An intriguing achievement tied to World of Warcraft’s annual Valentine’s Day-themed event is making headlines as one of the most straightforward gold sinks in the MMO’s history. Over the next two weeks, players carrying around 70,000 gold can part ways with their fortune to gain ten achievement points and a touch of irony.
To unlock the new achievement, “Support Your Local Artisans,” players must interact with an NPC associated with the Artisan’s Consortium and contribute 70,000 gold. Any amount less than that won’t suffice.
Players who have already invested 10,000 gold toward this achievement report receiving ten bonus Love Tokens, the event’s exclusive currency for purchasing mounts and cosmetics. While an additional 60 tokens await those who pay a total of 70,000 gold, the reward seems modest for such a substantial investment. Seasoned WoW players recognize this as a classic gold sink tactic Blizzard employs to drain excess wealth from the player base.
For the most dedicated or thrifty players, accumulating 70,000 gold may pose a manageable challenge. However, in the two decades since the MMO’s release, players with insatiable wealth have become common. Blizzard often introduces high-cost mounts or items to prevent players from hoarding their riches, but typically, the rewards are more enticing.
In this case, some WoW players are dissatisfied with the lack of a unique reward for parting with such a substantial amount of gold. One user on Wowhead commented, “Achievement hunter and gold-making enthusiast here. I can 100% promise you I am NOT wasting 70K of my hard-earned gold on ten achievement points.”
Others took to Reddit to share their sentiments, with one user stating, “I JUST DROPPED FIDDY THOUSAND ON THE GOT DANG LUNAR ARMOR,” referring to a 50,000 gold mount armor added to the game recently.
The Love is in the Air event runs only until February 19, leaving players with limited time to amass the required gold for this achievement. However, the community hopes other gold sinks with more appealing rewards might emerge before the next event.
Ultimately, achieving in-game milestones in an MMO often comes at the cost of accumulating or spending vast amounts of gold. In this case, players are left with a relatively expensive achievement and ten additional points to their name, devoid of a tangible, brag-worthy reward.