Looting (gaming) - Scavenging

Scavenging

The term "scavenging" is used when referring to the process of acquiring loot other players have not picked up, often purposely so, without actually helping them defeat the enemies. By means of scavenging, players may acquire gear they would not have access to by means of their own prowess. Players known to scavenge are called scavengers. Scavenging may be seen as a nuisance by some players, yet the scavenger is normally tolerated if he lets the active players pick their loot first, but this can also turn against them as most loot left behind is useless, low gold items. For example, in RuneScape, the bones of a slain monster are normally left behind, which most other people are welcome to take when they become visible.

Scavenging often occurs in levels where risk is minimal (e. g. the level has been cleared already and there will be no respawns) and lots of neglected loot can be obtained. A prime example for this is the secret cow level in Diablo II, where low level players will often come in to scavenge after the level has been cleared by high level players. The neglected loot is often weak or worthless to the players who cleared it, but extremely powerful and valuable to starting players.