Will “Chinese Farmers” Ruin Diablo 3?

One of the big questions I’ve seen pop up on forums all over is whether or not farmers will ruin Diablo 3. The fear is well founded, people are often afraid of what they don’t understand and this definitely applies here. But first, keep in mind that when I say ‘farmer’ in this article I mean people who sit around for a bazillion hours doing the same thing over and over. Some possible ways to do this is to hire cheap labor, run bots or to cheat (see cheating in Diablo 3). I’m not referring to the type of farming that I plan to do, which will be for short periods in areas that are not well known.

Cheap Labor equals Cheap Prices

The biggest fear is that the value of end-game items will drop so low that everyone will have stupid-amazing gear making it impossible for players to make a worth while profit playing. This would potentially happen when a swarm of cheap labor floods the scene, sending their gold to a central hub that sells it and gives them their cut. This could also be the effect of botting, cheating or even duping. It would drop the price and value of all that otherwise difficult to obtain gear. The question is, what tier of content can farmers effectively conquer on a repetitive basis?

In World of Warcraft farmers farm herbalism and mining the most. They rush out with purchased level 85s and gather using speedbots. They send mineral prices low which sends a shock through the economy, bringing prices to their knees. If you’ve ever see a low-population realm without farmers you’ll know what I’m talking about.

It seems to me that Hell difficulty content is going to be where these farmers spend most of their time. They will sell most of their gear to new players who just reached level 60. The skill and capability of farmers will increase over time but I expect there to be some realistic limits even in the long run.

The Edge

As farmers will be restricted by their lack of skill and gear (at least initially) there will exist a realm that they do not cross. It’s our job to make sure we are beyond that edge and doing what we can to farm little known places that provide awesome return on time investment. Basically, we need to focus our ‘farming’ on content that others can not farm.

Farmers will not ruin the economy. They will just make it really easy for new players to catch up, to a certain point. There will always be a realm where players who are committed to the long-term will play. Farmers will not be beating the game on Inferno difficulty, that will be left to the coherent and capable real players and in that realm is where the profit will be.

Important: Many of the strategies and tips I share here were originally inspired by the people at the Diablo 3 Gold Secrets Forum. If you're serious about making the big bucks in Diablo 3, or just being the best players, you need to signup ASAP.

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3 Comments.

  1. Since the goal of a Farmer in Diablo 3 will be to make Real Money and the RMAH is separated to prevent anyone in China selling to Europe (or US) directly through the game my worries are limited. However, the gold AH is available cross country. This is not to say that gold will not be sold through 3rd party sites cross country, but I think the ease of getting gold legally will prevent most of the gold trafficking. So for now you only have to worry about your neighbor (or his kid in college).

  2. This was my biggest fear when I preordered, but this page has calmed these worries quite a bit. Thanks for the insight!

  3. Chinese Farmers didn’t destory Diablo 2 Blizzard destroyed Diablo 2 trying to stop the farmers and the power players. The farmers and the powers levers do not effect the other players unless Blizzard makes a patch that fucks us all up. I can’t level or get gear normally in Diablo 2 any more because of the patches which Blizzard has done.

    Now I have to just get all my xp and gear like everyone else in Baal runs. I used to do solo NM Meph runs for gear and get so many chance guards. Sense I restarted D2 waiting for D3 I haven’t even seen Chance Guards. I’m doing solo NM Meph ,solo NM Baal and hell Ball runs but I’m not seeing any chance guards. Half of the solo NM Meph runs give me all blues.

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