Summary
Some players in theDiablo 4community are suggesting that Blizzard improve in-game trading by adding a potentially controversial auction house system. The current version ofDiablo 4does not have an auction house, but the previous game in the series,Diablo 3, had two.
In spite of a rough launch and early complaints by players about its pivot to a live service structure,Diablo 4continues to steam ahead. Developer Blizzard seems committed to improving the game across its current seasonal content rollout, with theDiablo 4Season 8 patchbringing some substantial tweaks and improvements in addition to the expected new activities and gear. As is natural for a live service game, however, the community is growing vocal in its call for improvements, as well as in its criticism of perceived shortfalls in the game’s quality.
The complaints extend to the game’s approach to trading, judging by the complaints of players like wolfrain92 on Reddit, who suggested that Blizzard improveDiablo 4tradingby implementing an auction house system, or else disable trade entirely. The system would be similar to the one last seen inDiablo 3, where players could put spare items up for sale and allow other players to trade in-game gold (or real money) for the item. By contrast,Diablo 4item trades are significantly less convenient, and must be done “in-person” between two players in the same party sharing the same location.
Players Call For Diablo 4 Auction House or to Disable Trading Entirely
According to wolfrain92, who raised the auction house suggestion as a way of discussing the current state of trading inDiablo 4, the current system is so inconvenient that it may as well not exist. Trading for a desired item like a newDiablo 4Mythicoften requires “extra steps” and the use of a third-party community website designed to coordinate trades. An auction house, in theory, would centralize trading activities in-game and make it easier for players who want to buy the gear they need for their builds.
Reactions to the post saw many players preferring that trading be disabled entirely, rather than adding an auction house. Such players claimed that the mere presence of trading incentivizes unwanted activities like RMT (real money trading) and duplication glitches. Some mentioned that theDiablo 3auction houses were closed in 2014, and that they were a major source of the game’s early problems, due to the rampant abuse that occurred over the ability to trade real money for in-game items. Even an entirely in-game auction house would, in the critics' estimation, warp the game design to favor players trading for rare items rather than earning them themselves through gameplay.
It seems like at least someDiablo 4players are dissatisfied with the current in-game economy and desire reform. Whether that reform comes through in-game changes or the return of controversial features like the auction house, it will be up to Blizzard to consider the complaints and act upon them.
