The Midnight Inflation Phenomenon: Why Prices Are So High

The Auction House prices in World of Warcraft: Midnight are “hilarious” according to community forum posts from the first week of the expansion’s launch, with raw material prices reaching 5-10x their pre-launch projected values and finished product prices (flasks, potions, crafted gear) reaching levels that many players cannot afford without dedicating significant time to gold farming activities. The Midnight inflation phenomenon is driven by several factors that are unique to this expansion’s launch environment and that are expected to keep material prices elevated for the first 4-6 weeks of the expansion before supply catches up with demand and prices begin to stabilize.

• Simultaneous Global Launch: Midnight launched globally with early access and worldwide release occurring within a few days of each other, meaning that the entire WoW player base entered the expansion simultaneously and began competing for the same raw materials at the same time, creating an immediate supply shock that no amount of pre-launch gathering could have prepared for.
• Void-Touched Material Demand: The Void-touched finishing reagents and Void-corrupted raw materials that are required for maximum-quality crafting in Midnight are significantly rarer than their pre-Midnight counterparts, because they drop from specific Void-corrupted enemies and Void rift cluster gathering nodes that are less densely populated than the standard herb and ore nodes that gatherers are accustomed to farming. The limited supply of Void-touched materials combined with enormous demand from crafters who need them for maximum-quality crafts has driven Void-touched material prices to extraordinary levels.
• Stat Squish and Item Level Changes: Midnight’s stat squish and item level changes have altered the gold value equation for gear drops and crafting materials, because the reduced stat numbers mean that players need more gear upgrades to achieve the same relative power increase, and the increased number of gear slots that require upgrading (due to the new Crest upgrade system) means that players are purchasing more crafting materials and consumables per character than they did in previous expansions.
• Profession Knowledge Point Investment: The Midnight profession system requires substantial Knowledge Point investment before crafters can produce maximum-quality items, and the Knowledge Point treasures scattered across the Quel’Thalas zones are limited in number and contested by all crafters of each profession, meaning that the early supply of maximum-quality crafted goods is limited to the crafters who invested the time to collect all Knowledge Point treasures during the leveling process. This limited early supply of maximum-quality goods drives up their prices until more crafters reach the Knowledge Point thresholds required for maximum-quality production.

The combination of these factors means that raw material prices in Midnight are expected to remain elevated for at least 4-6 weeks after launch, and players who need materials for their own profession use should purchase them now rather than waiting for prices to drop, because the prices are more likely to continue rising in the short term as more players reach maximum level and begin their profession leveling and crafting operations.

Raw Materials You Must Stockpile Now

The following raw materials are the most in-demand and most likely to appreciate further in the coming weeks, and players who stockpile these materials now — either by gathering them themselves or purchasing them from the Auction House at current prices — will save substantial gold compared to purchasing them later when prices have risen further.

Voidbloom Herb: The single most in-demand herbalism material in Midnight, Voidbloom is used in virtually every Midnight alchemy recipe including the most profitable flasks and potions (Void-Infused Flask of Power, Aerated Mana Potion, Temporal Battle Potion) that raiders and Mythic+ pushers need in enormous quantities for their weekly activities. The Voidbloom herb spawns in Void-corrupted areas of Eversong Woods, the Ghostlands, and Harandar, and its spawn rate is lower than standard herb nodes, creating a supply deficit that is driving prices upward rapidly. Players who need Voidbloom for their own alchemy crafts should stockpile at least 500-1,000 Voidbloom units now, and Alchemy crafters who produce Voidbloom-based flasks and potions should stockpile 2,000-5,000 Voidbloom units to sustain their production through the first month of Season 1.

Void-Touched Ore: The primary blacksmithing and jewelcrafting raw material in Midnight, Void-Touched Ore is used to craft Void-Touched ingots that are the foundation of all Midnight blacksmithing weapons and armor as well as jewelcrafting epic gems. The Void-Touched Ore spawn rate in mining nodes is approximately 30-40% of total ore drops (with the remaining 60-70% being standard Refulgent Copper Ore that is less valuable but more abundant), and the demand for Void-Touched Ore from blacksmiths and jewelcrafters is outpacing the supply that miners can provide. Players who need Void-Touched Ore for their own crafting should stockpile 300-500 units now, and Blacksmithing/Jewelcrafting crafters should stockpile 1,000-2,000 units to sustain their production.

Void-Touched Finishing Reagents: The most expensive and fastest-appreciating raw material in Midnight, Void-Touched Finishing Reagents are required by every crafting profession for maximum-quality crafts, and their supply is limited to rare drops from Void-corrupted elite creatures and Void rift cluster treasure chests that are farmed by a small number of dedicated gatherers. The 300%+ price increase since launch reflects the enormous demand for finishing reagents from crafters who need them for maximum-quality production and the extremely limited supply that is currently available on the market. Players who need finishing reagents for their own crafts should purchase them now at any price, because the supply is not expected to increase significantly until more gatherers reach maximum level and begin farming Void elite creatures and Void rift treasures in earnest.

Materials That Will Stabilize and Can Wait

Not all raw materials in Midnight are experiencing runaway inflation, and the following materials are expected to stabilize in price within the first 2-3 weeks of the expansion as gatherer supply increases to meet crafter demand. Players who need these materials for their profession use can afford to wait a week or two before purchasing them, because the prices are expected to drop from their current elevated levels as the supply-demand equilibrium is established.

• Refulgent Copper Ore: The standard mining material in Midnight that is abundant and easily farmed by miners in the Quel’Thalas zones. The Refulgent Copper Ore supply is expected to exceed demand within 2-3 weeks as more players level Mining and begin farming the abundant copper node spawns across Eversong Woods and the Ghostlands.
• Standard Cloth Drops: The standard cloth drops from Void-corrupted humanoid enemies in the Quel’Thalas zones are abundant and will become more so as more players quest through the zones and kill humanoid enemies for quest objectives. The cloth supply will exceed tailor demand within 2-3 weeks, and cloth prices will stabilize at moderate levels that are affordable for all tailoring crafters.
• Ghostlands Herbs (non-Voidbloom): The non-Voidbloom herbs that spawn in the Ghostlands zone (such as Ghostland Moss and Dead Scar Nettles) are abundant and will see stable prices as herbalists level their profession and begin farming the Ghostlands herb nodes in earnest.
• Standard Enchanting Materials: The standard enchanting dust and essence materials obtained from disenchanting green-quality gear are abundant because green-quality gear drops constantly from questing, dungeon running, and world content, and the enchanting material supply will exceed demand within 2-3 weeks as more enchanters level their profession and begin disenchanting their surplus green gear.

Players who are patient and can wait 2-3 weeks before purchasing these stabilizing materials will save 20-40% on their material costs compared to purchasing at current launch-week prices, because the supply increase from leveling gatherers will drive prices down from their current inflated levels as the market reaches equilibrium.

Investment Opportunities: Materials to Buy and Hold

For players who are interested in the Midnight economy as a gold-making investment opportunity rather than a personal profession supply need, the following materials represent the best buy-and-hold investment opportunities that are expected to appreciate in value over the 4-8 week period following launch and provide substantial return on investment for players who purchase now and sell later when prices peak.

Void-Touched Finishing Reagents: The best investment opportunity in the Midnight economy, Void-Touched Finishing Reagents are expected to continue appreciating for 6-8 weeks after launch as more crafters reach the Knowledge Point thresholds required for maximum-quality production and the demand for finishing reagents from maximum-quality crafters outpaces the supply from Void elite creature farmers. Players who purchase Void-Touched Finishing Reagents now and hold them for 4-6 weeks can expect to sell them at 50-100% profit above their current purchase price, making them the highest-return raw material investment in the Midnight economy.

Voidbloom Herb: The second-best investment opportunity, Voidbloom Herb is expected to appreciate for 4-6 weeks as more alchemists reach maximum level and begin producing flasks and potions for the raiding and Mythic+ communities. Players who purchase Voidbloom now and hold it for 3-4 weeks can expect to sell it at 30-60% profit above their current purchase price, and the investment is lower risk than Void-Touched Finishing Reagents because Voidbloom has broader demand (from all alchemists, not just maximum-quality crafters) and more predictable price appreciation.

Sunwell Crystal: A moderate-risk investment opportunity, Sunwell Crystal is expected to appreciate for 3-4 weeks as more jewelcrafters reach maximum level and begin producing epic gems for the gearing community. Players who purchase Sunwell Crystal now and hold it for 2-3 weeks can expect to sell it at 20-40% profit above their current purchase price, and the investment is moderate risk because jewelcrafting is a less universally needed profession than alchemy or blacksmithing, meaning that the Sunwell Crystal demand is narrower and more susceptible to sudden drops if jewelcrafters find alternative gem sourcing methods.