Methodology
How every number on ForeverEcon is produced. Market sections describe the system as built; they apply from launch, when data exists.
Information status
- Official: Explicitly stated or documented by Blizzard.
- Explicitly stated or documented by Blizzard.
- Beta verified: Observed directly in the current Forever beta. Subject to change before launch.
- Observed directly in the current Forever beta. Subject to change before launch.
- Datamined: Present in game or client data, but not officially announced.
- Present in game or client data, but not officially announced.
- Community report: Reported by players or community sources. Not independently verified.
- Reported by players or community sources. Not independently verified.
- Classic data: Original-game information shown for context. Not necessarily verified unchanged in WoW Forever.
- Original-game information shown for context. Not necessarily verified unchanged in WoW Forever.
- Unknown: A relevant question whose answer hasn't been established yet.
- A relevant question whose answer hasn't been established yet.
Beta information is never silently promoted to fact. When something seen in beta is confirmed by Blizzard or at launch, its status changes and its verification date updates. All sources are listed on Sources.
Price sources
Market data flows through a single provider interface, so the source can change without changing any page. Planned sources, in order of preference:
- Blizzard APIs, if Forever auction data is exposed.
- ForeverEcon scans stored as snapshots.
- Addon uploads from players, validated against each other.
- Third-party market feeds, clearly attributed.
Every snapshot records its source, time and market context (region, realm, ruleset). Prices are stored in copper.
Update frequency
The target is hourly snapshots per market. Each price shows when it was last updated; data older than 24 hours is flagged rather than presented as current.
Median calculations
The headline price is the median of listed unit prices, not the average — a handful of absurd listings can't move it. The minimum buyout is shown alongside. The 7-day average is the mean of hourly medians over the previous seven days. 24h and 7d change compare the latest median with the median at those points.
Crafting calculations
- Craft cost = Σ (material quantity × material median price). Vendor-bought reagents use their vendor price once known.
- Market value = output median price × quantity produced.
- Profit = market value − craft cost. Auction house fees are not yet deducted.
- Margin = profit ÷ craft cost.
If any material has no price, craft cost is left blank rather than estimated.
Opportunity calculations
Opportunities are generated by rules, never written by hand:
- Buy: median at least 15% below its 7-day average.
- Sell: median at least 15% above its 7-day average.
- Craft: market value exceeds full craft cost by at least 15%.
- Farm: a gatherable material trading at least 15% above its average.
Items with fewer than 20 units listed are excluded. Each signal carries a confidence score based on listing depth and traded volume. These are observations about the market, not financial advice.
Data limitations
- Forever's market structure — regional, per-realm or per-ruleset auction houses — isn't confirmed. Data stays separable by all three until it is.
- Listed prices aren't sale prices. Volume estimates depend on what the source can observe.
- Early markets are thin and volatile. Expect wide swings in the first weeks.
- Original-game recipe and material data may not match Forever. It's labelled Classic data for that reason.