WoW boosting, carrying services, and gold generation schemes have become one of the iconic MMORPG‘s most controversial topics, but post-Shadowlands Patch 9.2.7, Blizzard has put them in a separate channel to avoid spam, and will be punishing those who continue to post in the global chat.
Picture the scene: you’re queuing up to raid Castle Nathria. Excitement is in the air, contrasting starkly with the macabre surroundings of Revendreth. Today is the day you’ll take down Sire Denathrius and his hordes of lackeys, beating your best time in a blaze of glory.
And then it begins: the all chat is flooded with bots trying to sell you boosts and gold for exuberant prices. It’s enough to make you want to rage quit the game – especially because there are just so many of them.
Luckily, WoW Shadowlands patch 9.2.7 added in the ‘trade (services)’ channel, one where players can either ask for or volunteer services. Given there’s now a specific channel for external services, Blizzard will now bring down the hammer on those who refuse to use it.
While the main thrust of the 9.2.7 update was the remote auction house, it also added a ‘trade (services)’ channel, which is specifically for discussing boosting and external services.
They have since clarified “with the separation of trade services into its own chat channel, a new policy will take place. Any boosting, carrying, or other similar services offered for gold that’s advertised outside of the trade (services) chat channel will be considered spam and the proper actions will be taken,” they write in an August 16 update. “Be sure to switch your service advertisements to the new chat channel when it becomes available after this week’s regional maintenance”
While the consequences of spamming the in-game chat remain unclear, it’ll be interesting to see whether or not the new channel does cut down on the amount of external services being advertised. It should also, in theory, cut out bots, as players will need to manually jump into the trade (services) channel to peddle their wares.
Hopefully this all culminates in a smoother experience for the denizens of Azeroth – especially given that the next World of Warcraft expansion, Dragonflight, looks to be coming relatively soon. If you’re looking to get ahead of the curve, be sure to check out our WoW Dragonflight alpha preview, and ensure you install the best WoW addons to enhance your journey.