Exodus

Exodus will be using the EPGP loot priority system for loot distribution in both 10- and 25-man content. Some of these values (awards, decay) are subject to change based on the evolution of the guild.

What is EPGP?
Quoted from the EPGP website:


(TL;DR version)
In other words, when you contribute to the guild (attending raids, learning new bosses, etc.), you gain Effort Points. When the guild returns the favor in the form of loot, you recieve Gear Points. If you take your Earned Points (EP), and divide it by your Gear Points (GP), the number you're left with is your "priority" for the next time loot drops that you need. A 5% decay on both EP and GP prevent point hording without affecting your priority.

Why EPGP?
As the guild progresses through end-game content, the need for a loot distribution method that is fair, impartial, and reliable is necessary. In 5-man dungeons, the standard roll system is sufficient. However, with larger raids, standard rolling is no longer fair and reliable, so a better suited method becomes necessary.

The Basics
Effort Points, hereafter EP, are awarded when you help the guild move toward our common goals. This can include, but is not limited to

• Being on time for raids
• Killing bosses
• Picking up after a wipe on new bosses
• Being present for the entire raid
• Helping guild members in moving toward guild goals

Gear Points, hereafter GP, are charged when you receive help or loot from the guild. This can include, but is not limited to

• Receiving loot on a raid
• Receiving requested high-level materials from the guild bank

Your Priority Rating, hereafter PR, for loot is calculated by dividing your EP by your GP score. The higher the PR, the higher you are on the list for loot.

The points are immediately usable. If a member is awarded 25 EP for downing a boss, when loot is distributed, those points effect their PR for the drops.

Quick Example
Most people prefer a good example to get an overview of how the system works before drudging through a lengthy explaination of the underlying mechanics, so lets do that now.

Darion and Melasti are both priests coming into raid content with Exodus. They are both holy specced, and therefore will be interested in the same type of loot.

As newer members, they've started with EP and GP values of 0 and 100 (0/100), respectively. In the week that followed, Darion attended two raids, netting him 125 EP, whereas Melasti attended one and recieved 70 EP:

(EP/GP)
Darion: 125/100 -- PR 1.25
Melasti: 75/100 -- PR 0.75

Their priority (PR) is calculated by dividing EP by GP. This PR rating is what determines who gets priority when they bid for gear.

Okay, how about GP?
Let's say that the Eye of Gruul, which is worth 253 GP, drops off Gruul during their next Gruul's Lair run, and they both show interest in the drop. Since Darion has the higher PR, the loot is awarded to Darion. They both are awarded 100 EP for the run, and Darion also recieves the 253 GP for the loot:

(EP/GP)
Darion: 225/353 -- PR: 0.64
Melasti: 175/100 -- PR: 1.75

We can now see how their PR has changed, and Melasti will have loot priority over Darion next time. At the end of the raid, a 5% decay is applied to everyone's EP and GP. Notice that the PR ratings do not change, however:

(EP/GP)
Darion: 214/335 -- PR: 0.64
Melasti: 166/95 -- PR: 1.75

Why decay? I lose my points?
The decay is to prevent someone from hoarding all of the points, as was common in the other DKP systems. We want to give everyone a fair chance at loot and we want to avoid having members that build up points, sit out the next few raids while gearing up other members, and then come back for one raid to snatch up the first epic that drops. It's unfair to the players that worked while the person hoarding the points was inactive.

If you remain an active raider, the decay percentage is set to have a small impact on your EP and GP. The decay effects both EP and GP; so your PR will remain the same as is shown above.

The decay occurs after every (25-man) raid and will affect all Exodus members, whether you're in the raid group or not. So, it is to your advantage to show up for raids even if you go on standby, as you will earn points even while on standby that could combat the decay, as well as perform other duties to benefit the guild during off times.

But I'm new! I'll never get anything...
This is not true. EPGP was designed to integrate new raiders quickly and fairly. Since PR is a ratio, all you have to do is gain a little EP and your PR is immediatly far higher than the rest of the raid party, due to not having been awarded gear and only earning EP. A baseline GP value of 100 is put into place so that all raiders fall into a 1.0 PR as soon as you meet the minimum EP requirement. As long as you meet the minimum EP value, you're free to use your PR on loot.

Wait, what's "minimum EP"?
Every raider must earn and maintain a minimum EP of 100 to be considered for loot. Until the player has 100 or more EP, their PR will always be zero.

Meet Alaria, she's a new holy priest that just joined Exodus. Here's what her EPGP score look like compared to the other priests, who have been around for a while now:

(EP/GP)
Darion: 1532/1852 -- PR: 0.83
Melasti: 986/1076 -- PR: 0.92
Alaria: 0/100 -- PR: 0

So, I can't get loot on my first raid?
If everyone in the raid group agrees, and everyone passes on the loot, you may still receive the item, and will be charged the GP cost for it.

Okay, how is EP earned?
Here's an example of how EP can be earned:

• Raid sign-up: 20 EP
• At the meeting stone before the raid start time: 40 EP
• Every 15 min spent in the instance: 2 EP
• Boss downed: 10 EP
• New boss attempted: 25 EP
• Pick-up after wipe on a boss: 5 EP
• Stayed until the end of the raid: 20 EP

Players available on standby for the entire raid will earn points as if they were in the instance.

(Exodus' official point values can be found in the "EPGP Point Listing" thread in the raid forum)

Going back to our newbie:

Alaria and Darion signed up for a Gruul's run (20 EP), showed up on time (40 EP), and the raid lasted 2 hours (16 EP). During the run, we took down two bosses (20 EP) and both priests stayed until the end (20 EP).

Each of them gained 20+40+16+20+20 = 116 EP. After the 5% decay, our members totals are as follows:

(EP/GP)
Darion: 1648/1852 -- PR: 0.89
Melasti: 937/1022 -- PR: 0.92
Alaria: 110/95 -- PR: 1.16

In one run, Alaria already has a higher PR than two of our veteran members! However, look what happens if the Pauldrons of the Fallen Defender drop, which cost 333 GP, and Alaria loots them:

(EP/GP)
Darion: 1648/1852 -- PR: 0.89
Melasti: 937/1022 -- PR: 0.92
Alaria: 110/328 -- PR: 0.33

Ouch! This clearly demonstrates contribution vs. rewards. If you want to learn more about the mechanics, or see a few more examples of the system in use, check out the full EPGP manual.