Loot

Loot is the main source of EXP for almost all builds in the game. EXP is required for the vast majority of players to continue their playthrough. Without it, they get the Starvation debuff, slowly losing their HP overtime until you get a Game Over. However, different builds require different loot sources, and acquisition of them may be different. For more info, look up EXP

## Methods of Acquisition

### Herbivory

Acquisition of loot through foraging. Examples include Aphids, Elephants, Rhinoceros, Deer, Cattle, Sauropods, among others. They were first playable during 300 million years ago, although certain Arthropod builds had already tried their luck on foraging. Producers hold the highest amount of EXP (EXP transfers only return 10% of EXP to the next looter), thus these builds can have ginormous Health stats, up to 100 metric tons of weight, after which, maximum HP cannot increase any further due to biomechanics. Additionally, it is much easier to play as a herbivore since you do not need to fight your loot, unlike carnivores, making them the go-to mains for a lot of terrestrial servers (barring a few exceptions) This method is also known as "Forager"

### Carnivory

Acquisition of loot through PvP. This part is where it gets tricky. You need a good enough Power to defeat that build. However, said build can also spec into Defense to counter this. This is where Intelligence and Stealth comes in. The former allows you to find weak spots in your opponents hitbox (with higher Intelligence stats, you can also recruit teammates), while the latter can allow you to deal damage without getting detected. Mobility is also unsurprisingly important, as you need to successfully catch your build. However these stats can also be used against you. You then need to learn the attack styles, their strengths and weaknesses to gain an advantage. You can learn more of this in Player vs Player.

Examples include Dogs, Cats, Sharks, Piranhas, Tyrannosauruses, Crocodillians and many more. There are also subcategories of this playstyle, which can include Scavengers (Hyenas, Squalicorax, many Catfish builds, etc...), Piscivores (Seals, Dolphins, Plesiosaurs, most Icthyosaurs, etc...), Filter Feeders (Mourasuchus, Baleen Whales, Whale Sharks, Manta Rays, Basking Sharks, etc...), Insectivores (Passerines, Pangolins, Anteaters, etc...) and even Molluscivores (Grippian icthyosaurs, Walruses, Heterodont Sharks, Globidens, etc...)

A looting rank indicates your position in the loot chain, usually ending in 4 or 5, which marks the "apex predator" mark. Builds which are generalists can have a mixed-decimal looting rank, like the average looting rank for Human mains which is 2.21. A higher looting rank allows you to grief tougher players, starting at 1, which marks the "producers" mark. This method is split into two playstyles, "Predator" and "Filter-Feeder"

### Omnivory

Acquisition of loot through a combination of foraging and PvP. With a combination of Intelligence, Perception, and Abilities, loot acquisition potential can become quadratic or exponential, allowing you to easily adapt when other loot sources are rare. The possibility of finding rarer, more EXP-rich loot also increases. Examples include Wild Boar, Rats, Bears, Humans and many more.

### Parasitism

Acquisition of loot through hindering the gameplay of larger players. Health is important, as it allows you to tank hits from parasite cleaners. Evasive tactics, which use a combination of Mobility and Stealth, is also helpful when you cannot tank hits for parasite mains. However, Power is a counterproductive stat, since it reduces the amount of time you can leech off larger builds. Examples include Lampreys, Leeches, Mosquitoes, Cookie Cutter Sharks and many more.

## Abilities and Traits involving Loot

### EXP-Reducing

* Facial Armor (0.8×) (Ability)
* Spongy Meat (0.65×) (Ability)
* Mucus Loot Mix (0.5×) (Ability)
* Mechanical (0×) (Trait)
* Silicon Shards (-0.25×) (Ability)
* Spiracules (-1×) (Ability)

### EXP-Increasing and cleansing

* Bonytongue (Ability) (Remove all debuffs)
* Ruminant (Ability) (2× potential EXP gain, remove all debuffs at the expense of longer time taken to completely absorb loot).
* Sponge Stomach (Ability) (-1× to Spiracules ability.)

## Human Loot

With the Human mains discovery of fire, as well as farming, and coupled with their maximum Intelligence, they have the power to artificially extend their playtime. This led to a bunch of new loot items, especially crafted ones which contain even more EXP than the ones naturally in the game. Different servers started to have differently-styled crafted loot. Unfortunately, with these innovations also comes a new debuff, called [EXP Overload], which is caused by, well, the name says it all. Mostly it just lowers your Mobility, but if left unchecked, can also cause potentially life-ending debuffs such as [Heart Disease] and [Diabetes]. In 2020, a new feature was found, This debuff also makes COVID-19 deal 48% more damage. That's not to top all the debuffs caused independently by the crafting ingredients.

For this reason, a new Prestige Class of Human mains started to become available, the [Nutritionist]. These players give guides on the optimum EXP-gain, as well as special types of EXP (Vitamins and Minerals) that decreases the chance for debuffs to happen and prescribes the recommended loot choices you have to absorb.