Trader’s Tender Shop Assets:
By now, most of you are familiar with the current rumors surrounding the potential addition of Trader’s Tender Shop Assets within the Patch 10.1.5 PTR development notes. If not, continue reading for more information, including my opinion on the possible changes.
What Are The Changes?
Wowhead and MrGM have datamined Trader’s Tender Shop Assets. As these have different amounts, these will likely be an option within the Blizzard Shop for players to purchase and increase their Trader’s Tender balance in-game.
The information available is very scarce, and while Blizzard hasn’t commented or offered any reassurances, some Twitter comments share the community’s concern. None more so than @joshaaronmiller, who replied to a tweet on Twitter! Look at the responses from prominent content creators eager for confirmation!
He suggests there may actually be something we’re looking forward to; who knows! The plot thickens!
I want to say something here because I work on the Trading Post but NDAs are terrifying.
— Dr. (!!!) Josh Aaron Miller (@joshaaronmiller) June 14, 2023
The Affect on the Community:
Many players in the community will be disappointed with the news. When The Trading Post was in development, players were concerned it would be a similar cash cow to Call of Duty and the ability to purchase skins with real money.
Thankfully, upon the release of The Trading Post, many players were relieved that this wasn’t incentivized by real money; instead, it was a currency a player could earn in-game by completing tasks or continuing their monthly subscription.
Sadly, like most aspects of online gaming, Blizzard may have realized there is value in incorporating micro-transactions, and what the community feared initially may become a reality. After all, The Trading Post has become a great addition to the game, giving players a different option to obtain many items within World of Warcraft.
However, we’re dictated by the amount of Trader’s Tender we can earn a month; this meant players were vigilant about what they spent. With items confirmed to return later via a loot cycle, players were relieved there was no pressure to buy everything immediately.
But like most things in life, most players prefer to get items as quickly as possible, or maybe a minority of the player base doesn’t have the time to meet the tasks required to earn the Trader’s Tender. Blizzard may use this opportunity to offer micro-transactions to players in a position to do so.
Possible Purchase Options:
It’s too soon to guess the pricing for each Trader’s Tender bundle. But I’d imagine players could use their Battle.net Balance. There’s also the possibility of players purchasing WoWTokens with in-game gold; this could significantly increase the value of WoWTokens!
For those that don’t know, you can purchase WoWTokens for gold and convert the WoWToken into Battle.net Balance.
My Thoughts:
Sadly, I knew this was inevitable! The hype and interest surrounding The Trading Post were evident from day one and would only grow as more players became accustomed to it. As mentioned on my Facebook page yesterday, it was inevitable that Blizzard would profit from this excellent addition to World of Warcraft.
If the decision to include an option to purchase Trader’s Tender with real money happens, it won’t affect me! The Trading Post is and will always be a side attraction for me, something to do during a lull in the month.
While it’s exciting seeing the items come and go each month, I know that whatever I don’t purchase, I can buy in the future! If players are restricted by time or have sufficient funds to purchase items for real money, let them! After all, Bobby may need a new yacht in preparation for Microsoft’s potential acquisition of Activision-Blizzard! 😂
Remember the Mounts and Companion Pets that were removed from the Blizzard Shop and added to The Trading Post? With the ability to purchase Trader’s Tender with real money, Blizzard could still make money from those items and more!
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