Buying gold is against the rules in WoW Forever: there is no WoW Token, so you earn your own gold through two gathering professions, Cooking, the Auction House, and selling crafted items and services for in-game gold. Trading gold, items, or services for real money gets both sellers and buyers banned, as do bots, exploits, and swapping gold between versions of WoW. GDKP is also banned in Europe, and a "gift" from a stranger can be confiscated and get you punished. Almost 4000 accounts have already been closed over these transactions in the beta.
Does WoW Forever have a WoW Token, and can you buy gold?
No. WoW Forever launches without a WoW Token or paid character boost, and the Classic developers say there are "no plans" to add them for now. That is not a promise forever, but currently you can only earn Forever gold in-game or trade in-game items and services with other players for it.
Forever is included in the regular WoW subscription. A Token from modern WoW can pay for your subscription, which includes Forever, but cannot be converted into Forever gold. The paid Skyborne bundles do not include gold either.
The good news: Clay Stone from the Classic team says there will be considerably more gold available than in original Classic.
How much does riding cost in WoW Forever?
Your first big target is 100 gold at level 40 for Apprentice Riding. The developers say your first mount is free, but Warcraft Tavern's table adds 20 gold for it, so budget 120.
Your race's riding trainer teaches the skill; for Undead, that is Velma Warnam.
| When | What | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Level 40 | Apprentice Riding and your first mount | 100g for training; the mount is free (Warcraft Tavern lists another 20g) |
| Level 60 | Journeyman Riding | 1000g; Warcraft Tavern adds 200g for a fast mount |
| When you have gold to spare | Gift of Galloping on the Black Market | 150g: +10% mounted speed for 15 real-time days |
Which professions are best for earning gold in WoW Forever?
The most reliable income from your first levels comes from two of the three gathering professions: Mining, Herbalism, and Skinning. In Forever, any ore vein, herb, or skinnable corpse can yield a new Scarce material as a bonus, and the new recipes need these materials.
- Mining yields Pyrite, Herbalism Frilled Lichen, and Skinning Pristine Leather. They do not have their own ore or herb nodes. The leather is used by leatherworkers, blacksmiths, and tailors; the lichen goes into dye for many tailoring patterns.
- A quest at level 3–4 gives you a free guidebook for one gathering profession. Beta data shows that gathering ranks unlock earlier: Journeyman immediately, Expert at level 10, and Artisan at 25. Crafting ranks unlock at 10, 20, and 35.
- Cooking and Fishing do not take up a primary profession slot. Any cooked food in Forever gives +5% XP from kills, so demand for food, raw meat, and fish will probably last throughout leveling.
- First Aid can now make healing potions without Alchemy, so alchemists will probably face stiff competition on basic potions.
- For Rogues, Pick Pocket is available from level 4: coins, vendor trash, and later Battered Junkboxes. Whether the boxes require Lockpicking is unclear: beta tooltips say "skill 1," while players report around 75–80. See the Rogue page for more.
- Legacy perks: Bountiful Harvest gives more Scarce materials, Bartering cuts vendor prices by around 10%, and Frequent Flier halves flight costs. Legacy normally unlocks when your first character reaches level 25. Bartering does not discount training or repairs; that bug was fixed on October 15.
How to sell on the WoW Forever Auction House, and which old methods no longer work
Forever uses an Auction House interface like modern WoW, and a Forever version of Auctionator, an addon for finding auction listings and comparing prices, is already available. The key is to know the price ceilings and avoid relying on old Classic guides.
- The Black Market sets a ceiling. Mister Graphed, a vendor in the new level 35–45 zone Riverglades, sells unlimited Black Lotus and Arcane Crystals for 50 gold each, and Pyrite for 5. There is no reason to pay more on the Auction House. Sell Pyrite to players: a vendor only pays 1 silver for it.
- Overpayments will not be refunded. Blizzard never treats an Auction House purchase as a scam: the price is displayed beforehand. Check the price per item, not per stack.
- Craft-and-vendor schemes are being closed off. Wand vendor prices changed on October 8, and many crafted items had their vendor sell values reduced on October 15. Check the actual sell price before buying materials; older profit calculations may no longer work.
- Mage AoE farming has been weakened. Improved Blizzard slows by 40% instead of 65%. Since October 15, Cone of Cold gives its first four targets an extra 10% slow and three additional seconds of duration; those bonuses do not cover the entire large pull.
- Dungeon carries for gold are allowed, but dungeon mobs give less XP than in Classic, making paid leveling less worthwhile. See quests or dungeons for more.
What gets you banned in WoW Forever: prohibited gold transactions
Any transaction that exchanges gold, items, characters, or services for real money, using bots or exploits, and trading gold outside the game. Both sides are punished: Blizzard has closed more than 2100 buyer accounts and almost 1600 seller and botting accounts during the beta.
Blizzard says penalties for buyers now escalate "much faster," up to a permanent ban. It has not published the exact penalty for a first offense. In previous years of Classic, buyers reportedly sometimes received suspensions of around three days; do not count on that here.
| What you do | Allowed? | Possible consequences |
|---|---|---|
| Buy gold for real money | No | Gold confiscated; your account may be permanently banned |
| Sell gold, items, a character, or services for real money | No | Account suspension or closure |
| Use a bot or automation software, exploit a bug, or sell items obtained through a bug | No | A ban: the Code of Conduct promises "immediate" action |
| Swap gold between versions of WoW or between factions | No | Up to account closure |
| Buy or sell an account, or give your login to a booster | No | A violation of the agreement; a purchased account can be reclaimed by its original owner |
| GDKP: a raid where loot is sold for gold | Not in Europe or North America | Prohibited by the rules |
| Play several accounts at once manually (multiboxing) | Yes | No penalty; software or hardware that replicates inputs across windows can lead to anything from a warning to account closure |
| Sell items, crafted goods, and profession services for in-game gold | Yes | No penalty: use trade, the Auction House, or cash-on-delivery mail |
| Carry players through dungeons for in-game gold, or accept portal tips | Yes | No penalty if you participate yourself; boosting organizations are prohibited even when paid in gold |
A stranger sent you gold: can you be banned?
You can. Blizzard punishes not only buyers but also people who accept illicit gold and knew, or should have realized, where it came from. Do not accept strangers' "gifts."
- Do not accept gold through the mail or unsolicited trades from characters you do not know. Leave the gold in such a letter unclaimed.
- Arrange trades in in-game chat, not on third-party websites.
- Accept gold only from the character you made the agreement with, not their "friend" or an alt.
- Report gold-selling spam and suspicious mail: right-click the name → Report.
Frequently asked questions
Can you buy gold legitimately in WoW Forever?
No. Forever has no WoW Token, and the developers say there are no current plans to add one. Any gold purchase for real money breaks the rules: the gold will be confiscated, and your account may be closed permanently.
Will you be banned for buying gold for the first time?
Blizzard has not specified the exact first-offense penalty, but says penalties now escalate much faster, up to a permanent ban. More than 2100 buyer accounts have already been closed during the beta. Even streamer Ziqo, who accepted around 380 gold from strangers, had the gold confiscated, although he was not banned.
Is multiboxing allowed in WoW Forever?
WoW's rules do not prohibit playing several accounts at once. Penalties apply to software or hardware that replicates inputs across windows or automates multiboxing, ranging from warnings to account closure. Blizzard has not announced separate multiboxing rules for Forever.
Can you sell dungeon carries for gold?
Yes, for in-game gold, provided the character offering the service participates in the group. Forever's group finder even has a separate playstyle for this. Real-money carries are prohibited, and buyers must not give a booster access to their account.
How much gold do you need for a mount in WoW Forever?
At level 40, riding training costs 100 gold. The developers say the first mount is free, although Warcraft Tavern's table adds another 20 gold for it. At level 60, the next riding rank costs 1000 gold.
Does beta gold carry over to release?
No. Beta characters and gold do not carry over to release, so there is no point saving up there. Beta prices are not a useful benchmark either: it caps at level 30. For what is worth doing before November 4, see what to do before release.