Summary
- World of Warcraft will introduce Player Housing in the Midnight expansion with a focus on self-expression, social connections, and a long-lasting journey.
- Initial housing zones will include an Alliance area inspired by Elwynn Forest and Duskwood, and a Horde area inspired by Durotar and Azshara.
- Hundreds of decorations, Warbands system integration, and no prohibitive costs or lotteries are other key features of Player Housing in WoW.
World of Warcraft just surprised fans with a massive amount of information about Player Housing, including its three core pillars of design, how getting and visiting houses will work, and the two zones where Neighborhoods can be built in when the feature launches. With a focus on limitless self-expression, deep social connections, and wide adoption, World of Warcraft is beginning a promising, evergreen journey with Player Housing.
During the first Warcraft Direct in November 2024, World of Warcraft revealed that Player Housing was finally coming in the Midnight expansion. Though details have been sparse, World of Warcraft executive producer Holly Longdale recently confirmed new information was coming about Player Housing in a WoW State of the Game letter.
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Now, Blizzard has officially shared a first look at this exciting feature. The core of Player Housing revolves around three pillars: Boundless Self-Expression, Deeply Social, and Long-Lasting Journey. All together, this design philosophy focuses on giving fans the ability to interact with and decorate their houses as much or as little as they want with an interface that is both user-friendly and robust, and to share the experience with others in an evergreen, evolving system that will last as long as World of Warcraft is around.
Pillars of Player Housing in World of Warcraft
- Boundless Self-Expression
- Deeply Social
- Long-Lasting Journey
When the feature launches, players can expect two different housing zones: an Alliance one inspired by Elwynn Forest, Westfall, and Duskwood, and a Horde one inspired by Durotar and its coastline, along with Azshara to the north. While more areas will be added in the future, World of Warcraft wants to start with these two to not dilute the population across several areas, and to give each the attention it deserves. Within each instanced area, up to 50 houses can be built in Public Neighborhoods, which are open to anyone, or Private Neighborhoods, created and curated by guilds or other communities.
Initial Housing Zones in World of Warcraft
- Alliance – Elwynn Forest, with touches of Westfall and Duskwood
- Horde – Durotar, with touches of Azshara and the Durotar coastline
Fans can expect a robust number of decorations to use in their houses. “Hundreds of hundreds” of customizations will be available within the game itself, while a small number will be purchased from the cash shop, similarly to how it approaches other collectibles. What’s more, though Housing is currently only limited to Human and Orc-centric Neighborhoods, decor options take inspiration from both the cultures of Azeroth and the expansions of World of Warcraft itself.
Housing is heavily integrated with the Warbands system, as both houses and the decor collection are shared across all characters. An Alliance character cannot purchase a house in the Horde zone and vice versa, but they can freely visit and use houses built there on the same account, even across the faction line. Housing also won’t have prohibitive costs, lotteries, or automatic housing demolition like Final Fantasy 14 does, meaning that if a player wants a house in World of Warcraft, they can get one, no matter how much they interface with it.
