Path of Exile finally sets up its own trade website

One of the few features Path of Exile has traditionally lacked is an “easy” trading feature like an auction house, and that was by design: Grinding Gear Games feared bot farming, lowered drop rates, and high gear disparities between players, to say nothing of the lesson taught by Diablo III’s original launch. But players always find a way around the design, and as in many auctionless MMOs, players resorted to forum sales and whole websites devoted to facilitating the buying and selling of in-game gear.

“That’s where we are today,” GGG writes this week. “It’s easy to list items for trade, easy to search for items, and is often quite frustrating to complete a trade. This remaining frustration is the only thing standing in the way of trades being basically instant. While we understand that this sounds like a positive thing, we are very concerned regarding what will happen if that does eventuate. We have to prioritise the long-term health of Path of Exile.”

Consequently, the studio has now created its own version of the trade sites already run by players, though of course GGG’s is safer. It isn’t a full-fledged auction hall, however.

“The goal of this site isn’t to change how trading works, but to provide more options for our players. It doesn’t really matter which site you use, but it does matter that there’s always one available and in your language. We also hope that additional features we add over time help reduce certain frustrations related to trade. API changes like the AFK/DND information will of course be available for external trade sites to use.”

Intriguingly, the game also now supports a “solo, self-found mode” that rewards a player for not trading, complete with separate leaderboards, so if that’s how you like to play, you’re still fully supported.

Reddit is pleased overall, though some players are pointing out that player services are still superior in some ways.