World of Warcraft players have long asked for communal Guild Halls to hang out with guildmates in between adventures, and it sounds like that dream is finally becoming a reality, as Blizzard has confirmed what new housing-related features are currently in the works.
In an interview with PC Gamer about the future of WoW player housing, many of the biggest names on the WoW development team, including Blizzard VP and executive producer Holly Longdale and senior game director Ion Hazzikostas, outlined what players can expect from housing in the months and years to come.
Among a long list of improvements and new features coming to housing in the near future are Guild Halls. According to PC Gamer, principal designer and housing lead Jesse Kurlancheek said Guild Halls are not only coming, but that they will go live "relatively quickly." They will not, however, be part of the upcoming Midnight pre-patch arriving on January 20.
What form Guild Halls will actually take remains to be seen, as Kurlancheek didn't offer more details, but they are certain to be a shared space a guild can customize and call their own. On that same subject, Blizzard also confirmed it's looking to add the ability to co-decorate homes, which would be useful for a Guild Hall but also a major boon for those who lack interior decorating skills and would like some help. For couples who play WoW together, home co-ownership is also something Blizzard said it's looking at introducing.
Other housing additions coming soon include "exterior" rooms which will allow for sunlight and exterior views while indoors, larger "medium" sized home exteriors, additional decor and housing renown levels, more visible plot boundaries, and interactive housing objects. Housing features that will take longer but are in the works include an option to have the pets and mounts a player has collected wander their home, as well as a way to import and export player-housing creations.
There are even more housing ideas Blizzard said it's considering but hasn't actually started to work on. Those include the ability for homes to have basements, support for communal spaces, and neighborhood expansions or even entirely new neighborhoods to choose from that aren't themed around Stormwind or Orgrimmar.
Housing in WoW is currently available in an early-access form for those who preorder the MMORPG's upcoming Midnight expansion. The full feature, complete with the neighborhood endeavor event system and options for Night Elf and Blood Elf house exteriors, will arrive January 20 with the Midnight pre-patch. In addition to more fully fleshing out player housing, the pre-patch update will also bring major changes to WoW's transmog system and usher in a new era for player-made add-ons.
Midnight proper launches on March 2, and will revamp the game's nearly two-decade-old Blood Elf zones as well as introduce new areas, dungeons, and raids.
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In an interview with PC Gamer about the future of WoW player housing, many of the biggest names on the WoW development team, including Blizzard VP and executive producer Holly Longdale and senior game director Ion Hazzikostas, outlined what players can expect from housing in the months and years to come.
Among a long list of improvements and new features coming to housing in the near future are Guild Halls. According to PC Gamer, principal designer and housing lead Jesse Kurlancheek said Guild Halls are not only coming, but that they will go live "relatively quickly." They will not, however, be part of the upcoming Midnight pre-patch arriving on January 20.
What form Guild Halls will actually take remains to be seen, as Kurlancheek didn't offer more details, but they are certain to be a shared space a guild can customize and call their own. On that same subject, Blizzard also confirmed it's looking to add the ability to co-decorate homes, which would be useful for a Guild Hall but also a major boon for those who lack interior decorating skills and would like some help. For couples who play WoW together, home co-ownership is also something Blizzard said it's looking at introducing.
Other housing additions coming soon include "exterior" rooms which will allow for sunlight and exterior views while indoors, larger "medium" sized home exteriors, additional decor and housing renown levels, more visible plot boundaries, and interactive housing objects. Housing features that will take longer but are in the works include an option to have the pets and mounts a player has collected wander their home, as well as a way to import and export player-housing creations.
There are even more housing ideas Blizzard said it's considering but hasn't actually started to work on. Those include the ability for homes to have basements, support for communal spaces, and neighborhood expansions or even entirely new neighborhoods to choose from that aren't themed around Stormwind or Orgrimmar.
Housing in WoW is currently available in an early-access form for those who preorder the MMORPG's upcoming Midnight expansion. The full feature, complete with the neighborhood endeavor event system and options for Night Elf and Blood Elf house exteriors, will arrive January 20 with the Midnight pre-patch. In addition to more fully fleshing out player housing, the pre-patch update will also bring major changes to WoW's transmog system and usher in a new era for player-made add-ons.
Midnight proper launches on March 2, and will revamp the game's nearly two-decade-old Blood Elf zones as well as introduce new areas, dungeons, and raids.
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