WoW Reveals More Housing Detail, Along With Neighborhoods Tease & A Jab At FFXIV
Blizzard has shared more details about the upcoming housing in World of Warcraft, including accessibility, neighborhoods, and what seems to be a direct dig at Final Fantasy XIV. After 20 years, the MMO plans to add the highly requested feature as part of the Midnight update later in 2025. The game hopes to make it possible for any player to have a house, and spend as much—or as little—time on it as they want.
The idea behind the Azeroth Housing system was explained in more detail in a blog post on the Blizzard website, giving fans a glimpse behind the scenes of the development process. According to the blog, WoW plans to make housing affordable, accessible, and scalable, so players can enjoy the experience any way that they want to. The blog shares a bit more information about the way houses will work, and seems to make a tongue-in-cheek jab at Final Fantasy XIV's housing situation.
World of Warcraft Houses Will Feature Dedicated Zones And Neighborhoods
The Feature Will Have Two Zones At Launch, With More To Come
The blog post reveals that the housing system will have two "Housing Zones" on launch, one for the Alliance and one for Horde. The two zones will be strongly influenced by iconic locations associated with each faction, with more zones to be released at a later date. Blizzard hints that players will be able to interact with the zones in a unique way, stating that the developers are "excited for what we'll be able to accomplish with the two zones" and will be sharing more details about this soon.
According to the blog post, houses will be grouped into 50-plot Neighborhoods, which will act as communal living spaces. Players will " live next to each other, work together, and share in the rewards." Fans can also choose whether they want to live in a public Neighborhood or a private one shared among friends and guild-members. The blog concludes, stating that "while an individual player can have a house, a community can have a Neighborhood!"
Blizzard Is Dedicated To Making WoW Housing Approachable To All Players
The System Will Not Work Like FFXIV's Precarious House Situation
In the process of describing the upcoming housing system, Blizzard seems to be making a dig at Final Fantasy XIV's housing situation. The blog post states simply, "If you want a house, you can have a house." There will be no "exorbitant requirements or high purchase costs, no lotteries, and no onerous upkeep," the post continues, adding that if a player doesn't tend to their house in a while, "your house doesn’t get repossessed!"
All this seems to be in direct opposition to the way estates work in FFXIV. These communal living spaces do have a high purchase cost, require players to win a lottery, and the house is demolished after a certain period of inactivity. Apartments in FFXIV are more widely available but still finite for each server.
It seems that World of Warcraft plans to make houses available to all, without limiting the number of houses that can exist per server. The experience is intended to be "Deeply Social," and be a communal place for players to interact with each other while creating spaces unique to them.
Source: Blizzard
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