Summary
Trader’s Tender for the Trading Post inWorld of Warcraftis officially available for purchase with real money. This controversial decision came afterWorld of Warcraftsuggested it had no intention of doing so, angering the community in the process.
The Trading Post is a cosmetics collecting featureWoWadded earlier this year that lets players earn a limited amount of Trader’s Tender each month to purchase items from a rotating stock. However, players discovered assets that hinted Blizzard was planning on selling Trader’s Tender in the in-game store – a fearWorld of Warcraftgame director Ion Hazzikostas seemingly addressedin July.
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Now,World of Warcrafthas officially added the first in-game store purchase featuring Trader’s Tender. The Corsage Pack is a $5 bundle including two simple wrist corsage transmogs, as well as 200 Trader’s Tender for use at the Trading Post. TheWoWcosmetics themselves will appear on the Trading Postin the future, and the bundle can only be purchased once, meaning players can’t get an unlimited amount of Trader’s Tender right now.
World of Warcraftdidn’t technically lie by adding this new Trader’s Tender bundle. In his interview, Hazzikostas said Blizzard was looking at adding Trader’s Tender to “some significant bundles,” and referenced the stipend given to players who purchasedDragonflightas an example. That said, most players interpreted his words to meanWoWwould be adding them to major bundlesand expansion purchases, not small cosmetic bundles with items players might not otherwise want.
On the plus side,World of Warcrafthas not made Trader’s Tender freely purchasablein the shop. Players currently only have this one bundle on the store, and don’t have the opportunity to earn an endless amount of the currency. While not ideal, this at least means players still get most of their Trader’s Tender through in-game activities.
Nevertheless, the Corsage Bundle sets a troubling precedent forWorld of Warcraft. While Trader’s Tender are only in one bundle for now, many players are afraid that might change in the future, with more cosmetics featuring higher quantities of Trader’s Tender as a bonus incentive. These players are frustrated by Hazzikostas’ misleading remarks, and think the Trading Post, an otherwise highly-praised feature, is being ruined by greed. Hopefully, Blizzard can strike a balance in the future, either by walking back its decision to garnish cash shop bundles with Trader’s Tender, or by increasing the amount of thecurrencyWorld of Warcraftplayers can earn each monthto compensate.
World of Warcraftis available now for PC.
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