Casually ignoring the most important factor of an economy, Time.
In EVE Online, real money can contribute to inflation primarily through the purchase and sale of PLEX (Pilot License Extension), a virtual item that can be bought with real currency and traded in-game for ISK, the gameâs currency. Hereâs how this process can lead to inflation:
- PLEX as a Currency Bridge: Players can buy PLEX with real money and sell it on the in-game market for ISK. This injects ISK into the economy, as the buyer of PLEX (using ISK) transfers their currency to the seller. If more players buy PLEX to convert to ISK, the supply of ISK in circulation can increase, especially if the ISK used to buy PLEX comes from in-game sources like bounties or missions, which are essentially âprintedâ by the game.
- Increased Money Supply: When players sell PLEX for ISK, it doesnât remove ISK from the economy but redistributes it. However, the constant influx of new ISK from activities like ratting (killing NPCs for bounties), mission rewards, or insurance payoutsâcombined with real-money PLEX purchasesâcan outpace ISK sinks (mechanisms that remove ISK, like taxes or fees). This growing money supply can drive up prices for goods like ships and modules, causing inflation.
- Rising PLEX Prices: The cost of PLEX in ISK has risen over time due to increased demand and real-world subscription price hikes (e.g., a $5 increase in 2022). Since PLEX is tied to real money, its rising ISK value can inflate the perceived cost of ISK itself, making items priced in ISK more expensive. For example, posts on forums note PLEX prices jumping from 2.8 million ISK to nearly 5 million ISK in a year, amplifying inflationary pressure.
- Market Manipulation and Speculation: Wealthy players or groups can use real-money purchases to acquire large amounts of PLEX, then manipulate the market by hoarding or reselling it at higher prices. This can artificially inflate the cost of PLEX and, by extension, ISK-denominated goods, as players bid up prices for rare or desirable items.
- Scarcity Updates and Resource Costs: CCPâs âscarcityâ updates in 2021 increased the materials needed for ships, raising production costs. While not directly tied to real money, this compounds inflation from PLEX-driven ISK influx, as higher resource costs mean players need more ISK to buy the same items, further devaluing the currency
.In short, real money fuels inflation in EVE Online by increasing the ISK supply through PLEX sales, driving up demand for goods, and amplifying price increases when combined with game design changes like scarcity. CCP mitigates this with ISK sinks like taxes, but the balance remains delicate.
PLEX does not increase the ISK supply
PLEX converts real $$ into ISK. That ISK was generated in-game.
PLEX doesnât increase the ISK sloshing around in the economy, it merely transfers it from someone with time to grind it to someone prepared to use $$ to acquire it.
e-gads, iâm agreeing with Bakster. truly this is the end of times.
itâs a bot, he dosnât even play the game
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Players can pay subscription of multiple accounts using RL money. Those toons will eventually earn isks.
And your point being?
If I buy PLEX and use that to fund Omega Status, then that hasnât had any direct influence on the economy at all.
If I buy PLEX and sell it for ISK, then I havenât increased the ISK available in the economy.
If I grind ISK and use that to purchase PLEX to maintain my Omega Status I have only transferred my ISK for Omega time.
None of these market interactions have any influence on the broader economy outside of the PLEX market. I would need to be maintaining hundreds of accounts via PLEX to truly influence that market.
I can sub alts to hoard plex if you want.
Are you a politician. 
" I Already made promise, Do you also need me to fulfill it? Thatâs unfair" 
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Why are you here? Just to whine and cry endlessly?
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Gloria is right, the spam alt who doesnât play the game doesnât know what heâs yapping about as usual.
Destruction causes demand, it does not lower supply. For example, if I kill a Gila, that has no impact on the supply of Gilas. What it does do is create demand for a new Gila. None of this is complicated or difficult to understand. Without destruction there would be infinite supply and zero demand. This game would be as challenging as a Minecraft creative mode server.
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Talking about âinfinite supplyâ, guess who is asking for unlimited manufacturing jobs per character? One and the same, Bakster Kane.
If you hadnât noticed, he resurfaced as some other poster went silent. Iâm half inclined to think these alts are created simply to increase forum traffic.
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