Exciting news for World of Warcraft enthusiasts: Blizzard has announced the introduction of player housing in the upcoming expansion, World of Warcraft: Midnight. In a recent preview, the WoW team shared early insights into this long-awaited feature and even took a playful swipe at Final Fantasy XIV's housing system.
Blizzard's focus on housing is clear from the recent dev blog, where they outlined their vision under the banner "A Home for Everyone." The goal is to make housing accessible to all players. "As part of our focus on wide adoption, we wanted to ensure that Housing is available to everyone. If you want a house, you can have a house," Blizzard stated. They emphasized that there will be no steep requirements, high purchase costs, lotteries, or burdensome upkeep. Importantly, even if your subscription lapses, your home won't be at risk of repossession.
Player housing in MMOs allows players to purchase and personalize physical homes within the game world, which other players can visit. This feature has been incredibly popular in Final Fantasy XIV, where it has inspired creativity, leading to in-game theater productions, nightclubs, cafes, and museums. However, Final Fantasy XIV's housing system has faced criticism for its limited availability, high costs, lottery system, and the risk of demolition if neglected.
World of Warcraft's approach to housing aims to address these concerns. Housing will be shared among the Warband, allowing characters to move freely between homes, with rewards shared across characters and even across factional lines. While a Human character can't purchase a house in a Horde zone, a Troll character in the same Warband can, and the Human can still use it.
The housing system in World of Warcraft will be divided into two zones, each featuring "Neighborhoods" of approximately 50 plots. These neighborhoods are instanced and offer both Public and Private options. Public neighborhoods are dynamically managed by game servers and can be created as needed, suggesting no hard cap on the number of neighborhoods.
Blizzard is committed to making player housing a long-term feature, describing it as a "long lasting journey" with its own roadmap and ongoing updates planned for future patches and expansions. While taking a light-hearted jab at Final Fantasy XIV's system, Blizzard demonstrates a clear understanding of the challenges and is intent on avoiding similar pitfalls.
As we await the summer unveiling of World of Warcraft: Midnight, more details about the housing system are expected to be revealed, promising a new era of personalization and community in the beloved MMO.
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