Summary
New achievements have been discovered on theWorld of WarcraftPublic Test Realm that reward bonus Traders Tender based on what version of the next expansion they purchase. This discovery is a huge hint thatWorld of Warcraftmay be gearing up to announce its next expansion soon.
Right now,World of Warcraftis testing Patch 10.1.7, Fury Incarnate, on the PTR ahead of its launch on September 5. This means that, in addition to the content players can publicly test, tons of development files are available for players to peruse using datamining tools.
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Some of these hidden files point to a number of new Feats of Strength. While these achievements do not have names associated with them yet, they reference thecurrently-unnamed 10th expansion forWorld of Warcraft. According to the entries, players will earn 500 Traders Tender–the currency for the Trading Post–for purchasing the base version, 750 if they buy the Heroic version, or 1000 for getting the Epic Edition of the new expansion once it is announced.
World of Warcraftusually offers three editionsto choose from for its expansions, each with higher costs and more rewards. Additionally, Blizzard usually puts the expansions up for pre-purchase almost immediately after announcing it. With Blizzcon in just over two months, many players suspectWorld of Warcraftis making preparations to announce the expansion pack afterDragonflightat the upcoming convention, after which players will be able to pre-order it and earn these achievements.
This is technically the third time players could get bonus Traders Tender through cash transactions. The first was by purchasingDragonflightitself, and the second was viaWorld of Warcraft’s controversial Corsage Pack, which granted a small stipend of the currency. Many players have concerns over the monetization of the Trading Post, and while aWoWexpansion may qualify as a “major purchase” as defined by game director Ion Hazzikostas in an earlier interview, some fear Blizzard is on a path that will transform the Trading Post from a rewarding game activity to a cash grab.
The exact theme of this upcoming expansion is not yet known, butWorld of Warcraftmay have hinted at what it could be with the Seafarer’s Pack–a cosmetic bundle full of exploratory and piratical collectible items. Players will have to wait until Blizzcon to see if their theories of a seafaring expansion come true, if Blizzard will announce it at the convention, and if bonus Traders Tender will be attached to the various editions.
World of Warcraftis available on PC.
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