Guild Wars 2

250 years ago it wasn’t all that uncommon to see players running around with mountainous stacks of gold. Back then the people even traded in platinum, which was also in such abundance that alternate trading became the norm.

Nowadays gold is a rare commodity, platinum isn’t even in trade anymore. The people have even reverted to other lesser coins, coppers and silver, just to fill the gap. Makes one wonder, when did such a huge economic downfall struck the world.

The Charr and humans have spent it all in their war.
The sylvari are too young yet
the norn are too busy getting drunk.
And the Asura spend it all on their research

Well.

Trading has taken a turn for the worse mainly because of the world having gotten more dangerous, so it is a lot riskier to transport goods/currency. Through-out the Norn areas, for example, Icebrood and Sons prey on travellers.

It can be difficult for a world to support the economy of the multiverse along with its own reality

The humans were the only ones who even had money in large amounts. I imagine losing so much territory caused some huge deflation, especially when you introduce races who probably never even used money.

Putting east coast economists over the game has made Tyria poor… :P

“Yes, inflation is under control. Two-thousand percent over six months you say? That’s not so bad. It’ll fix itself if we just keep putting more money in to the economy.”

(In December an ANet economist actually claimed they have inflation under control, I could not believe they consider this to be under control. What do they consider to be ‘out of control’? When prices rise each day by 1000% more than the average player can possibly make?)

It really isn’t that bad, yet. Only the best of the best stuff is a bit out of reach. However, the necessities are well within reach with a little effort. The biggest problem right now though is that I fear with the combined server economy, it makes price fixing a lot easier to manipulate given its done by a group that is organized enough. At the moment it seems like the gold farmers have the legendaries market well under their control. I wouldn’t be surprised if they don’t also have the precursors under their domain as well.

It’s like the Illuminati, but much more lame. Also, they apparently “LOVE YOU”.

If prices rose by 1000% each day, do you know how high prices would be? Prices have not gone up as much as people like to think.

I was getting ready for another “not enough stuff drops” post, but I was mistaken… and I’ve wondered the same thing actually.

Lolz where da plat at?!

Excelliate.7914:

If prices rose by 1000% each day, do you know how high prices would be? Prices have not gone up as much as people like to think.

Thank-you Captain Reiterate, that was already stated as an if scenario the first time it was posted… and as an ‘if’ statement, it is made as things could possibly be, not as they are. Ergo, I never said prices rise by 1000% a day.

Well, apparently, platinum does still exist, as the letter from the Jackdaws in the first Whispers mission states the ransom in platinum, not gold. 100 to be precise.

The 1000% was hyperbole. However, it did seem a bit more excessive then needed to get your point across. It’s difficult to tell if there is any point in providing counter arguments when it sounds like you are about ready to call recession on GW2.

LinkR.6190:

The 1000% was hyperbole. However, it did seem a bit more excessive then needed to get your point across. It’s difficult to tell if there is any point in providing counter arguments when it sounds like you are about ready to call recession on GW2.

Thank-you. And yes, I was exaggerating. But I just can’t see how they could hire such layabouts to handle the economy. The fixes for inflation are easy, there are certain scaling costs on part of the seller that are entirely missing from the game economy, making the economy always favor the person with stock rather than the people buying stock, and preventing competition between those who have stock. Implement these costs, and prices are back under control. And yet instead, they have done absolutely nothing, ANet’s economists have been completely absentee since release.

There’s a Skritt and merchant talking in Lion’s Arch and the Skritt says it wants 2 gold for a centaur spearhead.

I think its just the players that are poor, the NPCs are obviously all rich as heck if they’re paying gold for a spearhead.

Azjenco.9425:

250 years ago it wasn’t all that uncommon to see players running around with mountainous stacks of gold. Back then the people even traded in platinum, which was also in such abundance that alternate trading became the norm.

Nowadays gold is a rare commodity, platinum isn’t even in trade anymore. The people have even reverted to other lesser coins, coppers and silver, just to fill the gap. Makes one wonder, when did such a huge economic downfall struck the world.

It’s all been flushed down the Mystic Toilet.

I can mine gold all over the place, so why is one gold coin worth more than one gold ingot? :[

ANet why

proxy.7963:

I can mine gold all over the place, so why is one gold coin worth more than one gold ingot? :[

ANet why

Well, when it takes 5 ingots to make a ring, they’re not exactly very big ingots, now are they?

gimmethegepgun.1284:

proxy.7963:

I can mine gold all over the place, so why is one gold coin worth more than one gold ingot? :[

ANet why

Well, when it takes 5 ingots to make a ring, they’re not exactly very big ingots, now are they?

Or they’re really big rings!

Maybe the dragons just ruined our sense of proportion.

proxy.7963:

I can mine gold all over the place, so why is one gold coin worth more than one gold ingot? :[

ANet why

Actually, a gold coin must always be more valuable than the amount of gold put in it. Otherwise the coins would mysteriously disappear.
Also, I think our gold ingots are rather small. One ring can take quite a few ingots.

the NPCs aren’t using enough Magic Find gear.

Judging from the quality of the loot they drop, I’d say the dragons themselves are not exactly rolling in the proverbial dough.

Well how i see it is that there is no one to take goods from because they are all working together. Most of human history is like this when one group takes from another they tend to be “rich” but when there is working together they tend to be not so rich in goods but rich in view points etc… and this seems true in this game too. In GW1 you where just a human so you where only on the human side in GW2 you can be many rases and the “side” is no longer just human.

Garambola.2461:

proxy.7963:

I can mine gold all over the place, so why is one gold coin worth more than one gold ingot? :[

ANet why

Actually, a gold coin must always be more valuable than the amount of gold put in it. Otherwise the coins would mysteriously disappear.
Also, I think our gold ingots are rather small. One ring can take quite a few ingots.

Psst it was jokes

I wrote something about this a while back and there were a few ideas that popped up as to why the economy dropped so far.

1) Lion’s Arch was the most wealthy port in Tyria, they had trade with the dwarves to bring in much income, and then the city was lost to the Tsunami. Before this the majority of the dwarves had died off, Cantha isolated itself, and Elona was under the rule of a Lich. So in one fell swoop Kryta lost any trade partners and the wealth of their capital was lost to the sea.

2) With the isolation of Cantha, it appears that Tyria also lost the use of Xunlai chests. If that is true, then a good 80-90% of the wealth of Tyrians was lost in the vault system with no chance to regain it. I’m sure many Xunlai were burned at the stake for this.

3) Lion’s Arch moved into the hands of Pirates and Zaishen, so it makes sense that these individuals would continue to use their currency. And it just so happens that the major currency used by both Pirates and Zaishen were a series of copper, silver, and gold coins. Eventually Lion’s Arch filled the void of trade within Tyria, and because of the extent of their influence many of the cultures eventually switched their currency in order to make commerce easier for everyone involved.

This is just a theory, but it seems to piece together a lot of the ideas rather well.

Narcemus.1348:

I wrote something about this a while back and there were a few ideas that popped up as to why the economy dropped so far.

1) Lion’s Arch was the most wealthy port in Tyria, they had trade with the dwarves to bring in much income, and then the city was lost to the Tsunami. Before this the majority of the dwarves had died off, Cantha isolated itself, and Elona was under the rule of a Lich. So in one fell swoop Kryta lost any trade partners and the wealth of their capital was lost to the sea.

2) With the isolation of Cantha, it appears that Tyria also lost the use of Xunlai chests. If that is true, then a good 80-90% of the wealth of Tyrians was lost in the vault system with no chance to regain it. I’m sure many Xunlai were burned at the stake for this.

3) Lion’s Arch moved into the hands of Pirates and Zaishen, so it makes sense that these individuals would continue to use their currency. And it just so happens that the major currency used by both Pirates and Zaishen were a series of copper, silver, and gold coins. Eventually Lion’s Arch filled the void of trade within Tyria, and because of the extent of their influence many of the cultures eventually switched their currency in order to make commerce easier for everyone involved.

This is just a theory, but it seems to piece together a lot of the ideas rather well.

Well, Platinum is still used in trade (RARELY) and it’s apparent that platinum has gone up in worth significantly since GW1. I mean, the fact that Dougal was able to take a sack of Platinum and no longer have to worry about work? Yeah, in GW1 a handful of platinum wouldn’t do jack kitten for you lol, it was thrown around like change.

I have to agree, between Zhaitan flooding LA, the Xunali cutting their services away from the rest of the world, and then the fact that the other races didn’t have much money to begin with (well, except Asura, they always had a ton of money on hand, and norn just flat out didn’t care).

Azjenco.9425:

250 years ago it wasn’t all that uncommon to see players running around with mountainous stacks of gold. Back then the people even traded in platinum, which was also in such abundance that alternate trading became the norm.

Nowadays gold is a rare commodity, platinum isn’t even in trade anymore. The people have even reverted to other lesser coins, coppers and silver, just to fill the gap. Makes one wonder, when did such a huge economic downfall struck the world.

Copper and silver coins were ALWAYS part of GW lore – it’s just that the players’ money system didn’t include them.

And even in GW2, there’s platinum coins – see Stealing Secrets personal story step.

So no, the Elder Dragons did not make Tyrians poorer – it’s just a mechanical change. And now how players see money is more like how it actually is – and always has been – in lore. This of course includes the prices of things. I can’t see a simple cheap-as-hell sword costing 3 gold coins unless gold was a common-as-all-hell resource.

What I don’t get, however, is why having 1,000 gold coins in one’s inventory doesn’t change it to having 1 platinum, rather than 1,000 gold coins.

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Gold_Ingot

“Gold Ingot. Value = 6 copper”

Right…

Well Konig we don’t know the exchange rate of gold to platinum, I mean it could be higher than the 100 or 1,000 range. Not that I see any reason that it should be.

In GW1, having 1,000 gold coins meant having 1 platinum. Hence my statement.

Anet could have kept such, or say “it was just mechanics” and redo – but that’s basically saying “retcon!” to the uneducated populous.

I have to ask: was darksteel stuff around in GW1? if not, then that may be an explanation as to why platinum is no longer used as currency.
(will fill out in the morning when i’m not tired)

There wasn’t crafting professions if that’s what you mean. And metals such as darksteel weren’t around in the sense of weapons stating their material. It is quite possible that since GW1 they have learned the creation of Steel and Darksteel through blacksmithing.

kitanas.3596:

I have to ask: was darksteel stuff around in GW1? if not, then that may be an explanation as to why platinum is no longer used as currency.
(will fill out in the morning when i’m not tired)

There was no darksteel, but there was Deldrimore Steel…

I agree that its the PCs that are poor. The pygmy moa trainer can sell her moas for 1000g.