Blizzard Entertainment is officially incorporating the floating house feature into World of Warcraft's new player housing system. The addition came after players discovered hidden hotkeys in update 11.2.7, released on December 2, allowing homes to levitate. The studio has added UI support while issuing warnings about potential visual and access issues.
Introduction of Player Housing
World of Warcraft, Blizzard's long-standing MMORPG, finally introduced player housing after 20 years of player requests. This feature arrived with update 11.2.7 on December 2, enabling players to customize and place their own digital homes within the game world.
Discovery of Floating Homes
Soon after the update launched, inventive players uncovered unlisted hotkeys that let them position their houses in mid-air. While the community debates if this was a deliberate Easter egg or an oversight, Blizzard community manager Randy Jordan, known as Kaivax, addressed the situation in a recent post. He confirmed that levitating homes were not part of the original design but acknowledged the creativity it sparked, such as flying ships and hovering towers.
Official Support and Caveats
Rather than removing the hotkeys through a patch, Blizzard has chosen to embrace the feature. New UI elements now make it straightforward for all players to elevate their homes. However, Kaivax included practical advice: "The underside of houses isn’t modeled or textured. Players who lift their houses may decide to hide that part behind other things." He also noted accessibility challenges, suggesting solutions like ramps, jumping puzzles, or mount landing spots to reach doors more easily.
Enhanced Customization
To further encourage elaborate designs, especially for aerial builds, Blizzard increased the exterior item placement limit from 200 to 250. These updates went live after routine maintenance, ensuring players can experiment without restrictions on creativity.
This decision highlights Blizzard's responsiveness to community feedback, turning an unexpected glitch into a supported gameplay element while maintaining game stability.