Right, and again, this has been going on since MMO’s began. Perhaps it is getting more common, but I don’t think it’s due to the token.
People could make arguments about legendaries, BOE’s, etc as being more attainable with it, but carries seem to still be about cold, hard cash.
So I am more in the token is not P2W camp, but your statement is forgetting critical information.
Your Classic/Retail accounts are connected, meaning bots farming out gold in retail can transition that to being able to also spam Classic versions of the game/or bot farm for materials in Classic.
Several carry services do RMT so they can have a team to carry in Classic while also farming gold to keep the advertisements up.
While I can agree that carry runs have been around forever, to say that retails tokens don’t also have an impact on the Classic experience is wrong.
The problem is bots can farm for gold and keep up these fake accounts, enabling them to ask you for RMT.
As far as I am aware trial accounts can’t use global channels, and I don’t think they can use LFG but could be wrong as I haven’t used a trial in awhile.
So that’s the issue, that it’s easy to use the token as a way to skirt around rules. I don’t believe the token is the root of the problems, but Blizzard does need to crack down to reduce how sellers use it/other avenues to get their foot in the door.
The token isn’t the cause.
They make so much money they don’t need trial accounts. They just create new ones. It’s the cost of doing business.
Botting has been going on since the inception of MMO’s. Gold selling has been going on since the inception of MMO’s. Pay for carry has been going on since the inception of MMO’s.
See my earlier comments about Steve Bannon and the millions he raked in selling gold for cash.
I do agree that Blizzard should do more to try and enforce/remove it from the LFG tool and public channels.
Maybe that’s the disconnect because I don’t run into these advertisers anywhere near the frequency that some here claim. But that would explain SO many things.
Because over the last expansion and a half sellers have grown and grown in proportion so now they account for the vast majority of groups on the LFG tool, rendering more of an advertisements for paid services than its original intent?
Again, it’s not a single player game. Anyone who wants to use gold to buy much of anything, from the BMAH to the normal AH, to runs/boosts has to deal with the gold inflation.
It can be argued that the whole 9.1 legendary debacle resulting in players having to fork over hundreds of thousands of more gold after already paying big money to do the 9.0 legendaries was at least partly encouraged by the idea of increased token sales. Despite hemorrhaging subscribers for awhile WoW is still among the most profitable it’s ever been, which should tell you how much Blizzard relies on purchases like tokens and character services and how they have a vested interest in keeping sales high.
I can’t point to concrete proof that Blizzard is doing this as I’m not in their design meetings but we can agree to disagree on this point.
Token solved three problems.
People buying boosts isn’t stopping you from doing content yourself.
It’s not like if tokens didn’t exist those boosters would be running the same groups out of the kindness of their hearts. They’d raid with their guild, peace out for the week and you’d still need a team.
I don’t think having more ads fundamentally changes the tool but that’s just a matter of opinion.
And I’m playing it with other people. Still not impacted by some guy spending 800 bucks to buy a longboi
Tokens have helped me keep playing at times when gold was more plentiful than money.
The other side of the debate is rarely addressed when the ‘evils’ of the token are addressed.
I do care about the health of the game, but cutting out the tokens would not, I fear be the panacea you seek.
My friend wanted the KSM mount for shadowlands season 1, but he couldn’t get it despite trying hard. ( True Story )
But some random rich joe bought carries by spam buying wow tokens to convert into gold & is riding the mount now showing off in Oribos.
My friend feels terrible. Such is real life too, but should this be happening in game?
Please beat this fact into your head, it is pay to “win”.
I didn’t expect people to defend Tokens this hard… holy hell this community
Tokens are awful and only exist cause they were greedy for more money.
If tokens didn’t exists,
People would have a easier time finding groups.
Prestige rewards would actually be PRESTIGIOUS, like KSM mounts.
If an average joe can’t achieve KSM for the season, at least he won’t feel so bad as when compared to when someone buys the KSM mount through boosts. Imagine working so hard for the season and still not being able to get KSM, then you see someone else just open their wallet to get it, how would that feel?
Please think before you talk.
An average joe can though, that’s the point.
If you feel better having a scapegoat that’s fine but not everyone’s struggling.
Oh sure, so with your logic, someone should just pay for the prestigious “trophy” if they can’t achieve it through struggling & de-value the efforts of people that actually attained it through hard work.
Nice!
I never suggested that at all but I can tell you just want to be mad here, have fun!
Ok but what if i pay the gold and the carry failed.
Or nothing useful dropped.
Or the weekly chest loot is useless.
What did i win?
You are so in denial lol, " I never suggested that" lmao.
I’m just having a good laugh.
I did think, for a good long while before I wrote.
You are seeking a cure for an ill which existed before tokens and will continue even if they vanished tomorrow.
I recall the days of gear score, Wrath carries and all the elitism of those, so called halcyon days.
You do have a point about scale. I concede that.
Yet, I’d be willing to wager that on balance the demon has now been let out of the box.
It will not be put back.
Gold sellers are still with us. If the token goes, gold will still be bought/sold and otherwise traded for carries.
Yes. I have a horse in the race, in that my play time now largely rests on being able to ‘sell’ my own gold for game time through the AH.
Does that invalidate my opinion? Because I am on the other side of the Token debate?