Socially Unbuffed
Guild Raiding & Loot Rules
Our philosophy: Have fun, respect each other, and progress together.
We're Socially Unbuffed: an international, English-speaking, casual APAC guild with grown-up responsibilities and occasionally questionable pulls. Real life comes first. We aim to progress steadily while respecting everyone's commitments.
We don't require attendance, demand perfect performance, or expect anyone to treat World of Warcraft like a second job.
Our goal is to build a friendly community where people can enjoy raids, dungeons, PvP, and social activities, with clear rules that keep loot distribution fair.
1. Raid Schedule
Frequency: Two scheduled raid nights per week.
Time: 21:30–00:00 JST/KST (20:30–23:00 Taiwan time).
Attendance: Completely optional.
Progression: At our own pace. Being one or two raid tiers behind is perfectly acceptable.
Communication: English is the common raid language. Other languages are welcome socially.
Atmosphere: Relaxed. Drinks, jokes, and friendly banter are welcome. Toxic behavior, harassment, and excessive drama are not.
Raid leaders will aim to finish at the scheduled time.
2. Raid Registration
Players register through the guild portal before each raid.
Registration includes:
Character and intended specialization.
Main role and any acceptable alternative roles.
Attendance status: Available, Unavailable, or Tentative.
Desired loot reservations.
Willingness to participate in boss-specific swaps.
There is no requirement to register for every raid.
However, once registered and confirmed, players should respect their commitment or notify the raid leader if their plans change.
Signing up does not guarantee a starting raid position.
3. Soft Reservations (SR)
Every player may select specific items they want to compete for before the raid.
Raid Size · Soft Reservations
40-player raids · 1 item per player, per raid night
20-player raids · 2 items per player, per raid night
Reservation rules
1. Reservations must be submitted before the published raid registration deadline.
2. Reservations are locked when registration closes.
3. Players cannot change reservations after the lock, including between bosses.
4. Reservations are tied to the player's account for that raid, not to an individual character.
5. Multiple players may reserve the same item.
6. Reserving an item does not guarantee receiving it.
7. A reservation is valid only when the player meets the item's eligibility requirements.
8. A player joining late cannot create new reservations after the deadline.
9. Players can view reservation counts through the portal before the lock.
For 20-player raids, both reservations may be placed on different eligible items. Reserving the same item twice does not provide two rolls or increased priority.
Purpose of soft reservations
The SR system helps players target particular upgrades without requiring them to participate in every boss encounter.
For example, a player interested in a weapon from a late Molten Core boss can request a temporary raid position for that encounter instead of needing to complete the entire raid.
4. DKP System
DKP rewards participation and availability rather than attendance frequency requirements.
Account-wide DKP
DKP belongs to the player's guild account.
All characters and alts share the same DKP balance.
Switching characters does not reset DKP.
DKP cannot be transferred to another player's account.
Earning DKP
Players earn DKP for eligible raid participation.
Active raiders and confirmed standby players earn the same DKP.
A player who is benched by the raid leader but remains available earns full DKP for the periods they fulfill their standby obligations.
Standby players may participate in dungeons, PvP, farming, or other activities while remaining reachable.
Spending DKP
Each item has a published DKP cost.
Players must have sufficient DKP to enter the applicable loot roll.
When multiple eligible players claim an item, the winner is determined by the published roll procedure.
Only the winner pays DKP.
Losing a roll costs nothing.
A player cannot spend more DKP than their current balance.
Loot transactions are recorded in the guild portal.
The same account-wide DKP rules apply to mains and alts, subject to any published item eligibility restrictions.
5. How Soft Reservations and DKP Work Together
Soft reservations determine priority to compete for an item. DKP determines whether a player can afford to enter the roll.
Loot distribution order
First priority: Valid soft reservations
When an item drops:
1. Identify players present for the kill who reserved the item.
2. Exclude players who are not eligible or cannot afford its DKP cost.
3. If one eligible claimant remains, that player receives the item and pays its cost.
4. If multiple eligible claimants remain, they roll against each other.
5. Only the winner pays the published DKP cost.
Second priority: Unreserved items
If no eligible player with a valid reservation claims the item, it becomes available to other eligible participants under the normal DKP roll rules.
Players who reserved an item but were not present for the kill cannot claim it afterward.
Reservations do not carry over automatically to future raid nights.
6. Bench System
The guild operates a flexible raid roster.
Not everyone who registers will necessarily begin inside the raid.
When more players are available than the raid can accommodate, the raid leader assigns a starting roster and a standby bench.
Bench rules
1. The bench roster is locked when raid registration closes and the roster is confirmed.
2. Confirmed standby players receive the same DKP as active raiders while remaining available.
3. Standby players must remain reachable through Discord.
4. Standby players may participate in other activities while waiting.
5. Players must be able to enter the raid within the designated response window when called.
6. Players who become unavailable must inform the raid leader.
7. DKP is not awarded for standby periods when a player was unavailable or failed to respond without a reasonable explanation.
8. Bench assignments should be based on raid composition, rotation fairness, and declared loot interests—not personal favoritism.
A locked bench establishes who is eligible for standby DKP. It does not mean that bench players cannot enter the raid during planned swaps.
Raid leaders may make necessary adjustments for unexpected absences or emergencies.
7. Boss-Specific Raid Swapping
We encourage voluntary player rotations between bosses to help members target their desired loot.
Players do not necessarily need to attend an entire raid to compete for a particular item.
How swaps work
Before the raid, players indicate which bosses or reserved items interest them.
The raid leader can organize planned swaps based on:
Soft reservations.
Boss-specific loot interests.
Class and role requirements.
Player availability.
Fair rotation between participating members.
For example:
A 40-player raid begins with 40 players and 8 confirmed standby members.
A standby Enhancement Shaman has reserved a weapon from Boss 5.
Before Boss 5, a player who does not need loot from that encounter voluntarily switches out.
The Shaman enters, participates in the kill, and may compete for the reserved weapon.
After Boss 5, the original player may return.
Both players earn full DKP for the relevant periods, provided they fulfilled their active or standby commitments.
Rules for players expecting a swap
Players who are not on the starting roster but expect to join for a specific boss must:
1. Be online and reachable before the planned swap.
2. Be at the instance entrance or ready to log into a character already positioned to enter.
3. Have the appropriate consumables, equipment, and preparation.
4. Respond promptly when contacted.
5. Be ready to enter without causing unnecessary raid delays.
A target readiness window of approximately five minutes applies once the raid leader calls for the swap.
Being interested in a particular boss does not guarantee a swap. Raid composition and group progress always take priority.
Rules for players switching out
Swaps should be voluntary whenever practical.
Players switching out remain eligible for standby DKP while available.
They may continue other activities while waiting.
They should remain ready to return if needed.
Being swapped out does not negatively affect future roster eligibility.
No player is guaranteed a permanent position solely because they raid frequently.
8. Fairness and Raid Composition
The raid leader has final operational authority over roster composition and timing.
Priority considerations include:
1. Maintaining a viable raid composition.
2. Covering essential tank, healer, and encounter-specific responsibilities.
3. Honoring previously arranged boss swaps where practical.
4. Giving interested members fair opportunities to compete for their reserved loot.
5. Avoiding repeatedly benching the same players without justification.
The raid leader may cancel or postpone a planned swap if it would create a significant risk to the encounter.
The purpose of rotation is to create opportunities, not to force every possible swap regardless of circumstances.
9. Late Arrivals and Disconnects
Late arrivals
Players arriving after the reservation lock:
Cannot submit new soft reservations for that raid.
May fill available raid positions at the raid leader's discretion.
Earn DKP only for eligible participation or confirmed standby periods.
May compete for unreserved loot under normal eligibility rules.
Disconnects and unexpected departures
Real life happens.
Unexpected disconnections, family responsibilities, or emergencies will be handled reasonably.
Players should notify the raid leader when possible.
Repeated unexplained absences after confirmation may affect future roster planning, but there is no mandatory attendance policy.
10. Loot Transparency and Disputes
All reservations, DKP balances, DKP awards, item prices, and loot transactions are managed through the guild portal.
The objective is to make decisions understandable and auditable.
Loot prices are published before raids.
Reservation deadlines are visible.
DKP transactions have an audit history.
Players may report suspected accounting mistakes.
Corrections must be recorded rather than silently changing past transactions.
Loot disputes should be handled respectfully, preferably after the encounter or raid rather than delaying everyone.
Guild leadership may resolve exceptional situations not explicitly covered by these rules, but exceptions must be explained and documented.
11. Legendary Loot and Guild Materials
Legendary items and guild crafting materials are hard-reserved for the guild.
They cannot be personally soft-reserved or awarded through normal DKP rolls.
Guild leadership records their receipt and intended use in the portal. These guild-reserved items cost 0 DKP.
Any distribution policy must be explained to members before it is applied.
12. Our Commitment
We want a guild where:
Dedicated players always have enjoyable content to participate in.
Casual players can take breaks without falling permanently behind.
Members can target specific items without spending every evening raiding.
Players are rewarded for making themselves available, even when benched.
Loot is handled fairly and transparently.
Progression remains steady without unnecessary pressure.
No mandatory attendance. No progression race. No drama.
Show up when you can, be considerate of others, and have fun.