Blizzard just slashed WoW: Midnight transmog prices — is it enough?

Why this change actually matters for players

Blizzard quietly did something important for World of Warcraft: Midnight this week: after a messy beta backlash, it dramatically reduced transmog costs. That matters because transmogs aren’t just window dressing – they’re one of the few long-term rewards that show off your time and progression. When the price to save or expand outfits starts to feel like a tax on your wardrobe, it changes how people play. These cuts make the new system usable instead of punitive.

• Outfit save costs reduced by roughly 60%
• Outfit-slot unlock costs cut by about 80%
• Total outfit slots increase from 20 to 50
• Blizzard plans a warband-wide unlock later so bought slots apply to all characters

Breaking down the announcement

The core of the complaint in Midnight’s beta was simple: Blizzard changed transmogs from per-item fees to a slot-based outfit system – a smart design move – but then slapped on an aggregate cost that still ate players’ gold. As reported by Wowhead, that math made a full outfit cost roughly 4,000 gold at level 80 and climb to about 5,700 at level 90 in the initial beta build. Players pushed back hard.

Community manager Randy “Kaivax” Jordan answered that backlash directly: “We’re planning to reduce the cost to save a full outfit by about 60%,” he wrote on the forums. He added that the overall cost to unlock outfit slots will be reduced by about 80%, and that the total number of slots will jump from 20 to 50. The next beta build — currently expected December 3 — should include most or all of these pricing adjustments, with a warband‑wide unlock coming later.

Why this is both a win and a red flag

This move is a clear win for players. Cutting save costs by ~60% and slot costs by ~80% turns transmogs from a steady gold sink into a manageable convenience. If Wowhead’s numbers are close, a 60% reduction would drop that 5,700 gold outfit down to roughly 2,200 gold — still not free, but reasonable for something you keep forever. Boosting slots to 50 also acknowledges a truth WoW veterans have known for years: players collect a lot of looks.

But it’s also a red flag that Blizzard needed to be pushed this hard. The initial price points felt tone-deaf in a game where many players already grind for gear, mounts, and crafted sets. The rollback smells like classic PR triage: release a system with harsh friction, watch the community revolt, then half-step back. That’s fine when it results in better systems, but it also raises questions about what other design choices might be guarded by high costs instead of better design.

What players should expect and watch for

Practically speaking, expect transmogs to be usable in the next beta patch on December 3. If Blizzard follows through, many players who skipped the system because it felt like a money pit will jump back in. The promised warband-wide unlock is the bigger quality‑of‑life win — buying slots once for all characters fixes a repetition problem that has annoyed collectors for years — but it’s not coming in that December build.

Keep an eye on a few things: will prices still scale awkwardly by level or item rarity? Will there be any hidden limits (seasonal costs, legacy items)? And importantly, will Blizzard pivot toward a shop-based shortcut later? The community should remain skeptical and test the live numbers when the beta update arrives.

TL;DR — The verdict from a player’s perspective

Blizzard did the right thing here: major cost cuts and a big slot increase meaningfully improve Midnight’s transmog system. It turns an overpriced, clunky feature into something players can actually use without feeling nickel-and-dimed. Still — and this is crucial — the company only moved after backlash. That means players should test the updated system on December 3 and keep pushing for the warband‑wide unlock and clear, consistent pricing rules. Cosmetic systems are low-friction quality‑of‑life features; treat them like it.