GDKP has always been an imperfect solution to a very real problem. I exclusively run GDKP for my guild as well as pugs because it is objectively the best option I have, despite the very obvious downsides. GDKP in the current form is a 5/10 loot system (at best), but it is so much better than random rolls, loot councils, or any other alternative we have available.
Here’s a list of things that never happen in a GDKP, but happen all the time in other loot systems.
- A person winning an item that they don’t actually want.
- A person being denied loot because of personal biases.
- A person being denied loot because someone else decided it isn’t good for them.
- Players winning an item they don’t need for free and trading it to a friend.
- Players winning an item they don’t need for free and selling it to someone else for gold.
- Players leaving when an item doesn’t drop.
- Players that “have to go” after 1 wipe.
- Inability to fill a spot when someone leaves halfway through the raid.
- Players walking away empty handed.
- Players never returning to raid content once they obtain enough the gear.
GDKP solves all of these problems, and yes, creates some new ones. But the community obviously chooses GDKP (despite the flaws) over the traditional methods. Look at WOTLK, you can barely find a raid anymore that isn’t GDKP and the same will happen in SoD. Why? Because GDKP is the community’s best solution to the problem.
Listen, I’m not married to GDKP and I openly accept the flaws, but it has simply been the best tool in my toolkit for all of the reasons stated above. Now you’re planning to ban it without offering anything in its place? What kind of an experiment is that? Who are you to tell the community that we’re wrong for choosing GDKP as a solution to these problems while not even acknowledging the problems or offering any solutions of your own? It sounds like you actually don’t understand the ground truth and think people run GDKPs because they support RMT. That’s not the ground truth, the vast majority of people run GDKPs because it best rewards them for their time (both as a buyer and as a carry). Simple as that.
So what would be an improvement?
Not that anyone asked before banning, but let’s consider a loot system that takes all the good from GDKP and leaves all the bad. I would target a new system that enables the same bidding and distribution to players as GDKP, but does so with a soulbound currency. If we earn raid emblems, for example, and use those to bid on gear - then the only way to farm the emblems is to kill raid bosses and/or get a distribution from completing a raid.
Bottom line
If there were a compelling loot system like the raid emblem bidding one above to take the place of GDKP I would view this change as a positive, but simply posting that “GDKP is banned” with no details and no alternatives is very short-sighted. This is only going to make the game worse and introduce all of the bad behavior listed above, and then some. Mark my words, the GDKP complaining posts will be replaced by posts about “ninjas” “rolling is unfair” “loot council is unfair” “reserves are unfair” and so on just like they were in 2005.
*Based on the feedback given in the interview today (2/6/24) combined with the fact that this post has over 1k comments and over 10k views I think it is safe to say they’ve read this feedback and have remained committed to the strawman argument against GDKP.
The legitimate GDKP player feedback does not appear to be valued. I’m cancelling all 4 of my wow subscriptions.
