A new patch for World of Warcraft has appeared on the PTR. The changes sound minor, but they could have significant impacts.
Mentally, most players have already moved on from World of Warcraft Shadowlands and everyone is talking about the next expansion Dragonflight. However, Blizzard apparently wants to push in a small patch in between and make a few changes.
The upcoming patch 9.2.7 is now on the PTR and changes the auction house and the rules for boosting services.
What will change with the auction house? After Blizzard has already connected the auction houses of Horde and Alliance on the same realm some time ago, there are even more significant changes with patch 9.2.7:
The trade of consumables will be expanded to the entire region. You will be able to source your herbs from players all over Europe, providing a much larger supply – but also more competition as sellers. This is especially true for:
- Crafting materials (ores, leather, herbs, fabrics, etc.)
- Consumables (potions, elixirs, buff food, gems)
Not affected by this connection are all items that are not considered “commodities”, meaning “everyday items”. This includes equipment items.
What is this boosting channel? Blizzard is introducing a new chat channel called “Trade (Services)”. This channel will henceforth be used for people to offer their boosting services or specifically look for them. For example, those who want to guide other players through tough dungeons and want to do it for gold can advertise here without resorting to other chat channels.
No, fundamentally, boosting is allowed in World of Warcraft. You may carry other players through content or be carried by other players. However, these services may only be paid for with in-game currency – such as gold.
The intention behind this is to consolidate boosting offers and requests in a chat channel that can easily be turned off when needed. This is intended to free up the trade chat, which can then be used for traditional trading, like selling items – or for the daily “Did anyone say Thunderfury, Blessed Blade of the Warchief?” game.
When will the patch be released? There is currently no exact release date for patch 9.2.7. However, it can be assumed that the patch will go live soon, as it also brings the announced nerfs for warlocks. Since the current season lasts only about 4 weeks, that is likely the window in which the patch will appear.
However, it is also possible that Blizzard “outsources” the adjustments for warlocks and simply makes them part of a hotfix after they have been tested on the PTR.
As soon as there is an official release date, we will report on it.
Are you looking forward to the changes such as the connection of the auction houses? Or is the “boosting channel” a step in the wrong direction? Let us know in the comments!
