What the site publishes
Core value tools, benchmark pet pages, evergreen guides, market notes, archive recaps, and trust pages that explain how the site works.
Editorial policy
How The Patch decides what belongs on the site and how fast it gets updated.
The Patch is trying to become more reliable over time, not louder. That means clearer standards for what counts as live guidance, what gets archived, how benchmark pages are updated, and how visible corrections should be handled when something is wrong.
What the site avoids
Placeholder stats, fake-live counters, mixed value scales, and old event urgency that makes expired pages look current.
What gets priority
Pages with direct trading impact get priority over archive content. That means values, calculators, benchmark pet pages, and corrections come first.
Live guidance vs archives
Live guidance pages are the homepage, calculators, value list, benchmark library, benchmark pet pages, and other current reference surfaces. Archive pages keep historical context but should not pretend to be current market guidance.
Benchmark update standard
Benchmark pages and tools should update from the shared data source, not through disconnected manual edits. If the benchmark source changes, the related pages should change together.
How visible updates should work
The goal is that users can tell what changed, why it changed, and whether a page is still meant to be current.
1. Contradictions get fixed quickly
If two core pages disagree about the same pet, tool logic, or event status, that contradiction should be treated as high-priority cleanup.
2. Public trust pages should stay updated
Methodology, corrections, changelog, parent guidance, and editorial policy should reflect the current state of the site rather than sounding frozen in an earlier version.
3. Major changes should be logged
If a change is visible enough to affect trust, navigation, or the main product surfaces, it belongs on the changelog.
Source handling
The site can review public community references, but it should avoid presenting guessed numbers or uncertain catalog details as settled facts.
Who publishes the guides
The Patch Staff is the editorial byline behind the site's value pages, update coverage, and comparison guides. That profile page should stay aligned with the public standards pages.
Read staff profileCorrection handling
When a report is valid, the goal is to fix the page, keep the methodology aligned, and note major user-visible changes publicly.
Family and ad-readiness
Clear policies matter because the audience includes younger players and parents. A cleaner editorial standard supports both user trust and future monetization.
Privacy and monetization disclosures
Editorial standards work better when users can also see what the site tracks and how advertising will be separated from navigation, tools, and benchmark content.
Read monetization policy