WoW The War Within: Player Housing Guide

Jonas Author

Created - 31.01.2025 Updated - 03.02.2025

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It’s been a long wait, but players are finally getting housing in WoW. If you’re one of those excited, you’ll need to prepare with this WoW The War Within: Player Housing Guide we’ve made. We’ve got all of the important details so that you don’t have to do much.

Obviously, you’re going to need a ton of WoW gold for the upcoming update, but we have you covered. We can make the grind for those tough-to-come-by gold a lot easier with our amazing deals. Now, on to our guide!

When Will Player Housing Arrive?

The big news is that you’ll be given an apartment in Undermine as part of patch 11.1. This is a huge moment for the World of Warcraft community.

As many of you know, player housing has finally been announced for WoW and is set to arrive this year.

Feature Reveal

The initial reveal came during the Warcraft Direct livestream at the end of last year. Blizzard proclaimed player housing as one of the features of the upcoming expansion, Midnight.

However, the 2025 WoW roadmap has clarified things even further. The roadmap reveals that player housing is actually arriving this winter, likely well before the launch of Midnight itself.

This makes a lot of sense when you consider what player housing represents. It’s not just another feature—it’s a massive, evergreen, and fundamentally game-changing addition to World of Warcraft.

Player housing is expected to be an enduring, core aspect of the game that players will engage with for years to come.

But what we do know is that since it will be in the Undermine update, you’re going to need a lot of WoW The War Within gold for it.

The Glimpse in Undermine: What It Means

Now, let’s get into what we’ve seen so far. The first glimpse of player housing in Undermine might not look like the polished, final version of patch 11.1 we’ll eventually see. However, it’s still an exciting and important moment for all of us.

Even in its early form, there are some valuable insights to be gained here.

We can already start to understand Blizzard’s intentions for how player housing will work in WoW. The glimpse in Undermine hints at the kind of design philosophies and priorities they’re bringing to this massive feature.

It also provides clues about the potential timeline and rollout plan for player housing, giving us a better idea of what to expect in the future.

One of the standout moments in this new patch is your shiny new Undermine Penthouse apartment. It’s not just a teaser—it’s a small but tantalizing taste of what’s to come with player housing in WoW.

While it’s only a first step, it’s enough to get the imagination running wild about what the full-player housing system will eventually look like.

Up next, let’s take a closer look at the quest that gets you started on this exciting journey.

The Quest

The questline that leads to your first taste of player housing in Undermine is, like the entire zone itself, an absolute delight. Let’s get one thing out of the way—before this patch, we weren’t exactly what you’d call a goblin fan.

We never really vibed with the goblin aesthetic in World of Warcraft. However, after playing on the PTR, our perspective has completely shifted.

Not only are we now certified goblin enjoyers, but we also genuinely believe that Undermine might be one of the best zones Blizzard has ever created.

Undermine is easily one of the most unique and characterful zones in WoW. It’s a crowded, steampunk-meets-cyberpunk city that’s packed with vertical layers, dynamic details, and a three-dimensional layout unlike anything we’ve ever seen before.

The design makes the zone feel alive and chaotic in the best possible way. And the questline that brings you to the Barrel Bottom Apartments is a perfect example of what makes this zone so special.

This isn’t a main campaign quest—it’s a side quest you’ll stumble upon as you explore the streets of Undermine. The quest starts with a wanted sign that’s been haphazardly nailed over a “For Rent” sign.

The ad calls for "able-bodied adventurers" to provide security for a local apartment complex, with the enticing promise of free room and board in exchange. If you’ve been dreaming of player housing, this quest will have your attention immediately.

Unfortunately, you can’t do this before patch 11.1. But if you want to lessen the load, there are lots of preparatory steps you can take to prepare for the next patch.

Your journey begins at the Barrel Bottom Apartments, a grimy and run-down building packed with struggling goblin tenants. To say the place looks bad is an understatement—it’s in shambles.

As you arrive, you walk right into an argument between Mam Kiara, a concerned tenant, and the building’s shady landlord, Moz Barrelbottom.

Kiara is begging Moz to stop raising the rent, but Moz, in true slumlord fashion, brushes her off. He insists that his increased rent is justified because of the “protection” he’s providing from roving biker gangs.

If the tenants don’t like it? Well, they can move out—he’ll happily keep their deposits and jack up the prices for the next occupants.

Upstairs in the penthouse, Kiara gives you the full story. Apparently, a biker gang known as the Under Risers has been causing havoc, damaging the property, and terrorizing the tenants.

Moz conveniently blames the damage on his tenants and uses it as an excuse to charge them even more. Worse yet, the gang is kidnapping goblins who refuse to move out of Barrel Bottom Heights.

With the stakes clear, it’s time to take action. Kiara’s tiny sidekick, Gabby, pipes up to let you know where the bikers hang out—a junkyard not too far away. So, naturally, you hop into your brand-new ride and head off to deal with them.

Buggy Adventures in the PTR

Now, quick side note—if you’re playing on the PTR, you might encounter a super annoying bug when leaving your car. The camera decides it wants to do 360-degree spins around your character, which can only be fixed by reloading. Hopefully, Blizzard will fix this before the patch goes live.

The PTR was very fun, and it showcased the wealth of features coming to patch 11.

Dealing with the Under Risers

The Under Risers’ junkyard base is exactly what you’d expect—a chaotic, scrap-filled area where goblins on trikes (yes, trikes, though “bikes” sounds cooler) are tearing up the ground doing donuts. You fight your way through the gang, taking down members left and right, and free the captured tenants. Along the way, you find a crumpled note written to the gang. The note reads:

“The squatters are leaving in droves, thanks to you guys. Keep up the good work, and there’s more where that came from. Just try not to burn the whole place down—I can’t rent out an empty lot. Ha!”
– MBB

Who is this mysterious “MBB” pulling the strings behind the scenes? It doesn’t take a detective to put the pieces together, but the note makes it clear that the Under Risers have been working with someone to scare off the tenants.

When you return to Kiara with the evidence, she immediately recognizes the signature. And, unsurprisingly, it turns out the culprit is none other than Moz Barrelbottom himself.

That’s right—Moz has been working with the biker gang to terrorize his own tenants, forcing them to move out so he can keep their deposits and rent the apartments out at higher rates. It’s a classic slumlord scam, and Moz is at the center of it.

As soon as you dealt with the Under Risers, Moz sent his mustachioed bodyguard, Jarvis Bonebreaker, to the apartments to terrorize the remaining tenants. So, your next task is to head back to the Barrel Bottom Apartments, deal with Jarvis, and confront Moz directly.

After a climactic showdown, you take down Jarvis and find Moz cowering in his house across the street. Instead of killing him, you opt for a non-lethal approach, knocking him out and seizing the deeds to the apartments.

With Moz out of the picture, the deeds are handed over to Kiara, ensuring a brighter future for the tenants.

Your Reward

And now, for the moment you’ve been waiting for—Kiara keeps her promise. She hands you the keys to the top floor of the Barrel Bottom Apartments, officially making it your first-ever home in World of Warcraft.

It’s the swankiest room in the building, and your name is signed right there in the ledger. You’ve officially gained full rights to the penthouse.

The quest itself is relatively easy. But with the class reworks coming to patch 11.1, you’d still want to prepare so that you don’t get underpowered in the journey.

How Housing Works in WoW The War Within

So, you’ve got your very first apartment in World of Warcraft—the top floor of the Barrel Bottom Apartments. But what does this actually mean in terms of gameplay and player housing? Let’s break it down.

What Can You Do in Your Apartment?

Well, if you’re expecting extensive customization, crafting, or interactive features, you might be in for a bit of a disappointment—at least for now. At this stage, the apartment is little more than a physical room in the game world. Here’s what you can do:

• Stand in it. Yep, it’s your room, and you can just be there.
• Check the Barrel Bottom Apartment Log. This is an item left behind in the apartment, described as "a log of all previous tenants kept by the original landlord." The log acts as a memento for you, the final owner, and lists your name as the current tenant.
• Set Your Hearthstone. Probably the most practical feature of the apartment is the ability to set your Hearthstone to this location.

And... that’s about it. The room is yours purely from an RP (role-playing) perspective, which is great for immersion but doesn’t offer much in terms of gameplay mechanics—yet. It’s a small taste of what’s to come, and while it’s exciting to finally have a space to call your own in WoW, this current implementation is undeniably basic.

While having a room of your own is a nice addition, let’s be honest: if this is all Blizzard offers when player housing officially launches in Midnight, there’s going to be an uproar in the community.

And honestly? That would be justified. However, it’s clear that this is not the final iteration of player housing. This apartment in Undermine is more of a teaser or proof of concept than a full feature. Even so, it gives us some interesting clues about Blizzard’s vision for player housing.

Pre-Existing Locations with Phasing

One of the most significant takeaways from the Barrel Bottom Apartment is that Blizzard appears to be using pre-existing locations in the game world for player housing.

Your apartment is a room in a pre-designed building, and your ownership is established through phasing. This suggests that rather than giving players an empty plot of land to build on (like in WildStar), or creating an entirely separate housing district (as seen in Final Fantasy XIV), Blizzard may be adopting a model similar to The Elder Scrolls Online.

In this model:

• Housing exists within the game world and integrates seamlessly with the existing environment.
• Players gain access to a phased version of these locations that reflects their ownership.

Another important aspect is that you didn’t have to buy this apartment. Instead, it was awarded as part of a quest. This aligns with how housing works in ESO, where certain properties are granted for free through quests, while others can be purchased with in-game currency or achievements.

This could mean that future properties in WoW will follow a similar structure:

• Some properties granted through quests. Just like the Barrel Bottom Apartment, some homes might become available as rewards for completing certain quests or campaigns.
• Others tied to achievements or gold. There’s also potential for Blizzard to tie housing to long-term goals, such as completing meta-achievements or spending gold. Make sure to start saving up on WoW currency as early as now.

Given the nature of the quest and the simplicity of your new apartment, it seems likely that this is just one of many properties players will eventually be able to acquire. Blizzard might plan to introduce a wide range of homes across Azeroth, catering to various styles and locations. For instance:

• Starter properties in major cities like Stormwind or Orgrimmar, available to players as part of a faction-specific quest.
• Additional homes in areas from past expansions, such as Dalaran, Gilneas, Suramar, or Silvermoon. These could tie into achievements or become available through future updates.
• Expansion-specific housing. Silvermoon, a major focus in the Midnight expansion, is being rebuilt with a housing program in place, making it a natural candidate for a future property.

It’s easy to imagine Blizzard introducing new housing options with every major content update. Future expansion zones and even older, underused areas of Azeroth could be retrofitted with properties for players to own. Some locations that feel particularly ripe for this include:

• Lordaeron. Now that the city has been reclaimed, it could become a hub for housing.
• Gadgetzan or Booty Bay. Coastal, pirate-themed housing? Yes, please!
• Nighthaven. A tranquil, night-elf-inspired setting could offer a more serene housing option.
• Highmountain or Thunder Totem. A property nestled in the peaks? Sign us up.

The beauty of player housing is that it can continue to grow and evolve. Even if Blizzard starts small with just a few properties, they have the option to expand the system infinitely.

Every patch and expansion could introduce new locations, rewards, and features, ensuring that housing remains a core, evergreen part of the game.

WoW House Customisation

When it comes to customisation, the Barrel Bottom Apartment falls completely flat. The furniture? Sure, it’s charming and fits the goblin aesthetic well enough, but it’s static.

You can’t interact with it, move it, or swap it out for something else. Essentially, this is not yet the World of Warcraft player housing system we’ve been dreaming of—it’s just a tiny glimpse of what might be possible in the future.

Even though nothing in the apartment is interactive right now (other than the logbook, which records your name as the final tenant and lets you set your Hearthstone), it’s worth noting that the room is filled with items that could easily become interactive. Let’s look at a few examples:

• The Storage Chest: There’s a large chest in the corner of the room, which seems like an obvious candidate for functionality. If this were the Midnight expansion and we had a fully implemented player housing system, wouldn’t you expect this chest to access your Warband Bank or personal inventory?
• The Mirror: A beautifully crafted mirror hangs on the wall. In a proper player housing setup, this could serve as a transmog station—or better yet, a free one. Transmog costs have been a sore point for many players, and adding a free transmog feature to player housing would be an excellent quality-of-life improvement.
• The Picture of Dalaran: The apartment includes a framed picture of Dalaran. Wouldn’t it be amazing if you could replace it with other pictures from your collection?

Now, we know this is probably just a bug, but there’s something intriguing about the rug near your bed. As you walk across it, the rug disappears momentarily, almost as if it’s suggesting the idea of moving or swapping out rugs in a future version of player housing.

Even in its current, bare-bones state, the Barrel Bottom Apartment offers a glimpse of what could be. It’s not much, but it’s enough to spark the imagination and raise expectations for what Blizzard might deliver later in the year.

Guild Housing

If you’re looking for something a little grander—or more communal—the Incontinent Hotel in Undermine might provide a sneak peek at the potential for Guild Housing in WoW.

This sprawling hub serves as the main player gathering spot for the zone, and it’s packed with features that could easily lend themselves to a guild-oriented housing system.

Initially, the hotel is a fairly empty space. However, through the new Raid Renown Track introduced in patch 11.1, you’ll be able to unlock additional features, including:

• A standalone Hearthstone for the hotel.
• Crafting stations for professions.
• Transmog and upgrade vendors.
• An augment rune dispenser.
• A T-Rex mech (because why not?).

As you and your guild work together to progress through the renown track, the hotel transforms into a bustling hub filled with useful amenities. It’s a place for guildmates to gather, prepare for raids, and celebrate their achievements—essentially, it functions like a shared, interactive guild hall.

The idea of guild housing is something many players have dreamed of, and the Incontinent Hotel feels like a step in that direction. While it’s not officially branded as “guild housing,” it shares some of the core qualities:

• Shared space for guildmates: The hotel is large enough to accommodate groups of players, making it a natural gathering spot for guild activities.
• Customisable features: As you unlock amenities through renown, the space evolves to reflect your guild’s progress and accomplishments.
• Centralised location: Its proximity to the raid entrance ensures that it’s a functional hub for guild-based content.

If Blizzard decides to fully embrace guild housing in the future, they could use the Incontinent Hotel as a template.

Imagine a system where guilds can collectively earn, customise, and maintain a shared space, complete with trophies, achievements, and unique decorations that reflect their history and victories.

If Blizzard truly intends to roll out player housing later this year, customisation will need to be a central feature. Here’s what players are likely expecting—and what the Barrel Bottom Apartment hints might be possible:

• Moveable Furniture: The ability to arrange and replace furniture to create a unique aesthetic.
• Decorations and Collectibles: Items like paintings, rugs, or statues that can be earned through gameplay and used to personalise your space.
• Functional Features: Storage chests, transmog mirrors, crafting stations, and more that integrate seamlessly into your home.
• Achievements and Rewards: Properties tied to specific achievements or in-game milestones, encouraging players to explore and complete content.

Housing Coming Soon To WoW

It’s amazing that housing is officially coming to WoW after all of this time. While we’ve yet to know the full mechanics, it might be wise to start saving up WoW gold as early as now just so you’re prepared to start customizing once the feature fully arrives.