Final Fantasy XIVmay have no real solution to its ongoing housing crisis. Housing has been an integral part of theFFXIVexperience since Patch 2.1, way back in December 2013, when just 450 housing plots in three districts - one for each of the game’s major starting cities. Although literal thousands of housing plots have been added over the years since, to keep up with continuously rising player counts, and occasional player surgeswhenever new expansions come out.
But although it’s changed quite a bit over the years,player housing inFFXIVremains in dire straits today- and there’s little likelihood of a real fix. A house is so difficult to get and so difficult to keep that most players will never own their own, and that’s caused no end of frustration on the players' part. But the current housing system is so ingrained inFFXIVthat it may never get better.
Final Fantasy XIV’s Housing Situation Is Still Not Ideal
Lotteries & Subscription Fees Cause Frustration
The problems withFFXIV’s housing begin with the process of getting into it. Naturally, you can’t walk onto any lot in your favorite city and make a cash offer;you have to enter a lottery in order to get your hands on player housing. Each time a new housing lottery rolls around, there’s a strictly limited number of plots available, and almost certainly more players vying for them. So, by default, not every player who wants a house can get one - and it gets even more complicated from there.
To make matters worse, once you have a house, it can become a bit of a struggle to keep it. to hang onto your property, you need to return to the game regularly - in general, the requirement is to enter your house once every 45 days. It’s not all that much of a hassle, but it’s another thing to remember. You may have to add it to your real-world calendar just to remind yourself to return.
Of course, this restriction has a purpose -it’s to keep inactive players from hoarding housing for years, even long after they’ve given up on the game completely. This ostensibly helps clear the way for other players to purchase and get into previously unavailable housing.
ButFFXIVhas always positioned itself as anti-FOMO; its developers remind players that, when there’s no new content,you’re better off taking a break.The housing model flies in the face of this idea, requiring you to keep your subscription active (if you’ve surpassed the free period) in order to keep your house un-demolished in between major content drops.
FFXIV’s Team Doesn’t Have An Answer, But That Could Change
WoW’s Improved Housing Could Cause Competition
Players have called for a housing fix for almost as long as it’s existed.The devs ofFFXIVhave occasionally made attempts to fix the housing situation, but the situation has scarcely improved. Only a handful of players can get their hands on housing, and they’re subject to the same conditions if they want to keep them, which leads to no end of player frustration.
This is most likely due to something inherent in the way housing is coded intoFFXIV. Square Enix’s Creative Business Unit III has been historically responsive to player requests and critiques; it’s how they tookFFXIV’s launch version from failure to international smash hit. But on the issue of housing, the dial’s barely moved.
However, a recent development in a competing MMO might finally serve as the impetus for change inFFXIV.World of Warcraftis working onintroducing its own housing mechanicthataddresses many of the shortcomings ofFFXIV’s: infinite plots, painless moving, and simplified upkeep.
FFXIVneeds to show some movement on the housing issue, and it may take something extreme like this to get the ball rolling.
If this works as advertised, and is popular enough to draw a significant number of players away fromFFXIV, thenit could spur Square Enix into more comprehensive action. Maybe it’s wishful thinking, butFFXIVneeds to show some movement on the housing issue, and it may take something extreme like this to get the ball rolling.
FFXIVis an intensely social game - perhaps even more so thanWoW. EveryFinal Fantasy XIVplayer should be able to have a house where they can host friends or Free Company events as needed, and while the situation hasn’t improved in the decade-plus since it’s been introduced, I have to hope there’s a solution in the near future.
