Every MMO economy is a loop: currency enters the game through sources, leaves through sinks, and the price of things is set by what players are willing to pay. Once you see the loop, you make better decisions.
Sources
Currency is created when players complete content that rewards it, or sell items to game systems. When lots of players run the same profitable activity, more currency enters the economy.
Sinks
Currency is removed when players pay fees, repair, craft, upgrade, or use any service that takes it out of the game. Healthy economies need enough sinks to balance the sources.
Inflation and scarcity
When sources outpace sinks, currency loses value — prices of items, in Kinah terms, go up. When sinks dominate, currency becomes scarce and each unit buys more.
What this means for you
- Prices of the same item can differ between servers because each server has its own loop.
- Big content updates tend to change both sources and sinks at once, so expect prices to move around them.
- Hoarding is a bet on the future value of currency. Spending on something that improves your character is usually a better use than waiting.
Where our data helps
The price index shows real-money prices per server, and the tools page has calculators for planning purchases.