Potential Housing Crisis Fix (Includes ability for permanent Housing (Sm, Med, Lrg)

[s32ialx]

Snip

I completely agree, and I really appreciate your perspective! You laid out exactly why housing shouldn’t be treated as an exclusive privilege; it’s an in-game feature, and every player paying a sub should have equal access to meaningful housing.

The comparison to Ultimate weapons is perfect. Housing isn't a prestige reward; it's a core aspect of the game that players engage with in different ways. The fact that housing availability is purely RNG means that a large portion of the player base is locked out of a major feature, and that doesn’t benefit anyone.

Expanded Apartments (Condos) Would Fix This

Rather than maintaining artificial scarcity, evolving apartments into proper condos with small, medium, and large layouts would allow more players to access housing while keeping wards intact.

• Condos would not replace wards – they would simply expand the existing housing system without disrupting plot ownership.
• Ward owners could also have a condo – just like apartments now; condos could serve as a gil sink purchase available to everyone, allowing multiple housing spaces.
• FC functionality should not be limited to wards – workshops and FC rooms should also be accessible in instanced condo housing, improving FC accessibility.
• Condos would offer meaningful interior customization – multi-floor designs, expanded furnishing limits, and more diverse layouts while still differentiating from plots.
• This system does not require reworking wards – it’s simply renaming and enhancing apartments without diminishing ward housing uniqueness.

The idea that “not everyone should have a plot” doesn’t mean housing should be artificially restricted. You highlighted that instanced housing in other MMOs doesn’t require a sub to keep it, and FFXIV is behind in that regard. Players shouldn’t have to fight for the chance to participate in housing; they should simply be able to engage with it in a way that makes sense for them. If someone has to stop paying for their sub due to real life circumstances, like oh I dunno just to not get in to possible darker reasons, maybe they lost their job due to downsizing, or were hospitalized, or maybe they got burnt out and will return later, they don't deserve to lose their house and possibly rare unique items that are not really re-obtainable, at least I don't know how to get back certain housing items that were quest rewards and are not craftable as far as I can tell.

Your perspective really strengthens the case for housing improvements without disrupting existing systems. I appreciate the support, and hopefully, Square Enix recognizes that an expanded housing system would increase engagement without taking anything away from current homeowners.

And before anyone tries to argue that Housing is not a core aspect of the game.

Housing in Final Fantasy XIV is often considered an endgame luxury, but it also functions as a core social and creative feature that enhances player engagement beyond traditional combat and progression systems.

How Housing Can Be Considered a Core Aspect

Housing serves multiple purposes that go beyond just decoration:

• Personalization & Creativity – Players can design unique interiors that reflect their style, using advanced placement techniques and creative builds.
• Social & Roleplay Spaces – Housing districts host venues, RP hubs, guild halls, and community events that bring players together outside of dungeons and raids.
• Achievement Display – Homes let players showcase furnishings earned from trials, raids, and special events, reinforcing long-term engagement.
• Free Company Hubs – FC houses serve as meeting points for members, offering crafting stations, company workshops, and shared spaces for interaction.
• Game-Integrated Utility – Housing provides access to gardens, retainers, workshops, and NPC vendors that enhance gameplay.
• Relaxation & Downtime – Many players enjoy housing for its laid-back nature, using their home as a place to unwind after intense content runs.

Endgame vs. Core Feature

While housing is not mandatory for progression, it plays a huge role in player retention and social interaction, making it more than just an optional side activity. The fact that housing venues drive engagement, apartments allow casual participation, and FC housing supports group play shows that it’s deeply integrated into FFXIV’s world.

It may not be an "essential" mechanic like gear progression or MSQ, but it remains a significant, sought-after feature that players invest time, resources, and creativity into.

[Divinemights]

Actually I will say it: everyone paying a sub does deserve equal access to all forms of housing, so one personal plot and/or FC plot, one apartment and/or FC room, and the Island, and anything else housing based they may create in the future. Otherwise some people’s sub gets them more for their money than others. Which is a bad business model when competitors are doing instanced (and damn near unlimited) housing that doesn’t even require a sub to access it.

Everyone do have same access to housing feature: apartment and FC room.
You don't have a plot doesn't mean you are blocked from housing feature.
Workshop shouldn't be seem as a housing feature and it should be regarded as FC feature
Workshop is only available to FC Leader and co-leaders to begin with for most FC

[Khryseis_Astra]

Everyone do have same access to housing feature: apartment and FC room.
You don't have a plot doesn't mean you are blocked from housing feature.
Workshop shouldn't be seem as a housing feature and it should be regarded as FC feature
Workshop is only available to FC Leader and co-leaders to begin with for most FC

My point being, say the sub is $15 (I pay more because I have extra retainers, I don’t remember what base sub is nowadays. Someone who has a plot is getting more for their money than someone who can’t.

Your perspective really strengthens the case for housing improvements without disrupting existing systems. I appreciate the support, and hopefully, Square Enix recognizes that an expanded housing system would increase engagement without taking anything away from current homeowners.

Engagement is an important point, especially with General Discussion being filled with posts and comments about the casual content drought in the earlier patches. Something I was actually starting to feel since I’m caught up on everything for the first time since I started playing. But I’m logged in everyday, and my sub has never paused. Why? I’m one of the lucky ones who has a plot, first and foremost. It’s a small but I actually prefer that size and layout to all others; I had a medium and gave it up for that reason! lol (Hope someone is enjoying my old LB 11!) I don’t keep up my sub to keep the house: the house gives me something to do worth paying the sub.

But beyond that, I also have one of each form of housing the game allows for my characters. My main has the house, an apartment, an FC room, and the island, and I’m part of an active FC to participate in those features. My alts have an apartment and FC room, plus the island. I spend time decorating for each of the seasons, gposing and just enjoying the ambiance of the different settings. Giving everyone the equal opportunity to have all forms of housing is more of a money-maker than only allowing a lucky segment of the overall population have a limited resource chained to auto-demo. And expanding upon and improving existing features only strengthens that.

[s32ialx]

Everyone do have same access to housing feature: apartment and FC room.
You don't have a plot doesn't mean you are blocked from housing feature.
Workshop shouldn't be seem as a housing feature and it should be regarded as FC feature
Workshop is only available to FC Leader and co-leaders to begin with for most FC

Having access to an apartment or an FC room does not equate to having full access to housing in the same way plot ownership does. While these options technically allow participation in housing, they come with severe limitations compared to personal plots.

Housing Limitations in Apartments & FC Rooms vs. Plots

• Apartments lack outdoor customization – no yards, gardens, exterior furniture, or landscaping options.
• Apartments have strict furnishing limits – far fewer slots compared to houses, which prevents meaningful decoration for players who want to showcase earned trophies and statues.
• FC rooms are tied to the FC’s ownership – if a player leaves or is removed from their FC, they lose their room entirely, making it an unstable form of housing.
• Apartments & FC rooms should not be limited in functionality compared to ward housing – FC workshops and rooms should be accessible in instanced condo housing to improve FC accessibility for all FC's and members.
• Apartment wall customization – players cannot freely modify walls the way they can in plots.
• Apartments are bachelor-style spaces – no multi-floor options, making them extremely small compared to even the smallest plots.

Saying that players "aren’t blocked from housing" because apartments exist ignores how restricted they actually are. The proposal for condos is simply expanding apartments into a more meaningful version of instanced housing, without taking anything away from plot owners.

The idea that workshops shouldn’t be regarded as a housing feature is flawed. Workshops are housed within Free Company plots, meaning that FC members rely on their housing space for access. Expanding workshops to instanced FC condos would improve accessibility for FC's and members without removing their functionality from plots.

At the end of the day, this argument isn’t about entitlement, it’s about making housing a more meaningful experience for everyone. Apartments should evolve into a real, expanded housing option rather than remaining as an extremely restricted alternative that lacks customization and functionality.

[Solowing]

I mean , it's completely allowed to have a free company house in a private house , right? So what system did I grandfather myself into?

Well for a start.I got my plot when shirogane eleased so it didn't take me more than a couple of minutes to find an empty plot.

Second I stumbled on a free company house in the lavender beds.Wandering around the wards one day.

Then a couple of months later , the plot next to mine demolished. So I moved the house from the lavender beds to the Mist.

So clearly you're not referring to me, Or are your gums just flapping. About things you don't know?

I have better things to do than sit there for 16 hours a day and click a placard. Is a plot THAT serious?

You guys could hate me for my opinion but i've come from the area where there wasn't apartments if you didn't have a plot. It as much as you want to disagree.They did to give us housing.We are not entitled a plot.

I've lost to plot mysel The medium on Brynildr in the Mist w7 plot 44 was mine from like 2015-2019.

You know what happened? I've forgot to check in within forty five days and I lost it. But there is a moment of clarity to have to think that if I forgot about something for forty five days it really wasn't that important.

And the person who won the plant likely didn't shed a tear likely they were overjoyed because they now have a plot that saw more use then the previous owner who was sitting on it for years due to sentiment value.

[OuchManoggin]

I just recently started sanctuary island stuff, but isn't a perfect solution right there with it? Just add full housing functionality into it as a capstone for development. FC stuffs , stables, all of it. Upgrade from SM to med to LG, maybe. It's a powerful pull to get people into the content and a huge reward for engaging with it. Housing you won't lose if you take a break from the game for a while

[Solowing]

I just recently started sanctuary island stuff, but isn't a perfect solution right there with it? Just add full housing functionality into it as a capstone for development. FC stuffs , stables, all of it. Upgrade from SM to med to LG, maybe. It's a powerful pull to get people into the content and a huge reward for engaging with it. Housing you won't lose if you take a break from the game for a while

Are they turning off the demo timer, to avoid having 2 versions of the exact same housing features except one had a demo timer and another doesnt?

[s32ialx]

I just recently started sanctuary island stuff, but isn't a perfect solution right there with it? Just add full housing functionality into it as a capstone for development. FC stuffs , stables, all of it. Upgrade from SM to med to LG, maybe. It's a powerful pull to get people into the content and a huge reward for engaging with it. Housing you won't lose if you take a break from the game for a while

The only issue with that is random people can not come visit you, so if you run an RP bar like I do than you're sol even if they add that, but it's what I was hoping for with the IS because I decorated mine up really nice only to realize I can't have an Island Rave.

[OuchManoggin]

Are they turning off the demo timer, to avoid having 2 versions of the exact same housing features except one had a demo timer and another doesnt?

I honestly dont even know what the demo timer is. Only just got rank 7 there, but it seems like a prime feature to reward later game players with a stable housing option we dont have to fight for. Put a standard house on whatever space is available, or magic some new dirt at level cap for it, or whatever. Maybe give an option to make it a "Free Company" island by the FC leader, with full access and teleport for members who cant have their own island yet. Leaders could designate privileges for island activities and management beyond housing stuff. It cant honestly be that difficult to implement on what theyve already built. With the time investment it seems to take to cap, it isnt likely to overly disrupt the existing system like that. I think a lot of people would love the addition.

[s32ialx]

I honestly dont even know what the demo timer is. Only just got rank 7 there, but it seems like a prime feature to reward later game players with a stable housing option we dont have to fight for. Put a standard house on whatever space is available, or magic some new dirt at level cap for it, or whatever. Maybe give an option to make it a "Free Company" island by the FC leader, with full access and teleport for members who cant have their own island yet. Leaders could designate privileges for island activities and management beyond housing stuff. It cant honestly be that difficult to implement on what theyve already built. With the time investment it seems to take to cap, it isnt likely to overly disrupt the existing system like that. I think a lot of people would love the addition.

They are talking about the demolition timer of 45 days to visit your house in a ward which is usually off these days anyways, making it even more impossible to get a house. Right now they disabled auto demolition because of the fires in California. Personally if they made it so that as wards filled up if they added more wards to the hypervisor to auto spin up as demand requires than I wouldn't care about the demo timer. This is the only game that is an MMO that punishes you for taking a break.

This affects both individual players and Free Companies, forcing people to remain subscribed just to keep their house, even if they aren't actively playing. Other games like Elder Scrolls Online, Black Desert Online, and Final Fantasy XI, and even World of Warcraft, offer permanent housing options that stay intact whether players take breaks or not. Yes even FFXI has PERMANENT PLAYER HOUSING, sure it can't be as customized as all the other games but that is a moot point with current prices on storage being at crazy low costs for terabytes of storage and locations of player placed objects are just small kb's of data in a database like MySQL.

This system creates unnecessary stress, especially for players with real-life obligations, and it's one of the most cited complaints about FFXIV's housing model. That’s why introducing permanent instanced housing, like expanded apartments or condos, would be a huge step forward, it would let players actually enjoy their space without worrying about losing it.