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SuperstitionsInstance Seeding Most superstitions players described involved low-chance or high-risk events. For example, a low-chance event may be a rare loot drop. In World of Warcraft, there is a pervasive superstition that the loot table in high-level instances is determined by the first member of the group who steps foot inside the instance. There is a widely held belief that instances are 'seeded' despite lack of evidence and even a direct denial from Blizzard. Seeded refers to the person who starts the group or raid, and it is believed that the class of that person directly impact what class specific loot will drop. I.E. if a warrior starts the MC raid invites, more druid and warlock gear will drop. If a priest starts the invites, more warrior and mage loot will drop, etc. [WoW, M, 33]
I can think of a popular superstition. When raiding under a specific Master Looter, certain types of loot will drop. When under a different Master Looter, different types of loot will drop. Blizzard consistently states that loot drops are completely random. Yet, a lot of people don't believe this because some items drop over and over when under one Master Looter and different items would drop over and over when under a different Master Looter. [WoW, M, 34] While a superstition involving a common scenario may be easily disproved by testing, one reason why superstitions involving uncommon scenarios sustain themselves is because "it can't hurt" to try it. And if you only get to run a high-level instance once each week, then why not try something out that only takes 30 seconds? Generally the experimentation is harmless enough that it is at least permitted by skeptics of the theory. [WoW, M, 24]
Some People Are Luckier One interesting variation of the instance seeder superstition claims that certain characters are luckier or have better loot tables. We have a particular guildmate that insists then when he enters the dungeon instance first, that better loot will tend to drop. Granted, when he has entered first, we've received some very nice, even legendary items in World of Warcraft, but to think he's somehow affecting the loot table by being the first to enter is a bit much. [WoW, M, 30]
The belief that certain classes seed certain loot in PvE instances within World of Warcraft and that certain players are 'lucky' seeders in terms of an increased high-level loot drop rate. Sometimes, raids have been held up until these lucky seeders or a member of a certain class arrives at the instance entrance. [WoW, F, 33] Silliest is that a particular person provides some sort of luck to getting loot - that one person is responsible for the 'seed' being good or bad. [WoW, F, 49] What fascinates me here is that certain characters come to be seen as being inherently lucky or unlucky (even divine or cursed), analogous to how certain people in life are sometimes perceived to have divine or miraculous powers.
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Current Issue: Vol. 7-1 (03/09/2009) |
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by Nick
Yee.