Last reviewed October 2026 · How we research · Sellers and scores on the Lineage W page.
What the Terms Say
Two NCSOFT documents govern Lineage W. The End User License Agreement covers the currency itself: Diamonds are “App Currency”, obtained as a limited licence rather than a purchase, and §3 states “You may not transfer, sell, gift, exchange, trade, lease, sublicense, or rent App Currency or Content except within the Services and as expressly permitted by NC.” Purchases of App Currency are final and not refundable, transferable or exchangeable, and NC retains all rights, title and interest in it.
The Lineage W Operation Policy then names the conduct and prices it. Its Article 6 restrictions table defines a “Real-money transaction” as trading in-game items for cash, real goods/services or other games’ items — and expressly includes “entrusting characters to others in exchange for cash or real goods/services and fostering them on behalf of others”, which is paid boosting/piloting. “Account trading” is a separate offence. Both carry the same ladder: 7 days for a first offence, 30 days for a second, 90 days for a third. Even the attempt is priced: attempting or advertising a real-money transaction, or advertising a site that mediates one, draws 3, 7 and 30 days, and repeated for-profit attempts can be made permanent on a first restriction.
Article 5 adds the financial teeth. NCSOFT may “retrieve or adjust profits (items, experiences, etc.) related to violations”, may delete items and paid content, and — under Article 5(6) — can retrieve an item obtained through a violation even from a later player who acquired it without knowing. Article 4’s naming policy also restricts character names that advertise cash exchange or proxy purchase. There is no ambiguity to hide in: the whole chain, buyer included, is written down.
The Official Routes
Diamonds come in two colours, and only one is for sale. Blue Diamonds are the purchased premium currency, sold by NCSOFT in the in-game shop and the platform stores, and they are the currency the game’s own Exchange runs on: NCSOFT built Lineage W with a real-time item exchange and a private trading system, so farmed gear converts into Blue Diamonds when another player buys your listing. Red Diamonds are earned in game, in small quantities, and are not sold. Adena, the soft currency from hunting and quests, buys from NPCs and never touches the Exchange.
There is no official web top-up store and no authorised reseller list for Lineage W. The two reviewed sellers on the Lineage W game page are IGGM (MMODude score 4.5/5, the page’s top pick) and G2G (4.1/5), whose Lineage W shelf held 51 active offers from just 2 sellers across dozens of SEA servers on our October 2026 check. Because Diamonds cannot be gifted or mailed between players, third-party delivery runs through the Exchange mechanic itself: value moves when a seller buys a buyer’s listed item with Blue Diamonds. That is an in-game trade on the surface and a cash transaction underneath — which is exactly the combination the Operation Policy defines as a real-money transaction.
What Can Go Wrong
- The published ladder is short and it is enforced on paper against buyers. A completed cash-for-items trade is a real-money transaction under Article 6: 7 days, then 30, then 90. NCSOFT does not need to catch the payment — the trade pattern is the offence, and Article 5 lets it take the profits back as well as ban.
- Retrieval reaches past the seller. Under Article 5(6), an item obtained through a violation can be retrieved even from someone who acquired it later without knowing its history. Bought Diamonds get spent on gear; the gear is what gets clawed back.
- The market is two sellers deep. Our check found 51 G2G offers coming from only 2 sellers. Thin supply means prices swing, listings vanish mid-negotiation, and there is no competitive bench if one seller goes bad. Lineage W also runs many servers and the offers cluster on SEA servers — a delivery promised to the wrong server is worthless to you.
- No account market to fall back on — by design. We found no active account or boosting listings on vetted vendors for Lineage W. Account trading is its own Article 6 offence (7/30/90 days), paid character fostering is inside the RMT definition itself, and Article 5(3) makes both parties to an account share liable, with restrictions able to hit both accounts.
- Impersonation is priced separately. “Fraud attempt” — including impersonating company staff — carries 7, 30 and 60 days. A “support agent” asking you to move a Diamond deal off-platform into chat is the standard shape of that scam.
Red Flags to Avoid
- “Direct Diamond transfer” or “gifted Diamonds” — no such function exists; Diamonds only move when an Exchange listing is bought.
- Prices far below the in-game shop’s Blue Diamond packs from a seller with no marketplace record — in a two-seller market, a too-cheap third offer is bait, not competition.
- Any “top-up” that asks for your NC account login or password — Exchange delivery never needs it.
- Sellers advertising in game chat or with cash-trade character names — the naming policy restricts exactly that, and advertising RMT is its own offence (3/7/30 days).
- Pressure to complete the trade off-marketplace or to confirm delivery before the Diamonds land.
Buying Checklist
- Benchmark every offer against the in-game shop’s Blue Diamond packs first — that is NCSOFT’s own rate card, and the Exchange fee comes out of any trade.
- Match the server exactly before you pay: the wired offers cluster on SEA servers, and Diamonds delivered to another server cannot be moved to yours.
- Prefer the protection that exists: G2G orders sit behind its buyer protection; IGGM is a direct shop, so keep its order records and use a card or PayPal rather than an irreversible method.
- Start with the smallest pack size on a first order, confirm the Diamonds land, and only then scale up.
- Never share your account login for a Diamond order — legitimate Exchange delivery needs only your listing, not your credentials.
The Safe Alternatives
Lineage W is one of the few games where the grind genuinely converts: farm items other players want, list them on the game’s own Exchange, and the Blue Diamonds you earn are sanctioned by the system NCSOFT built and described at launch. Red Diamonds and event rewards drip in on top, and Adena covers NPC purchases without spending at all. If you do spend, the in-game shop is the only seller NCSOFT authorises. The reviewed third-party sellers on the Lineage W game page are listed for comparison; this guide’s bottom line is that NCSOFT has published the exact price of getting caught — 7, 30 and 90 days, plus the goods — and the Exchange already gives you a legal way to turn play into Diamonds.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you trade Diamonds directly with another player in Lineage W?
No. Diamonds cannot be gifted, mailed or traded player-to-player. Blue Diamonds only move when someone buys your listing on the game’s Exchange — and that is also how third-party sellers deliver. When real money sits on the other side of that Exchange trade, NCSOFT’s Operation Policy calls it a real-money transaction (Article 6: 7, 30 and 90 days).
What actually happens if you are caught buying Diamonds?
The Operation Policy publishes the ladder in advance: a real-money transaction draws 7 days for a first offence, 30 for a second and 90 for a third, and Article 5 lets NCSOFT retrieve or delete the items and currency gained. Merely attempting or advertising a trade is separately punishable at 3, 7 and 30 days, and repeated for-profit attempts can be made permanent.
What is the difference between Blue Diamonds, Red Diamonds and Adena?
Blue Diamonds are the purchased premium currency and the currency of the in-game Exchange. Red Diamonds are earned in game in small amounts and are not sold. Adena is the soft currency from hunting and quests, spent at NPCs. Third-party sellers only ever sell Blue Diamonds — an offer of cheap Red Diamonds or bulk Adena labelled as Diamonds is written for a different sale, or a different game.
IGGM or G2G for Lineage W Diamonds?
MMODude scores IGGM 4.5/5 (its strongest area is delivery speed, 4.6) and G2G 4.1/5, from reviews last checked on October 13, 2026. G2G’s shelf is thin — 51 active offers from just 2 sellers across dozens of SEA servers — but orders sit behind G2G buyer protection; IGGM is a direct shop advertising 24/7 support. Check your exact server exists on either before paying, and benchmark both against the in-game shop.
Sources
- NCSOFT End User License Agreement (§3, App Currency and Content) (read Oct 18, 2026)
- Lineage W Operation Policy (Articles 4–6, restrictions standard table) (read Oct 18, 2026)
- NCSOFT: Lineage W showcase on the item exchange and private trading systems (read Oct 18, 2026)
