.
• A raid boss and a world boss — 3–5 items; raid final bosses honestly give 3 to 5 as well.

Every boss has its own set: 10–34 items in dungeons and 12–25 in raids and from world bosses — its named loot plus items of every armour weight for each slot, cloaks, weapons, off-hand items, bows, wands and relics, necklaces, rings and trinkets. First a roll decides how many items drop and of which rarity, then an item of that rarity is chosen from the set — all equally likely.

Variety: five items for every slot

Since October 16, every class has at least five different boss items for each slot in every level tier (10–19, 20–29, 30–39, 40–49, 50–59), and at level 60 even among raid and world boss epics alone. Every item has its own name: there are no more identical "Leather Gloves" across twenty bosses. You can see what drops where in the Loot atlas and in “The item atlas”.

Rarity and legendary chances

• Dungeon boss below level 30 — uncommon (green) 61%, rare (blue) 28%, epic 11%.
• Dungeon boss from level 30 — rare 70%, epic 30%; no more green, and from level 55 every dungeon boss gives at least one epic.
• Raids and world bosses — epic and above only.
• Legendaries drop only from raid final bosses and level 60 world bosses — a separate 0.8% roll per kill.

Regular enemies in dungeons drop items too: each makes up to three 18% rolls, and 8% of what drops is blue, the rest green. Crafting materials drop for every live participant separately after every fight, with no roll-off. Recipe scrolls and rare boss materials are also rolled for each player separately.

How a party splits items: Need, Greed, Pass

Every item from a boss or a wave is rolled between the members of the party. Experience and money aren't split — everyone gets them in full. There are three buttons:

• Need — the item suits you. You can press it if your class wears it: armour of your weight, a weapon your class can use, your class's relic; cloaks, necklaces, rings and trinkets suit everyone. Every class the item suits can press Need, even if the item's caption names another class;
• Greed — you'll take it if nobody needs it;
• Pass — you're out.

The order is: first Need from live players, then Need from world residents, then Greed. Within each group everyone rolls 1 to 100 and the highest wins; on a tie, whoever joined the party earlier wins. If everyone passes, the item is lost. You have 30 seconds to choose on a run with residents and 45 seconds in a party of live players (or less, once everyone has chosen).

What do world residents take?

A world resident presses Need only if the item suits their class, they can wear it at their level and it is better than what they have on. A resident won't take an item you pressed Need on, and residents never take legendaries — those go to a live player or to no one.

Compare before you choose

Hover over an item in the roll window (tap it on a phone): your equipped item appears alongside with the stat difference. Weapon numbers in the roll window are exactly what the item will have in your bag.

After the roll

The item you win is Soulbound, like all gear from green upwards. But if you won it in a party of live players, for another 2 hours you can trade it to anyone from the same run — say, if a friend needs it more. And blue items from regular enemies and world enemies only bind when equipped: until you wear one, you can sell it at auction. How not to lose valuable loot: “How not to lose a valuable item in an MMORPG”.

Once a day: raids and world bosses

In dungeons, items drop on every run. In raids and from world bosses, loot comes from each boss once a day for each hero (reset at 03:00 Moscow time), while waves always drop. If you have already killed that boss today, you assist on it: you are left out of its rolls, and the window tells you honestly when loot from the boss returns. Details: Repeat runs.

The loot log: check your luck

What dropped for you and from where is shown in the game: the hero sheet or Storage → Loot log.

• The Drops tab — items and rare drops over the last 30 days: from which enemy or boss, dungeon or raid, difficulty, solo or in a party, and when.
• The Rare rolls tab — for every scroll, crystal, reagent and boss legendary: the chance per roll, how many times it was rolled, how many times it dropped and how many rolls since it last dropped.

It all comes from server records, so "I'm never lucky" can now be checked in numbers. All the rules are in the knowledge base: Boss loot and Loot rolls.

Loot FAQ

How many items does a boss drop?

A dungeon boss drops 2–3 items per party, a raid boss or world boss 3–5. The whole party rolls for every item.

What is the legendary drop chance?

0.8% per kill, as a separate roll. Legendaries drop only from raid final bosses and level 60 world bosses.

Why can't I press Need?

The item doesn't suit your class: for example, armour of another weight, a weapon your class can't use, or another class's relic. Choose Greed for such items.

Can a world resident take my item?

Not if you pressed Need: a live player's Need comes first. A resident takes an item on Need only if no live player took it, and never takes a legendary.

Can I give an item I won to a friend?

Yes, within 2 hours — by trade to anyone from the same run, if the roll was in a party of live players. After that the item stays Soulbound.

Where can I see what a specific boss drops?

In the Loot atlas — every named item from dungeon, raid and world bosses. How to clear your first raid: “How to clear your first raid”.