This question is actually more cut and dried than I first realized, as I was unclear whether Blizzard policy prohibited the selling of boosts for in-game currency, but it unambigously does not: “This policy update does not restrict individuals or guilds from using the provided in-game tools (“trade channel” chat) to buy or sell in-game items or activities for in-game currency.” Hence, wholly within the game’s rules, you are able to lawfully purchase in game currency from blizzard for real dollars, and lawfully spend that currency at the auction house for gear directly, or for boosts. Ergo, wholly within the game’s sanctioned rules, you can exchange real dollars for mythic level gear at the auction house or for boosts to make your character stronger. Being able to (legally within game rules) exchange real money for character power or other competitive advantages has ALWAYS been what the term “pay to win” has meant. The only people who do not understand this are overly literally minded to an absurd degree and don’t understand that language use is typically metaphorical. The expression “pay to win” is no different.
This 7 month old thread really didn’t need to be revived. 
With the recent changes to the AH, I was expecting something like this to happen.
I’ll reply where I like if I read a conversation and have something to say on it regardless of age, but thanks for your mostly pointless contribution. It’s not like the topic is suddenly no longer pertinent; it’s a longstanding issue
Then you’re out of scope. There are rankings, there are races and dungeons with ratings, objectively they ARE thing to win in Wow. You’re not talking about P2W, you’re trying to apply a different definition to an existing concept.
Now the simple fact of progressing your character through gold would mean that it’s P2W, it’s ludicrous.
You can’t make a set with that. Congrats, you have now 3 pieces and are wearing a bunch of greens.
P2W is at the end of a spectrum of monetization philosophy/mechanics in modern games.
To apply it as a blanket definition of the whole game is not only wrong, it’s intellectually dishonest.
P2W games are characterized by a single connecting threads. You can pay money directly to get the best items in the game where the numerical superiority of your character is mostly the only thing defining its strength.
Even if we’re to make a reach saying buying gold is tantamount to buying player power, WoW need complex and continuous player inputs to make efficient use of the gear.
LMAO they are not irrelevant.
They are the literal embodiment of P2W , they are the genesis of the definition jeez. You don’t get to shove them to the side because they are putting holes in your argument that WoW is like them.
In WoW, you can pay for cosmetic and you can pay to catch up to some LIMITED extend.
You cannot pay for an advantage over anyone else because they centered their game around end-content and you don’t get to stand at the pinnacle of this said end-game content without putting in some efforts that are not substituted by dollars.
Not really some people are just confused about what P2W really is.
That’s actually not what it means at all.
The term “pay to win” actually means that the item you’re purchasing is only available through the cash shop. Buying runs from people to get gear that drops and can be gotten by anyone does not meet the actual pay to win criteria.
I’m not one of them.
I just think those that are complaining don’t want to do the work and can’t see how those who do could. The only way they assume it’s possible is that people bought their way through it.
I don’t believe WoW is P2W. Because the “winnings” are never defined (plus, I don’t think there is such thing as “winning WoW”). The argument always circles back to “pay to advantage” and is now synonmous to “P2W”.
Exactly.
I’m probably not going to read the rest considering how dumb the first paragraph is. I covered this. You are just revealing yourself to first of all, have no knowledge of how the term “pay to win” originated, and its commonly accepted meaning. As Wikipedia states, citing published research on the topic, “In general a game is considered pay-to-win when a player can gain any advantage over their non-paying peers.” Please let me know if you’d like the reference. If you can pay to make your character stronger or gain competitive advantages over others, a game is pay to win by definition. If you’re unable to understand this, then, as I explained, the likely diagnosis is that you don’t understand that the term “pay to win” is a metaphor and need not involve a literal “Victory!” screen. Please don’t be such a simpleton.
No, there is no debate. It is p2w.
Tell me what advantages you can get over this guy by throwing your whole pay check at the game.
> https://raider.io/characters/eu/ragnaros/Drjay#season=season-sl-4
Because by that definition, you should be able to.
There aren’t any. Even if they somehow had his gear they’d have a fraction of the output, then would probably move to blaming their teammates or something.
At least in a reasonable amount of time.
Don’t bother responding, this guy did for you.
Ohh? Wikipedia? Why not… Idk Urban dictionary?
Because it doesn’t fit what you’re saying?
https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=pay-to-win
Games that let you buy better gear or allow you to make better items then everyone else at a faster rate and then makes the game largely unbalanced even for people who have skill in the game without paying.
Regrettably, I read the rest of your ill-informed post. Again, you do not understand that there need not be a “You won!” screen for a game to be pay to win. This is excessively literal, simple-minded thinking. Nor need the competitive advantages that can be purchased for cash ONLY be available through cash. As you appear to be ignorant of, the term “pay to win” is MUCH older than the mobile-style games that you falsely cite as the origin of the term. These are simply the most recent and egregrious form of pay to win; they are by no means the origin of the expression. Claiming otherwise is extremely foolish. As has been the accepted meaning of the term “pay to win” for decades, long before mobile gaming, a game is pay to win if you can purchase competiitve advantages with real money. If you don’t understand that, you are ignorant of the topic you are discussing and simple-minded.
It’s not pay to win.
You are correct about there not being a debate though
You can load up the auction house, and purchase multiple pieces of Mythic level Bind on Equip gear. Please explain to me how being able to spend real American dollars on mythic level gear from the auction house does not constitute a competitive advantage. This should be good.
Because you can also have the gold that you spend on that gear by simply playing the game. There is no requirement to pay money to be able to access that in a reasonable amount of time.
You have one thing right. You are a troll.