RMT has WoW Forever introducing temporary economy holds
Wowhead reports WoW Forever introducing temporary economy holds that restrict trade, mail, guild banks and Auction House use during RMT investigations.
Editorial record
Responsible editor: Max · medium risk · automated review · AI assistance: draft
Wowhead reports that Blizzard has introduced temporary economy holds in World of Warcraft: Forever. An account suspected of selling or receiving illicit gains connected to real-money trading may be placed under a hold, restricting its use of player trading, mail, guild banks and the Auction House.
How temporary economy holds work
In the Blizzard forum statement reproduced by Wowhead, Blizzard says the system is intended to stop suspicious gold before it is transferred or circulated while giving investigators more time to examine the activity.
If the investigated activity is found not to involve RMT, Blizzard says the hold will be removed automatically. If the investigation finds RMT involvement, the account will instead receive account actions.
Blizzard says players using the game normally are unlikely to encounter a hold, although it acknowledges that false positives may occur while the system is adjusted. A temporary economy hold alone does not leave a permanent strike unless the activity is later found to have been motivated by RMT.
What this means for WoW Forever players
An affected account may be unable to use trade, mail, guild banks and the Auction House normally while the investigation continues. The source describes restricted use rather than confirming that every function within those systems becomes completely inaccessible.
For other players, Blizzard’s stated aim is to stop suspected purchased gold from entering the WoW Forever economy. That is the intended purpose of the system, not evidence that it has already reduced RMT or established a particular false-positive rate.
What the report does not establish
The available evidence is limited to Wowhead’s reproduction of Blizzard’s forum statement. It does not establish the precise restrictions within each listed system, detailed criteria that trigger a hold, how long investigations or holds usually last, an appeal procedure, the number of affected accounts, the false-positive rate, the system’s effectiveness or a dated rollout schedule. Blizzard conditionally says the system will reach other versions of World of Warcraft if it proves successful, but that does not confirm wider deployment now.