There goes the Neighborhood: new details drop on where we can place our World of Warcraft Player Housing

In the past few months we have seen a steady stream of updates on the imminent launch of Player Housing in World of Warcraft, with the latest answering many of the most commonly asked questions about Neighborhoods. If you’ve been itching to know how much real estate you’ll be allotted, how easy moving your house will be, and how many guildies can share a cul-de-sac, then read on.

The first step in choosing where you’ll construct your home base is which zone you’ll be in: the Horde’s Razorwind Shores or the Alliance’s Founder’s Point. While some early feedback came in the form of decrying the lack of scenery options, we now know that there will be different biomes within each of the two zones that Player Housing will launch with. For example, Razorwind Shores won’t be entirely barren desert — you’ll be able to buy a plot of land near an oasis if you choose.

In addition to choosing just the right spot for your house with regards to surroundings, you’ll also be able to decide how cozy you’d like to be with the players who live around you. There will be plots in each zone that are much more isolated, some that are organized into decently close-quartered street plans, and densely-packed areas for those looking for a city vibe.

The ease of being able to move your house was a recurring topic that came up in feedback and questions after the first few information dumps, and the answer seems to be that relocating will be quite easy. If you grow weary of your surroundings (or your street-mates) you can relinquish your plot, choose a new one, and port your house with all of its decor to its new spot.

One of the more surprising revelations for me came when the plots of land were discussed. We have heard so much about interior decoration that I had put little thought into the outside of my house beyond its appearance. The blog post assures us that our hedge mazes won’t get intruded upon by our neighbors’ old-growth trees. My reaction to that was: we get enough room to create a hedge maze!? There’s no word yet on the exact size of our tracts of land, but having my own sizeable yard in addition to a house just further increases the chances that I will be permanently hanging up my adventuring stave in order to endlessly perfect my living space.

One major point that we got more details on concerns just who else lives around you in your Neighborhood. For players that don’t have a close-knit group of friends in-game, there are Public Neighborhoods. These instances are automatically managed and anyone can buy a plot within one. If you’re looking to set up a block of residences with your buddies from Azeroth, there are also Private Neighborhoods.

Typically these will be Guild Neighborhoods, but there is also an in-between option called Charter Neighborhoods that can be formed and managed by any group of players. These Private Neighborhoods can be named, have leaders who select Endeavors and choose settings, etc. Each Neighborhood instance will have 50 plots, with a minimum needing to be occupied for Charter Neighborhoods and additional linked instances for larger Guild Neighborhoods.

Another burning question that came up enough that the Housing team addressed it directly was privacy. Some players want to host their friends for nightly hang-outs, while others cringe at the thought of anyone else intruding on their fortress of solitude. The solution to this is an easily customizable series of settings. For both the inside of your home and the exterior portion of your estate, you can readily change permissions for your friends, guildmates, neighbors, or even strangers to be able to come and go as they please or be forced to admire your landscaping from a distance.

With the launch of Player Housing still a few months away, it is important to keep in mind that all of these details are preliminary and subject to change with further testing and feedback. One of the most important things we can do as players who are champing at the bit to finally own our own homes on Azeroth is let the team know which of these features we like, which we aren’t clear about, and which we think should be dropped or overhauled. What is your reaction to the latest batch of details?