World of Warcraft announced that with phase 2 of Season of Discovery that they will be restricting GDKP runs.

GDKP stands for “Gold Dragon Kill Points”. You might be familiar with the term DKP if you’re an oldhead at MMORPGs, or if you’ve seen the popular Onyxia Wipe Group meme.

Traditionally, players earn DKP within their guild or social group for participating in raids and use this DKP to bid or “purchase” items from the raid Loot Master in order to ensure a fair distribution of loot within the guild.

GDKP has some advantages in that it allows PUGs (Pick-Up Groups) to jump into raids and bid on loot using gold instead of DKP; this works since random players obviously wouldn’t be in a guild’s DKP ledger. The gold earned via GDKP is then distributed to all the players, so that those who didn’t get loot still “profit” from the raid.

However, critics of GDKP have claimed that the system encourages gold selling since gear can effectively be bought with gold when it drops. This has been reinforced by gold buying behavior from popular World of Warcraft streamers like Sodapoppin who have been caught by Blizzard.

You can read Blizzard’s statement on GDKP runs in Season of Discovery below:

No More GDKP Runs

We are experimenting with a new policy which will no longer allow GDKP runs in Season of Discovery. While we understand that there are some benefits for those who find this a convenient way to gain gear, we also recognize that there are concerns surrounding the erosion of traditional guild and social structures that are a part of the spirit of Season of Discovery. Given the experimental nature of Season of Discovery, we want to try things without this type of transaction taking place in this game mode. With the launch on February 8, we will be restricting this activity. We will have more information to share on our official channels and will be monitoring feedback closely.

World of Warcraft Classic: Season of Discovery is a new way to play WoW Classic. The season is being released in “phases” with reduced level caps, for the first phase players were capped at level 25, Blackfathom Deeps was retooled into a 10-man raid, and Ashenvale was given a World PvP event. In Phase 2, the level cap will be raised to 40, Gnomeregan will become a 10-man raid, and Stranglethorn Vale will be given a World PvP event.

Fans have been excited for Season of Discovery, considering it the “Classic Plus” experience that WoW players have been asking for since Vanilla WoW returned a few years ago.

World of Warcraft Classic: Season of Discovery is available to play now on PC. Phase 2 begins on February 8.