What EP/GP is

EP/GP is a time-tested loot distribution system. It is straightforward, transparent, low overhead, and leaves minimal margin for error. Three numbers run it.

EP
Effort Points

Earned by killing bosses, showing up on time, staying until the end, and other contributions.

GP
Gear Points

Accumulated when you receive loot. Each item has a set GP cost, and more desirable items cost more.

PR
Priority Rating

Your ratio, EP divided by GP. The highest PR among Main Spec rollers wins the item.

How you earn EP

New server status: Molten Core and Onyxia are the raids open right now and both are progression raids at full EP. Blackwing Lair, AQ40, Naxxramas and later tiers open as the server releases them.

Every boss kill awards EP to everyone in the raid, including anyone benched on standby. Nothing is on farm yet, so every raid pays the same 100 EP per boss. Four bonuses stack on top.

SourceDetailEP
Molten Core boss killT1, progression, open now100 EP
Onyxia boss killT1.5, progression, open now100 EP
BWL boss killT2, opens later100 EP
AQ40 boss killT2.5, opens later100 EP
Naxxramas boss killT3, opens later100 EP
Timbermaw boss killEPGP raid, opens laterTBD
Kara 40 boss killT4, opens laterTBD
On-time bonusFirst trash pull+1/3 boss EP
Completion bonusLast boss kill+1/3 boss EP
Early signup bonus24 hours ahead+1/3 boss EP
Flask bonusMolten Core and above+25 EP flat

How you spend GP

When an epic item drops, the addon announces the item, its GP cost and the bid instructions to raid warning. You whisper the master looter one keyword: MS for main spec, FLEX, OS for off spec at a quarter of the cost, or TM for transmog at no cost. Priority runs MS, then FLEX, then OS, then TM, and the highest PR wins inside each tier. The winner's GP rises by the item's GP cost, which lowers their PR next time. The full keyword list, the transmog hand-off and the anti-gaming rules are under Rules.

Worked example: a Monday Molten Core night

You kill 8 bosses in Molten Core at 100 EP each, so 8 x 100 = 800 base EP. Add the bonuses: signed up 24 hours early (+33), flask (+25), on time (+33) and stayed to the last boss (+33). Total: 800 + 33 + 25 + 33 + 33 = 924 EP.

Everyone starts at the base GP of 100, so your PR is 924 / 100 = 9.24. Win a 300 GP item and your GP becomes 400, so your PR is 924 / 400 = 2.31. Gear raises the bottom half of the ratio, so it lowers your priority and lets raiders who have not taken loot recently move ahead.

Both EP and GP shrink 10 percent a week, so that 300 GP item is down to about 219 after three weeks and about 159 after six. Decay and the GP floor are explained under Rules.

EP/GP is tracked per character, not per account. Your current ratio is always visible in your officer note in game, written as {EP:GP}.