Earlier this week, the team behind World of Warcraft: Classic’s Season of Discovery announced that the GDKP (Golden Dragon Killing Point) event – a raid group that exchanges dropped loot for player gold – will be available for the next game later this month. Stage is prohibited. The news caused a stir in community hubs like Reddit and Twitter, but why?
This is a complex issue that has been hotly debated for years. The Season of Discovery team decided it was worth trying this phase out and chose to ban it outright in Phase 2, providing the following explanation in a blog post.
“It’s fair to say that GDKP has some benefits for individuals who don’t want to be tied to a guild or set a raid schedule. GDKP raids, while primarily transactional in nature, are another social activity in the game , we were hesitant to block any efforts to get people to play together in groups. However, we have been concerned that GDKP would erode the traditional guild and social structures that in many cases were the best we had for early versions of World of Warcraft The basis of memories. It is also undeniable that GDKP enabled and fueled many illegal activities such as real money trading (RMT) and bots, as it created a demand for in-game gold that would not have otherwise existed. GDKP This can create an ‘arms race’ effect, encouraging participating players to purchase gold coins in order to be able to compete for the best items.”
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GDKP runs are a style of raid running as old as the game itself, and while they fell out of favor in WoW’s past as individual loot became the norm, it’s often a popular way to get gear when possible. The reason is simple: it’s very convenient for players to use gold to purchase a valuable piece of loot – especially when you’re just one or two pieces away from being fully equipped.
While running GDKP has always been popular, it’s not an entirely good or bad practice. Yes, it is convenient for rich people. This is also a great time saver. If you’re not playing a gold-for-gear game, you’ll need to compete with other players in the raid for loot. So if you have gold to spare – why keep doing the same raids for weeks just for a piece of gear that other players can snatch from you?
It’s also worth noting that in a later patch, GDKP runs can become great gold generators. Money spent on loot drops is usually given to the raid leader, who then distributes the gold spent to those participating in the raid (and, of course, they themselves get a cut of the action). This means that even if you don’t get a piece of gear from GDKP, you’ll probably get some extra money in your pocket. Sounds good, right?
Of course, the GDKP culture also has its downsides. The nature of GDKP’s run obviously appeals to those who already have a lot of money and a lot of Raid gear. While anyone can benefit from GDKP, those with a lot of cash certainly have an advantage, which may result in many less equipped characters only receiving gold. It’s not a total failure, but the point of raiding a character like this is to get loot, right?
The answer to this is usually: “Well, if you don’t like joining GDKP, then start your own team!” On the face of it, this is sound advice, although it ignores how rich the GDKP community is to the GDKP community. The fact that the composition has an impact. all Attack groups. If those with great gear tend to round out their characters through GDKP, this will lead to more saturation of the regular team with players with lower gear. This makes competition for loot more intense and makes raids more challenging than usual.
One might say that those who oppose the GDKP just want to be taken away. They want to have two or three DPS tethered to their raids like dogs so the DPS can easily review the encounter so they can relax and listen to podcasts while they contribute damage themselves. Anyone who has played the classic game knows that, tragically, these people are real humans.
We should all remember that the desire to approach raid content the way it’s intended – with the right mix of character adjustments at different stages – isn’t a sin. Additionally, putting price tags on loot isn’t a boon to players who are ready but not too keen on the Auction House. None of this even touches on the fact that the rich GDKP culture incorporates a marketplace of gold sellers and buyers – a practice that persists (usually to sell you gold) even as Blizzard does its best to stamp it out.
If you GDKP, you may be suspended or banned from the game! This is a big deal! People have announced their intention to report those suspicious, and we can only assume they will be trying to sell GDKP on street corners in Stormwind. While snitches do get hurt (it’s a fact, folks), Reddit users’ desire to come out as police officers perfectly embodies the level of excitement among “traditionalist” WoW Classic players. They may never recapture the original classic World of Warcraft experience, but with a lot of nostalgia and a little help from Blizzard, they can get pretty close.
I’ve personally used GDKP in Classic Wow and can’t ignore how convenient it is. I spent my hard-earned gold coins to rob a set of equipment. As a result, a disgusting piece of armor was torn from my hand by a disgusting mage. Judging from the amount of gold coins, I can only assume that he was made by Played by a now-deceased Russian oligarch, he practiced agility in Molten Core.
I can see the appeal of at least trying out a GDKP ban and seeing how it affects a phase a few months later, even if I doubt the threat of a ban would scare off sly resellers. GDKP may be banned, but there’s nothing stopping me from hiding my helmet in the options, taking off the sexy cloth helmet, rolling to get the same helmet that just dropped in a raid, and then trading it to my friend. Typical World of Warcraft classic players who won’t reveal themselves in articles on the internet can still do it, and there’s nothing Blizzard can do to stop them.
I’m interested to see how this all plays out, as I’m sure the Season of Discovery team is too. But what about you? What do you think of all this? Has this blizzard gone too far, hindering the shining hand of the free market, or is it time for government intervention, comrade? For the proletariat, working families and ordinary people? Tell us what you think below.
