Breakfast topic: Pay for play
by Elizabeth Wachowski 
Apr 11th 2007 at 8:15AM
My realm forums recently had a good laugh at the expense of a recently transferred paladin who kindly offered to tank Black Morass runs for the low, low price of 125 gold (50g if you made the group!) But his business proposition made me think. I often see low-levels offering gold for run-throughs of unpopular instances like Gnomeregan, Uldaman and Blackfathom Depths. Is this really a common practice?
I've only been paid to run an instance once -- not too surprising, as my main's a rogue. My guild had stopped raiding a week or two before, and a slightly less-progressed guild was short on rogues for AQ40. Since I wouldn't be getting any loot, the guild offered to pay me some gold (I think about 20) for repairs and my time. I went, helped them kill a few bosses, and ended up accidentally embarassing the raid leader ("LOL you got out-DPSed by a girl. Get back in the kitchen!") Needless to say, that was the last time I ever got paid to run anything.
Have you ever been paid to run an instance or do a quest? Have you ever offered someone else money for their time?
Filed under: Breakfast Topics, Making money
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Kirby1612 Apr 11th 2007 8:52AM
Before BC, I was resto and I was paid 100g on a few occasions to heal AQ20/MC/BWL. I too wasn't getting any loot though.
It's usually the 40 people chipping in a jackpot of a few gold to make up for it. And my gear wasnt even amazing back in the 60 days. Either way it's still some gold on the side. Now in the BC days I haven't heard of anyone being paid to run an instance/quest. But I suppose it's because everyone wants to experience new content.
Steve Apr 11th 2007 8:39AM
I've been paid maybe 8-10 times? (Main is a priest)
Random> U HAEL UZ IN TEH SCORLORMANS?
Me> Sorry, not interested
Random> WOT IF I GIEVS YOO 100g
Me> Ok, money up front!
Strangely, they've usually been quite good groups - I guess even a PUG will play well if they've spent gold on getting a healer!
Falgorn Apr 11th 2007 8:40AM
As a Warlock I'm frequently offered money to summon group members and less frequently (though often enough to be an annoyance) asked to boost.
I basically ignore every request due to the absence of the all important 'please'.
If I'm in a bad mood I have fun by telling the person that I'll boost them if they leave their guild, and then add ignore them when they do. (only do this to demanding swine's that I'm confident would populate my ignore list for some equally valid and future reason). Another good way to have fun is to open a trade window with 100g and go afk (think I read that one on this site!)
On the rare occasion that I find myself in SW, either waiting to go to Kharzhan or just passing time for some reason or other, I offer to take groups to Stockades for 4g per person. I usually fill a group within 5 minutes and the run takes 5 minutes (Seed of Corruption + Voidwalker + aggro 1/3 of the instance at a go = fast Stockades run) so it is basically worth the time.
For the most part though, I ignore pretty much every whisper I get from anyone under level 40 that isn't in my guild.
Gryzor Apr 11th 2007 8:45PM
I was offered money once to open the door for UBRS cause I got the key, I did it for free tho. My guild is one of the top guilds on my server and our rep is more important than 5 gold.
Lunada Apr 11th 2007 8:43AM
i myself, no. I either run it for free for friends (cause i like to rape as my 70 druid) or not all (i dont like it when people automaticly assume im gonna run them through just casue im 70 and in the area), however a good frind of mine has made quite a career on running people through instances for a fee. He just kills things and allows the person to loot everything. In fact, it seems to me that he spends more time in azeroth than in outlands and somehow got to 68 :P
MadCow Apr 11th 2007 8:50AM
I've never paid to run an instance, nor have I accepted lowbie gold to run them through instances. I help because I feel like helping and there's no reason for me to take their gold ... I'm happy to help.
However, back in my days on the Alliance side ... this random guild would ALWAYS whisper me, at least twice a week, during some sort of run (ony, mc, bwl ... pre-silithus days) and they would pay me 150g to purchase consumables for them (reagents, ammo, pots, etc). I was in a guild with 7 other people, all RL friends ... we'd shared the money, bought our mounts, etc. I still have something like 6K in gold on that toon ... I haven't touched him in near 2 years.
Wish I could transfer that gold to another server, horde side, so I could train my epic flying skill. Bliz would probably ban me for such a large transaction though =(
Mong Apr 11th 2007 8:56AM
I got a riding crop for tanking BM :) I refused a lot of payed walkthrough in lower level instances...
Franchi Apr 11th 2007 8:57AM
If somebody is polite and somewhat inventive in requesting a run through and I have the time, I usually dont mind. I dont request money for it but if somebody offers, well, I still have yet to turn it down. lol One time I ran somebody through SFK and he got two blue drops ( black malice and the BOE dagger that drops from the boss ) else which he ended up selling for close to 175G of which half he promptly mailed to me. Which I thought was cool.
Anonymous Apr 11th 2007 1:54PM
@MadCow
You could try a clever series of transactions though the neutral auction houses involving a 6k bid/buyout of strange dust. Though the 15% buyout price fee the AH charges would result in 900g lost, it'd be one way to transfer funds.
This requires a trustworthy friend since you cannot bid on your own auction cross faction or not.
rufwork Apr 11th 2007 9:14AM
I've seen quite a few requests for mercenary assistance on the capital city General chats, mostly Gnome.
As a druid, I get a few random whispers if I'd like to join a group, and I'd say about 15% of the time it's a lowbie for a lowbie zone. Like others, I'll either help for free (usually if there's a guildie lowbie on who'd like to join us) or politely decline.
The one time I recall accepting pay was when I was soloing Lord Roccor in BRD and got a whisper for some help. I healed the guy through the Hall of Law, but we died once, and he offered to foot the repair bill. I believe the law of the PUG is to politely decline once, but then accept if they offer twice.
It's my impression those that offer (and most that offer twice, usually with a "lol its np") are not true n00bz, and either have alts with scads of cash or are decent farmers. That said, I've still only taken cash once.
forzaq8 Apr 11th 2007 9:32AM
as a paladin i always get people asking me to help them boost them in either DM or scarlet
i do take my friend / guild mates alt from time to time
or sometimes when i'm bored i'll run Gnomgran
Nails Apr 11th 2007 9:46AM
I was leveling an alt around lvl 15, and had a couple quests for Ragefire Chasm. Just so happens a lvl 50ish paladin was offering to run people through RFC for 50s. It literally took only 10 minutes, he let me loot every corpse, and I finished both of my quests in record time. Best 50s i've ever spent!!
I even made enough off of all the drops to cover the 50s, and then some :)
Dibbes Apr 11th 2007 1:30PM
I never got paid in gold. When I do help lowbies, we often agree on me getting some loot for my alts if no-one needs. Else I'll help for free.
Helped out a few times when my Balance Druid was lvl 50-55, always helping in healing and worked out great.
Many times when I got to do dungeons of my own lvl, the healer left after a wipe, so I was stuck with healing, mostly doing a better job. :)
I always try to help guildmates and other people who ask politly.
Tornik Apr 11th 2007 10:22AM
When I was leveling up my Priest alt in the run-up to TBC, I parked myself in Undercity and, via Trade Channel, announced I was willing to pay any level 60 willing to run me through any wing of SM.
With a polite and well-written offer, I found plenty of people willing to do it, and I don't see that there's anything wrong with it at all so long as you're not PM'ing people randomly, demanding they run you through simply "Bcause yuo can pwn tehm!" and you come to a financial agreement that suits both parties.
Laurens Holst Apr 11th 2007 10:25AM
Yeah, I helped one doing a low-level group quest for 4g once. Figured I’d be making less if I’d be doing a quest myself in that time, and I’d be something different than the usual.
The experience was thoroughly unsatisfying. The second you agree, you get into some kind of slave-mode where the other expects you to do things (‘ok, now you teleport me to Ironforge, yes?), and if you don’t do it the way he likes you don’t get paid. There was also hardly any social interaction, just only short to-the-point remarks. Probably why he had to offer a pay in the first place, pah, but being a paid contractor somehow also doesn’t make me comfortable engaging in a nice conversation.
And in the end he paid only 3g too, and I had to actually remind him to pay up. At that point I was so annoyed that I just wanted to be away as soon as possible, and not fuss about that 1 gold coin.
If I’m going to do it again, I’m at least going to ask for a deposit, and say that even though he or she’s paying me, I’m not going to take any crap. I’m the senior, so we do it my way. I’m not going to let you leeroy jenkins me almost to death all the time with your rediculously large aggro radius and disregard for my need to recharge mana from time to time.
But most likely I will never, never do anything like this again. It doesn’t feel right, there’s no fun in it at all, and I’m playing this game for my enjoyment and not for stupid virtual gold.
~Grauw
Jeff Apr 11th 2007 10:38AM
As a 11k HP Beastmaster hunter, my pet has 11800 armor/7000 hp and it perfect suited for running these lowbie instance, like stockades. The pet screech and reduce atk power by 210 for all the Stockades prisoners in melee range, it work really well and it has unlimited mobs aggro ; until the pet dies that is. I like to give the example to some lowbie hunter who then see my pet with about 60 elites defias running after him, Im pulling stockade in two waves with my build.
BTW Snake trap rocks in the stockades lol... :)
Oh and if these noobs are not polite, a good misdirection with the final boss does it right hehehe
Sullie Apr 11th 2007 1:52PM
I don't think I have taken money to run through an instance. However, I have a toon that has a UBRS key, and I have taken as much as 10g to open the door. I don't feel bad about it because I typically requires me to stop what I am doing and run to the door to open it.
Sherp of Ahrotahntee Apr 11th 2007 11:27AM
I (a mage) got paid to run a lowbie through Gnomeragan. I accepted on the condition that I would get the Hydrocane (underwater breathing staff) if it dropped (it did).
Beaverius Apr 11th 2007 11:34AM
EVERY EFFIN TIME I go to stormwind and stay there for 5 mintues or more, I get asked fro gold or a run.
I often give gold because I was hooked up a couple times randomly when I was leveling so I like to give back, but I n ever really do runs for anyone unless....
Unless I need to get a weapon skill up, in which case I charge 3-5g per person for a stocks run for me to get teh skill up and make it slightly financiall worthwile for me.
I wonder how many new BE Pallys are asking for runs through VC in org?
Oldbear Apr 11th 2007 11:50AM
One of my alts (Sadsad) is a priest (Terenas-H - Planet Express). I have taking 1g (twice now) for helping with a RFC run. The money is used to pay for repairs and mana pots... Plus the chance to practice using a healer (My main is a hunter, then warrior, & rogue) is always welcome and should help me in end game... But I help heal, rez, and buff anytime I can help a fellow Horde... He may suck as a priest - but what a different game it is as a softie...