Party

Partying Help
Tactics
Partying Instancing
Group Roles
Tank Healer Damage
Functions
Leader Crowd control Main assist Puller Rezzer Scout
Related
Aggro Hybrid classes Meeting Stone Pickup group Wipe

Commonly called a "group", in World of Warcraft a collection of Player characters that can communicate amongst each other privately (see chat), share XP, and manage the distribution of loot from any mobs party members kill.

See also:

• Group 101 for a cool flash guide to group formation and tactics.

Controls and Limitations

A party can only have 5 characters and only 1 can be the leader. The leader cannot keep a member in the party if they want to leave, but can remove a member.

Leadership

The leader of the party can invite new members to the party, uninvite current members to remove them from the party, or promote another party member to be leader.

The leader can set the loot level and the loot quality threshold to control how loot gets distributed.

As with any party member, the leader can also leave the party. In this case, another player will be chosen at random to become the new leader.

Communication

Party members communicate with:

/party <message> or /p <message>.

Invitation, Removal, Leaving and Promotion

The anybody can form a party (thus becoming the leader) by inviting some who isn't already in a party.

How to Invite

The would be leader can invite members to a party with:

• /invite <character_name>
  • /i or /inv also work.

– OR –

• Right-click the character's portrait and select Invite.

– OR –

• Right-click the character's name ([<character_name>]) in chat and select Invite.

How to Remove

A party leader can remove (also known as "boot" or "kick") members from a party with:

• /kick <character_name>
  • /u, /un, or /uninvite also work.

– OR –

• Right-click the character's portrait and select Uninvite.

– OR –

• Right-click the character's name ([<character_name>]) in chat and select Uninvite.

How to Leave

A party member can remove themselves from a party with:

• Right-click the character's portrait and select Leave party.

– OR –

• Right-click the character's name ([<character_name>]) in chat and select Leave party.

How to Promote

A party leader can make another member the leader with:

• /promote <character_name>

– OR –

• Right-click the character's portrait and select Promote to leader.

– OR –

• Right-click the character's name ([<character_name>]) in chat and select Promote to leader.

Experience

Dividing XP among party members is an arcane calculation known only to [Blizzard] (and those who share the secret) based on the various levels of the party members, the level of the killed mob, and other factors.

Looting

Also see Looting While In A Party under Loot.

This section is mostly stolen from the Newbie Guide. -- Fandyllic

Looting and loot drops in World of Warcraft are fairly straightforward. If the corpse of a monster has gold sparkles on top of it, it means there's something on the corpse that you can loot. Once you loot a corpse, if you don't take everything off it, everyone else in your group will have the option to loot.

There are a few different looting types in parties called the loot level or loot option that can be set by the party leader by right-clicking on his own portrait in the upper left. Two of these types are affected by the loot quality threshold, also set by the leader (the threshold can be set to Uncommon, Rare, or Legendary). If an item is equal or higher quality than the loot quality threshold, party members are given the option to Roll (from 1 - 100) to get the item or Pass.

Money loot is always shared in a party regardless of loot type. However, if a party member is out of range when a monster is killed, and so did not contribute to the kill, they will not receive a share of any gold found on a corpse and will not be able to roll for any special items found.

Free for All

Anyone can loot any item off any corpse killed by the group.

Round Robin

Group members take turns looting corpses as they are killed; they are allowed to loot all items from a corpse.

Master Looter

Only the designated master looter (set by the party leader by right-clicking on any member's portrait) may loot corpses first. For any item that is of the same or better type than the threshold, when the master looter attempts to loot it, he will see a dropdown list of all the party members' names. He can select a person from that list to assign the item to them.

Group Loot

This is the default type for a group. Looting takes place the same as in Round Robin looting. However, for any item that is of the same or better type than the threshold, all members in the party will get a rolling window with the item and two buttons. Party members can press the dice button to NEED roll for the item, or the gold coin to Greed roll for the item, or lastly the red X close button to pass on the item. The looting will first resolve all NEED rolls, if none then Greed rolls. The member with the highest roll will get the item automatically placed in their inventory. It is often recommended that the group set out guidelines for what to roll on and what not to roll on when using Group Loot. A general rule of thumb is to not NEED roll on something you can't equip but someone else can.

Need Before Greed

Similar to Group Loot, only this mode follows a system of only allowing party members to roll on an item if it 'can be used' by them. There are flaws with this system, both in the code itself and with regards to limitations of the system itself. It is recommended that you use 'Group Loot' in lieu of Need Before Greed, and simply clarify to people what they should and shouldn't roll on beforehand.

I find that even with it's flaws, Need Before Greed works pretty well and reduces extra chatter and trading when folks pick up stuff they can't use or see someone pickup something they can't use, but someone in the party can use. If people just want stuff to junk later on, use Group Loot. -- Fandyllic

The big problem I have with Need Before Greed is that when I first ran the Deadmines (at level 16), I was given (by the lootmaster) both  [Smite's Mighty Hammer] and Edwin VanCleef's  [Cruel Barb]. I could not at the time use it, but I have been using the Barb ever since I turned 19. If it had been Need Before Greed, I would not have won that. But I do admit I rather like not having to press 'Pass' on so many items, which I do so frequently because my bags are usually nearly full. -- D. F. Schmidt talk 12:19, 30 Aug 2005 (EDT)