The last time I played EverQuest 2, the level cap was 100. Now it’s 120. The year was 2017 and the items posted above I had for sale for … significantly less. Back then, they didn’t sell. Fast forward almost 4 years to the day since I played (I was playing in May of 2017) and they’ve sold for significantly more than I priced them for in 2017, but for significantly less than what market value these days is, thanks to – you guessed it – inflation.
Honestly, I took a look at 120 master spells and they’re selling for over a MILLION plat minimum. I think the cheapest I saw was 1.2 million and they just went up from there. The krono (item you purchase for a single month of game time) is at over 11 million plat each now.
It’s hard for me to fathom that sort of gold.
That’s partly because spell acquisition has changed almost out of recognition since you last played. Dropped spells, even Adepts, are incredibly rare these days. Mostly they’re crafted and upgraded via the UI. There is runaway inflation as well but some things have dropped enormously in price in relative terms over the same period. Rare crafting mats are hugely easier to obtain now, for example, so the price on those has fallen a long way.
As a casual player I find it far cheaper and easier to gear and upgrade my characters under the current economy than I did back when the cap was 100. I barely use the broker at all these days. I can get everything through the various in-game systems at no cost other than time. I think it’s different if you need to have your abilities at Grandmaster or Ancient but that’s not necessary for casual play.