A Smarter Trading System for PoE 2 - Player-Driven, RMT-Resistant, Still True to PoE

• Accessible from towns or hideouts.
• Players list items and set prices, with optional barter terms.
• All trades require manual acceptance by the seller.
• Keeps player interaction while removing third-party dependency.

• New accounts start with a limited number of trade slots (e.g. 5).
• More slots unlock as you progress: level milestones, Atlas completion, etc.
• Slows down RMT bots while rewarding active players.

• Accounts gain trust levels through league activity and successful trades.
• High-trust accounts can freely trade high-value items.
• New or low-trust accounts face trade caps or cooldowns.

• Sellers can accept multi-currency offers (e.g. chaos, exalt, divine).
• Trade board shows rough value estimate based on average prices.
• Trade still requires seller approval to maintain interaction.
• Improves usability without killing bartering.

• Mirror-tier trades or services incur a small orb-based tax.
• High-value trades are optionally logged for transparency.
• Adds a soft currency sink and makes RMT harder to mask.

• Players can enable “local trade only” for immersion or challenge.
• You can only trade items stored in a specific stash or location.
• Great for SSF-like players or RP-heavy communities.

• Earn “Trade Tokens” through gameplay activities (not RMT).
• Required for extremely high-end or niche trades.
• Adds an extra hurdle for RMT while staying invisible to casual trade.

• Silent detection of common RMT behavior (large one-way trades, mule patterns).
• Trades flagged for review behind the scenes.
• Keeps legit players safe while targeting real abuse.

"

Twelten#1961 wrote:

I've played a lot of MMORPGs and ARPGs over the years, especially ones known for having strong, player-driven economies. Games like Final Fantasy XIV, Albion Online, and Old School RuneScape stand out for how they handle trading. Whether it’s FFXIV’s clean Market Board, Albion’s localized, full-loot economy, or OSRS’s Grand Exchange combined with strict anti-RMT mechanics, they’ve proven that good trading systems can work without killing game balance.

PoE’s current trade system, while functional, is a clunky mix of third-party websites, price-fixing, ghost sellers, and whisper spam. But I also understand why it's like that, to preserve bartering, encourage interaction, and discourage RMT.

So here’s a proposal that combines the best ideas from those games into a system that still feels like PoE, but smarter, smoother, and harder for RMT to abuse.

1. In-Game Trade Board (Manual Approval)
Inspired by FFXIV and Albion Online.

• Accessible from towns or hideouts.
• Players list items and set prices, with optional barter terms.
• All trades require manual acceptance by the seller.
• Keeps player interaction while removing third-party dependency.

2. Account-Based Trade Progression
Inspired by Albion’s fame unlocks.

• New accounts start with a limited number of trade slots (e.g. 5).
• More slots unlock as you progress: level milestones, Atlas completion, etc.
• Slows down RMT bots while rewarding active players.

3. Reputation and Trust Levels
Inspired by OSRS’s trade restrictions.

• Accounts gain trust levels through league activity and successful trades.
• High-trust accounts can freely trade high-value items.
• New or low-trust accounts face trade caps or cooldowns.

4. Smart Currency Bartering
A QoL upgrade to PoE’s current system.

• Sellers can accept multi-currency offers (e.g. chaos, exalt, divine).
• Trade board shows rough value estimate based on average prices.
• Trade still requires seller approval to maintain interaction.
• Improves usability without killing bartering.

5. Top-End Trade Ledger or Tax
Inspired by Albion and OSRS.

• Mirror-tier trades or services incur a small orb-based tax.
• High-value trades are optionally logged for transparency.
• Adds a soft currency sink and makes RMT harder to mask.

6. Optional Local Trade Mode
Inspired by Albion and Tarkov.

• Players can enable “local trade only” for immersion or challenge.
• You can only trade items stored in a specific stash or location.
• Great for SSF-like players or RP-heavy communities.

7. Trade Token System (Optional Gate)
Loosely inspired by FFXIV’s tomestones and Albion’s learning points.

• Earn “Trade Tokens” through gameplay activities (not RMT).
• Required for extremely high-end or niche trades.
• Adds an extra hurdle for RMT while staying invisible to casual trade.

8. Backend RMT Detection
Inspired by RuneScape and Blizzard’s systems.

• Silent detection of common RMT behavior (large one-way trades, mule patterns).
• Trades flagged for review behind the scenes.
• Keeps legit players safe while targeting real abuse.

Why This Could Work:
This system keeps the spirit of PoE's economy, scarcity, value, and interaction, while modernizing it to remove unnecessary friction. Legit players get smoother trades, the need for external tools is reduced, and RMT becomes harder without punishing the average user.

Would love to hear thoughts and feedback. I really hope GGG considers a serious upgrade to the trade experience in PoE 2. It could be a game-changer in all the right ways.

• Players cannot mail gil or trade large amounts freely, especially on new accounts.
• Free trial accounts are restricted from trading or mailing entirely.
• Chat and mail functions are locked behind progression and account verification.
• Frequent GM patrols and aggressive ban waves target RMT behavior.

• Most RMT activity must go through the Market Board, which is traceable.
• Large, one-sided trades are easily flagged.
• Mule and bot accounts struggle due to early account limitations and oversight.

"

chobo999#2010 wrote:

Hard No. (see sig)