I’ve written before about MMO economies and how badly handled inflation can wreck them because it’s one of my pet favorite topics, but the last time I really wrote about World of Warcraft’s economy specifically was years and years ago. I’m the closest to done I’ve ever been with the game, and yet there are things about Shadowlands – like the chance to play Pandaria from level zero – that pique my interest. And then I remember I’m poor now.
I mean, the last time I played, I was rich. But that was Legion. The economy was already blowing up then, and now it’s a runaway train. I hadn’t realized quite how inflated it’s gotten until I read post from the Nomadic Gamers blog, whose income stats makes clear that coming back would mean a whole lot of farming just to be comfortable again. And I kinda can’t be bothered? If I’m gonna do that, it’s going to be in a new game or an old game that’s much more friendly to crafters/traders. So the wild inflation becomes a barrier of re-entry.
How about you? Does an MMO’s economy ever stop you from going back?
Every morning, the Massively Overpowered writers team up with mascot Mo to ask MMORPG players pointed questions about the massively multiplayer online roleplaying genre. Grab a mug of your preferred beverage and take a stab at answering the question posed in today’s Daily Grind!
