Winning chance/priority: Need (mainspec) > Need (offspec) > Greed > Pass
If someone wins an item by “Greed”, it means Nobody (including the winner himself) needs the item for either mainspec or offspec. So the item will end up sold for gold.
Greed = You don’t ruin anyone’s chance to win an item if he needs it, but you get a chance for gold if nobody needs it.
Pass = You don’t ruin anything, but you lose your chance for gold.
So, if you don’t “Need” an item, why would you click “Pass” instead of “Greed” in a PuG like LFR? Just being nice and voluntarily giving up the chance of gold?
We were in the normal raid. Int staff dropped. Our arcane mage has a heroic version of it. He rolled greed. He won the item. He gets very surprised about it and asked the raid again seriously no one need that weapon from Terros, even for transmog, otherwise he will disenchant it. A priest wanted it for transmog.
In your example, your guid mage doesn’t need the staff, not even for transmog. He rolled greed and won because nobody needs it. And the only use of the staff for him will be sold to vendor probably.
Then the Priest should simply roll “Greed” if he wants the transmog, because “Greed” can only win if nobody “need” it. Even if the priest lost greed roll to the mage, he can just tell him that he wants the transmog. And I am sure the guildies will happily trade the gear.
My point is that, There is no reason to use “Pass” button.
How I roll for items:
Need = upgrade
Greed = transmog or disenchanting
Pass = I don’t want the item (for example tier tokens for other classes are useless) and if I’m only after one specific item I just use an addon to auto pass on everything else because I want to get rid of the loot windows asap.
I don’t really care for the whole “But you can vendor it for gold” aspect because I don’t understand why I’d need the gold. I can just make my own potions, flasks, enchants, gems, food etc if I feel like I need those things, but since I don’t raid or do m+ I usually only go for enchants or just don’t bother at all. Also there is more than enough gold coming from basic gameplay and old content I sometimes do for transmogs.
Because a plate wearer warrior without enchanting profession has nothing to do with leather loot.
It gives a chance to use unwearable loot, “dead loot” they say, to give a specific player who needs it in other manners. This famous WW monk in the guild will need 2H intel staff for MW spec but he can’t roll need. But this famous mage in the guild greed it for disenchant. Now famous mage will pass it to the famous WW monk with greed. Wanting an item for off-spec and disenchant isn’t the same thing, at least for some guilds.
Honestly I feel like maybe adding more options would be for the best.
When an item is worse than the one I have, I feel guilty for rolling need. However if I want it for transmog, and others for instance just want to sell it, we both choose greed.
So I think that there should be more options. Need (main spec/off spec), transmog, disenchant, greed and pass if you don’t want to fill your bags.
Of course pugging goblins will never pass on anything, but it is handy when running instances with friends.
Need:
This is an upgrade to any of the actively played specs for any played content.
Greed:
This is a potential upgrade, but can’t use it right away. Like for Mage/Priest/Warlock with Staff and an upgrade main hand/off hand weapon drops, and they still need the something for the other hand too.
Transmog.
Disenchant.
Pass:
Not an upgrade.
Not a desirable transmog.
Can’t disenchant, but someone else in the group can.
Can I ask something else? What does it means main spec? I play arms warrior only but whenever I roll, I lose a roll to my guilds tank which says main spec. I mean arms is my main spec why I have less chances?