Developer Insight: Hearthsteel Virtual Currency and Housing in Midnight

[Raetary]

They confirmed we will have shop decor in the first housing blog post, idk why there are so many people surprised that there will be any at all.
Even the bit about needing to buy multiple is expected.

What's disgusting is the fucking mobile game currency, which made any willingness i had to potentially spend money on decor go poof.

[MoMedic]

This just in! Capitalistic company operating in a capitalistic system earns money through capitalism! Lock the china cabinet and hide the buttermilk grandpa!!! Them varmints at Blizzard are after your monies!

[RobertMugabe]

Damn the haters were right.

[Nerph-]

This just in! Capitalistic company operating in a capitalistic system earns money through capitalism! Lock the china cabinet and hide the buttermilk grandpa!!! Them varmints at Blizzard are after your monies!

oops yeah I forgot saying this suddenly makes it alright. Thanks! <3

[Cheezits]

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.

As you can see the shop housing items are all cozycore dream stuff that was not going to be put into the game any other way, as it isn't based off anything that exists in the game. I'll start getting mad when they put NPC race stuff in the store (ie Revendreth themed exterior style).

[RobertMugabe]

Dont really care about housing, I will have a low effort house and thats enough. No way I will ever spend cash on housing items, its even more ridiculous than spending money on a digital mount.

Same. ngl I always wanted housing in WoW, but now that we actually have it, I kinda just don't really care, even though the system is better than anything I'd have imagined.

Like it sounds cool and everything, but in practice I feel like this will be just a thing where I will spend 2-3 hours to make something decent and after that I'll just get bored of doing anything to it. Maybe I will AFK there from time to time, but other than that, what's the point? I doubt many people will actively do stuff with it and RP there (already a small niche even on RP servers lmao).

This feature will be dead-ish for like 90% of the entire playerbase after a few weeks and it'll only be something for content creators and reddit karma farmers.

[fatgunn]

As you can see the shop housing items are all cozycore dream stuff that was not going to be put into the game any other way, as it isn't based off anything that exists in the game. I'll start getting mad when they put NPC race stuff in the store (ie Revendreth themed exterior style).

Exactly this. half the stuff you're gonna be able to buy with Hearthsteel will probably be plushies.

[Cheezits]

Exactly this. half the stuff you're gonna be able to buy with Hearthsteel will probably be plushies.

It is 100% going to be primarily cutesy stuff that barely fits into Warcraft, but the target demographic for that kind of stuff does not care. Probably kitty cats, faeries, angels etc. Just like the love witch outfit.

I'll eat my hat if they change it up but I feel like the first year of items will predominantly be that + maybe crossover themed items.

[Reive]

Exactly this. half the stuff you're gonna be able to buy with Hearthsteel will probably be plushies.

It is 100% going to be primarily cutesy stuff that barely fits into Warcraft, but the target demographic for that kind of stuff does not care. Probably kitty cats, faeries, angels etc. Just like the love witch outfit.

I'll eat my hat if they change it up but I feel like the first year of items will predominantly be that + maybe crossover themed items.

pls don't defend this. premium currencies shouldn't be a thing

[Daedius]

Purchased base game that requires a subscription, an online store on top of that already. And they want to add a premium currency?!

Yeeeeah I'm done with WoW, going to send in my refund request with Midnight.

Done funding this greedy as FUCK company. More so when they've the audacity to have all these stuff pile up [annual sub 12 Month mount, shop items practically every month, pre-order, etc.] when the game is the buggiest it's ever been.

Already screams prelude to a F2P model, and I loathe F2P games. MS/Blizz is just milking whatever remnant of players are left playing for all they're worth.

[fatgunn]

pls don't defend this. premium currencies shouldn't be a thing

Buy what you want, don't buy the rest. Other people's lack of self control isn't my problem.

[Cheezits]

pls don't defend this. premium currencies shouldn't be a thing

Not defending it, just saying it does not upset me, especially as I do not see the difference between a premium currency and a candle being $0.50 battle net balance. People would hate both.

When they start locking things I care about to the shop then I will have an issue.

[Daronokk]

This just in! Capitalistic company operating in a capitalistic system earns money through capitalism! Lock the china cabinet and hide the buttermilk grandpa!!! Them varmints at Blizzard are after your monies!

There is a clear distinction between regular capitalism and predatory monetization. Don't be such a fanboy and protect the corpos like that.

[Hitei]

It is 100% going to be primarily cutesy stuff that barely fits into Warcraft, but the target demographic for that kind of stuff does not care. Probably kitty cats, faeries, angels etc. Just like the love witch outfit.

I'll eat my hat if they change it up but I feel like the first year of items will predominantly be that + maybe crossover themed items.

I don't know why you'd assume it'll be primarily cutesy.

It occupies the exact same detached design space as the trading post or actual b.net shop, which means it will also feature the same sort of non-cutesy but not exactly flush with setting items. You should expect to see cutesy stuff but also things like the phoenix or venetian solar transmog, or the grizzly hills bear, or the mecha drake mount.

[Ghostile]

Damn blizzard, monetizing housing was all fine and dandy before you did it! How could you?!

[Hitei]

Purchased base game that requires a subscription, an online store on top of that already. And they want to add a premium currency?!

Yeeeeah I'm done with WoW, going to send in my refund request with Midnight.

Done funding this greedy as FUCK company. More so when they've the audacity to have all these stuff pile up [annual sub 12 Month mount, shop items practically every month, pre-order, etc.] when the game is the buggiest it's ever been.

Already screams prelude to a F2P model, and I loathe F2P games. MS/Blizz is just milking whatever remnant of players are playing for all they're worth.

See you in 3 months.

[Cheezits]

I don't know why you'd assume it'll be primarily cutesy.

Target audience + demographics + first two shop bundles being datamined are plushies and spring fairy furniture straight out of Pixie Hollow.

If we get a big flaming Garrosh statue I'll come back and apologize.

[Berz3rk]

So i wonder, what's the point of housing at all? You're gonna log there and afk sitting on a chair or what?

[Trazzle]

Doomers will doom.

Who cares? Absolutely no one should be shocked by this, the biggest way most players will interact with hearthsteel will likely be via game purchase bundles, “buy the heroic their or above and receive 5k hearthsteel!”. People who don’t have the time available to grind/put time into the game but still want a flashy house now have an option (one that makes more money for bliz of course).

Where/when the line’s crossed, if hearthsteel’s the only way to get exclusive/“the best looking” items. Both of which, it’s too early to know (I’m sure it’ll happen but to what degree is to be seen).

I’d rather not doom, housing has been implemented incredibly well, blizzard further milking it/lining their pockets off their work, par for the course… it’s a business after all. (With all the purchase options… would sure be slick if they eased off the monthly sub…)

[Hitei]

Target audience + demographics + first two shop bundles being datamined are plushies and spring fairy furniture straight out of Pixie Hollow.

If we get a big flaming Garrosh statue I'll come back and apologize.

The first item on the shop-shop was the sparkle pony... which was then followed up by the big flaming horns/skeletal crown/spooky dark portal hood transmog helms.