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

World of Warcraft's upcoming housing system: A contrast to Final Fantasy XIV

Blizzard has offered a sneak peek at the player housing feature coming to World of Warcraft (WoW) in the World of Warcraft: Midnight expansion, subtly contrasting its approach with that of Final Fantasy XIV. The WoW team emphasized accessibility as a core design principle.

In a recent developer blog, Blizzard highlighted its goal of making housing available to all players. They stated explicitly that acquiring and maintaining a home would not involve exorbitant costs, lotteries, or harsh penalties for lapsed subscriptions. This directly addresses some of the common criticisms leveled at Final Fantasy XIV's housing system.

WoW's player housing will function as expected: players can purchase and personalize homes, which can then be visited by others. While Final Fantasy XIV's housing system has fostered impressive player creativity, resulting in player-built theaters, nightclubs, and other elaborate structures, it's also notorious for its limited plots, high Gil costs, lottery system, and the risk of demolition for inactive properties.

WoW aims to avoid these pitfalls. The system will feature shared housing among a player's Warband, allowing access across characters and factions. Although a character cannot purchase a home in an opposing faction's zone, a Warband member of a different faction can, granting access to all members.

While WoW's housing will be confined to two zones divided into "Neighborhoods" of approximately 50 plots each, these neighborhoods are instanced and offer both public and private options. Public areas are dynamically generated by the servers, suggesting a potentially scalable system without a fixed plot limit.

Blizzard's commitment to WoW's housing system extends beyond the initial launch. The developers envision housing as an ongoing feature, with a dedicated roadmap for future updates and expansions. This long-term vision, while acknowledging the shortcomings of other systems, suggests a thoughtful and well-planned approach.

Further details are expected closer to the summer reveal of World of Warcraft: Midnight.