WoW Duping: Fact or Fiction?

If you play World of Warcraft, chances are you've heard quite a bit about the alleged duping exploit that's been going around. If you haven't, here is the condensed version: late this weekend, the WoW boards were brimming with posts which read something like "OH NOES GOLD DUPING EXPLOIT ECONOMY AM CRY." These threads were soon locked or deleted outright, but players began to call shenanigans. Screenshotted "proof" began to surface, which some claimed fake and others claimed real, and not long after, all the exploit sites published precise instructions. Blizzard's first response on the US forums came today, and this was it, courtesy of Caydiem, Assistant Community Manager:

I understand that this is a very serious concern for you folks. Rest assured that we are actively investigating the reports of a duping exploit. There is currently no legitimate evidence of duping taking place at this time or in the recent past. This does not mean that we have concluded that no such exploit occurred, however; we are still actively pursuing all leads. Should we find conclusive evidence of such exploits taking place, we will take action as dictated in our policies. Naturally, we are very much aware of the potential impact such a bug would have on the game, and are doing everything in our power with the tools available to us to uncover the exploit, should it exist.

I must also apologize for not speaking with you about this before now. We were away, and this issue sprang up in our absence. You should have received communication about our stance and the actions we were taking earlier than this. I recommend that, should you find any evidence of this exploit, you eMail hacks@blizzard.com to inform our team. As I'm sure you understand, the potential damage a duping exploit can bring to a game can be devastating. It is my hope that you will aid us with any information you may have. Thank you.

[ post edited by Caydiem ]

Needless to say, many players are a bit incensed that Blizzard isn't taking this as seriously as they feel it should. Others, though, are convinced that there isn't any duping actually going on. It's an urban myth, they say, which gullible forumites are unwittingly perpetuating. Right now, you're probably wondering what the alleged method is. To those wishing to attempt it, fairly precise instructions are just a ten minute web search away. If it works, though, be aware that your account can be banned, and, I believe, for good reason. When you bring that much currency into a game economy, it can really mess things up. Likewise, since the method supposedly allows you to dupe items as well as gold, powerful gear that was once rare will begin to exist in proliferation. So both game balance and economic integrity get compromised when real-deal duping becomes rampant. Most people would agree that this can really adverse affect a game.


If duping is actually happening, how does Blizzard plan to remedy it? Well, earlier this week, there were rumors that the publisher would force a "rollback" on the game servers in order to undo the duping's effect on the game's economy. Of course, players who were especially active on the weekend in question weren't eager to see their progress undone. Naturally. A post by a moderator on the Euro WoW boards assured players that there would be no rollback, but personally, I think it's a bit too early to say for sure. If Blizzard determines that there was indeed some duping going on, a rollback doesn't seem entirely out of the question to me. As far as proof goes, well, do a search on ebay for "WoW gold." Those who believe that the duping went on will point out that there is a higher inventory of gold available, for lower prices than ever. I personally don't have a frame of reference, so I can't say for sure.

Just like people do in real life, MMO players covet expensive things. And likewise, anyone who can make a quick buck, even if the methods involved are just a little bit illegal, will attempt to do so. Like many of the elements that make up these games, it's all about risk-versus-reward; i.e., is it worth risking your account to make tons of gold? You can be damn sure that 99 percent of players would perform some kind of exploit if they had zero chance of getting caught. Lord knows I want me some Gloves of Spell Mastery, a Flarecore Robe, and maybe a few epic mounts, and if I could get them for free without getting in trouble, well, then I might just do it. It might eventually compromise the sense of achievement I'd feel from getting stuff the legit way, but damn if the temptation wouldn't be intense.