Blizzard will increasingly act against gold buyers, not just sellers, in WoW Forever
· ForeverDB
Kaivax says Blizzard will increasingly act against the accounts that buy gold as well as those that sell it: taking back the gold and possibly closing accounts. Players who accept gold they knew, or should have known, was bought can be punished too. This applies to the beta and to live.
On September 28 community manager Kaivax posted the same statement on the US and EU forums. It came in threads where players said that some players getting ready for the $50,000 Forever Open dueling tournament had been handed large amounts of gold on the level 20 beta. Blizzard didn't comment on any player or on the tournament. In full:
Hello. We just want to reiterate some key points about this subject. Real money transactions (RMT) are not acceptable in World of Warcraft, and we’re taking steps to address RMT in the WoW: Forever Beta, and of course, when WoW: Forever goes live and beyond. It’s important to know that while we have always actioned RMT seller’s accounts as quickly as possible, we will increasingly take action against buyers’ accounts. That means that we will remove the illicit gold from the recipient, and/or take further actions, which can include closing accounts. We’re once again asking all players to be very cautious when it comes to accepting gifts from strangers or other one-sided transactions. If it becomes apparent that a recipient knew or should-have-known that gold wasn’t from a legitimate source, they may be subject to account actions as well. Kaivax, Blizzard community manager
What it means for you
- Buying gold is against the rules, on the beta and on live. Until now Blizzard mostly went after sellers. It now says it will increasingly go after buyers too.
- What can happen: Blizzard takes the gold back, and/or takes further action, up to closing the account.
- Gifts count too. If you accept gold and you knew, or should have known, that it wasn't earned legitimately, your account can be actioned even if you didn't pay for it. Be careful with large gifts from strangers and one-sided trades.
- No details yet on how buyers are detected, or what counts as “should have known”.
Want gold the legitimate way? Our making money guide covers what sells at levels 1–20 on the beta, and it has always said to ignore gold sellers and “free gold” whispers: buying gold breaks the rules and is a common way accounts get stolen.