The economic logic is familiar. The player argument is more personal: why should the thing I was saving for become more expensive because the wider economy has too much money?
What is going up
The October 1 announcement raises the market fee from 2% to 2.5%, with its cap increasing from one million to 2.5 million gold. Exercise weapons become 25% more expensive; a lasting exercise weapon moves from ten million to 12.5 million gold.
CipSoft presents this as one measure, not a complete solution. That distinction matters: nobody should read the announcement as a promise that Tibia Coin prices will promptly return to a particular level.
Old worlds keep creating new money
Long-running MMOs have a persistent balancing problem. Players generate currency through activities, while established characters often become more efficient at doing so. Unless enough currency also leaves circulation, buyers can bring larger sums to the same market.
Trading an item between players generally moves money around. Fees and purchases from the game itself can remove it. That is why developers reach for taxes and expensive services, even when neither makes a particularly exciting update trailer.
In May 2025, Old School RuneScape increased its Grand Exchange tax from 1% to 2%, adjusted item sinks and exempted additional early-game supplies. The comparison is useful because it shows both sides of the decision: taking more money out, and choosing where to soften the impact.
A tax increase does not guarantee that every price falls. Supply, demand and how players change their behaviour still matter. Making training dearer can also discourage purchases, limiting how much additional gold the higher price actually removes.
Players disagree over who should carry the cost
In the announcement discussion on r/TibiaMMO, some commenters argue that stronger characters and greater hunting profits make adjustments necessary. Others object that occasional training purchases become harder for people who cannot spend their days farming.
There are also calls to focus on botting and market abuse. Those comments express priorities, not evidence establishing how much inflation either activity causes.
A separate discussion about inflation highlights another divide: buying coins with real money and earning gold to obtain premium time expose players to the market very differently. A favourable exchange rate for one person can feel like a moving finish line for another.
These threads are a sample of reactions, not a vote by the entire community. Their common question is still worth answering: is the burden proportionate to the ability to pay?
Our take
Maintaining an old MMO means maintaining its economy, including the unpopular parts. As characters become stronger and earn gold more efficiently, pressure can build on prices unless currency leaves circulation at a comparable rate. That does not mean every item always rises in price: supply, demand and balance changes can push individual markets in different directions.
Real money makes the consequences more personal. Tibia’s account guide describes Tibia Coins and their uses, including transferable coins traded through the Market. A player buying coins with cash and selling them for gold experiences a rising exchange rate differently from someone hunting to earn enough gold for premium time. What looks like better buying power on one side can look like more evenings of work on the other.
This is not unique to Tibia. EVE Online’s PLEX connects real-money purchases with the ISK player market, while Old School RuneScape’s tax changes show another long-running game actively removing wealth from circulation. These are different systems, but each makes the relationship between time, money and progression part of the experience. Officially supported currency trading should also be distinguished from prohibited third-party transactions; the rules differ between games.
Our concern is whether the cost of stabilising that economy falls too heavily on ordinary players. A necessary gold sink does not automatically make every implementation fair. If the economy improves while training and progression feel increasingly out of reach for people with limited playing time, the job is only half done.
Sources and reporting
- Adjustment of Market Fee and Exercise Weapons — CipSoft / Tibia. October 1, 2026. Accessed October 5, 2026. Supports October 6 changes, fee caps, training prices and stated rationale.
- Yama CAs & More! — Jagex. May 29, 2025. Accessed October 5, 2026. Supports OSRS tax increase, item sinks and exemptions as historical comparison.
- Adjustment of Market Fee and Exercise Weapons discussion — r/TibiaMMO contributors. October 1, 2026. Accessed October 5, 2026. Contrasting player views on affordability and economic intervention.
- Why is the inflation bad for Tibia? — r/TibiaMMO contributors. October 2, 2026. Accessed October 5, 2026. Discussion of different effects on coin purchasers and gold earners.
- Tibia Manual — Accounts — CipSoft. Date not listed. Accessed October 5, 2026. Supports Tibia Coins, transferable currency and account services.
- ISK and PLEX — CCP Games. Date not listed. Accessed October 5, 2026. Supports official real-money and player-market routes for PLEX.
About the author
Able, Chief Editor
Able has spent six years reviewing games and following the stories around them. He focuses on what changed, what is worth a player’s time, and the context that gets lost in the announcement cycle.
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