How to Use LootCalc Effectively
LootCalc gives you a repeatable way to estimate drop-driven profit. This guide walks through the exact workflow we use for OSRS Barrows and WoW Delves: prefill a preset, enter run-specific facts, interpret EV (per run) versus GPH, and share a link so friends can analyse the same configuration.
⚡ TL;DR
Why EV and GPH Matter
Expected value (EV) per run is the long-term average profit of a single attempt—perfect when deciding if a route beats alting or skilling. Gold per hour (GPH) divides EV minus costs by your minutes per run. If you only look at EV you may upgrade gear that slows runs and still earn less per hour. Balancing both numbers is how we recommend gear swaps, team sizes, or tier thresholds.
Step-by-Step: Replicate with LootCalc
📐 Formulas and Assumptions
EV is the sum of each item's value times its drop probability. GPH is ((EV - costs) / runtime). Runtime is measured in seconds and converted to runs per hour. For Barrows we assume mutual exclusion (only one unique per chest). For WoW Delves we use season-specific reward tables and vault thresholds.
Case Study
⚔️ Barrows: Dharok vs Karil
Player A runs Dharok with 90 s runtime, 20k costs → EV/run 52k, GPH 1.3M. Player B runs Karil with 75 s runtime, 28k costs → EV/run 48k, GPH 1.6M.
Even with a lower EV, faster clears win. The calculator makes this trade-off explicit.
🏰 Delves: Tier 6 vs Tier 8
Tier 6 nets 620k EV in 10 minutes (~3.7M GPH). Tier 8 yields 750k but takes 16 minutes (2.8M GPH).
Stick to Tier 6 unless you need vault thresholds from higher tiers.