Economy Opinions

[gundamsone]

Before crates were introduced most big plat spenders & even the average Joe would convert plat to gold
With the introduction of crates, the majority of those purchasing plat now decide to gamble on these crates.

This has lead to a pretty dried up economy for a number of reasons
- too many crate items in ah
- players undercutting each other paying ridiculous auction fees
- lowered prices & less incentive to open crates b/c nothing sells
- our biggest gold influx has diminished b/c players choose to open crates now which return back 0 gold
- expensive pet feeding at higher levels
- 1-2k daily quests/5 gold drops/liquidating items @ 5 gold is minisucle and does not provide the economy enough gold

So in short the amount of gold sinks in this game outbalances the gold coming back in.

For example:
Before - 500 plat ---> 500k gold
Now - 500 plat ---> Open 33 crates => 500k gold

As you can see in the example, there is absolutely no reason for anyone to convert plat to gold anymore.
The odds of making back the cost of 33 crates and 500k gold is far higher.

What i'm suggesting is an additional gold loot in place of the pink/arcane/mythic item.
Perhaps the rate will be set similar to looting a pink and one would loot a bare minimum 15k gold loot to upwards of 50k?

[CrimsonTider]

Before crates were introduced most big plat spenders & even the average Joe would convert plat to gold.
With the introduction of crates, the majority of those purchasing plat now decide to gamble on these crates.

This has lead to a pretty dried up economy. (too many crate items in ah, players undercutting each other, lowered prices, less incentive to open crates b/c nothing sells)
Everyone has items to sell, and nothing is selling anymore b/c the amount of gold sinks in this game outbalances the gold coming back in.

For example:
Before - 500 plat ---> 500k gold
Now - 500 plat ---> Open 33 crates => 500k gold

As you can see in the example, there is absolutely no reason for anyone to convert plat to gold anymore.
The odds of making back the cost of 33 crates and 500k gold is far higher.

What i'm suggesting is a possible gold loot in the place of the pink/arcane/mythic.
Perhaps a bare minimum 15k gold loot to upwards of 50k?

Saw this coming the first time I saw the exchange rate for AL. The initial "riches" would be bought by a select few then when STS made their changes to the game, economy would go through struggles. After all, the gold cap raise coming in a 4 month old game versus an almost 3 year old game makes sense.

However, many insist their riches weren't made by plat. Ironic isn't it?

(Response not focused on you Gund. Just a general response.)

[Argyros]

Like the title bro, made me tap the thread haha.

[Rare]

I disagree. Completely. The last thing al needs is for prices to climb higher. The end game loot is still selling for around our over 1m for just the armor and hat. Don't even count weapons that go from 1-2m.

As it stands, it's already near impossible for newer player to equip with end game gear.

[gundamsone]

I disagree. Completely. The last thing al needs is for prices to climb higher. The end game loot is still selling for around our over 1m for just the armor and hat. Don't even count weapons that go from 1-2m.

As it stands, it's already near impossible for newer player to equip with end game gear.

So should we just ditch gold as our main currency and use items instead?

Even elite farmers now who put up with the dreadful farming have a hard time selling their loots. Why? b/c no one has gold anymore and those who have some are smart enough to spend it wisely

I wasn't suggesting a drastic change, and 15 plat = 15k gold so why not insert that as a possible loot roll in watch crates instead of bombarding people with junk pinks.

edit: @Aedenos I don't think it's intended for all players to have the top gear. The top gear should be rare enough so only a small portion of the players have them. Farmers will benefit, and those who buy them won't have to worry as much if their armor is dropping.
The regular gear is very affordable and it's not much worse than the top gear so there's no need to think that everyone deserves to be decked out.

or perhaps you feel that this game needs to be easier for everyone. Increase the drop rates, watch the items drop to few hundred k and everyone will look like clones.
I do respect your opinion but for me its a big NTY.

[xcainnblecterx]

Imo the best economy in sts games is sl. Whats the highest item go for now? Last i played it was probably around 50-60k. Also gold isnt hard to get either. But that was around last year in september

[JaytB]

After playing this game for over a month now, I have to agree to some points made here.

If you're not into merching or don't want to spend a ton of plat, it's really hard to make gold in this game.

Pet feeding, expensive pots, low liquidation fees and quest rewards, high cs listing fees and barely any return on investment in time and effort when running elites? How is a casual player supposed to make some money in this game?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining here, I merch. But if merching or spending plat are the only way to get expensive items, there's something not completely right with the mechanics IMO. Farming should at least make you break even, and not be included as being a gold sink.

So yeah, I don't see why there couldn't be higher gold rewards coming from chests, quests or liquidating items. That way farming would be a more rewarding experience for everyone.

[Rare]

To be honest, I think people are having a hard time selling because they are over valuing their loot.

Why would I pay 2m for a flint lock blade when there is another option that is relatively close for 1/20th the price.

Another example is the drastic difference in price from l25 to level 26. The small stat change does not justify paying almost 10x the price. I think this is the real problem and has been this easy since early on.

The fact that gold for plat is not as beneficial means the economy may stabilize. It also means farmers will have to reconsider what their loot is ACTUALLY worth.

[gundamsone]

The problem with merching JaytB is it's a transfer of wealth.

1 player gains while the other losses.
In this game there is an additional 5% listing fee to make it even worse

It's about time they start focusing some attention on our economy instead of thinking what new arcane/mythic item to add to watch crates

[gundamsone]

To be honest, I think people are having a hard time selling because they are over valuing their loot.

Why would I pay 2m for a flint lock blade when there is another option that is relatively close for 1/20th the price.

Another example is the drastic difference in price from l25 to level 26. The small stat change does not justify paying almost 10x the price. I think this is the real problem and has been this easy since early on.

The fact that gold for plat is not as beneficial means the economy may stabilize. It also means farmers will have to reconsider what their loot is ACTUALLY worth.
In any MMO, people pay the top for just the slightest increase in stat points.
It's a choice and not a must. I myself have been wearing watch armor for the entire season and I do just as fine compared to those who spend 10m on gear.

[KillaSkillz]

Imo the best economy in sts games is sl. Whats the highest item go for now? Last i played it was probably around 50-60k. Also gold isnt hard to get either. But that was around last year in september

I think so too. Highest items in SL are squidbuddy and xrays, 1.7 and 1.5 million approx. Each. They are both vanities and are pretty reare to get. They are droppable only and aren't affected by a reroll lix. Actually most vanities are the highest priced items in the game. Any level can use them so they never get outdated. We hardly had pinks until DL then they added a whole bunch, only a couple have good values, the rest are junk. You pretty much have to merch to build up credits or it takes a long time to build up a big pile, but it is easy enough to farm and sell and build credits that way. The commons dont really have value, but some greens and more purples do. There's plenty of farming opportunity and there is always something to sell.

This game doesn't have that. Anything below pink is worthless, and even a lot of pinks are worthless. Except for pets, everything is level tied, putting a lifespan on the items. I dont expect those helmets to level adjust when the cap gets raised, i just dont see them doing it based on the other games, although they may do a set bonus.

Im probably going back to SL, i've spent enough time and money on this game and i'm not seeing it going into a direction that i will like. I am just seeing level cap raises and new ways for sts to make revenue and out date previos gear. Everyting has the same lifespan as the level cap banner, sure id like an arcane pet or a mytic helmet, but i dont want to spend $1000 to get it, and i dont want the melmit for 7 million gold if itis underpowered in a cap raise or two.

The economy isn't bad but it leaves A LOT to be desired in my opinion.

[Natrich]

I dont expect those helmets to level adjust when the cap gets raised, i just dont see them doing it based on the other games, although they may do a set bonus.


Matching mythic armor is coming next cap. And both mythics will scale to level the cap after

[Arcanee]

I disagree. Completely. The last thing al needs is for prices to climb higher. The end game loot is still selling for around our over 1m for just the armor and hat. Don't even count weapons that go from 1-2m.

As it stands, it's already near impossible for newer player to equip with end game gear. Dude captain axe of assault is like 10k and is like the 2nd best weapon

[Lady_Pebbles]

Yep, the economy went down the drain as soon as crates hit the market, the gold cap increased & items bought with plat were able to be sold for gold. There has never been enough gold being looted from running maps. Ever. I had a hard time when I first started playing AL at its release (& stopped playing for a while then returned). I came back one day and looted a pink from a chest I got off of Jarl, wham 350k pink at lvl 16. Problem was, my pets (I had only like 2 or 3 at the time) sucked up all of my gold and pots ridiculously drain my gold as well. High costs for every day things we need in AL & no way to obtain the gold.

Even now, with all The Daily Quests and gold and items we get from them, its like at most 2/3k maybe 4k (including the 1k gold from the KRaken Mines daily) when I do all of them each day and it drains really fast because of the few pets I actually use in PvP & PvE. Along with the costs of posts.

This game turned into a Plat sink. Plain and simple.

[xcainnblecterx]

I think so too. Highest items in SL are squidbuddy and xrays, 1.7 and 1.5 million approx. Each. They are both vanities and are pretty reare to get. They are droppable only and aren't affected by a reroll lix. Actually most vanities are the highest priced items in the game. Any level can use them so they never get outdated. We hardly had pinks until DL then they added a whole bunch, only a couple have good values, the rest are junk. You pretty much have to merch to build up credits or it takes a long time to build up a big pile, but it is easy enough to farm and sell and build credits that way. The commons dont really have value, but some greens and more purples do. There's plenty of farming opportunity and there is always something to sell.

This game doesn't have that. Anything below pink is worthless, and even a lot of pinks are worthless. Except for pets, everything is level tied, putting a lifespan on the items. I dont expect those helmets to level adjust when the cap gets raised, i just dont see them doing it based on the other games, although they may do a set bonus.

Im probably going back to SL, i've spent enough time and money on this game and i'm not seeing it going into a direction that i will like. I am just seeing level cap raises and new ways for sts to make revenue and out date previos gear. Everyting has the same lifespan as the level cap banner, sure id like an arcane pet or a mytic helmet, but i dont want to spend $1000 to get it, and i dont want the melmit for 7 million gold if itis underpowered in a cap raise or two.

The economy isn't bad but it leaves A LOT to be desired in my opinion.

Actually im probably goin install sl tonight to get drunk and play. I like the other mobile mmos but i dont understand half of what they say and no one pays attention to people who need help lol
Thing i liked most in sts games is it practically forces.team work, so its kinda.easier to make friends.
About xrays i thought it was those, but wasnt sure if it.was on dl or.sl

[LwMark]

It's about time they start focusing some attention on our economy instead of thinking what new arcane/mythic item to add to watch crates

Says the guy with glacian already!!!!!!

[Rare]

Dude captain axe of assault is like 10k and is like the 2nd best weapon

Read my next post.

In the comment you responded to I was talking about top gear. Not the lesser gear. In my next comment I addressed lesser gear.

[LwMark]

Thread name change

[TheStoic]

Yep, the economy went down the drain as soon as crates hit the market, the gold cap increased & items bought with plat were able to be sold for gold. There has never been enough gold being looted from running maps. Ever. I had a hard time when I first started playing AL at its release (& stopped playing for a while then returned). I came back one day and looted a pink from a chest I got off of Jarl, wham 350k pink at lvl 16. Problem was, my pets (I had only like 2 or 3 at the time) sucked up all of my gold and pots ridiculously drain my gold as well. High costs for every day things we need in AL & no way to obtain the gold.

Even now, with all The Daily Quests and gold and items we get from them, its like at most 2/3k maybe 4k (including the 1k gold from the KRaken Mines daily) when I do all of them each day and it drains really fast because of the few pets I actually use in PvP & PvE. Along with the costs of posts.

This game turned into a Plat sink. Plain and simple.



I agree, my suggestion will be to make the high-end gears of low level (16, 21....so on) be farmable again. Making them available to new players to farm and loot. I know some would react, especially those hoarding, then say, "What? this will flood the market and the price drops, I'm doomed!!!" Let's be honest, at this stage of the game, new players don't have something to look forward too, using crappy gears and near broke amount of gold. How can you call that a game when it's not fun anymore. The market now is going to a direction to become a monopoly of plat players.

Let me add also, if you're a new player who just want to do pvp, forget it, the elite players have breed their twinks with the best gears ready to slaughter you. What are your chances of surviving with a crappy gear? Zero.

[Energizeric]

I agree with the OP. I find it funny that someone said you have to merch or spend lots of plat to get end game gear. I can buy the best sealord effigy and wrappings for less than 50k now, and the oracle gun for about 2k. And rogues can use the items that come out of the crates as they are extremely good and cost 1k each. And warriors are a tiny bit more expensive, but again the gear that is cheap is only a tiny bit worse than the very expensive gear.

There has gotta be some gear that is really rare. Really rare by definition means there are not enough to go around. You all keep focusing on the price of mythic/arcane items. Understand that price does not matter --- there are NOT enough to go around. Only 1 in 1000 players can have an arcane item. There's only a few in the game. If they were 1 gold each, there would still only be a few. It's because there are a few that the prices are so high. Short supply results in high prices because people bid up the price.

I'm a bit of a coin collector, and for anyone that knows American coins a 1913 Liberty Nickel is worth about $3m, while a 1912 Liberty Nickel is worth less than $100. Why the difference? Simple -- there are only 5 1913 Liberty Nickels in the world. There are tens of thousands of 1912 Liberty Nickels. Yes, people pay high prices for rare stuff. It will always be that way in any economy.

[kingoburgo]

No more gold in the economy.. it would make prices even more high! There are people that have millions of gold, and adding gold it would be billions for them and nothing for the majority of players.



20m is easy to make. Simply farm and merch.

[Rare]

edit: @Aedenos I don't think it's intended for all players to have the top gear. The top gear should be rare enough so only a small portion of the players have them. Farmers will benefit, and those who buy them won't have to worry as much if their armor is dropping.
The regular gear is very affordable and it's not much worse than the top gear so there's no need to think that everyone deserves to be decked out.

No I agree with that. End game gear should be attainable if you play long enough and don't spend frivolously. And I think its that way now (if you focus on one toon). But I don't necessarily think adding gold to the economy is the right fix. At least not into the locked crates. If the economy is going to boom, let everyone try to get a piece I guess. I wouldn't mind seeing larger gold drops from say bosses or something like that. So you have to work for it.

Let me qualify my statement by saying I do not take into account merching. I for one don't have the patience or the time to really do this. Although I've gotten more into as of late.

[Caiahar]

I agree with the OP. I find it funny that someone said you have to merch or spend lots of plat to get end game gear. I can buy the best sealord effigy and wrappings for less than 50k now, and the oracle gun for about 2k. And rogues can use the items that come out of the crates as they are extremely good and cost 1k each. And warriors are a tiny bit more expensive, but again the gear that is cheap is only a tiny bit worse than the very expensive gear.

There has gotta be some gear that is really rare. Really rare by definition means there are not enough to go around. You all keep focusing on the price of mythic/arcane items. Understand that price does not matter --- there are NOT enough to go around. Only 1 in 1000 players can have an arcane item. There's only a few in the game. If they were 1 gold each, there would still only be a few. It's because there are a few that the prices are so high. Short supply results in high prices because people bid up the price.

I'm a bit of a coin collector, and for anyone that knows American coins a 1913 Liberty Nickel is worth about $3m, while a 1912 Liberty Nickel is worth less than $100. Why the difference? Simple -- there are only 5 1913 Liberty Nickels in the world. There are tens of thousands of 1912 Liberty Nickels. Yes, people pay high prices for rare stuff. It will always be that way in any economy.

O.o.....you bought my ALF for 180k.........when I bought all of my gear (Sealord helm, Sealord armor, oracle gun, amulet, ring, and pet ribbit), I had like 90k remaining. I sold ONE item and bought all my gear with the money.

[Uzii]

I don't think it's intended for all players to have the top gear. The top gear should be rare enough so only a small portion of the players have them. Farmers will benefit, and those who buy them won't have to worry as much if their armor is dropping.
The regular gear is very affordable and it's not much worse than the top gear so there's no need to think that everyone deserves to be decked out.



I agree with the OP. I find it funny that someone said you have to merch or spend lots of plat to get end game gear. I can buy the best sealord effigy and wrappings for less than 50k now, and the oracle gun for about 2k. And rogues can use the items that come out of the crates as they are extremely good and cost 1k each. And warriors are a tiny bit more expensive, but again the gear that is cheap is only a tiny bit worse than the very expensive gear.

There has gotta be some gear that is really rare. Really rare by definition means there are not enough to go around. You all keep focusing on the price of mythic/arcane items. Understand that price does not matter --- there are NOT enough to go around. Only 1 in 1000 players can have an arcane item. There's only a few in the game. If they were 1 gold each, there would still only be a few. It's because there are a few that the prices are so high. Short supply results in high prices because people bid up the price.



So top gear=elite items, regular gear=watch crate items ? Bc if u doing just fine with epic gear i cant beliave that. So i assume regualar is watch crate items. But why r they so cheap? bc ppl open them to get mythic or arcane items so crate pinks r common in cs. But if it wasnt for crates what then?
And sorcerers gear is known as cheapest so u can obtain more items for far less price as other classes. Warriors need quite a fortune to gear urself up. And whats cheap is again from crates.


To be honest, I think people are having a hard time selling because they are over valuing their loot.

Why would I pay 2m for a flint lock blade when there is another option that is relatively close for 1/20th the price.

Another example is the drastic difference in price from l25 to level 26. The small stat change does not justify paying almost 10x the price. I think this is the real problem and has been this easy since early on.

The fact that gold for plat is not as beneficial means the economy may stabilize. It also means farmers will have to reconsider what their loot is ACTUALLY worth.

I can agree with this its overpriced. PPl dont have money to buy and thers other cheaper options. I cant agree with stance that top gear is not for everyone and some ppl just wont have money for it. Why then even start to play? When im already predeterminet that i will be a poor player?
I still think that only mythic and arcane items should be for few players other pinks more obtainable for players. As i sayed above if not for crates i wonder how many ppl can afford some good endgame gear to farm in elite. Using epics its just not imaginable.


I agree, my suggestion will be to make the high-end gears of low level (16, 21....so on) be farmable again. Making them available to new players to farm and loot. I know some would react, especially those hoarding, then say, "What? this will flood the market and the price drops, I'm doomed!!!" Let's be honest, at this stage of the game, new players don't have something to look forward too, using crappy gears and near broke amount of gold. How can you call that a game when it's not fun anymore. The market now is going to a direction to become a monopoly of plat players.

Let me add also, if you're a new player who just want to do pvp, forget it, the elite players have breed their twinks with the best gears ready to slaughter you. What are your chances of surviving with a crappy gear? Zero.

Agree. What has new player to aim for? Hurry lvl up and farm elites? But how with so less money in pockets he cant afford even the items from crates. Quest can cover only hunger for pots. If hes lucky he already have more then 2-3 pets so can switch between them. And lvling up is boring. Just resurrected my forgoten sorcerer(lvl15 still) and i didnt lvl up not one lvl and already spend around 4k gold on pots. Thinking abt better weapon? joke. armor? joke. Im hapy just to have money for pots. I would like to farm something and sell while im lvling. Other sts games have this soportunity so why not al? Only elite items r worth something so u r enforced to lvl up and even then its not good.
Back in lvl 16 cap i bought bundle pack for my rouge just to have some good armor for elite maps. I wasnt very lucky on eggs to sell them (lol ribbit was selling for 70k+) so this was my option.

As for to loot gold from crates? well ppl at least get something valuable for opening them (if its not arcane or mythic they hoped for). Maybe then ppl will have gold to buy overpriced items (speaking abt pinks) in cs.

[Rare]

I agree, my suggestion will be to make the high-end gears of low level (16, 21....so on) be farmable again.

Yes, I always felt like this was the right way. Even at 50k per item, its an enormous hill to climb for newer players. And this number will climb as those items (L16/21) become more scarce. Right now, its ALL about end game. There is nothing in between. For new players, the objective has to be to get to end game as quickly as possible. I don't know that, if I started right now, I would make it that far before quitting.

[TheStoic]

I don't know that, if I started right now, I would make it that far before quitting.

I started a new toon, currently at lvl 16, to be honest its really difficult to earn, averaging only a few hundreds per dungeon visits. Without the seed money from the main, what else is exciting? If you're a new player, make the most of the loot elix Klass gives you, then farm for eggs. Even the loot elix can sometimes give you empty hope, the prices of the eggs looted at normal dungeons are dropping, which translate to less income. Less income received compared to disappearing and pricey gears at lvl 16 and 21, how exciting is that.

[Energizeric]

Honestly guys, I have the mythic helm and don't even use it for PvP because there are other helms that cost 2k that give me better stats. The rare gear in AL is mostly just for show, it's not really noticeably better than the much cheaper more common gear.

As for the person above who said mages have the cheapest gear, actually I think rogues do. Rogues can equip themselves with the shipmaster gear from the crates and the bow that also comes from the crates, and be just fine in PvP or PvE. In fact some of the best items come from the crates and are only cheap because they are so common. If they were more rare they would be super expensive since the stats are really good. I disagree with this and think it should be changed, but STS promises a pink item in each locked crate, so when people open hundreds of them there will be hundreds of these pinks on the market.

[Limsi]

Make previous elite gears farmable again.

[Uzii]

But i thx crates gear from them and ppl who open them otherwise i would have problem to gear myself up. I dont really like that other elite items r so expensive. Without crates what else? epics? Hardly doing fine in elite maps

[Mysticaleagle]

No more gold in the economy.. it would make prices even more high! There are people that have millions of gold, and adding gold it would be billions for them and nothing for the majority of players.

Gettin' famous Eh.

[Energizeric]

Make previous elite gears farmable again.

In PL there are no elite dungeons except for end game. The best legendary items are always farmable after the next campaign is released and you can still go back to old campaigns and farm twink items. The only items that get discontinued are the "elite" items which are like the mythic/arcane items in AL. I think it makes the game more interesting later on.

[Asmodaie]

With the introduction of crates, the majority of those purchasing plat now decide to gamble on these crates.

This has lead to a pretty dried up economy for a number of reasons
- too many crate items in ah
- players undercutting each other paying ridiculous auction fees
- lowered prices & less incentive to open crates b/c nothing sells
- our biggest gold influx has diminished b/c players choose to open crates now which return back 0 gold
- expensive pet feeding at higher levels
- 1-2k daily quests/5 gold drops/liquidating items @ 5 gold is minisucle and does not provide the economy enough gold

So in short the amount of gold sinks in this game outbalances the gold coming back in.

For example:
Before - 500 plat ---> 500k gold
Now - 500 plat ---> Open 33 crates => 500k gold

As you can see in the example, there is absolutely no reason for anyone to convert plat to gold anymore.
The odds of making back the cost of 33 crates and 500k gold is far higher.

What i'm suggesting is an additional gold loot in place of the pink/arcane/mythic item.
Perhaps the rate will be set similar to looting a pink and one would loot a bare minimum 15k gold loot to upwards of 50k?

I couldn't disagree more, your point totally misses how gold circulates in AL. Gold, and items, are created through user actions.

1. The simplest action by which gold is created is by killing a toon and harvesting some gold. It comes into the economy out of nowhere. Then there is gold for plat, a second means.

2. The simplest action for gold to be destroyed is by paying the upkeep for a pet. Then there is buying an elixir or pet egg for gold.

3. Similarly, items are created and destroyed through user action.

4. The auction house does zilch to the global amount of gold and pets and items. It solely swaps items for gold, apart from the tax, which takes gold away.

The inflated numbers for items are just that: inflation. I.e., there is too much money being created for the number of items in the auction house. Thus, gold needs to be mopped up out of the economy for prices to become lower.

AL needs to introduce more stuff or items with upkeep for gold to keep the inflation under control. That's all.

[Asmodaie]

But I don't necessarily think adding gold to the economy is the right fix.

The problem is monetary inflation: an oversupply of gold with regard to the number of items. Hence the enormously rich merchs. More gold is exactly the wrong thing to do....

[Energizeric]

The problem is monetary inflation: an oversupply of gold with regard to the number of items. Hence the enormously rich merchs. More gold is exactly the wrong thing to do....

Regardless of the amount of gold in the game, merchants will still get rich. It's the same to me if I buy an item for 800 gold and sell for 1200 gold or I buy an item for 80k and sell for 120k. Same percentage profit. That is not going to change. And since the auction house charges 5% listing fee, that doesn't affect things either.

[gundamsone]

As i've stated before Energizeric with merching as it is a transfer of wealth, there is always a winner and loser. One person is always up in net value while the other is down while the AH gobbles up 5% of the transaction.

It can be safe to assume that right now, the amount of gold going out of this game (via AH, Pet Feeds) is far greater than the gold coming back in which creates a rather big problem.

Yes people do want lower prices, but how would it feel if you loot a legendary pink and you're not able to sell it, or can only sell it for a thousand gold?
Inflation is not always a bad thing, and there are ways to adjust the game to balance the inflation of items.

I did not go in depth as it's a rather complicated issue so I hope everyone can add some valuable input and we can make this a thread that should be taken noticed.

[TheStoic]

We do have another gold influx coming in: Selling the crappy items!

For example:
If the average selling price of a crappy item is 6 gold. Let's say an average player has to dispose an average of 100 crappy items in a day, so in a month an average player can generate 18,000 gold (6 x 100 x 30). If assuming, the number of players actively playing AL is 50,000, the average influx in a month will be 900,000,000 gold, thats a lot.

The problem: It's widely distributed, unless you can pool this amount of gold.

[gundamsone]

We do have another gold influx coming in: Selling the crappy items!

For example:
If the average selling price of a crappy item is 6 gold. Let's say an average player has to dispose an average of 100 crappy items in a day, so in a month an average player can generate 18,000 gold (6 x 100 x 30). If assuming, the number of players actively playing AL is 50,000, the average influx in a month will be 900,000,000 gold, thats a lot.

The problem: It's widely distributed, unless you can pool this amount of gold.
Let's keep it simple.
For the majority, listing 1 single item in the AH costs more gold than they get back selling those crappy items they get in a days worth.

In the STS's first legends game, people were complaining about inflation and expensive items yet compared to this that game was far more reasonable.
The item drops sold for 300+ at higher levels
Gold drops from mosnters was in the 50's-100's+
The auction fee is 1%
The most expensive items costs LESS than they are in this game
The game does not have pets nor crates so big spenders PURCHASED GOLD w/ PLAT

See the problem we have?

[Energizeric]

The game does not have pets nor crates so big spenders PURCHASED GOLD w/ PLAT

I agree with everything else you wrote except this. Nobody in PL was purchasing gold as the exchange rate was so low it was crazy. I think 300 plat got you like 50k. LOL

People were spending their plat on OP combo elixirs that gave 3x stats. Also people were spending plat on those turnstyle dungeons that cost 3 or 4 plat per run. And the dragon pets were a good source of revenue (especially mitas) since you needed the pet to get the set bonus.

The way to keep prices up is simple -- make the items more rare. IMO it is crazy that we have items that drop that nobody uses. If the game were proper then the average player would use an average item (maybe purple?) and poorer players would be using green items, and beginners would be using the white items. Then the pinks would be rare and only a smaller percentage of players would be able to afford those. Problem is all of the items (except mythic and arcane) are too common.

Perhaps the solution would be to not have items drop all the time from every battle. Make it a seldom thing that any item drops at all. Instead everyone gets some gold reward, and only sometimes does an item drop. Then only if you are lucky you get a good item like a purple or pink. Then all of the items would actually have some value, not just the pinks, and all of the pinks would have good value as they would all be super rare. Maybe instead of a luck elixir giving you a reroll, it would just boost your chance of getting any kind of drop at all.

Because as someone posted recently, why do we even have white and green items? They are useless. Well, just get rid of them and instead of getting those items let gold drop instead.

[Chaim Nail]

The recent alterations STS have done to the game have rocked the boat somewhat, changing weapon stats & allowing free respects for a several days, introducing a new pet that can be found in some of the locked crates along with the luck element of the Leprochoblin, but now that thing has gone I think things will settle down somewhat for the forseeable future.

Until STS decide to impliment new changes again...

[Rare]

Regardless of the amount of gold in the game, merchants will still get rich. It's the same to me if I buy an item for 800 gold and sell for 1200 gold or I buy an item for 80k and sell for 120k. Same percentage profit. That is not going to change. And since the auction house charges 5% listing fee, that doesn't affect things either.

Oh but you'll get there a lot slower. Which is better for newer people that join

[gundamsone]

why do we even have white and green items? They are useless. Well, just get rid of them and instead of getting those items let gold drop instead.
Hard labor for 5 gold =.=''

And i thought the rates were the same in PL 100 plat = 100k gold

[Energizeric]

Hard labor for 5 gold =.=''

And i thought the rates were the same in PL 100 plat = 100k gold

So make it 200 gold then. Make the items more rare and they will be worth more. It doesn't do any good to devalue gold and crate inflation. Then the gold too becomes worthless. Value is in rarity, not in worthless gold.

And PL has a much worse exchange rate. I don't remember what it is exactly, but I know it's much worse. I was actually surprised when I saw how favorable it was in AL.

[Energizeric]

Oh but you'll get there a lot slower. Which is better for newer people that join

Define "rich"??

Is that 1m gold? Is that 100k? Is that 10m?

What is rich in the real world? Is that someone worth $1m net worth? Probably not. 100 years ago someone worth $1m was definitely rich. That's because inflation has devalued our currency over that 100 years. I have a 1 oz gold coin in my coin collection that is a $20 coin that was issued in the 1920s. Today 1 oz of gold is worth $1600. The value of gold did not increase. The value of the dollar dropped.

So no, it will not take me longer to get rich if you increase the value of gold and have deflation. I just won't need as much gold to be "rich".

[Rare]

Define "rich"??

Is that 1m gold? Is that 100k? Is that 10m?

What is rich in the real world? Is that someone worth $1m net worth? Probably not. 100 years ago someone worth $1m was definitely rich. That's because inflation has devalued our currency over that 100 years. I have a 1 oz gold coin in my coin collection that is a $20 coin that was issued in the 1920s. Today 1 oz of gold is worth $1600. The value of gold did not increase. The value of the dollar dropped.

So no, it will not take me longer to get rich if you increase the value of gold and have deflation. I just won't need as much gold to be "rich".

Rich obviously changes with time. As more gold is introduced into the game, the definition of rich changes. You understand inflation and seem to have a really good grasp of economics as a whole so I don't need to explain :).

All other things equal... if you are making 200 gold off of a transaction you will gain massive (relative) wealth a lot slower than if you're making 200k of a transaction. In this game, with so little gold coming from quests/liquidation/drops most of the gold is made from farming and selling rare gear. So if this gear is only selling for 500k as opposed to 2M, it makes it that much easier for new players to "get in".

Look at it this way, regardless how much you are making on a transaction, the little guy is mostly getting the same amount of gold doing dailies/quests/farming (until they hit a lucky roll). Imagine this, you are a new player. You make it to cap and want to buy some top gear. Gold is hard to come by for normal players. So it levels the playing field if there is less in circulation from things like platinum.

I hope what I'm trying to say is coming across. Haven't had my coffee yet.

[Rare]

So make it 200 gold then. Make the items more rare and they will be worth more. It doesn't do any good to devalue gold and crate inflation. Then the gold too becomes worthless. Value is in rarity, not in worthless gold.

And PL has a much worse exchange rate. I don't remember what it is exactly, but I know it's much worse. I was actually surprised when I saw how favorable it was in AL.

I dunno, I guess I feel like the problem is in this:

1. Gold has more worth than in PL because it is much harder to come buy. Liquidation value is on par with SL. Combined with the potion sink it is very difficult to accumulate before end game unless you're really good at merching.

2. At the same time, gold in AL has less value because of the initial gold for plat exchange. People that were in early took advantage of it whether it be from purchasing or from farming/merching.

So I guess what I'm trying to say is right now its a double wammy for new players. Gold is hard to come by AND its value is decreasing due to inflation. However, like Gundamsone point out, I think the economy is starting to stabalize. And I personally don't feel its a bad thing. Once people start to realize that outside of a select few, nobody will be able to afford 2M for Flintlock of Brutality, they will more than likely drop their price (and it has been dropping). You can also see it in the price of elite golden pirate chests the last few days (maybe this is from over supply, I don't know).