It will be those things AND the game being bad.
Both RMT and inflation were directly caused by the devs. The absurd removal of the ID system caused the RMT market to bloom and it also eliminated a massive chunk of players during the release and afterwards.
Then when things were stabilizing, they caused a massive hyperinflation event to happen by introducing the heinous 3-day withholding period system and giving the most anticipated summer event cosmetics in the same bundle. At this point the RC exchange value for the cosmetics was about 7-8k gold, but the cosmetics thanks to the 3-day withholding period bottlenecking the free market supply entirely, started going for 15k a pop. This bruteforced the whole crystal market inflation to essentially double as nobody was exchanging RC anymore due to it being almost half the value of what they could get by simply buying out the cosmetics. Without the withholding period the supply would’ve met the demand much earlier and the inflation would’ve been minor, but due to the bottlenecking the price only went down by 2-3k before bouncing almost immediately back and even further beyond. This absolutely destroyed the current macro economy and with double boosts in the picture and another horrible decision they doubled the gold farm amounts of most players. This also caused massive QoL issues for Yoho and now Deskaluda
But the content itself is still great and you can enjoy it even if you don’t have the optimal gear setup, right? Wroong. The gear setup itself is irrelevant as the problem is the content. Raid bosses shift from intuitive long tought fights into strategy puzzles where you wipe or die most of the time if you don’t act like a good schoolboy and memorize that stuff. That sh- stuff is so boring that nobody anticipates it. The raid content is degenerating and becoming extremely unfun compared to the previous content where you’d have certain wipe mechanics far and between, but the rest of the fights (+95%) are intuitive attack patterns that deal damage to you if you mess them up
So all in all the devs caused hyper inflation and the new raid designs are horrible. So that’s what’s going to kill the game in the west and make it a niche cult favorite for the most hardcore addicted LA fans. Nobody else is going to care about the game at that point
We appreciate this feedback and thread, and know that the impacts with bots and RMT are much bigger than just “cheating.” The team is highly aware of the state of the economy in-game and is looking for solutions to improve this. As a small start, this week the item prices in Mari’s Secret Shop were adjusted to account for inflation. We know that is only a tiny adjustment, but hopefully it will be the first.
@Roxx the main problem here is that it’s very hard for anyone to get gold, regardless of whether they have money or not. As far as I’ve heard, people have said that they go to 3rd party sites if they don’t have the money to pay for the gold price in the game. Instead of banning people here, on the contrary, you would force the bots to increase the gold prices on the 3rd party sites by making it difficult to source gold. If people pay 600 dollars for 600k gold, then the problem disappears, but if people give 30 dollars for 100k gold, then you can’t stop any player from buying from 3 party sites. once you have promoted it, the 3 day waiting time is very bad and people are sending it to 3 party sites. it seems the prices are increasing gradually on 3rd party sites but they are still very cheap. The economy isn’t just about bots. people earn between 600k gold by bussing clowns per character just by doing these and I didn’t include other things. This, of course, affects the economy like RMT and bot. Bussing and bots should not be in the game, but you have allowed them to exist from the very beginning. exploded in your hand.
I really wish I had 1800 gold BC exchange. Been around 3k for NAW for over a month
Decided to come back to the game after not playing for a couple of months. Been playing for the past 3 weeks or so and my returning experiencing has been like so:
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Got my main to 1415, but also realized I was a bit bored with it, so got another character to 1415 instead two days later. (The honing buff is nice.)
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Since no one in my guild logs in anymore, attempted to find learning parties for both Argos and Valtan. (I had only done first gate of Argos back in the day) and was unsuccessful. (My gear not being sufficient enough is an issue, apparently.)
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Had to buy runs to get my characters into the fights. I hate doing this, but again, no one logs on in my guild anymore and I want to progress. The only way I could when I got back was to take this route.
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Since buying those runs means I am not making a lot of gold for my account, decided to roll a bard because everyone loves a bard right? Figured it’s the only way to get into parties to learn the fights. (Currently sitting at 1408.)
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Can’t afford any engravings at the current moment. Never been lucky with drops, and since I’m playing a Deathblade now instead of Shadowhunter, the gems I generate tend to go toward her, at least, I’d like them too. But it’s clear that with how the market is currently, I have to make a choice either selling the gems I generate to make the gold needed to buy engravings (One 7 lvl gem is enough to afford one book or two depending on which book I decide to buy), or using those gems for my character.
So anyone returning for the honing buff that were sitting around 1370-1400 is in for a slog, especially if they’re guildless. They more than likely will have to buy a few runs, and if they used up all their free crystalline aura, they’re first going to have to get that in order to pay for the runs they want to buy. Right now on NAW, with the current BC rate, that’s 14,000 gold to just buy the aura for 30 days on the shop. Next, they’ll potentially have to buy an Argos run, another 1,500-1,700g depending, and then Valtan, 2,000-2,500g. If they don’t have their legendary engravings yet, that’s another 8k-15k depending on their spec per book they’re going to have to drop. If you’re returning, and you seriously want to give the game another go at it, if your guild is not active, find a new one, immediately. That will help you tremendously in regards to runs.
The insane inflation as well as the community gatekeeping fights for the sake of fast and easy runs are both working in tandem to make the returning player experience an incredibly 
y one. I’ve been back for 3 weeks and I’ve not made any tangible progress. Oh, but I did get one legendary adrenaline book, so only 19 more to go there. So hurray for progress, right…? RIGHT?!
I stopped months ago and really wanted to come back recently. This seems kinda like the same terms I left on and probably the experience I’d return to. Which really makes me want to stay away.
Damn, I’m really sorry about it all, it seems like a miserable experience =f
I know that learning parties are difficult to fill up, but it’s usually a very good way of learning the mecs without fear of being bashed by random players. Maybe try to create one in a hour where your server is busy? More chances of people joining in.
As for the books, yes, it’s difficult, but at the same time I’d say it’s not meant to be fast. I managed to finish 2 leg books by buying 1/2 a week. Took a long while, but I think it’s worth it. Btw, I’m not sure adrenaline is the best leg book to invest on, bc most classes can run it lvl2 just fine.
Yea, pretty much. I thought with the 1415 honing buff I could actually come back and experience the ‘fun’ content that the streamers kept talking about.
You can either find a new guild, or throw yourself against the wall until it works, getting called all sorts of nasty things in the process. (Heck, like the third day back, I did an Oreha run, and some guy was calling me ‘worthless’, ‘bad’, ‘stupid’ and I should ‘uninstall’ because I couldn’t carry the run. I hasn’t played in months and I switched mains. Like dude, take a flipping chill pill.)
I’m a stubborn person, so I just throw myself into Argos runs into I find one that works, but I am still buying Valtan runs, though this week I really want to try and not do that.
Even though my guild isn’t as active as they used to be, I don’t want to leave since I’ve been playing with this same group for years. I’m also a pretty anxious person, so the idea of finding a new guild to go and be social with kinda, I dunno, terrifies me in a way? I’m strange.
We’ll see I suppose. The game is A LOT of fun and I do enjoy playing it, but when you’re put in a position where you have to farm for a week just to afford one or two books, it really can put a damper on the fun.
A lot of guides I’ve looked up regarding Surge Deathblade have Adrenaline at level 3. Also been inspecting a few Deathblades in game and see them using said engraving as well at level 3. Plus, I didn’t ‘invest’ in it so much as I did a cube run and got it out of a chest. If you got another guide or something I can read up on that says otherwise that I can look into, I’m all for it.
Yeah, that sounds like a harsh return. Don’t get me wrong I enjoyed the game also and loved playing my Striker the most. But the time commitment in order to get any sort of progression is just insane, as you’ve mentioned yourself. I maybe have two-three hours to put towards the game in a given day. And I don’t want that time spent on tasks that I just don’t enjoy doing. Let alone having to do them on multiple characters that end up being a necessity. Even the Argos that I did was kinda fun, but was it worth it? Not really. Looking back, it kinda sucked. I had to step outside of so many comfort zones to accommodate for my main’s progression. The only big payoff I had in the game was learning to use the exchange market during the massive bot fluctuations. I got more dopamine hits watching the market board than doing content. This was all back in April though ofc.
Any chance we will get the Golden Toad event any time soon?
Engravings and Accessory prices are absurd.
Yeah I resonate with this post a lot. I had to take a break for an extended period of time and needless to say after that month and a half of not playing back in the end of June through July, when I came back in early August, I had to do similar things you did even with a guild that was still fairly active. My main was 1475 at the time (1510 now) and even then I had to buy a bus because In missed out on the first few weeks of Vykas release, so my relic set wasn’t complete and none would take me. My guildies had all finished the runs, but it was also odd for me to just leec runs off them. I didn’t want to hold the group back due to my inexperience. Learning parties were difficult to make/find. RMT is a part of it for sure but I think a big driving factor to this mentality is a sort of PTSD to failed runs. Many people have failed in the past and do not wish to relive the experience of constantly failing runs they’ve managed to finally learn and not get struck in. It’s somewhat understandable but it really isn’t completely defensible as well since new players will never learn the fight if you expect them to pay you for carries. RMT and inflation has made it harder to earn gold, progress and meet certain criteria especially if you are new as well. Not sure what AGS/SG can really do to really mend this wounds but the damage has definitely been done.
2k gold/95 BC is too much considering the state of the game right now. Even with 6 chars farming 15+ Legion Raids a week, I still feel the struggle. I can’t imagine how casual players deal with this inflation.
I think the main problem regarding RMT is because bought gold is soft-locked for 3 days if you pay the legit way. The only time I ever feel the need to pay for gold is because I need the money to buy something immediately (an ending soon auction etc.) Or tempting to do something stupid like rage-honing. So this restriction kinda defeated the purpose of paying for gold. I notice the rising prices of blue crystal after this restriction is implemented. They need to do something about it, or RMT won’t stop anytime soon.
I feel this SO MUCH. I’ve watched and rewatched countless guides on youtube to learn the basics, but still, it is always better to learn the fights through doing rather than watching someone else.
I also understand that people in the community may not want to invest their time in a random learning party after they’ve mastered the fights, I get it, and I respect that. I think a good way to try and get veteran players to go back and help new or returning players is to offer more rewards for doing so, something that FFXIV does when you have a new player running a dungeon.
I think the problem is the gatekeeping I have witnessed in a lot of runs. Asking for 4x3 or even 5x3 in some runs for Argos and Valtan is asking for players to drop gold and pheons on legendary items that are better spent on relics, and forces people to focus more on farming for gold to buy what they need to meet these requirements.
This community is starting to remind me of Blade and Soul. The people that play constantly praise the game for being fun and that new players should come and try it out, while at the same time, those new players that do come and try it out, or returning players, are gatekept by the same community expecting these players to have xyz gear else they’re rejected and or insulted for not knowing the fights.
It’s terrible. Yes, inflation is very much a problem. 3k gold for 95 crystals on NAW is just absolutely insane, but the community is also a big problem too. At least that is my opinion.
Maybe you should take a look at the number of players online today, which is 150,000 people 24 hours a day. How did that happen? Do something about it? 100K robot waiting for you to deal with!
change UNA gold finally… the main reason how Bots making gold… that would slow inflation alot.
I really don’t knwo why you still didn’t touch that major problem already?
How often do we need to calculate that for you?
BLUE CRYSTAL PRICE EU CENTRAL 2250G : 95 BC
= 5400g (180*30) From AH
450 BC = 10650G
98*50=4900G Auction House
Mari Shop 250BC = 5900G
Auction House 16g per 10=1280G for 800
Mari Shop= 240BC = 5680G
2000 = 400G
Mari Shop= 6400G for 270 BC
60*45=2700g
Mari Shop 120BC = 2840G
Shop Balance my ass, this shit hasn’t been worth buying since 6 months, your balance there is a joke, those are supposed to be better deals than you can usually get. Limited one time offers.
Y’all don’t play your own effin game. And it really freaking upsets me. (I mean sure some do, but who actually grinds the game has 1500+ ilvl mains and a full 1460+ roster with 6+ gold earning chars, people who actually put in the effort day for day since game release?) I bet there is none, or else such issues wouldn’t really exist.
HOWEVER ROXX:
Thank you. fucking finally.
nothing from the Mari’s Shop except Honor Shard Pouches is worth buying. And it has been like that since 5+ months now.