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We expect, based on Diablo 2 and a tweet from Bashiok that there's a diminishing return formula for magic find (though the details are still unclear), and that magic find is averaged across a party...but how does the diminishing return formula interact with parties?

Is the magic find from all items first averaged across the party, and then the diminishing formula applied to each player, or is it averaged across the party after applying diminishing returns to each player?

I'm wondering, if you have a small number of pieces of good magic find equipment, whether it's just as effective for one person to wear all of them as it would be to spread them across the group.

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Judging from the Blizzard explanation of shared magic find, the value is averaged based on what your character sheet displays. I'm assuming that they were not over-simplifying the system w/ those posts.

Given this, It is better to spread MF across the party.

Let's say we're running a party of 4 players. Let's also assume that diminishing returns kicks in at 40 MF (I don't know the formula).

  • If everyone in the party has +30 MF, they should all see +30% on their character sheets. It all averages nicely, and loot is dropping at a +30% MF level.

  • Now, let's say one person has +120 MF, while everyone else has zero. This single player is going to be subject to diminishing returns, and their character sheet MF level will be lower (let's say it ends up being 80 MF). At this point everyone in the party only gets +20% MF; no good!

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  • I'd be surprised if it worked this way, have you actually tried this?
    – bwarner
    May 19, 2012 at 1:54
  • I would also be surprised. More likely is that there is actually zero benefit from spreading MF aside from potentially gimping players who use MF over +damage. At least, that was my interpretation of the linked article.
    – Resorath
    May 19, 2012 at 2:45
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    I tried to reproduce the diminishing return on the character's "details" view that was suggested to exist by the answer that inspired this question, but could not...I think they may have tested in a multiplayer game, which would explain their seeing less improvement than they expected because of averaging across the party. If I'm right that the character sheet doesn't show the diminishing return, then averaging based on the character sheet would probably mean it happens before diminishing returns are applied.
    – Theodore Murdock
    May 19, 2012 at 20:09

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