World of Warcraft, a long-standing giant in the MMORPG realm for two decades, is finally incorporating a feature that puts it on par with titles like Ultima Online and Final Fantasy 14: player housing. This anticipated feature is set to debut in the Midnight expansion, slated for release in 2026. During Gamescom, I had the opportunity to experience a hands-on demo of this new system. While the customization options are extensive and user-friendly, questions linger about the broader integration of housing into the overall game world.
At Gamescom, Blizzard created an impressive setup. A huge stage was prepared for streaming presentations, along with an area filled with computers where attendees could explore the new housing system for approximately 20 minutes. The demo commenced with a pre-recorded video in a miniature house, showcasing the feature. The presentation explained that Blizzard drew inspiration from both cozy and survival games when crafting the World of Warcraft housing system. Their goal was to appeal to a diverse player base by providing both simplified and advanced building options.
The simplified mode offers a selection of pre-designed room templates for constructing homes, alongside a wide array of items such as furniture, adjustable lighting, usable ovens, and even animated, spooky altars perfect for warlocks. This mode also enforces logical placement rules, preventing players from, say, suspending a painting in mid-air. The advanced mode removes these constraints, allowing for near-limitless object placement and size adjustment, ideal for creating homes tailored to the scale of diminutive goblins or towering tauren.
I found both modes to be very accessible and intuitive, with an interface evoking memories of The Sims and Animal Crossing: New Horizons. The satisfaction of instantly placing entire rooms and personalizing them with an extensive range of colors to customize everything from tables to rugs was rewarding. However, the available wall and floor pattern options felt somewhat limited.
I became disinterested in the demo before my allotted time expired, primarily because I’m more invested in the currently undisclosed aspects of player housing. Where do these items come from? Will players all use the same templates, or will they need to craft items, buy them with in-game currency, or obtain them through quests? Will everyone start with the substantial space I had, or will expanding require purchasing or earning additional rooms?
The presentation mentioned generous space allocation, allowing for rooms dedicated to each alternative character, suggesting an account-wide feature. But questions still remain – How will housing be accessed? Since resting was enabled during my visit, it seemed like a viable place to log out, but will there be portals to questing areas? Will friends and guild members be able to visit? While the demo included diverse stoves for cooking, will there be other utility stations like a blacksmith’s anvil?
The promotional video also featured homes situated within a vibrant neighborhood. Will players find themselves among randomly selected individuals from their server, or will they be surrounded by NPCs that they can interact with and befriend, similar to Mists of Pandaria? Will the area mirror the garrisons in Warlords of Draenor, where one could add structures to produce resources and recruit followers? Or will it lean closer to Legion’s class halls, functioning as a hub that requires periodic visits for quests? World of Warcraft has a history of introducing features allowing players to seemingly influence the world, only to render them insignificant in the subsequent expansion, leaving me to question how much investment this new system truly deserves.
Perhaps housing will be purely cosmetic, providing longevity as it won’t need balancing with each new expansion. Yet, that brings us back to my earlier point of boredom after a mere 15 minutes. More information is needed before I can fully embrace the prospect of owning property within Azeroth.