Hi, this is just a very huge question that has been bothering me since launch and I have asked before but have never received an official ArenaNet response and only rumors from players.
Now I just want to know that when you buy gems using in game gold using the currency exchange feature do those gems just appear out of nowhere or is it originating from a player who has bought it with real money? I have heard people say they just appear out of nowhere or that 50% of them are from nowhere and others saying that is not true.
This is something that I would really like to know because it would be awesome to see that for every fun box or custom arena that is up or a person riding a broomstick that ArenaNet has gotten support from it.
Is this some sort of sensitive subject that the devs or the in game economists can’t touch on without losing their jobs?
I think Anet really deserves as much support as possible for all that they give us for free every month and it would be nice to know I can financially support them without even spending real money(even though I do purchase gems a lot)
So if I were to start up gw2 right now and spend some gold on gems where did those gems just come from…out of thin air or from another player who is selling them to make in game money, it would be nice for a dev to explain and hopefully say its all from another player.
All gems available for sale in the Currency Exchange were, at some point, bought by a player for real cash. Players who buy gems with cash either spend them directly in the gem store (which makes them disappear), or they sell them on the Currency Exchange for gold (and those gems now become available for other players to purchase with gold). While you’re not directly supporting ANet by buying gems with gold, you’re not “taking business away from them” either by doing so, since ANet profited at the moment the gems were originally bought with cash.
All gems available for sale in the Currency Exchange were, at some point, bought by a player for real cash. Players who buy gems with cash either spend them directly in the gem store (which makes them disappear), or they sell them on the Currency Exchange for gold (and those gems now become available for other players to purchase with gold). While you’re not directly supporting ANet by buying gems with gold, you’re not “taking business away from them” either by doing so, since ANet profited at the moment the gems were originally bought with cash.
But what if at some time not enough are selling their gems for gold and someone wants to buy a crap ton of gems with gold and there is not enough.
What message will it say if there are no gems available in the currency exchange or will it at that point generate gems from nowhere to accommodate people buying with gold? and I’m not sure if the currency exchange is between all servers or just yours.
There is a TON of gems and gold in the Currency Exchange. I wouldn’t worry about it running out. The Currency Exchange (as well as the entire Trading Post) is also across all servers.
That said, in the situation you described, what happens is that the exchange rate fluctuates. If there are more players buying gems with gold, the pool of available gems shrinks and thus you need to spend more gold to buy gems. Conversely, as more people buy gems with cash and exchange them for gold in the exchange, the price of gems in gold decreases because there are now more gems available.
Because there are far more people buying gems with gold than there are people selling gems for gold, the exchange rate for gold → gems has steadily increased over time. At some point, this will reach an equilibrium where a) players are just not willing to pay that much gold for gems and b) the gem → gold ratio is attractive enough that more people are willing to buy gems to exchange for gold. Where that equilibrium point is, however, nobody really knows right now.
Actually no. The exchange was stocked with a fixed number of gems and gold when the game went live. Sell gems for gold, gems are added and gold removed. Sell gold for gems, gold is added and gems removed. The internal ratio of gems and gold in the exchange sets the price. Gems are only created when you buy them with cash and are destroyed when you spend them.
John Smith has told us multiple times this. Let me see if I can find his post on this.
Edit: Here’s his post on the workings of the exchange.
All gems available for sale in the Currency Exchange were, at some point, bought by a player for real cash. Players who buy gems with cash either spend them directly in the gem store (which makes them disappear), or they sell them on the Currency Exchange for gold (and those gems now become available for other players to purchase with gold). While you’re not directly supporting ANet by buying gems with gold, you’re not “taking business away from them” either by doing so, since ANet profited at the moment the gems were originally bought with cash.
But what if at some time not enough are selling their gems for gold and someone wants to buy a crap ton of gems with gold and there is not enough.
If properly designed, the gems would rise to prohibitively expensive levels by that time, which actually encourages gem to gold exchanges.
Say, hypothetically, that the gem supply sharply drops. At that time, they may go as high as 100 gems for 1000 gold. There are certainly people who will buy gems, just to convert at that time (I would).
Eventually, the system will come to a point where the gem>gold and gold>gem conversion is equally attractive, and per day the amount of gems sold and bought is almost the same.
I’d even wager we’re currently at a relatively stable equilibrium, as the conversion rate hasn’t really moved over a 3 month period.
What message will it say if there are no gems available in the currency exchange or will it at that point generate gems from nowhere to accommodate people buying with gold? and I’m not sure if the currency exchange is between all servers or just yours.
What message would appear is purely hypothetical, and should never appear at all. If it did, I presume it would involve Quaggans.
If I can’t play Guild Wars 2 at work, I won’t work in Guild Wars 2 either.
Delayed content is eventually good. Rushed content is eternally bad. ~ Shigeru Miyamoto
we’re is an equilibrium state now…… price hike in gems price in terms of gold will be balanced out by people selling gems for gold…..
there are people who are taking the easy way because they have the cash (real cash), and there are also people who do not want to spend any more money into the game….. so they balanced out….
its a win-win situation for all, players get to exchange gems and gold, and anet get their money…..
Cutie Phantasmer/Farinas [HAX] – CD Casual
Archeage = Farmville with PK
we’re is an equilibrium state now…… price hike in gems price in terms of gold will be balanced out by people selling gems for gold…..
there are people who are taking the easy way because they have the cash (real cash), and there are also people who do not want to spend any more money into the game….. so they balanced out….
its a win-win situation for all, players get to exchange gems and gold, and anet get their money…..
Agree on the notion that it’s not nearly as easy to work for money than be unemployed and farm all that :p Then again, earning the 400 euros needed to buy a Dusk isn’t that difficult either.
If I can’t play Guild Wars 2 at work, I won’t work in Guild Wars 2 either.
Delayed content is eventually good. Rushed content is eternally bad. ~ Shigeru Miyamoto
But I think there is still the possibility that gems appear out of nowhere when you buy with gold. I think I saw a conspiracy video on youtube about ncsoft or something.
I just wish a dev can actually confirm they all come from players.
But I think there is still the possibility that gems appear out of nowhere when you buy with gold. I think I saw a conspiracy video on youtube about ncsoft or something.
I just wish a dev can actually confirm they all come from players.
I don’t know if we are at equilibrium right now. The exchange rate is still slowly moving upwards. It spikes whenever new gem store items are announced, then subsides, but never quite back to the level it was previously.
I will spend real money on gems for thinks like bank/ bag slots as I consider it more economical time wise. I am time poor but cash isn’t an issue
however I will not spend cash on RNG items because I value my cash and the statistics in RNG, if I was going to buy RNG items …. actually no I would even buy an RNG object with gold. I’m a realist.
I don’t know if we are at equilibrium right now. The exchange rate is still slowly moving upwards. It spikes whenever new gem store items are announced, then subsides, but never quite back to the level it was previously.
It depends how you define equilibrium. I contend that the difference in gold between buying and selling the same number of gems acts as a natural upward pressure to the exchange rate and in reality the only way to stabilize the exchange rate is the sell more gems to the market than are bought. Otherwise the rate will continue to creep up encouraging Gem to Gold transactions.
The Currency Exchange (as well as the entire Trading Post) is also across all servers.