Raid lockouts in retail WoW are three different systems wearing one name, and misunderstanding them costs players real loot every week. Here is the working model that keeps your runs clean.
The three lockout types
- Loot lockouts (Normal and Heroic): you can kill the same boss any number of times per week across different groups - you are simply loot-eligible only on the first kill per boss per difficulty. Joining a second Heroic run is legal; you just earn nothing from repeat bosses.
- Boss-based instance saves (Mythic): the strict old-school kind. Once saved to a Mythic instance, you cannot join a fresh one that week without extending the same save. This is the lockout that actually traps people.
- LFR: wing-based loot lockouts, same principle as Normal.
The mistakes that hurt
Classic error one: declining a Normal alt run because you are saved - you are loot-locked, not barred, and guesting still helps the group while costing you nothing. Classic error two: hopping into a pug Mythic group mid-instance without checking their boss progress - accept that save and your guild fresh Mythic Tuesday just lost you.
Splitting runs like a pro
Guilds run splits by moving loot-eligible characters through multiple Normal and Heroic clears feeding gear to mains. The system fully permits it; the constraint is stamina, not rules. For solo players the practical version is simpler: your main can safely guest in any number of Heroic pugs for specific boss attempts - bring your unkilled bosses to their run and everyone profits.
When lockout math meets real life
All of this assumes groups that clear. If your weekly reality is pugs that disband at the third boss, your lockout knowledge optimizes runs that never finish - which is why single-boss carry kills, timed to your unkilled lockouts, are the surgical fix: exactly the boss you need, exactly once, loot eligibility intact. Know your saves, and every kill counts.