Summary
- Trader's Tender is now available for purchase with real money in World of Warcraft, going against previous assurances from Blizzard and upsetting the community.
- The first in-game store purchase, the Corsage Pack, includes two wrist corsage transmogs and 200 Trader's Tender for use at the Trading Post.
- While Trader's Tender is currently only available in one bundle, players are concerned that this sets a troubling precedent and fear future cosmetic bundles with higher quantities of Trader's Tender as a bonus incentive.
Trader’s Tender for the Trading Post in World of Warcraft is officially available for purchase with real money. This controversial decision came after World of Warcraft suggested it had no intention of doing so, angering the community in the process.
The Trading Post is a cosmetics collecting feature WoW added 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 fear World of Warcraft game director Ion Hazzikostas seemingly addressed in July.
Now, World of Warcraft has 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. The WoW cosmetics themselves will appear on the Trading Post in 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 Warcraft didn’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 purchased Dragonflight as an example. That said, most players interpreted his words to mean WoW would be adding them to major bundles and expansion purchases, not small cosmetic bundles with items players might not otherwise want.
On the plus side, World of Warcraft has not made Trader’s Tender freely purchasable in 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 for World 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 the currency World of Warcraft players can earn each month to compensate.
World of Warcraft is available now for PC.