Developer Insight: Hearthsteel Virtual Currency and Housing in Midnight

Developer Insight: Hearthsteel Virtual Currency and Housing in Midnight
Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)
Hello, everyone! We want to take a moment to discuss some of our philosophies around the shop, Hearthsteel, and our plans around Housing items acquisition.

Before diving too far in, it’s important to define what Hearthsteel is. Hearthsteel is a new virtual currency for World of Warcraft being added in the Midnight expansion. It’s purchased with real money using your Battle.net balance and used in turn to buy Housing items from the Battle.net shop and in-game shop.


Philosophy and Guiding Principles

At the top level, our main priority is making Housing fun and player-friendly, something that can be enjoyed by players of all kinds. To that end, here are a number of our guiding principles:

  • The VAST majority of Housing items are (and will continue to be) earnable in-game. Only a small fraction is available for purchase from the shop. Comparing this number against collectibles such as mounts is a good metric here, with more than a thousand mounts earnable in-game and only a few dozen from the shop.
  • Housing items tied to core fantasies of a player’s race or class, or that already exist in Azeroth, won’t be sold in the shop. Thematically important decor that players know and love will also not appear in the shop.
  • All Housing items in the shop will be available for individual purchase. While we’ll sometimes offer sales on bundles of items for a limited time, you shouldn’t feel like you have to spend money NOW or risk missing something you want.
  • Costs in the shop are clearly defined. The ratios of Hearthsteel to real money are fixed and easily understood at a glance. You should be able to obtain an amount that makes sense for the purchases you want to make.
  • Similarly, the costs of items are designed to align with Hearthsteel offer amounts in a player-friendly way. Buying Hearthsteel at the amount you want lets you purchase the items you want without requiring you to think about which packs should be added together to minimize leftovers.
  • The shop User Interface (UI) is straight-forward and easy to understand.
  • Hearthsteel should integrate cleanly into the existing Battle.net economy. This means not just being able to purchase it in-game, on the web, or in the launcher, but it should also be compatible with the normal flow of the WoW Token, letting you earn gold in game and then use that gold to ultimately purchase Hearthsteel via the WoW Token.
  • Hearthsteel is for Housing. We currently have no plans to use it for the Trading Post, mounts, transmogs, or pets.


Why a Virtual Currency?

This was one of the first things we heard the community discussing. Why bother when we already have a Battle.net balance? It’s important to note that when dealing in transactions involving real money, a more deliberate and cautious process needs to be implemented to provide appropriate financial protections for both parties. This can be an inefficient, inconvenient, and often tedious process when a player wants to purchase multiple items.

Smaller Housing items in the shop are often low cost and players will want to purchase multiples of them to complete a set. As an example, you may want a full set of chairs to place around a dining table, multiple place settings for your invited guests, or even many candles to help decorate the room for a complete look. Using an in-game currency can help make the process of obtaining many of these types of inexpensive items more efficient.


Housing Catalog


You may have already seen hints of this on the alpha or Public Test Realm (PTR), but we’re adding a Housing Catalog to the Housing UI, which allows players to view all potential Housing decor (earnable, purchasable, special promotions, and so on). It lets you not only preview it in the UI but also place a temporary version in your home as well, so you can see how it fits in before deciding if you want to spend time tracking it down or purchasing it from the shop.


Wrapping Up

We’ve said it before and we’ll keep saying it, but please keep your feedback coming. We’re so excited to continue to share more about the future of Housing in the coming weeks and months.
This article was originally published in forum thread: Developer Insight: Hearthsteel Virtual Currency and Housing in Midnight started by Lumy View original post
Published on 2025-11-06 06:02 PM
149 Comments
Comments 149 Comments
  1. Ghostile's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by NineSpine View Post
    Ultima Online, Asheron's Call, Runescape, Final Fantasy XI, Age of Conan, Star Wars Galaxies...

    Do you ever get tired of stating blatantly false things on this forum?
    That is a weird part of my post to get caught into, lmao.

    Ninespine, meet hyperbole.
  1. Nerph-'s Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Ghostile View Post
    That is a weird part of my post to get caught into, lmao.

    Ninespine, meet hyperbole.
    Edit: Lmao I need to learn to read
  1. kranur's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Biomega View Post
    Why, though? I agree if they're unfair and/or predatory that's a problem, of course it is. But regular MTX for additional stuff? What, precisely, is the problem with that?
    Simply put, because it's greedy. People are required to spend extra if they like a particular cosmetic in a game they already paid for. I can obviously understand it in f2p or b2p live service games that keep adding content like poe2 because they need to generate revenue, but in a game with a sub and box cost? I will simply never sympatize with that crap. The only thing worse than this is single player games with shops.
  1. Biomega's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by kranur View Post
    Simply put, because it's greedy. People are required to spend extra if they like a particular cosmetic in a game they already paid for. I can obviously understand it in f2p or b2p live service games that keep adding content like poe2 because they need to generate revenue, but in a game with a sub and box cost? I will simply never sympatize with that crap. The only thing worse than this is single player games with shops.
    But that's assuming that cosmetics just pop into existence and they're faced with a choice of either selling them or giving them away for free - in which case selling them would totally be greedy, I agree.

    That's not how it works, though.

    A lot of the MTX cosmetics wouldn't get made at all if there was no MTX to sell them. Making these things costs money, and that money has to come from somewhere. If there is no revenue option for those things, they don't get made. In which case not only do you not have an option to buy something you may like, but in many models this also supports a concurrent free track of things that people who don't pay get on the backs of those who do. You're taking that away, too.

    Now, I'm of course not saying there isn't a lot of shenanigans going on with this where there's obfuscation and deliberate withholding of content etc. - that's a problem, and that's what I'd file under "unfair". But the principle of offering people extra stuff if they want, perhaps even with extra stuff for free thrown in, is not in itself a conceptual problem IMO. What's a problem are perverse incentives leading to corrupt systems, but corrupt systems are always a problem and should always be combated and resisted, whether they're tied in with MTX or not. So that's not really a good argument.

    The kind of intrinsic value of not having in MTX in anything you bought access to I simply do not think has much merit, if any at all.
  1. NineSpine's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Ghostile View Post
    That is a weird part of my post to get caught into, lmao.

    Ninespine, meet hyperbole.
    Hyperbole is supposed to be rooted in reality. That’s what makes it a tool to make a point. If it’s totally normal for an MMO not to have MTX for housing, the hyperbole doesn’t make sense.

    - - - Updated - - -

    Quote Originally Posted by Biomega View Post
    But that's assuming that cosmetics just pop into existence and they're faced with a choice of either selling them or giving them away for free - in which case selling them would totally be greedy, I agree.

    That's not how it works, though.

    A lot of the MTX cosmetics wouldn't get made at all if there was no MTX to sell them. Making these things costs money, and that money has to come from somewhere. If there is no revenue option for those things, they don't get made. In which case not only do you not have an option to buy something you may like, but in many models this also supports a concurrent free track of things that people who don't pay get on the backs of those who do. You're taking that away, too.

    Now, I'm of course not saying there isn't a lot of shenanigans going on with this where there's obfuscation and deliberate withholding of content etc. - that's a problem, and that's what I'd file under "unfair". But the principle of offering people extra stuff if they want, perhaps even with extra stuff for free thrown in, is not in itself a conceptual problem IMO. What's a problem are perverse incentives leading to corrupt systems, but corrupt systems are always a problem and should always be combated and resisted, whether they're tied in with MTX or not. So that's not really a good argument.

    The kind of intrinsic value of not having in MTX in anything you bought access to I simply do not think has much merit, if any at all.
    Things are not budgeted at this granular level you are describing.

    MTX devalues the in game achievements of players, therefore it is always a negative for the general play experience.
  1. Ashana Darkmoon's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by kranur View Post
    I disagree. MTX have no place in games where you already have to pay to access content.
    Unfortunately, this is an ought/is issue. MTX make money, and there are only 2 ways to stop it:

    1) Customers stop buying them
    2) Laws are passed to prevent it.

    Good luck with either of those in the US!

    Maybe the community will make enough of a stink that they'll fear trashing the brand, but I doubt it. Probably not a decision made by the dev team anyway
  1. NineSpine's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Ashana Darkmoon View Post
    Unfortunately, this is an ought/is issue. MTX make money, and there are only 2 ways to stop it:

    1) Customers stop buying them
    2) Laws are passed to prevent it.

    Good luck with either of those in the US!

    Maybe the community will make enough of a stink that they'll fear trashing the brand, but I doubt it. Probably not a decision made by the dev team anyway
    Runescape (not classic) is running a vote right now to remove the bulk of their really nasty MTX. It is possible for games to go in that direction, and companies do often make decisions to cater to different niches. For example, major record labels do not ONLY sign massive pop artists even though those are the most profitable. They will also cater to niche audiences because the investment is still worth it.
  1. kranur's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Biomega View Post
    But that's assuming that cosmetics just pop into existence and they're faced with a choice of either selling them or giving them away for free - in which case selling them would totally be greedy, I agree.

    That's not how it works, though.

    A lot of the MTX cosmetics wouldn't get made at all if there was no MTX to sell them. Making these things costs money, and that money has to come from somewhere. If there is no revenue option for those things, they don't get made. In which case not only do you not have an option to buy something you may like, but in many models this also supports a concurrent free track of things that people who don't pay get on the backs of those who do. You're taking that away, too.

    Now, I'm of course not saying there isn't a lot of shenanigans going on with this where there's obfuscation and deliberate withholding of content etc. - that's a problem, and that's what I'd file under "unfair". But the principle of offering people extra stuff if they want, perhaps even with extra stuff for free thrown in, is not in itself a conceptual problem IMO. What's a problem are perverse incentives leading to corrupt systems, but corrupt systems are always a problem and should always be combated and resisted, whether they're tied in with MTX or not. So that's not really a good argument.

    The kind of intrinsic value of not having in MTX in anything you bought access to I simply do not think has much merit, if any at all.
    Do you have proof that those get created out of an extra budget and not just cut to be sold separately?
    And evem of they do, a single cosmetic costing almost half of an expansion is just outrageous.
    If you ask me instead of having an item on the store I'd rather not have it at all in the game.
  1. Biomega's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by kranur View Post
    Do you have proof that those get created out of an extra budget and not just cut to be sold separately?
    Other than the fact that creating things costs money? Do you think they just appear for free?

    I already covered the case where things that are made anyway get cut off to be sold separately - and I agree that's unfair. But you can't tell me you seriously think that all of them work like this. Look at some games with MTX - they have a massive catalogue of elaborate things on offer. Those didn't just happen as part of a main game with no thought towards additional revenue.

    Again, to reiterate: I do not in any way disagree that there's egregious MTX and unfair, predatory, exploitative business models surrounding MTX. And I think those are all hugely problematic and in dire need of restriction and regulation.

    But that's not a problem inherent in MTX in principle, that's just a particular case of anti-consumer implementation of MTX. That doesn't mean all MTX must be anti-consumer.

    Quote Originally Posted by kranur View Post
    And evem of they do, a single cosmetic costing almost half of an expansion is just outrageous.
    Well, as long as it's a fair and transparent offering, I see no problem with letting the market determine the price for purely cosmetic items. You want to offer a sparkly pony for $5,000? Fine. If there's a sucker to buy it, that's just economics working as intended. As long as there's no bullshit attached like loot boxes, price obfuscation, etc. that is just a run-off-the-mill regular ol' retail deal. No different from some brand-name shirt or bag or whatever going for astronomical sums, if there's idiots to buy them fully informed by all means, who am I to say they can't or shouldn't.

    Quote Originally Posted by kranur View Post
    If you ask me instead of having an item on the store I'd rather not have it at all in the game.
    It's fine if you don't like it, but that's different from telling other people they can't have it, either. You don't like it - don't buy it. But you not liking it doesn't mean that you now get to say it shouldn't be available at all, even for people who would like it. Their preference matters every bit as much as yours, wouldn't you say?

    Again, with the caveat of course that it's all done fairly and transparently.

    And just to be clear: I'm entirely with you. I have zero interest in MTX offers. I haven't paid real money for games in any way other than subscriptions or box price. Ever. Doesn't interest me, doesn't hold any value for me. But that doesn't mean I think my preference should apply to everyone. I keep what I like separate from what I think is reasonable.
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