A shop offer is worrying WoW demon Cortyn. Because Blizzard is venturing down a dark path of no return …
World of Warcraft has an in-game shop. Okay, that’s old news. For ages now, people have been able to buy character services there. Other cosmetic items, like mounts, pets, or transmog sets have also made their way in. Sometimes there are even really good deals, like currently a support action for the war-torn people in Ukraine.
However, a small, inconspicuous package has appeared in the WoW shop, which gives me stomach pains. Because it could be the beginning of a very dark direction that Blizzard is currently taking.
I don’t believe I’m leaning towards one of the two “extreme” camps regarding World of Warcraft. I don’t like wearing a tinfoil hat, seeing every design decision in the game as a new method to extract money from players. At the same time, I try to avoid the rose-colored glasses that make every change seem positive.
But with the latest offer in the shop, it’s hard not to see all the connections and draw conclusions or at least sense a manipulative, almost malevolent intention behind it.
It’s about the “corsage package.” It’s a small transmog package that is particularly cheap at 5 €. However, it only includes “2” wrist items as transmog – one in bright red and one in a dark gothic look. On the character, it’s little more than a small accent.
So far, that’s not a problem – everyone must decide for themselves whether these bracers are worth 5 €.
The problem I have is with the “bonus” that comes with it. That’s 200 trader currencies. These can be redeemed in the trading post in the game for various rewards.
200 trader currencies isn’t a lot. It’s a small bonus. And yet it’s devious when looking at the whole structure around it.
The lure with limited resources
Just yesterday, Blizzard released a preview for all the class sets that will land in the trading post next month. These are not just equipment sets but also weapons. Anyone wanting a complete set, meaning both the armor and the weapons of a class, must bring together 950 trader currencies. You can earn 1,000 trader currencies per month (sometimes a bit more).
In other words: If you want weapons and armor set, you have to spend almost all of the month’s currencies on it. There’s rarely anything for the remaining 50 trader currencies.
This, in turn, means: If something else appears in the trading post from September that you absolutely want, you must have already saved beforehand or earn additional currencies through other means – for example, by purchasing the above-mentioned transmog package for 5 €.
Right now, the dates become important.
Because the corsage package with the 200 trader currencies is only available until August 31st. It will disappear exactly the evening before the first class sets land in the trading post.
This creates a dilemma for transmog fans.
On one hand, collectors might be tempted to make a hasty sale. Not because they want the bracers as transmog, but because they’d rather have some trader currencies saved up for next month.
On the other hand, those who hold firm and don’t buy the package might find on September 1st that their trader currencies for this month aren’t enough. Maybe they would have bought the package now – but it has already disappeared from the shop. So, players are being “trained”: If there’s a package with trader currencies in the shop, it’s better to grab it immediately.
Honestly, I don’t like this whole thing at all. The more I think about it, the more negatively it weighs on me.
And yes, I’m also aware that there are now people who will say: “It’s not that bad, you can also buy the package indirectly with gold via the WoW token.”
That’s true. Still, this change makes the trading post lean a little more towards a cash grab.
I can only hope that Blizzard quickly steps back from this path. Because the trading post is, in itself, a great optional feature that can hardly be criticized. However, in my eyes, that doesn’t justify introducing monetization through the backdoor, playing with “FOMO” and afterthought worries.
I would probably even find it better if trader currencies could simply be permanently bought for real money. And if that’s the “better” solution I come to, it says a lot about how dark and manipulative this step is that Blizzard is currently taking.
Or how do you see the offer?
