Spend some time in any of the great World of Warcraft capitals—Stormwind City, Ironforge, Orgrimmar, etc.—and you’ll soon see this message flood the Trade Channel: “Need gold fast? You visit somesite.com, we have best gold prices on Internet!” To some players, myself included, it’s nothing more than noisy spam. “Shut up, jerkface, I’m trying to find mats for this enchant I read about on Thottbot.” But while you and I, honest players just looking to whittle away a few hours, may see these unsolicited advertisem*nts as nothing more than mere nuisances, the people behind them—gold farmers—see them as pure profit. Minus the human costs, of course.
The $987 billion million [sue me] gold farming industry—yes, it’s a proper industry—employs some 400,000 people in Asia each year. Imagine every man, woman and child living in Miami, less 10,000, sitting in front of a computer monitor for ~12 hours per day looking for gold in all the wrong places, and you’ll get an idea of just how many lives are affected by gold farming. The people doing the farming are called gold farmers, and they earn anywhere from $100-$200 per month. They’re typically young, some with only a modest education, and play games like World of Warcraft for several hours per day looking for gold (the in-game currency used to buy weapons, power-ups, and so forth) or leveling other people’s characters. (That’s called power-leveling.) And while $100-$200 may not seem like much, gold farmers don’t usually have to pay for room and board. Nope, one of the perks, as it were, of the job is that you’re often provided with a roof over your head and a few grains of rice.
Working hours belie the job’s computer-centric environment. Farmers can expect to put in 12-hour shifts, including weekends, since that’s when most American players—surprise, Americans are gold farmers’ biggest customer—are running around Azeroth. Days off? Just one. Per month.
And while Blizzard officially forbids gold farming, the Chinese government is realistic about it: it happens, you can’t stop, so let’s make some money off it. To that end, it has recently imposed a “gold farming tax.” Too bad it can’t be bothered to regulate the industry.
As for the customers, it’s like this: yeah, big deal, these gold farmers may have it rough, but I’d rather take the money I earned after one hour of work, and pay them for the goods, than sit there and play the game for the 20 hours it would take to earn X-amount of gold.
So hooray for anything, I guess.
FAQs
Dual Gathering Professions
One of the easiest ways to farm gold in WoW is by picking up two gathering professions. It's especially useful while leveling as you'll gather plenty of raw materials that you can later sell on the auction house. Mining, Herbalism and Skinning are all great choices.
Is gold farming illegal? ›
Gold farming is against World of Warcraft's terms of service, which technically places anyone who does it in breach of contract - but that's a civil matter, not a felony. In most jurisdictions, there isn't actually any law against selling virtual currency for real money.
How to get gold in WoW easy? ›
In the game, by killing monsters, you can get some loot. You can sell these loot to players in need to get some TBC Classic Gold. You can also use the auction house to do business, buy it at a low price, and then sell it at a high price.
Can I sell my WoW gold for real money? ›
You are not allowed to buy or sell WoW items, products, or services for real money. Accounts involved in real money transactions may be penalized under our End User License Agreement. You can buy or sell WoW items and some in-game services for gold. If you want to buy or sell gold, you must use the WoW Token service.
What is the best gold farming profession in WoW classic? ›
If you want to increase your gold income, the best professions to take up are Alchemy and Herbalism. Alchemists create valuable potions and elixirs that are always in high demand, while Herbalists collect materials needed for the recipes. Mining and Skinning are also great for fast WoW Classic Hardcore gold farming.
Which profession makes the most gold in WoW? ›
Certain professions are more lucrative. S-Tier professions for gold making include Enchanting, Alchemy, Blacksmithing, Jewelcrafting, Leatherworking, and Tailoring. A-Tier includes Herbalism, Mining, Skinning, and Fishing. B-Tier professions are Cooking, Engineering, and Inscription.
What is the most effective gold farm? ›
Glotz' gold farm
This farm is arguably the most powerful one in Minecraft Java. It consists of 24 portals stacked together, with both zombified and normal piglins instantly spawning on the portals.
What is the best gold farming class in WoW retail? ›
For gold farming, players should prioritize speed and efficiency, and the Druid class is an excellent option to consider.
Can you make money playing WoW? ›
Leveling Characters for Profit: One of the most straightforward ways to earn a substantial income in the world of Azeroth is by leveling characters for other players. This method capitalizes on the fact that many individuals lack the time or patience to start from scratch and are willing to pay for this service.
Can gold be in your backyard? ›
Almost certainly. Trace amounts of gold are found pretty much everywhere, but in the vast majority of backyards, it would far more to extract it than it would be worth. There is one notable exception — if you know someone lost gold jewelry or buried gold treasure in your yard, go for it!
With the right equipment and the right place, you can mine for placer gold deposits and earn some money off your hobby! The value of your gold is based on its weight and purity. It doesn't matter what kind of condition the gold deposits you find are in – if it's gold, it's valuable.
Where is the best place to mine gold in WoW? ›
South and/or west of Burning Steppes is the best mining area for gold ore so far, I have mined 29x Gold ore under 55 m along with 196x Mithril ore and 301x Solid stones.
Can you boost in WoW for gold? ›
Individuals and guilds selling boost or assistance in raiding, dungeon, or PvP activities for gold is allowed but can only be advertised in-game through the Trade Services chat channel.
How long does it take to farm gold in WoW classic? ›
It is often earned through manual labor at a low rate, around 20 to 30 gold per hour at best. Looking at that rate, you will be spending a minimum of 30 hours of farming to reach a 900 gold milestone for an epic mount.
How do gold farmers make money? ›
Gold farming is the practice of playing a massively multiplayer online game (MMO) to acquire in-game currency, later selling it for real-world money.
How much do professional WoW players make? ›
Best Esports WoW Players by Total Winnings
| Player |
|---|
| 1 | Swapxy René Pinkera 1 Swapxy CGN René Pinkera $244 874 |
| 2 | Whaazz Oscar Wulff • 25 y.o 2 Whaazz ECHO Oscar Wulff $226 025 |
| 3 | Raiku Shaun Andreas Meaney 3 Raiku ECHO Shaun Andreas Meaney $213 378 |
| 4 | Snutz Kelvin Nguyen • 30 y.o 4 Snutz Free Agent Kelvin Nguyen $210 108 |
17 more rowsValue of farm production averaged $651,546 and net farm income averaged $127,473. The average profit margin was 0.113 or 11.3 percent while the average asset turnover ratio was 0.234.
What farmers make most money? ›
- Dairy cattle and milk farms report the highest profit margin and average net operating income among livestock farms. ...
- Hog and pig farms report the largest average operating revenues. ...
- Greenhouse farms have the highest average net operating income. ...
- Farm technology use correlates with higher profit margins.
