Brian Black / "Rho" · @BrianPodcaster
21st Jan 2016 from TwitLonger
On Gold-Sinks in the Legion Alpha
Recently on Twitter I saw a number of people providing feedback that there shouldn't be any gold cost to switch specs in Legion.
Currently on the Alpha it costs 100g to switch specs. Based on some of the replies I've seen, you would think flying was being taken away again.
Regardless of my personal stance on whether it's fine or not (it doesn't bug me), it can't be argued that there exists a portion of the playerbase that doesn't agree with the concept of having gold-sinks tied to key gameplay systems. The actual amount isn't going to matter with a lot of people who aren't fond of the idea. It's the principle that any gold at all being required that's concerning some players.
Of course, alpha is alpha. This may not even be a thing in a week, or a month. Still, it's worth discussing gold-sinks in general, especially considering how little we know about the future of gold-making in WoW 6.0 and beyond.
I think it's fair to say that many people don't have a problem with gold-sinks that are attached to vanity purchases (pets, mounts, transmog gear, etc.)
I'm no game developer. I can only imagine that a gold sink is being considered for spec switching because the current state of gold-sink mechanics are insufficient or lacking.
That begs the question: What other ways can gold-sinks be implemented that wouldn't feel so "bad"?
I'd love to see a member of the dev team, or even someone from the community team start a conversation about gold-sinks and the state of the WoW economy.
The downside to that is it takes someone's time away from working on the game, though I do feel it's a discussion worth having. Even if nothing would change in game as a result of it, I feel portions of the playerbase could benefit from a little more transparency in regards to game economy,
Because we often only know about how much gold we're making in game as individuals, I feel a lot of us are simply blind to the challenges involved in making a gold in WoW a currency that has meaning and value.
Your thoughts and discussion are always welcome.