Blizzard is implementing a player housing system in World of Warcraft where participants can advance their homes by completing neighborhood-wide activities called Endeavors. These events will visually transform neighborhoods and offer unique, time-limited decorations.
Details regarding the highly anticipated MMORPG housing system were recently shared in a blog post by Blizzard. Following the previous announcement that players would be able to purchase homes in either public or private neighborhoods, further information clarifies how the system will operate.
A significant feature of WoW`s neighborhoods will be the Endeavors. These events occur roughly once a month and change the neighborhood`s appearance to represent various cultures or factions found throughout Azeroth. Each Endeavor includes tasks for neighborhood residents to complete collaboratively, such as quests, crafting specific items, or running dungeons. Once enough tasks are finished as a group, the entire neighborhood receives rewards.
Completing Endeavor tasks yields two main types of rewards: a special currency for purchasing themed decorations from visiting NPCs associated with the Endeavor, and Neighborhood Favor. This Favor appears to function as a form of housing experience (XP), contributing to progression through a system resembling the game`s Renown track. Achieving new housing levels grants additional decoration items and can sometimes increase housing limitations, such as the total number of decorations a player can place.
Blizzard stated that the purpose of Endeavors is to provide neighborhoods with shared goals, allow for visual customization options, and create diversity among neighborhoods since they won`t all be participating in the same event simultaneously. While players in public neighborhoods will have their Endeavors determined for them, those in private neighborhoods can select from a list of possible events. This design encourages players to visit different neighborhoods to find and acquire unique decoration rewards that may not be available in their own.
Alongside the announcement of Endeavors, Blizzard also addressed common player inquiries, including how players can relocate their homes if they are dissatisfied with their location or neighbors, and the level of control players will have over who can visit their home.
Players can easily move their homes if they choose to live elsewhere. Blizzard described the process of changing home locations as `frictionless and straightforward.` Giving up a home saves its current state, allowing players to `unpack` it at a new site without needing to redecorate or rebuild the interior. Since homes in WoW function as customizable spaces regardless of physical size, this feature avoids the need to redo previous design work, which seems like a practical approach.
Blizzard emphasized the substantial size of neighborhoods, featuring 50 housing plots distributed across different environmental biomes within a zone. Some plots are designed to be more isolated for players seeking a solitary experience without close neighbors, while others are part of smaller or larger cul-de-sacs intended to promote greater social interaction.
Regarding home permissions, Blizzard is giving players comprehensive control over who can visit their property. Options will allow players to permit or deny access to friends, guildmates, neighbors, or the general public. There will also be a setting to allow visitors access only to the outdoor plot of a home while restricting entry into the interior.
These details about Endeavors and neighborhoods represent the latest information shared by Blizzard concerning player housing. Previously, insights were provided on how WoW`s housing would be accessible to all interested players, how the system would acknowledge past achievements, and the extensive customization options available for decorations.
Earlier reports, including hands-on experiences with WoW`s housing decoration tools in May, highlighted the impressive potential offered by the system, even in an early development stage.
The WoW housing system was originally announced to launch with the next expansion, Midnight, but is now anticipated to arrive before it, possibly as part of the expansion`s pre-patch update. Blizzard is expected to share more information about Midnight, and likely player housing updates, during Gamescom.