World of Warcraft has been around for more than 15 years now, and the popularity of the game remains unrivaled. There are more than 125 million active players globally as of February 2021, which is phenomenal considering that the game’s first iteration launched in 2003. Blizzard’s ambitious plans to celebrate the game’s 15th anniversary saw them not only renewing the Subscription, but also introducing several game-changing innovations that redefine the way players interact within the game.
There are a variety of ways to make money in World of Warcraft. Some players choose to simply log in every day, engage with all of the content, and leave their wallets full – at least for a little while. Others look to optimize their gameplay and maximize their profits. While most stick to the basics, there are still plenty of opportunities to significantly increase your earnings through more complex methods – like managing an online casino or staking cryptocurrency.
In this article, we’ll discuss how you can get involved in gaming and how you can maximize your earnings in World of Warcraft. Specifically, we’ll cover the following topics:
The Basics of Betting In World of Warcraft
If you’re new to esports betting, the good news is that World of Warcraft makes for a perfect playground. The bad news is that, like most other games, the gambling industry has taken note of the massive audience that World of Warcraft has, and they’ve designed their platforms with that in mind. Regardless, if you’re looking for a simple way to get involved in esports or just want to increase your odds of winning, World of Warcraft is a great place to do it.
The very first thing you’ll want to do as a new player is set up an account with an online bookmaker. The odds of winning in any given esports game might not seem appealing to a casual onlooker, but it’s important to keep in mind that this is esports we’re talking about. The people who play these games are usually well-versed in statistics and odds, and they want to make the most of their knowledge whenever possible. For instance, a Starcraft II fan might not be excited about placing a $5 wager on the outcome of a single game of Hearthstone, but they might find the information that the odds of winning are 8.2 to 1 favorable and decide to place a $40 wager on the winner of the upcoming League of Legends world championship – which happened to be the champion at the time I wrote this article).
Ways to Earn In World of Warcraft
There are six ways to make money in World of Warcraft, but only one of them – the quest giver – is completely passive. The others require you to actively engage with the game on a day-to-day basis. For the sake of this article, I’m going to focus on the five active ways to make money in World of Warcraft – excluding the quest giver:
1. Trade and collect cards
Over the years, Blizzard has released numerous sets of trading cards featuring various creatures, characters, and locations from the game. The most recent of these sets is the Blackwell Pack, which drops periodically as a random gift when you log in to your account. The pack includes 24 new cards, and it costs 1000 coins to open (about $10). If you’ve ever played Hearthstone, this is basically the same as getting a free pack of cards every week. The main difference is that with Hearthstone, you’re only getting starter cards, which don’t have any value outside of the game.
If you want to get rich in World of Warcraft, this is the best strategy. Simply log in once a week and do some card trading. You’ll start off with a small collection of common cards, and over time you’ll amass a decent library of valuable cards that you can use to enter the Auction House and make some quick cash. You’ll want to specialize in trading Icefrog legendaries and ancient dragons for higher-end cards – especially if you’re new to the game, it’s advisable to start off simple and acquire only a few of these cards
2. PvP
Blizzard introduced an entire season of ranked-based PvP with the Lunar New Year event in 2020. After your character’s season of inactivity is complete, you’ll have the option of participating in a series of ranked-based tournaments where you can test your skill against other players. The more you play, the better you’ll get at it. Winning a tournament is all about having the right cards at the right time – which is why active players recommend speculating in card tournaments before they occur.
If you’re looking to test your skill in a competitive environment and make a few extra bucks, ranked PvP is a great option. Just make sure that you’re aware of the limits that Blizzard has placed on this mode and don’t go overboard playing it. Also, keep in mind that while PvP is extremely rewarding, it requires a lot of work to reach the highest tiers, so it’s not necessarily for everyone.
3. Raiding
If you’ve played Diablo or other action-RPGs, you’ll be familiar with the concept of a Raid. In World of Warcraft, raids are organized groups of players who work together to take on one-of-a-kind creatures called ‘bosses’ that reside in complexly designed dungeons called ‘lair dungeons’. During a typical raid, you and your team of adventurers will need to deal with various monsters, traps, and puzzles as you work your way toward the lair of the boss you’ve been tasked with defeating.
This is definitely a more hands-on approach to making money in World of Warcraft, but it does have its perks. Since raids are designed to be highly coordinated, playing alone isn’t advisable – especially if you’re looking to make a profit. In addition, the more you play, the more familiar you’ll become with the raid landscape, which can increase your odds of finding the right group of adventurers for the task at hand. Finally, the sheer volume of content that is available for raids makes it a great option for those looking to increase their odds of winning.
4. Mining
Mining is the process of killing monsters in order to get their parts, which you can either sell or use to craft items. The most lucrative mining operations will require you to be fast and efficient, which means you’ll want to specialize in a particular monster or creature and mine it over and over again – provided you’ve gotten efficient at it. Doing this allows you to not only make a profit, but to also level up your character and make them more effective at fighting.
If you’ve specialized in mining and decided to take a break from card trading or raiding, you could use your time to mine for the best resources and sell them for profit. This is a great way to make a quick buck, but it does require a lot of dedication – and it’s not always as easy as it sounds. There are multiple rules and regulations that you have to follow when mining, so it’s not always easy to find the money-making opportunities that you’re looking for.
5. Dungeon and Raid Finders
Blizzard introduced an entire faction of players who specialize in hunting down and completing the highly coveted and challenging dungeon and raid quests – which grant you access to new areas of the game and allow you to fight increasingly difficult creatures as you climb a leveled ladder. Once you reach the top, you’ll have the option of selling your loot or using it to craft useful items – which can also be sold for profit.
Since finding and completing these quests is such a time-consuming process, it’s a great way to make some extra money. Just keep in mind that the more you play, the better you’ll get at it. The upside is that it’s very satisfying (and therapeutic) to slay increasingly tough monsters as you climb toward the top. The downside is that it’s very time-consuming. If you want to become a full-time gold farmer, this is the way to go – but be prepared to put in the work.
6. Transmogrification
If you’ve played World of Warcraft for a while and amassed a large collection of gear, you might decide to take the time to transmogrify some of it. Simply put, the process of transforming your gear into a new appearance is called ‘taming’ in World of Warcraft. You can choose from a variety of tames, including fur, feathers, scales, or horn – and the better the quality of the item you have, the better the results of the transformation. Once you complete a transmogrification circle, your gear will be unrecognizable – and let’s face facts: nobody likes to look at the same old stuff, especially when there’s so much variety available.