Is anyone still doing Housing in World of Warcraft? Some are wondering and see the fault in the high prices.
Housing, also known as “player housing” in German, was and is one of the central features of World of Warcraft Midnight. It is intended to become an evergreen feature that will be expanded and improved throughout the future of WoW.
At first, the hype was huge. Most people dived into their houses, spending some time decorating them. Sure – everyone knows that one player who basically didn’t leave their house for two weeks and completely exhausted themselves.
But now it has become quieter around Housing. A theory from the community: Blizzard got too greedy and therefore killed the feature.
But is that actually true?
Housing items are too expensive, which drives many away
In the WoW subreddit, a post is currently attracting a lot of attention. The player MrHiccuped explains in the post “Blizzard was too greedy with Housing and I think they have killed it” the following:
My guild was extremely hyped about Housing and we filled our first neighborhood within a few hours. We all played a bit more, everyone collected recipes, and we could craft almost everything we wanted. I felt that the gardens were the first thing everyone built, as many are still waiting for tools to design the interiors more easily.
Every day, people showed off their front yards, and there was always something new to discover. Then the stupid, overpriced Spring set came to the shop, and I felt the hype died instantly. The fact that the first high-resolution tree was behind a paywall shocked people. Beautiful front yards would no longer be created through creativity but through a big wallet. (…)
The post has an 86% approval rating, and many comments agree that Housing experienced a downturn after the first weeks. Particularly, further housing items, like a bundle of new house options for €75, have made some view the feature – or Blizzard’s greed – with disgust.
WoW has many loyal Housing fans who don’t care about shop items
While it is certainly true that some were deterred by the absurdly high prices of the items, there is another side. Because Housing in World of Warcraft is alive – even if you have to search a little. Most Housing fans have formed communities and neighborhoods with people who also enjoy this content.
Basically, there are numerous new community creations every day, showcasing either large structures or impressively showing how to create something entirely new from many smaller items.
Some players also mention this in the post, as one of the most popular comments comes from Dracid88, who says:
People don’t know how large the actual player base of WoW is. I guarantee you Housing is currently going crazy for most casuals.
Anyone looking for inspiration should take a look at the WoWHousing subreddit and check back there every few days. The most talented Housing fans from Azeroth frequently publish their works and often show how they planned and built individual rooms or objects.
You also won’t miss out on one or the other masterpiece, such as this unbelievably complex (and somewhat questionable) mosaic of Xal’atath.
Cortyn says: Even though I understand the displeasure regarding the prices for Housing – because they are really cheeky – I still consider Housing to be one of the features I invest the most time into. Whether I’m working on my mage’s tower, creating an environment for an exciting RP idea, or farming decorations from the various factions – basically, all of this is part of the “Housing” gameplay that has pushed many other activities in World of Warcraft to the background, with which I now engage less.
I have a whole bunch of friends whom I hardly see in the game anymore because they have practically locked themselves in their houses and are trying to squeeze the current item limit a bit more efficiently and beautifully. They surely spend 90% of their playtime just in the house.
There are only two things Blizzard can be truly criticized for here. One is the prices in the shop that can only be described as “cheeky.” The second is the long development time it takes for new features. Since the launch of Housing, there have only been minimal adjustments, while there have been discussions about new features in interviews for months now.
So far, Blizzard is still working to fix bugs – such as lack of light in outdoor areas. There have also been no new Housing levels for months, which means most have long reached the cap and in some cases even reached double the value of truly meaningful Housing XP.
The fact that Blizzard is currently releasing content endlessly is something that can certainly be criticized. But the fact that this is not the case for the “sandbox gameplay” of Housing, for which there is no pressure or obligations, is unfortunate.
But one thing is certain about Housing: it is not dead. You may just need to find a community that focuses on this feature. Then you will see new, exciting projects every day that you can admire or draw inspiration from – like the dark cave built by a friend.
But how about you? Do you still play in your neighborhood and build your house? Or has the air gone out of Housing and you are turning back to other game content? And if so, why is that? Is it the expensive shop prices? Or are you waiting for new Housing features?
Your opinion is important to us!
Do you like the article? Then let us know!