World of Warcraft’s Player Housing detailed: neighborhoods, tools, events

Table of Content

Blizzard is bringing Player Housing to World of Warcraft on December 2, shipping in the final patch of The War Within. The feature introduces liveable homes and shared neighborhoods to Azeroth – a long-anticipated addition built to last across future updates. The team positions housing as a social, creative space that also connects back to the game’s core activities. Design Lead Toby Ragaini and Lead UX Designer Laura Sardinha outlined how it all fits together, from plots and permissions to events and progression.

According to the developers, housing has been in development for years and is designed as an evergreen system – something players can invest in over the long term, not a limited-time loop.

How plots and neighborhoods work

Each player can secure a plot of land – in fact, two plots per Warband, with one tied to each faction’s neighborhood. Every plot includes a house and varies by style, shape and biome to match different vibes. Within neighborhoods, some houses cluster together for a communal feel, while others sit more isolated for solo-minded players.

All housing exists inside neighborhoods of approximately 50 houses. There are Public Neighborhoods that anyone can join and Private Neighborhoods that can be created and managed by Guilds or larger groups, letting communities share a dedicated space. Once you pick a house, you live alongside those players until you choose to move.

“These neighborhoods, and the neighbors you have – they’re going to persist for as long as you live in that community,” said Design Lead Toby Ragaini. “I think that’s one of the most compelling aspects of MMOs.”

Social controls and privacy settings

Housing arrives with a robust permissions system, letting owners decide how others can interact with them and their space. Settings can be adjusted at any time to support everything from open houses to invite-only access.

“We recognise that ‘social’ means different things to different people,” Ragaini noted. “Whether you want an open house that anyone can visit, or something closed off to visitors, you can choose whatever makes you comfortable.”

Building a home: tools, layouts and creativity

Customization spans both interiors and exteriors, with a library of Warcraft-themed decor and flexible placement tools. The system encourages creative builds and unorthodox use of items to achieve unique designs.

“We allow players to have total freedom of how they arrange things,” said Lead UX Designer Laura Sardinha. “You also have a room layout tool… create your own room with a secret door, or build puzzles for people to solve.”

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Integrated progression: earn decor through play

Housing is woven into core gameplay. Players can earn items, furniture, trophies and trinkets through a variety of activities – from questing to raids and dungeons – with no prior housing experience required.

“We didn’t want housing to exist as a standalone activity,” Ragaini explained. “When you’re out doing quests, or raids, or dungeons, there will be opportunities to earn decor and other rewards for your house.”

Neighborhood events and currency

Neighborhoods will host semi-regular Endeavours – community tasks that residents complete together to unlock rewards for the entire neighborhood. Activities include questing, running dungeons, crafting and gathering, allowing different playstyles to contribute.

Completing these tasks grants Neighborhood Favor, a new currency used to level up your home, increase decor limits and purchase additional items from NPCs.

Key systems at a glance

Below is a quick reference for the core elements launching with housing. The table summarizes what’s available on day one and how players interact with it.

Developer perspective

Blizzard emphasizes the long development and the goal of delivering a feature that can grow alongside the community.

“It took years of design and engineering to get where we are today,” said Ragaini. “We wanted something that felt like a whole new part of the game, that would grow with the community.”

Why it matters: a lasting social sandbox in Azeroth

Player Housing arrives as a socially persistent, creatively flexible system that ties back into core World of Warcraft activities. For players, that means a new reason to group up, decorate and progress together – all starting December 2.