On their official site, Blizzard Entertainment recently shared a sneak peek of their eagerly anticipated Player Housing feature, set to debut with the World of Warcraft: Midnight expansion slated for release later this year. This glimpse offers insights into the developer’s vision behind Player Housing, its in-game functionality, and even provides hints regarding the cost of owning a house within the game world.
Here are all the important details you need to know from this announcement.
For those who may not know, Player Housing is a game mechanism that allows players or guilds to purchase homes within the game. This feature has been incorporated in other Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs), such as Final Fantasy 14, Elder Scrolls Online, and Star Wars: The Old Republic. Notably, this particular aspect was not included in Blizzard’s popular MMORPG, which has been around for over 20 years, until the announcement made at the end of 2024.
In the introduction for the player housing feature in World of Warcraft, Blizzard explains that it’s been created with both beginner and experienced players in mind. It offers simple, user-friendly options for casual gamers while providing a wealth of intricate customization tools for dedicated players, allowing them to creatively design their homes to their heart’s content.
Blizzard clarifies that Player Housing has been designed as ongoing content for the game rather than a single, finish-and-forget feature. In fact, this aspect of the game will have its own unique development plan, ensuring it receives fresh updates with every upcoming World of Warcraft patch and expansion.
Technically speaking, Blizzard has verified that at launch, there will be two residential areas, one designated for the Horde faction and another for the Alliance.
The layout of the Alliance Housing region will draw inspiration from places such as Elwynn Forest, Westfall, and Duskwood, whereas the Horde Housing area will reflect the ambiance of coastal regions in Durotar and Azshara. Blizzard intends to create two zones initially, adopting a ‘quality-over-quantity’ philosophy, meaning they aim to produce high-quality areas rather than spreading them out too thin, allowing players to interact with each other more frequently.
Later, Blizzard clarifies that the Player Housing feature will provide an extensive selection, even exceeding two hundred, of decorative and customizable items for your house. These items are obtained as rewards within the game. A few cosmetic Player Housing items will also be available for purchase in the cash shop, but only a minimal number compared to the free options.
In regards to the method for acquiring a house in this game, Blizzard hasn’t gone into specifics yet. But they have assured us that everyone will be able to own a home and the process won’t involve stringent requirements, expensive purchases, lotteries, or difficult maintenance fees. Additionally, your house won’t get taken away if you temporarily stop playing World of Warcraft, so you can hold onto it even during breaks.
Shared player housing allows your Warband members to access your homes, making it possible for all created characters, regardless if they belong to the Horde or Alliance, to visit these houses. Furthermore, housing rewards are collectively obtained by your Warband, enabling you to acquire decorations using any character in your group.
Additionally, players have the freedom to invite friends or guild members to their homes, and reciprocally, others can visit them. While there are some faction limitations, a player’s character from one faction may not be able to purchase a house in another faction’s housing area, but if their other character belongs to a different faction (for example, a Human character is part of the Warband), they can buy a home. In such cases, the original character can then visit the new house as though it were their own.
After wrapping up the preview, Blizzard hinted at the idea of “Neighborhoods.” These areas are intended to house player residences and will be grouped into approximately fifty neighborhoods for a shared living experience. This setup allows players to live in close proximity, collaborate, and foster small communities together.
In the game, neighborhoods will be both individual instances and permanent, allowing players to observe and engage with one another within their respective neighborhoods. World of Warcraft includes two categories of such neighborhoods.
- Public Neighborhoods, which will be maintained by the game’s servers.
- Private Neighborhoods that are created by guilds or circles of friends so they can build and customize their personal Neighborhood without being bothered by the general public.
World of Warcraft’s Player Housing premise shows promise
It seems that the sneak peek into World of Warcraft suggests it will deliver several features I’ve long yearned for in terms of player housing, such as granting access to my account’s housing across all characters (my Warband), allowing me to unlock decorative elements through gameplay content, and offering homes tailored for individual players and guilds.
I’m delighted that Blizzard is addressing the issue I found frustrating in Final Fantasy 14, where players either needed to spend a significant amount, rely on chance through lotteries, or maintain a subscription just to keep their houses even if they weren’t actively playing. Fortunately, World of Warcraft seems to be moving away from these issues, making the housing system more accessible and enjoyable.
While it’s worrisome that World of Warcraft might adopt a Neighborhood system for Player Housing similar to Final Fantasy 14, given the limitations in plot size in FF14’s Neighborhoods. However, considering the vast server resources available to World of Warcraft, I am optimistic that it won’t face the same issues as FF14 did.
Currently, we’re eagerly waiting for a comprehensive walkthrough showing how Player Housing functions within the gameplay. This demonstration will clarify the mechanics behind owning a house and the steps involved in acquiring one. It is anticipated that these details will be unveiled as we approach the launch of World of Warcraft: Midnight, scheduled for summer 2025.
During this period, we’ll stay engaged by pursuing Gallywix and The Harbinger within the Undercity region (World of Warcraft).
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2025-02-06 01:41