In what is undoubtedly the biggest surprise, Cross-Realm Trading is coming in Patch 10.1.5. I was midway through writing a Patch 10.1.5 recap, but last night’s news pushed that back! Blizzard earning another win in what is turning out to be a very good expansion!
If you’re unsure what all the fuss is about? Continue reading for more information!
When Does Patch 10.1.5 Release?
Patch 10.1.5 will release on the 12th of July, 2023! For our friends over the pond, the U.S. Region will experience the new patch on the 11th (one day earlier)!
What is Cross-Realm Trading?
According to a Blue Post from Blizzard, players can now trade items and gold between characters in other realms in their region. Furthermore, this change does not include the option to mail items Cross-Realm – YET! I logged into the PTR this morning and could not send mail between different realms!
However, these changes will negatively affect the Auction House as items and gold can freely transfer between high to low-populated realms! For more information regarding the effects on the Auction House, check the following section: The Negative Affect in Detail, below!
This change will also have a detrimental effect on the economy of each realm; maybe Blizzard saw this coming! Blizzard recently removed transfer limits on gold for character transfers. Previously, there used to be a gold limit depending on your character’s level; this is no longer in effect!
Maybe Blizzard saw the issues with players transferring Guilds full of items and gold and thought, what the hell?
Players with Multiple Accounts Rejoice!
If you’re gold-making via multiple accounts, you’d have been ecstatic with yesterday’s news. We can now trade gold and items to an alt on a different realm. We can use Cross-Realm Trading to consolidate our gold or items or venture into new realms.
Venturing to new realms was always possible but at the cost of a Character Transfer or Guild Transfer. These methods would cost money, or depending on the region you play, could cost a lot of gold! Now thanks to Cross-Realm Trading, this is predominantly free!
The only stumbling block would be the inability to trade between alts on different realms on the same account. It just means you’ll have to complete an extra trade.
The Negative Affect in Detail:
- Player A plays in a high-populated realm (buyer).
- Player B we created in a low-populated realm (seller).
Example: Player A purchases a World Drop (Bind on Equip) recipe for 50k gold (50% Region Median Value (RMV)). The recipe is challenging to acquire in a low-populated realm. Player A trades the recipe to Player B. Due to the increased demand, Player B sells the item for 100% of the Region’s Median Value (RMV), much more than Player A paid!
While players have been doing this for a while now, thanks to Character/Guild Transfers, we were limited to how much we could transfer. With these changes, there are no limits (except the gold cap and the six-item limit per transaction).
The Oribos Exchange will be a potent tool come Patch 10.1.5! If you’re not already using it, now is the time to become accustomed to it!
Benefiting from the Oribos Exchange:
The image I’ve added below shows how easy it is to search for expensive recipes. If I click on a recipe, I can see which realm sells it for the lowest and which one for the highest. Some realms don’t even have any; this is an optimal situation!
Not every recipe will be of value; you will need some idea of the market. I’ve used recipes as an example; feel free to check an alternative market you feel comfortable with. Alternatively, check out my blog post: Buying and Selling Recipes.
Reminder, in the Filter box (highlighted in the blue box), turn on the option to add Region Median Column. You can cross reference the price (highlighted in the yellow box) to the Region’s Median Value (highlighted in the grey box).
Once you’ve purchased your item, trade it to your alt and sell it on the target realm for profit!
Profiting Now!
If you have the funds available, check the Oribos Exchange today and look for bargains! If you want to play it safe, purchase items at 50% of the Region’s Median Value. Suppose we sell at 100% Region’s Median Value; we make 50% profit! If the demand for the item is high, we can extend that profit margin further.
Pay close attention to the amount of an item available in the region; this will give you a good idea if realms could get saturated post Patch 10.1.5. After all, many will follow the ideas in this blog post!
If the effect on the Auction House is worse than we feared, we can still resell the item at 55% (5% for Auction House cut) Region’s Median Value and reclaim our initial investment.
Investing:
Here are some markets to invest in and some to ignore (Don’t Invest) in preparation for Patch 10.1.5. Ignore items available from the Region-Wide Auction House or can be transferred to other realms by caging.
Invest:
- Recipes
- Transmog
- Containers (Bags)
- Mounts
- Toys
- Companion Pets
Don’t Invest:
Consolidating:
Be sure to check old characters from realms you moved away from, and finally, move those items into one realm. Although we have a Region-Wide Auction House for commodities, you may prefer to consolidate Raw Materials you left behind too! Trading these materials will be cheaper in the long run!
Check characters for gold too. I have many characters stuck with small amounts of gold, which, when sent, could probably total a WoWToken.
Conclusion:
Although this was inevitable, it has taken longer than anticipated. Cross-Realm Trading is an option the community has been demanding for a long time now, and it’s fair to say many are relieved by the news!
It is only a matter of time before Blizzard implements a Region-Wide Auction House or the ability to mail gold and items to Cross-Realm characters. There are also pleas from the community to extend the Work Order system Cross-Realm. I have to admit; this would be a welcome change as well!
Blizzard seems to be doing a lot of good things in the game. Yes, they’ve taken longer than anticipated, but things are going in the right direction. Now, how about some player housing, Blizzard? *Evil Laugh*
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