World of Warcraft Takes a Jab at Final Fantasy 14 With Its Housing Plans

Player housing is coming to World of Warcraft, and Blizzard has offered a first glimpse into its implementation. A recent preview detailed early plans, even playfully contrasting their approach with Final Fantasy XIV's housing system.

World of Warcraft: Midnight will introduce this highly anticipated feature. A key goal, as stated in the recent dev blog, is to make housing accessible to all players. Blizzard emphasizes inclusivity: "A Home for Everyone." They explicitly state there will be no exorbitant costs, lotteries, or demanding upkeep. Even if your subscription lapses, your home remains safe.

Player housing, as the name suggests, provides players with customizable homes within the MMO world, open for visits by other players. This feature is hugely popular in Final Fantasy XIV, where players' creativity has led to incredible in-game creations—theaters, nightclubs, cafes, and even museums.

However, Final Fantasy XIV's housing system also has its drawbacks. Limited plots per server, high Gil costs, lottery systems, and the risk of demolition due to inactivity are well-known issues.

World of Warcraft aims to address these concerns. Housing is shared amongst the Warband, allowing characters to access and share rewards regardless of faction. While a Human character can't purchase a Horde zone house, a Troll Warband member can, granting access to the Human character.

While World of Warcraft will initially offer two housing zones with "Neighborhoods" of approximately 50 plots each, these are instanced and offer both public and private options. Public areas are server-maintained and created dynamically, meaning the number of Neighborhoods isn't currently capped.

Blizzard’s commitment to World of Warcraft housing is evident. Besides "boundless self-expression" and "deeply social" aspects, they envision housing as a "long-lasting journey," with ongoing updates planned for future patches and expansions. This commitment, while acknowledging FFXIV's pitfalls, suggests Blizzard is learning from past successes and failures.

Further details are expected before the anticipated summer reveal of World of Warcraft: Midnight.