This feature is coming in the next expansion, World of Warcraft Midnight, and it feels like Blizzard has finally given in to what fans have been asking for since the very beginning. You will be able to own a house, decorate it, show it off to your friends, and even live in neighborhoods filled with other players.
Here is how it works. Each neighborhood has about 50 plots. Some are isolated, perfect if you want to be a hermit. Others are small cul de sacs for you and a couple of friends. And some are big bustling communities if you like the social side of WoW. Each home comes with a yard you can decorate and yes, you can control who is allowed to enter your plot or your house.
There are also public neighborhoods that anyone can join and private neighborhoods owned by guilds or groups of players. Guild neighborhoods will allow every member to have their own house, while smaller private groups are limited to the plots available. And the best part is if you do not like your neighbors you can just pack up your house and move somewhere else.
Blizzard is also adding a system called Endeavors. These are monthly neighborhood wide activities that let everyone team up to unlock rewards and decorations. Think of them as community projects. Complete tasks together and your whole neighborhood changes and improves over time.
When I quit WoW years ago it was partly because the game became more about grinding than about living in the world. But now that cozy games are everywhere and people spend hours just decorating homes in Animal Crossing or Stardew Valley, the idea of having my own cozy space in Azeroth suddenly feels like exactly the kind of update WoW needed.
So maybe it is time. Maybe I will dust off that old box on my shelf, log back in, and finally build myself a home in the greatest fantasy world video games have ever created. I just have no idea where to get a CD drive.
