Loot tables/tiers
The structured randomness behind item drops: each enemy or container rolls against a weighted table defining what can drop and how often, usually stratified into tiers so better sources roll better tables. Loot tables are the economy's faucet — every tuning decision about player power flows through them. Designers use tiered tables to encode aspiration (endgame tables hold the items worth grinding for) and place-identity (this boss drops that item family). Key decisions: weighting philosophy (flat rarity weights versus smart loot biased toward the player's class, as Diablo III adopted), pity mechanics that guarantee outcomes after enough failures, table depth (many mediocre outcomes dilute excitement), and drop targeting so players can farm deliberately. The craft is making randomness feel generous without being generous — drop feel is tuned as much by presentation as by probability. Pitfall: tables players cannot reason about kill the farming motivation loop.
- Dev effort: Medium
- Timing: Real-time or turn-based
- Common in: arpg, looter-shooter