Blizzard has exciting news for World of Warcraft players: player housing is coming to the game with the upcoming expansion, World of Warcraft: Midnight. In a recent dev blog, the WoW team shared early insights into this much-anticipated feature, and even playfully took a swipe at Final Fantasy XIV's housing system along the way.
The core principle of WoW's housing is inclusivity. Blizzard's commitment to "A Home for Everyone" ensures that any player who wants a house can have one, without facing high costs, lotteries, or the risk of losing their home if their subscription lapses. This approach stands in stark contrast to Final Fantasy XIV's housing system, which has been criticized for its limited availability, high costs, and the risk of demolition due to inactivity.
In World of Warcraft, player housing will offer a canvas for personalization and decoration, much like in Final Fantasy XIV, where players have transformed their homes into theaters, nightclubs, cafes, and museums. However, WoW aims to avoid the pitfalls of its competitor by making housing accessible to all. Houses will be shared among the Warband, allowing characters to visit and utilize homes across factions. For instance, while a Human character cannot purchase a house in a Horde zone, a Troll character in the same Warband can, and the Human can still use it.
World of Warcraft's housing will be divided into two zones, each comprising "Neighborhoods" of about 50 plots. These neighborhoods will be instanced, with both Public and Private options available. Public neighborhoods are dynamically maintained by the game servers and created as needed, suggesting there won't be a hard cap on the number of available plots.
Blizzard is dedicated to making housing a "long lasting journey" with continuous updates and expansions. The team's pillars for housing include "boundless self-expression," "deeply social," and a commitment to evolving the feature over time. This approach shows Blizzard's awareness of the challenges faced by other MMOs and their intent to provide a robust, engaging housing experience in World of Warcraft.
As we await further details, the summer unveiling of World of Warcraft: Midnight promises to reveal more about how player housing will integrate into the game's expansive world.
