Blizzard has reiterated that real-money transactions are prohibited in WoW: Forever, including during the beta, and says its enforcement will increasingly extend to players who buy illicit gold.
In a forum post, Blizzard said it has long acted against accounts selling gold or other RMT services, but will take more action against buyers as well. Possible penalties include removing illicit gold from the receiving character and further account penalties, up to account closure.
Buyers can face account action
The warning applies both to the WoW: Forever beta and after the game goes live. Blizzard did not outline a specific penalty schedule, but said enforcement against buyers will increase.
Players who receive gold should also take care with unsolicited gifts and other one-sided trades. Blizzard said a recipient may be subject to account action if it determines that the player knew, or should have known, the gold did not come from a legitimate source.
For players, the practical guidance is straightforward: do not purchase gold or participate in trades that appear designed to transfer suspicious gold from strangers. Receiving the gold does not necessarily shield an account from enforcement if Blizzard finds the recipient should have recognized its origin.
Temporary restrictions during RMT investigations
Blizzard has also introduced a Temporary Economy Hold for accounts suspected of either selling illicit gold or receiving it. While a hold is active, the account has restricted access to trade, mail, guild banks and the Auction House.
The company said the measure is intended to stop suspicious gold from being transferred or put into circulation while it investigates the activity more thoroughly. A hold can be removed automatically if Blizzard concludes that the activity that triggered it was a false alarm; accounts found to have participated in RMT may instead receive account action.
Blizzard cautioned that false positives may occur while the new system is being tuned. The company said that a Temporary Economy Hold by itself does not leave a permanent strike on an account unless RMT involvement is later confirmed.