Unclaimed RWF Prizes
When World of Warcraft returned to China at the start of The War Within, NetEase offered an unprecedented ¥1,000,000 cash prize to any Chinese guild that could claim first place in the global Race to World First. Clearly a lofty goal with stiff competition, the prize continued to increase by an additional ¥200,000 with the release of each new tier, alongside a separate ¥500,000 challenge to defeat the "Big Three" frontrunning guilds which routinely dominate the race.
Starting at ¥1 million in Nerub-ar Palace, the prize has continually increased between tiers, yet still gone unclaimed.
Reinvesting in Community Incentives
Despite the failure to claim this grand prize, Chinese guilds are no slouches in the Race to World First. Between three and five Chinese guilds have consistently placed within the top 10 over the last several expansions, even with the handicap of their two-day delay, while both Huoguo Hero and JTH won ¥500,000 RMB for world second and third Chimaerus. That same tier, Thunderfire introduced a Chinese Server Hall of Fame, featuring physical trophies for the first 50 guilds to clear the Midnight Season 1 raids.
Thunderfire continues to emphasize high-end raiding with their own Hall of Fame trophies!
While planned to increase the reward to ¥2.2 million RMB for the upcoming Patch 12.1 Venomous Abyss Race to World First, the publisher has instead decided to redistribute that money to the greater community instead. While perhaps disappointing that the continually increasing prize has not resulted in a Chinese world first, this move could benefit a lot more players instead.
Thirty members of the top 50 Chinese Hall of Fame guilds will receive a custom souvenir engraved with their character and guild name.
Thunderfire will be incentivizing the submission of high-quality dungeon and raid guides, as well as community Race to World First reporting with cash prizes, though the specific details have not yet been revealed. Funds will also be put towards international broadcasting fees, so that Chinese players can more easily watch NA/EU race livestreams.
All of this on top of celebrating 21 years of World of Warcraft in China with ¥6 million RMB in prizes, including an RTX 5080 giveaway and 10 free mounts!
Sorry Racers!
The announcement ends on a lighthearted note, apologizing that Echo and Liquid will no longer be able to transfer to Chinese servers in order to claim the prize for themselves.
The heroic tales and skill of top World of Warcraft players endure, but the true essence of the "world" lies in the memories made by its players. By the way, could someone please pass on our apologies? Liquid and Echo's plan to make money by transferring servers is doomed!
