After years of anticipation and requests from the community, Player Housing has finally arrived in Azeroth, ushering in a new era of creative expression and social interaction for World of Warcraft players. Launched in Early Access with the 11.2.7 update (for players who have pre-ordered the upcoming Midnight expansion), this permanent, cosmetics-focused feature is already transforming the way champions of the Horde and Alliance call Azeroth their own.
Blizzard has delivered a robust suite of tools that gives players unprecedented control over their personal space. The core philosophy is freedom, leading to incredible player-made creations just days into the Early Access period. Players begin with a house plot and can design their interior from the ground up using modular room pieces like squares, rectangles, and L-shapes. This allows for multi-story layouts, sprawling mansions, or compact, cozy nooks. The system features two main modes.
Basic Mode offers an accessible experience with object snapping and collision detection for easy, clean placement.
Advanced Mode unleashes maximum creative potential, allowing for unrestricted rotation, scaling, and the ability to clip objects into one another; players have already used this to create everything from miniature dollhouses to floating, inverted homes. Furthermore, a vast decor collection of thousands of cosmetic items, including furniture, trophies, and trinkets, can be collected through nearly all in-game activities, such as crafting, dungeons, raids, and achievements. Certain items are also dyeable for further personalization. Beyond the walls of the house, players can also customize their outdoor plot, including decorations and landscaping. Remarkably, Blizzard has embraced player creativity by officially supporting “house-lifting,” allowing homes to be deliberately positioned high in the air.
Player Housing is designed to be a social feature that encourages community engagement, moving beyond the isolated nature of the old Garrison system. Houses are located on dedicated, instanced islands, specifically Founder’s Point for the Alliance and Razorwind Shores for the Horde. Players have the option to choose between Public Neighborhoods, which are automatically generated instances open to anyone, or Guild Neighborhoods, which are private spaces created and managed exclusively for members of a specific guild. A third type, Charter Neighborhoods (for non-guild friend groups), is planned for a later date to ensure server stability. The entire system is Warband-shared, meaning a player’s characters on both factions can access and live in their two available houses (one Alliance-side and one Horde-side), which allows for seamless cross-faction visiting and co-decoration. Future updates, particularly with the full launch of Midnight, will introduce Neighborhood Endeavors, which are shared tasks and events for neighbors to collaborate on, earning rewards and upgrades for their community.
A key design choice ensures Player Housing remains a relaxing, fun diversion rather than a chore. First, housing is strictly a cosmetic feature; it offers no pay-to-win elements or direct impact on character progression, ensuring it’s an optional passion project. Second, there is no ongoing upkeep—no taxes or expiration dates for your homes. Once you unlock a plot through a small gold cost and a short questline, your home is yours forever. Players will earn House Level (personal progression) and Neighborhood Favor (community progression) by collecting decorations and participating in neighborhood activities. This progression unlocks more rooms, higher decor budgets, and larger exterior house models.
The release of Player Housing marks a major milestone for World of Warcraft. It delivers on a decade-long community desire with a system that prioritizes player freedom and social connectivity.
