Loot Ninjas

[lordspyder]

Ok, me and my wife this weekend decided to roll new characters. As we have been going through the early FP's and heroic missions I have noticed a huge amount of loot ninjas, it's crazy. It seems in the last few days on the low level characters there hasn't been a single group that we haven't had to kick some one for being a ninja. Has it suddenly become the norm to roll need on everything an no one told us?

[Andryah]

Define loot ninja please.

 

Yes, IMO.. it became normal to roll for everything back when Rift went live. In other words.. it predates this MMO in terms of behavior. That's not an excuse by the way.. it's an observation. This MMO makes it more common in some ways (in a valid sense) because companions need gear too.

 

What drops in lower level FPs or Heroics that is to die for? Sincere question. IMO.. most of it is vendor/GTN fodder, and credits are an egalatarian need for young characters.

Edited May 26, 2013 by Andryah

[annabethchase]

I actually think Bioware should have stuck with gear bags, because yes you do "need" almost everything that drops in a low level fp. You can't just "run them again to get it" because you rapidly outlevel the content. So if you have a tank companion, you "need" to gear him up too and at low levels you rely on your companions a ton.

[Levity]

I actually think Bioware should have stuck with gear bags, because yes you do "need" almost everything that drops in a low level fp. You can't just "run them again to get it" because you rapidly outlevel the content. So if you have a tank companion, you "need" to gear him up too and at low levels you rely on your companions a ton.

 

I hardly relied on my companion. BVut maybe that's just me. Slap some green gear on your healer and rofl your way through the story.

[lordspyder]

I hardly relied on my companion. BVut maybe that's just me. Slap some green gear on your healer and rofl your way through the story.

 

this is what I do, when I'm in a flash point I don't even think about gear for my companion, never needed to.

and no, I don't absolutely need anything, but it's annoying as hell to go like 5 FP's straight for an item with cunning on it to only have to ganked by some sentinel. It's just irritating, and I don't remember this amount of ninjas while leveling my other characters, it just seems like a new occurrence.

[Brimmer]

They should make it so you can only roll need if it's for your class. Aka a consular won't be able to roll need on a knight's gear. It 's not perfect but it would at least help hinder loot ninjas.

 

The best thing you can do is call them out on rolling need on a green drop, if they still do, boot them prior to the boss to save yourself any trouble.

[FabulousDoctor]

I've never once had a loot ninja, in 6 character's worth of doing FPs enough to get gear. The worst I've had was a low level who needed on greens that they actually put to use as soon as grabbing them. Your server sucks, OP.

[annabethchase]

I hardly relied on my companion. BVut maybe that's just me. Slap some green gear on your healer and rofl your way through the story.

 

But see, you use the board so you know more about this than the masses that he's thinking of that barely know anything about the game in low level fp's. Many of them may not even know that there are primary stats yet.

[Fleurdelis]

They should make it so you can only roll need if it's for your class. Aka a consular won't be able to roll need on a knight's gear. It 's not perfect but it would at least help hinder loot ninjas.

 

The best thing you can do is call them out on rolling need on a green drop, if they still do, boot them prior to the boss to save yourself any trouble.

 

I like this idea.

[lordspyder]

They should make it so you can only roll need if it's for your class. Aka a consular won't be able to roll need on a knight's gear. It 's not perfect but it would at least help hinder loot ninjas.

 

The best thing you can do is call them out on rolling need on a green drop, if they still do, boot them prior to the boss to save yourself any trouble.

 

I support this! it would go a long way to correcting the problem.

[Darth_Moonshadow]

This is not a loot ninja. This is just you losing a roll.

 

It's a pain in the butt, but it's perfectly legal. It's not your loot until it's in your inventory.

 

Sorry, dude. Them's the breaks.

[darrenwn]

heh i ran a level 50 sm fp,think it was battle of ilum(ran sm as i que for everything there is) anyway at the begining a level 53 types in chat "you all know the diffrence between need and greed right?" as i greed on everything in sm and hm lvl 50 fps i didnt answer,just wanted to get it done asap..anyway halfway thru the instance the same guy starts typing " oh ok then its a loot free for all if you wanna play that way,so will i"..again i just ignores it,i dont care who gets what loot.i think to myself dont get involved ,let them sort it out themselves..anyway we finish the fp and i say thanks to the group etc then i get a whisper from the level 53.." im sick of players like you,you loot ninjas get 1 chance with me,your going on ignore!",so im like ***? guy allready placed me on ignore so could,nt reply to him so i got put on someones ignore list..because i rolled greed on every drop??? maybe next time i should just roll pass? or just stop running these lvl 50 fps i guess

[Hizoka]

actually "ninja" looting has been around as long as MMOs however before Wrath of the casual king in WoW it was something that was rare and would cause you to get blacklisted by the majority of your server community.

 

With the advent of "queue" systems people started acting like ******s... they have 0 accountability for their actions as they can simply queue again and never deal with that group again.

 

When you had to form your own groups you got to know who you were running with and you could'nt just steal loot as you would never get into another group... Queue systems broke that so now you simply queue again and steal from the next group.

 

 

Removing the community aspect to silence the QQers who want instant access to things like group content was one of the worst things to happen to MMOs. Sure it pleased the casuals but it hurt the community aspect of community based games.

 

Bascially to avoid ninja looting run with people you know and avoid pugs, because with the current generation of soccer mom offspring they will take what they can get while being nothing but terrible players while acting like they are the best player ever.

[Khalvarik]

Me and a friend of mine avoid loot ninja's cause we do everything in pairs.4 man flash point or heroics are no problem to run w/ 2 people and good geared companions.

We are level 40 and have done all flashpoints and heroics up to our lvl with absolutely no problem.

(im dps Commando and he is sage healer)

[AlrikFassbauer]

actually "ninja" looting has been around as long as MMOs

 

Ninja-Looting is merely a symptome.

 

I talked to a friend from my pen & paper roleplaying group, and he told me that nowadays people who want to do role playing come to LARPs with this mind set : They "kill" an enemy - and ask the game master : "How much loot do we get ?" In an LARP ! With living, breathing human players !

 

He told me, there was never loot to be found with "dead" enemies - simply because no-one cared. People wanted to to "role acting", loot just didn't exist in their mind sets.

 

There is something seriously wrong going on in our societies nowadays. And "greed" is just the word for it.

I'd call it "selfishness".

[Fastdoze]

to anyone that stated that companions need gear... WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG!!!, loot ninjas that roll on items not for their class but for a companion, or something is unacceptable, unfortunately, they're encountered frequently. If someone needs gear, and you roll need to gear a companion, or just to sell crap, then you deserve to be kicked from a group, and put on ignore, when i tank, ive got no time for ninjas that need on things they dont, or at any other time, and it gets more important the higher level you go, at end game, it can become tougher to gear if someone rolls need on black market gear for your class and not theirs.

 

Companions DO NOT require gear, and if anything, just recycle some of your own gear on to the appropriate companion, cant speak for everyone but i never encountered a mod i couldn't handle myself while questing with the companions original gear on that they came with.

 

Loot ninjas should be spotted and kicked asap, "but.. but.. how do i gear my companions?" answer: find your own way, not steal loot from someone that actually needs it.

[Elly_Dawn]

and this is why i play in only a dedicated party for things like FPs, cause we're all honest and makes sure someone doesn't need the item for their current character, if no one needs it we all roll greed and whoever gets it sells it for profit...

if i'm ever in a PUG i roll Need cause that's what those bastards do to me, and for a stupid reason like their companion(?) i mean really, i outfit my companions in nothing but their dedicated gear that i get as quest rewards and have no problems, why can't they...

[KorathTheCool]

I've noticed that in the low level flashpoints (Esseles, Hammer Station) that new players typically roll "need" when they see "heavy/medium/light" armor, regardless if the stats are for their class. I and someone else usually explain to them what stats they are looking for and that usually solves the problem. When it doesn't, I vote to kick them.

 

I've only had one time where someone rolled need "for a companion." That was in Collicoid War games and pissed off the other 3 players. Unfortunately they won the item, and it was after the final boss so there was no way for us to do anything about it.

 

What people need to understand is this: you can easily equip your companion without flashpoint items. I either make my companions armor as I progress in armortech/synthweaving, or I'll just go to the GTN and buy some cheap greens and toss them on if they are falling behind. It's easy, simple and it works. Once you get to 50/55 equipping them becomes ridiculously easy. I have my Doc running around in black hole items just from the extra comms I've gotten that I don't need for my main, or a HM FP drop that nobody needed and everyone greeded on that I ended up winning.

 

So to sum up, if you yourself see an item that your character can wear with the right stats, and it's an upgrade, select need. If not, greed/pass. Be respectful, other people's characters come before your companions.

[Ratajack]

to anyone that stated that companions need gear... WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG!!!, loot ninjas that roll on items not for their class but for a companion, or something is unacceptable, unfortunately, they're encountered frequently. If someone needs gear, and you roll need to gear a companion, or just to sell crap, then you deserve to be kicked from a group, and put on ignore, when i tank, ive got no time for ninjas that need on things they dont, or at any other time, and it gets more important the higher level you go, at end game, it can become tougher to gear if someone rolls need on black market gear for your class and not theirs.

 

Companions DO NOT require gear, and if anything, just recycle some of your own gear on to the appropriate companion, cant speak for everyone but i never encountered a mod i couldn't handle myself while questing with the companions original gear on that they came with.

 

Loot ninjas should be spotted and kicked asap, "but.. but.. how do i gear my companions?" answer: find your own way, not steal loot from someone that actually needs it.

 

So, your answer is to deny someone the chance to roll for a drop that WOULD NOT EVEN EXIST without that player's efrforts?

 

I do not generally just roll need in a pug group, but I will not deny another member of that group the right to roll for a drop they helped produce.

[lovefool]

Ok, me and my wife this weekend decided to roll new characters. As we have been going through the early FP's and heroic missions I have noticed a huge amount of loot ninjas, it's crazy. It seems in the last few days on the low level characters there hasn't been a single group that we haven't had to kick some one for being a ninja. Has it suddenly become the norm to roll need on everything an no one told us?

 

It's very annoying and I never, ever tolerate it in any group. Even if it is gear that I didn't want/need but a dps or a healer needs it and someone takes it for a companion, I either give them the option to give it to the person that needs it (since player need > companion need) or leave the group. If they want neither they get kicked.

 

I furthermore inform the person's guild about his/her action, which once resulted in the person being kicked from the guild as they value their reputation on our realm.

[Elly_Dawn]

So, your answer is to deny someone the chance to roll for a drop that WOULD NOT EVEN EXIST without that player's efrforts?

 

I do not generally just roll need in a pug group, but I will not deny another member of that group the right to roll for a drop they helped produce.

 

that's not the point, you can roll, you don't have to pass, but roll appropriately... if you need it for your character roll Need, if you want it for your companion roll Greed cause that's exactly what it is...

Edited May 27, 2013 by Elly_Dawn

[Darkwords]

Since the introduction of tradeable gear in groups I avoid "guild run" pugs like the plague. There are several guilds on my server that are notorious for needing on gear that they already have and then pass it to a guild mate.

 

I was with one particular guild that I try and avoid the other day and the tank rolled need on a black/purple power crystal. I asked why and he said he "needed it for his alts". Not that any gear in OPs is important sans Ark, but this attitude and behavior is pretty rampant now. I wish I could get the same gear running with one or 2 people or even by myself because my days of 8-16 person OPs would be over in a hot minute hehe.

[Ratajack]

that's not the point, you can roll, you don't have to pass, but roll appropriately... if you need it for your character roll Need, if you want it for your companion roll Greed cause that's exactly what it is...

 

So, you want to be able to decide who is "more entitled" to any drops, regardless of the fact that the drop would not exist without the efforts of all present?

 

As I said before, if someone helped produce the loot, I will not deny them the right to roll however they wish.

 

If I am playing an mercenary and a chest piece with cunning drops, I won't roll need over the sniper in the group, but I will not tell the sniper he can't roll need if a chest piece with aim drops. In fact, I'll invite him to roll need if it would be an upgrade for kaliyo. If I really want that piece of gear, I'll run that instance again, and to the OP, if I out level that particular piece of gear too quickly to run that instance again, then I guess I really didn't "need" it all that much in the first place.

 

Maybe I just come from a different generation with different values.

[Spatology]

Ok, me and my wife this weekend decided to roll new characters. As we have been going through the early FP's and heroic missions I have noticed a huge amount of loot ninjas, it's crazy. It seems in the last few days on the low level characters there hasn't been a single group that we haven't had to kick some one for being a ninja. Has it suddenly become the norm to roll need on everything an no one told us?

 

step 1. cuss them out so they know its a problem

step 2. ignore them so you dont have to deal with it again

step 3. ?????

step 4. profit

[KorathTheCool]

So, you want to be able to decide who is "more entitled" to any drops, regardless of the fact that the drop would not exist without the efforts of all present?

 

As I said before, if someone helped produce the loot, I will not deny them the right to roll however they wish.

 

If I am playing an mercenary and a chest piece with cunning drops, I won't roll need over the sniper in the group, but I will not tell the sniper he can't roll need if a chest piece with aim drops. In fact, I'll invite him to roll need if it would be an upgrade for kaliyo. If I really want that piece of gear, I'll run that instance again, and to the OP, if I out level that particular piece of gear too quickly to run that instance again, then I guess I really didn't "need" it all that much in the first place.

 

Maybe I just come from a different generation with different values.

 

The problem is not everyone has the time to "run that instance again." I know I can do maybe one ops a week if I'm lucky. There is no reason to deny someone a drop they need just so you can upgrade your companion.