The Removal Of Diablo 3 Gold And Real-Money Auction Houses on Tuesday, March 18, 2014

[DiamondStarFall]

Q. Why is the auction house system being removed from Diablo III?

The gold and real-money auction houses have provided a convenient and secure system for trading, but it's also become increasingly clear that despite the benefits they provide, they ultimately undermine Diablo’s core gameplay. A big part of Diablo is the thrill of battling demons and finding epic loot. While buying epic loot in the auction houses might be more convenient, it doesn't feel anywhere near as heroic as plowing through a pack of fearsome-looking monsters and having them drop that one awesome item that seems like it was made for your character.

Q. Will this change affect both the gold and real-money auction house?

Yes. We will be shutting down both the gold and the real-money auction houses.

Q. When will the gold and real-money auction houses be removed from the game?

The gold and real-money auction houses will be shut down on Tuesday, March 18, 2014.

Q. Are the gold and real-money auction houses shutting down at the same time?

Yes. The gold and real-money auction houses will be shut down at the same time.

Q. Are the gold and real-money auction houses being removed for all gameplay regions?

Yes. The gold and real-money auction houses are being removed for all gameplay regions.

Q. Why aren’t the auction houses being removed sooner?

Since the gold and real-money auction houses receive a regular amount of daily activity, we wanted to inform everyone of this upcoming change as soon as we made the decision and give as much advance notice as soon as possible. Also, removing the auction houses from the game is no small endeavor, and there are many technical and gameplay-related questions we still need to answer before this change is implemented.

Q. Are there any plans to add the gold and real-money auction houses back into the game in the future?

No. We have no plans at this time to add either the gold or real-money auction house back into the game after they are removed.

Q. How will the removal of the gold and real-money auction houses work from a technical perspective (for example: What will happen to posted auctions, items or currency in the Completed tab, Battle.net Balance, etc.)?

We’re still working out all the details regarding how the auction houses will be shut down. We know these details are important, and we want to ensure that this transition goes as smoothly for everyone. We will be keeping everyone informed as we work through this process.

Q. How will I be able to trade with other players once the gold and real-money auction houses are shut down?

Once the gold and real-money auction houses have been shut down, players will still be able to trade with one another using the in-game Trade Window.

Q. How will the removal of the gold and real-money auction house affects changes planned for itemization in Reaper of Souls, specifically "Loot 2.0"?

One of the main goals behind Loot 2.0, which is being developed concurrently with Reaper of Souls, is to make playing the game the most rewarding path to getting items. That goal has not changed with this decision, and in fact was one of the big inspirations behind the removal of the auction houses. We’re still moving forward with all the changes previously revealed as part of Loot 2.0, but we’re also looking at additional improvements we can make that will help ensure that the loot hunt and trading experience in Diablo III is as satisfying as possible.

Official Announcement: Diablo® III Auction House Update - Diablo III

[Strath]

How does everyone think this will effect the gold prices?

[Sojeph89]

you can already see a change in price for things now. people are just getting a little stupid on some prices

[hackerlol]

How does everyone think this will effect the gold prices?

Shouldn't it negatively effect them?
I mean unless the manual trade turns out to be as popular as the AH which I don't think it will given less straight forwardness to that method. Plus them having mentioned that self found loot play will be more rewarding that purchased items etc.

[TehVoyager]

Date TehVoyager quits Diablo 3:
Tuesday, March 18, 2014

The only thing keeping me playing at this point was the lure of making real money from a game. if there removing that, ****it i'd rather just sell the damn account.

[RAoVSnyth]

Date TehVoyager quits Diablo 3:
Tuesday, March 18, 2014

The only thing keeping me playing at this point was the lure of making real money from a game. if there removing that, ****it i'd rather just sell the damn account.

A lot of people would rather D3 not have an Auction House myself included. It creates a lack of character progression and it forces you to buy items from the auction house rather than going out and farming it yourself. Gearing up your character is such a HUGE part of an Action RPG its rather silly you can just go to the RMAH and buy the best items.(I REALLY despise Pay to win games) This news really caught my attention to be honest and I'm definitely going to be giving D3 another shot when the expansion comes out.

[KuRIoS]

A lot of people would rather D3 not have an Auction House myself included. It creates a lack of character progression and it forces you to buy items from the auction house rather than going out and farming it yourself. Gearing up your character is such a HUGE part of an Action RPG its rather silly you can just go to the RMAH and buy the best items.(I REALLY despise Pay to win games) This news really caught my attention to be honest and I'm definitely going to be giving D3 another shot when the expansion comes out.

It doesnt FORCE you to do it, but it just makes it a lot easier

[RAoVSnyth]

It doesnt FORCE you to do it, but it just makes it a lot easier

You could spend a 100 hours in D3 farming constantly and you may find 4 legendaries. Out of those 4 legendaries you may be lucky enough to get ONE legendary that isnt complete garbage. Most of the time when I find legendaries its either not for my class or the stats on the items are complete shit.(ex: Melee attackers take 420 damage aka "Thorns")Lets say you find a good item but, its not good for the class that you are currently playing then you are FORCED to go the AH or RMAH to sell the item so you could buy an item for your class.The item you sold could end up having amazing stats for whatever class it may be but the item you end up buying may not be as good for you as it was for the other class.(ex: You sell "Super amazing Axe of Awesomeness" to a barbarian which is close to best in slot but, the item you buy for the gold you made from the axe is used to buy "The Wand of Super lameness" which ends up being a mid-range item for your class)

[phantom325]

You could spend a 100 hours in D3 farming constantly and you may find 4 legendaries. Out of those 4 legendaries you may be lucky enough to get ONE legendary that isnt complete garbage. Most of the time when I find legendaries its either not for my class or the stats on the items are complete shit.(ex: Melee attackers take 420 damage aka "Thorns")Lets say you find a good item but, its not good for the class that you are currently playing then you are FORCED to go the AH or RMAH to sell the item so you could buy an item for your class.The item you sold could end up having amazing stats for whatever class it may be but the item you end up buying may not be as good for you as it was for the other class.(ex: You sell "Super amazing Axe of Awesomeness" to a barbarian which is close to best in slot but, the item you buy for the gold you made from the axe is used to buy "The Wand of Super lameness" which ends up being a mid-range item for your class)

I'm not sure what the point you're trying to argue is.

What KuR said is entirely true. You are not in any way, shape, or form forced to use the AH. Of course everyone does for easy loot, but D3 does not require you to use the AH.

[RAoVSnyth]

I'm not sure what the point you're trying to argue is.

What KuR said is entirely true. You are not in any way, shape, or form forced to use the AH. Of course everyone does for easy loot, but D3 does not require you to use the AH.

Plese tell me how making a character without using the AH once goes . Its highly unlikely that you would be able to gear your character in best in slot items without using the AH once.

[phantom325]

Plese tell me how making a character without using the AH once goes . Its highly unlikely that you would be able to gear your character in best in slot items without using the AH once.

Did you ever play D2? People were able to gear with BiS items without an AH.
Also, Blizzard is implementing a new Loot system, which will fix a vast majority of the issues the current one has.

I think overall it will be much better for not only the health of the game, but of the series as well.

[RAoVSnyth]

Did you ever play D2? People were able to gear with BiS items without an AH.
Also, Blizzard is implementing a new Loot system, which will fix a vast majority of the issues the current one has.

I think overall it will be much better for not only the health of the game, but of the series as well.

I don't understand your point.
I am well aware their was no AH in D2. D2's loot system is completely different than D3's current loot system comparing the two for getting BiS items is completely insane...

I'm not sure what the point you're trying to argue is.

My point was that Diablo 3 should have never implemented an AH system in the first place and I am glad they are removing it.

[bt411]

A lot of people would rather D3 not have an Auction House myself included. It creates a lack of character progression and it forces you to buy items from the auction house rather than going out and farming it yourself. Gearing up your character is such a HUGE part of an Action RPG its rather silly you can just go to the RMAH and buy the best items.(I REALLY despise Pay to win games) This news really caught my attention to be honest and I'm definitely going to be giving D3 another shot when the expansion comes out.

So what will happen now? You will get your legendary instead of a yellow item and still need 400hours to find the next real upgrade. Its the same as what happened to wow with everyone going from blue as standard to epic -you just will hunt with same effort for the next upgrade in different color and it wont come any faster.
Flat drop increases mean jackshit when dropchances decrease exponentially with itemquality.

[Doowron6]

Plz stop crying about farming for items. Everyone will be in the same boat. Start with crap items and build up. It will probably be similar to D2. People get so use to buying items and botting that they don't want to farm now? Go play another game.

[doctorbunnyears]

There was virtually no place for spamming companies when they removed the lower limit on gold selling. It was great. Sellers sold directly to consumers without paying a huge mark up to middle men or risking bans/scams. That auction house was the model for what all future AHs should strive to be.