Update: Added some additional information from an interview

Introducing the WoW Token
GamesBeat has an interview with Ion Hazzikostas that has some additional details:

  • The tokens are coming in Patch 6.1.2, coming to the PTR soon.
  • You can buy the token without logging in to your character if your account has lapsed. (Watcher)
  • Some BoE raid loot and Black Market Auction House changes may come as a result of all this.
  • The price isn't set yet, but it won't be less than the regular subscription price.
  • Blizzard will set the initial price and then let supply and demand take over.

Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)
Coming soon to an Azeroth near you: the WoW Token, a new in-game item that allows players to simply and securely exchange gold and game time between each other.

Players will be able to purchase a WoW Token through the in-game Shop for real money, and then sell it on the Auction House for gold at the current market price. When a player buys a WoW Token from the Auction House for gold, the Token becomes Soulbound, and the player can then redeem it for 30 days of game time.


Want to buy a WoW Token for gold? Head to the new Game Time tab in the Auction House, and purchase one immediately for the current gold buyout price—there’s no bidding involved.

When you put a WoW Token up for sale, you’ll be quoted the amount of gold you’ll receive once someone buys it—you’re guaranteed to get that amount no matter how the market moves.

The WoW Token was created to give players with lots of extra gold the option to use it to help cover their subscription cost, and give those who want to purchase gold a way to do so from fellow players through a secure, easy-to-use system. The Token will be making its debut in an upcoming patch—in the meantime, check out the FAQ below for details on how it works.

The Basics
Q: How do I buy a WoW Token for real money?
A: WoW Tokens will be available for purchase for real money through the World of Warcraft in-game Shop. You can access the Shop through the row of feature buttons next to your character’s bags.

Q: I need gold! How do I sell a WoW Token to another player?
A: You’ll be able to sell WoW Tokens through a dedicated Token exchange in the Auction House, located in a new Game Time section. WoW Tokens cannot be traded or sold any other way.

Q: How much gold will I receive when I sell a WoW Token?
A: The gold value of a Token will be determined dynamically based on supply and demand. When you put a Token up for sale, you’ll be quoted the amount of gold you’ll receive upon a successful sale. If you then decide to place the Token up for sale, that amount is locked in, and the gold will be sent to your mailbox after another player purchases your Token.

Q: I need game time! How do I buy a WoW Token from the Auction House?
A: When you visit the Auction House, you’ll be presented with the current market price for a WoW Token in your game region—there’s no bidding involved, and all Tokens in a game region are priced the same at any given moment. If you decide to purchase one, you’ll receive it in your mailbox, and can then immediately redeem it for game time.

Q: How much game time do I get by redeeming a WoW Token?
A: You’ll receive 30 days of game time when you redeem a WoW Token.

Q: Can I resell a WoW Token after I’ve purchased it for gold?
A: No, each WoW Token can only be sold once. After you purchase a Token for gold, it becomes Soulbound. At that point, it can only be redeemed for game time.

The Details
Q: How much will a WoW Token cost on the Shop?
A: Pricing details will be announced at a later date.

Q: Why are you introducing the WoW Token feature?
A: We’ve heard feedback from players that they’d be interested in a secure, legitimate way to acquire gold that doesn’t involve the use of unauthorized third-party gold-selling services—one of the primary sources of account compromises. We also know players who’ve amassed large amounts of gold through regular play would be interested in the ability to trade some to other players in exchange for game time, helping cover their subscription costs.

The WoW Token feature gives players on both sides of the equation a secure and straightforward way to make that exchange. It opens up a new kind of payment option for World of Warcraft players, and we hope that it will also help lead to fewer account compromises and a better game experience overall.

Q: How is acquiring gold by selling a WoW Token different from buying gold from third-party services?
A: Buying gold from third-party services negatively impacts the game experience for everyone. The overwhelming majority of the gold these services provide comes from stolen player accounts, halting the victims’ ability to play the game and contribute to their guilds. On top of this, gold selling companies often farm resources using hack programs, sell fake product codes as a scam, and spam entire realms with ads to buy gold, disrupting the game in very real ways.

The WoW Token allows players to exchange real money for gold in a secure and sanctioned way—together with the ongoing efforts of our developers, support staff, and anti-hack teams to stop the exploits these companies use and help players who have become victims of their operations, we hope the Token can help make World of Warcraft a safer and more enjoyable game for all of our players.

Q: Why can’t players set their own prices for the WoW Token?
A: The WoW Token feature is designed to facilitate the exchange of gold and game time between players in as secure, convenient, and fair a way as possible, and without making players feel like they’re playing a game with their hard-earned money. Having a set current market price and a straightforward exchange system is the best way to achieve that—you don’t need to worry about whether your Token will sell or not due to being undercut or the market shifting, and everyone receives exactly the amount of gold they were quoted.

Q: What happens if the price quoted to me is different from what the Token actually sells for?
A: You will always receive the gold amount quoted to you at the time you place a Token up for sale, regardless of what the current price is when the item actually sells.

Q: How long should I expect to receive my gold after putting a Token up for sale? How does the game determine whose Token to sell?
A: The amount of time it takes to receive your gold after putting a Token up for sale depends on a variety of factors, including the current supply and demand. When you list a Token, you’ll be quoted an estimated time based on the current Token supply and the rate of recent transactions, but the actual amount of time it takes to sell is likely to vary (note that Tokens do not expire). In most cases, Tokens are sold in the order in which they were put up for sale; however, there are some exceptions to this, such as when a Token purchase is undergoing verification.

Q: If I buy a WoW Token from the Auction House, how long does it take to receive the Token?
A: Just like a standard Auction House purchase, it will normally arrive in your mailbox nearly instantaneously.

Q: If I’m buying a WoW Token for real money from the in-game Shop, how long does it take to receive it?
A: Once you successfully complete a purchase, your Token should arrive in your inventory (or mailbox, if your inventory is full) almost immediately.

Q: Do Tokens expire? What happens if I accidentally delete one?
A: No, Tokens do not expire. They also can’t be deleted, so no need to fear accidentally trashing them.

Q: Can I stop my auction or receive a refund after it was purchased (for gold or real money)?
A: All transactions are considered final and auctions cannot be cancelled, so make sure you’re certain you want to proceed before listing or buying a Token. To help prevent unintentional transactions, you will be prompted to confirm your purchase or sale before it’s finalized.

Q: Is there a deposit? Does the Auction House take a cut of the Token seller’s gold?
A: There’s no deposit, and the Auction House does not take a cut of the gold for WoW Token sales. The standard deposit is designed to dissuade players from spamming the auction house with items that aren’t selling, and the standard cut is designed to dissuade players from buying and reselling items for minuscule markups. These issues don’t apply to the WoW Token, so there’s no need for a deposit or cut.

Q: Will each game region have its own WoW Token exchange? Will everyone in a game region have access to it?
A: Each game region—Americas (including ANZ realms), Europe, Taiwan, Korea, and China—will have its own shared WoW Token exchange. We’ll share additional details at a later date.
This article was originally published in forum thread: Introducing the WoW Token started by chaud View original post
Comments 465 Comments
  1. mmoc489567f5e5's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by TheWindWalker View Post
    Yes but that's from the perspective of the top.

    AFAIK, not once since I came back with a new account in 4.3 have I ever had more than $30k across all my toons. We're not even talking about someone who logs on to collect pets and run dungeons as my end game. This is someone who occasionally sells BoE raid drops on the AH. Think of how much gold that is to the overwhelming percentage of the subscriber base who never "play the AH."
    I tend to have around 10k max and that is me at my richest. After 10 years I still suck at money.

    I also dont grind or play the AH and the likes. I prefer to do the fun stuff and that for me means not grinding for gold and thus staying poor.
  1. Total Crica's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Shudder View Post
    You're talking about player C, which is irrelvant. Player A has 5 grand in the bank and has no issue buying gear from the pay to win shop. Player B lives paycheck to paycheck and can't afford it. Player A has an advantage now THAT HE FUCKING PAID FOR over the guy with no money. Player A is now in mythic gear while player B is stuck trying to get into pugs for weeks on end. It's pay to win, end of discussion.
    no im talking about players A and B - player A has a ton of gold, they ALREADY have the advantage over player B who has very little gold - if player C buys player A's gold, the advantage only changes hands, not magically appears.
  1. Shudder's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by HomeHoney View Post
    no im talking about players A and B - player A has a ton of gold, they ALREADY have the advantage over player B who has very little gold - if player C buys player A's gold, the advantage only changes hands, not magically appears.
    Both have no gold. Both are new players. One, because he is poor has to level up his character then spend months gearing it up. The other who is rich can buy a level 90 boost then buy mythic gear. Pay to win means people with money having an advantage over people that don't. I don't know how to say this any simpler.
  1. mmoceeceb76e25's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by middling View Post
    right but I still do not see how this affects you?

    If I give my 10 yr old son 1,000,000 gold and he buys every piece of high level gear he can, how does that hurt you?

    If it was PVP gear he's still terrible at playing, if it's PVE gear, he couldn't move out of fire if his life depended on it so no raid would take him.

    Why do you care?
    Cant you see how that effects everyone else though? your 10 year old son joins a Pug or PvP whatever with his 665 ilvl (of which he bought almost every item he's wearing) or even links his full heroic clear achievement (again which he bought for gold, which in turn was bought for real money.....) and just fucks the whole thing up with his constant noobness.

    Under your logic why not just open a game shop that lets you buy whatever piece of gear you want, me buying a 690 ilvl mythic 2-hander doesn't effect anybody else, right?

    It started with faction changes years ago, then it moved to a in-game store and now its going towards buying items for cash, its a path that will ruin the game I've got no doubt about that everytime they add one of these new features it starts to creep closer and closer to all out pay to win.
  1. link_991's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Clozer View Post
    Can someone explain me how this dynamic market works?

    I buy a Token. Current market tells me i will sell it for 20k. Next guy buys a Token and market tells him he get 19k for it. Then a Player can buy a Token for 20k or 19k?
    Player A lists a token for current market price of 20k
    Player B lists a token for current market price of 19k

    Player C pays current market price of 19k to buy Player A's listing, because he was first in line to sell, and receives his 20k as promised.
  1. mmocaccd5f9eea's Avatar
    It's pay to win (wow has been pay to win since you could buy boe epics), and its also now free to play. guess who are going to benefit from that? farming gold just got FREE.
  1. Total Crica's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Shudder View Post
    Both have no gold. Both are new players. One, because he is poor has to level up his character then spend months gearing it up. The other who is rich can buy a level 90 boost then buy mythic gear. Pay to win means people with money having an advantage over people that don't. I don't know how to say this any simpler.
    EVERY SINGLE PLAYER who has more gold then other players ALREADY HAVE AN ADVANTAGE, it's ALREADY in the game - the advantage CAN NOT BE BOUGHT WITH REAL MONEY unless it ALREADY EXISTS - in other words, if i have a ton of gold RIGHT NOW and YOU DONT, then I ALREADY have an advantage, me selling that advantage to someone else doesnt affect you at all just like the fact that i have a ton of gold RIGHT NOW doesnt affect you at all
  1. mmocaccd5f9eea's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by link_991 View Post
    Player A lists a token for current market price of 20k
    Player B lists a token for current market price of 19k

    Player C pays current market price of 19k to buy Player A's listing, because he was first in line to sell, and receives his 20k as promised.
    No. Tokens are fixed price. You cannot set the price.
  1. Clozer's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by link_991 View Post
    Player A lists a token for current market price of 20k
    Player B lists a token for current market price of 19k

    Player C pays current market price of 19k to buy Player A's listing, because he was first in line to sell, and receives his 20k as promised.
    So they create even more Gold with this Method?
  1. ponies's Avatar
    blizzard has gone full retard
  1. link_991's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Oranj View Post
    No. Tokens are fixed price. You cannot set the price.
    I didn't say that players set the price. The price is set by Blizzard, but it fluctuates based on current supply and demand at the time of the listing.
  1. middling's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Flimsy View Post
    Cant you see how that effects everyone else though? your 10 year old son joins a Pug or PvP whatever with his 665 ilvl (of which he bought almost every item he's wearing) or even links his full heroic clear achievement (again which he bought for gold, which in turn was bought for real money.....) and just fucks the whole thing up with his constant noobness.

    Under your logic why not just open a game shop that lets you buy whatever piece of gear you want, me buying a 690 ilvl mythic 2-hander doesn't effect anybody else, right?

    It started with faction changes years ago, then it moved to a in-game store and now its going towards buying items for cash, its a path that will ruin the game I've got no doubt about that everytime they add one of these new features it starts to creep closer and closer to all out pay to win.
    but the game is 10 years old? I still don't understand why anyone cares? there are plenty of other games to play.

    If you are saying you will quit because of this or any of the other changes they have made, then maybe this game isn't for you in the first place?

    My guess is that most people that complain aren't the ones that quit, the ones that quit do so quietly and without looking back.
  1. link_991's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Clozer View Post
    So they create even more Gold with this Method?
    For some transactions, but it should average out if blizzard does it right since it can happen in reverse too.

    After Player C's purchase, the supply goes down and the market price goes back up to 20k. Player D buys a token for 20k, and Player B gets paid 19k
  1. subanark's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Clozer View Post
    Can someone explain me how this dynamic market works?

    I buy a Token. Current market tells me i will sell it for 20k. Next guy buys a Token and market tells him he get 19k for it. Then a Player can buy a Token for 20k or 19k?
    You get 20K, the "Next guy" pays 19K.

    The way it probably works is that the game will set a base price, then if the number of available tokens to buy gets low, the market price will go up, if the number of available tokens gets too high then the price goes down.

    E.g. lets say Blizzards starts the price at 50K gold with 100 tokens as the ideal supply.
    1. For the first hour you can put tokens up to sell, but can't buy any.
    3. People are now buying and selling at 50K
    4. 50K was a lowball figure, only 80 tokens are up for sale after the first hour, and the supply is decreasing
    5. The price goes up to 60K, more people want to sell, less want to buy.
    6. Now it is at 100 tokens waiting to sell and is pretty stable.
    7. People start getting their tax refunds, and start trying to sell more tokens.
    8. Supply goes up to 120 and is increasing
    9. Price falls back down to 50K.
    10. People have spent thier refund, so the price now goes back up to 60K.
  1. Wries's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by zekobunny View Post
    I would ask people to not put these on the AH for stupidly high prices. I am one of the players who can not afford gametime so this will be my only way of getting it. Thank you.
    Like you've probably gotten time to read by now, we won't determine price directly on these while listing them.

    Second off, we're talking real money here. They will likely cost a fair bit to buy off the AH. No one is in the business of simply sponsoring your subscription.
  1. IxilaFA's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by ringpriest View Post
    You're neatly leaving out the bit where the guy selling the gametime ends up with gold in their pocket, which they can then use to buy goods and services in-game, dependent only on their ability to turn real-life $$$ into gold. It's literally Pay to Win. Judging by the fact that so many people don't be able to see past the obfuscation Blizzard stuck in the middle of the transaction, they were definitely clever to have done it this way.
    More gold does not always equal a statistical advantage. You can already buy carries and gold for real life money through shady means. Nobody has ever considered a BOE or a carry through Mythic as achieving any sort of success in this game.

    Quote Originally Posted by Flimsy View Post
    Still not bad though is it, 665 gear and boosted character on top of that, it's a slippy sloap they started with paid mounts and its slowly starting to filter into the game play, more stuff will be available for money soon enough there's no end to Blizzards greed thats been proven over previous years.
    If you want to be fully decked out in BOE epics then I guess that's cool for you. Very few people would consider that you have achieved anything, which is the very definition of pay to win.

    Also you realize the slippery slope is a fallacious argument right? Blizzard introduced mounts and pets in the shop like six years ago and we still have not seen a statistical in game advantage for sale yet.
    Quote Originally Posted by Shudder View Post
    It's still pay to win. You're using your credit card to buy mythic gear off the auction house. Which gives you an advantage over someone who doesn't have enough money irl. It's the entire fucking definition.
    It only gives you an advantage over someone with neither the money IRL or someone with no gold. Because for what 50k gold you can buy a mythic piece off the AH. How hard is it to make 50k gold? Besides there are other sources of gear outside the AH. Someone can get mythic gear in caches without ever killing a mythic boss. You can get 680 essentially for free by crafting your own gear.

    If a person having a mythic belt and mythic necklace with every other piece being a 665 and you consider that "winning" in WoW then so be it.

    You are not buying an advantage in game that couldn't be easily accessed otherwise. Its a lot like the lv90 boost...getting to lv90 took minimal effort beforehand and spending 60 bucks to skip the process isnt giving you any significant advantage.
  1. Zka's Avatar
    YESS! However I'm a bit puzzled why they don't let the price determined by the market.
  1. subanark's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Clozer View Post
    So they create even more Gold with this Method?
    Possibly for a small bit, but if the price starts going down, money is taken out of the economy.
  1. reemi's Avatar
    Good idea! Actually isnt not Blizzard idea but i'm happy Blizzard added it.
  1. Banquetto's Avatar
    Very concerned that they're using a GW2-style "magic" algorithm to determine the exchange rate between gold and tokens.

    Would be much, much, much safer to just allow the seller to name their price, and if it sells, it sells.

    Better still would be the above, plus allow buyers to list buy orders and name their price too .. but that would be more work, whereas a straight sale listing wouldn't be.

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