Blizzard gives a first look at how player housing will work in World of Warcraft

Back in November, Blizzard dropped a bombshell on us by revealing the upcoming feature of player housing in the next expansion, Midnight. We had a little speculation on where we’d like to build our home sweet home, but we didn’t really know what to expect from the feature — that is, until today, when Blizzard gave us our first real look at how player housing will work in World of Warcraft.

The answer of where we can build is settled right away, at least for the time being: players will be able to obtain a house in either an Alliance-themed zone that is largely based on Elwynn Forest with touches of Westfall and Duskwood, or in a Horde-themed zone that is based on Durotar’s coastal areas and that of Azshara. Don’t worry if you prefer the other faction’s style, though, or just have a hankering to live on the sunny Durotar beaches no matter your faction: once you buy a house on a character of a given faction, that house is then shared amongst your entire Warband, whether you’re playing Horde or Alliance at the time. You can also visit your friends’ houses easily, regardless of their faction or yours; faction only really seems to matter for the initial house purchase.

You won’t necessarily be locked to blue roof tiles or garish spikes, either. Decorations are said to span not just the cultures of Azeroth but the many expansions of World of Warcraft as well, so maybe you can have the Forsaken spiky mad science building or gnome dome home of your dreams. Blizzard is already planning hundreds of decor options for players to seek out, as well, with the majority being in-game and only a small amount in the cash shop — housing is being designed as a player-first, not revenue-first, feature. It is also being designed from the ground up to be something that players should be looking forward to in each release like they do every other system; housing is not necessarily something you will “finish,” but something you can pursue endlessly like any other goal in the game. Housing rewards are also shared across your Warband, much like your house itself, so any character in your Warband can use your decor pool.

“But will I have to spend a giant pile of gold or get on a lottery list to have a chance at a plot, like some other games?” you might ask. It seems the answer is no — housing in World of Warcraft are intended to be widely adopted. If a player wants a house, then they can get a house! There are also no taxes, fees, or repercussions if your sub lapses or you just don’t visit your house for a while.

Last but not least, we were teased with the feature of Neighborhoods. Houses are currently organized into groups of around 50 plots, called a Public Neighborhood; they’re instanced, but persistent, so your neighbors are your neighbors (though they did allude to a possibility of “moving away” in the future). But we were also told that there would be the concept of Private Neighborhoods, created by groups of friends or a guild to “inhabit, progress, and customize together.” This already sounds amazing, and if Blizzard can deliver on the promise of this feature, we’re looking at a fantastic cornerstone feature of this game for years to come… if your guild can decide where to live, anyway!