Player Housing In The Elder Scrolls Online: Why We Want It

Player housing in The Elder Scrolls Online would enhance our game experience by providing unique, immersive elements.

The Elder Scrolls Online Community is looking forward to Update 1.6 — and for good reason. There are major changes coming, including the new Justice and Champion systems, that will take the game to new heights, and make play sessions even more addicting.

Yes, change is in the wind, but among all the improvements and game revamps, one thing that we won’t be seeing in Update 1.6 is player housing. The ability to build your own house won’t be possible this March or for anytime in the near future. That being said, ESO Creative Director, Paul Sage, has implied that housing is a priority and will become part of ESO… someday. [source: Elder Scrolls Off The Record – Episode 118: Update 3 With Paul Sage]

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Player Housing In The Elder Scrolls Online

So how badly does the Community want player housing in The Elder Scrolls Online?

Back in April 2014 (the month ESO was released), there was already chatter on the official forums in regards to player housing. Dirtybyrd started the thread by stating:

When I first heard this MMO of ESO was coming out, The first thought I had was “OMG” Morrowind, Oblivion & Skyrim all together on one online game. So I was happy cause I knew in all games you had player housing, But now that its here, I see there is not any player housing! I am sad for that reason. But I have hopes of it coming in the future. So my question is, Is it something you guys are bring to us at a later date? Cant have ESO without it guys.

Overwhelmingly, posters agreed with the OP. Player housing in The Elder Scrolls Online is not only wanted, but expected. As lamyew so aptly puts it:

We all want our housing, no question…

Why Do We Want It

But why do we want player housing? Here’s a few reasons to consider:

1. To Make ESO More Like A Traditional Elder Scrolls Game Yes, The Elder Scrolls Online is a MMORPG, and some would argue that the game shares little in common with other ES titles (though it can be said that this is changing with the advent of the Justice System in Update 1.6). Without getting into a debate on whether ESO is an Elder Scrolls game or not, player housing would definitely give the MMORPG a more single player feel, and would add great appeal for PvE players.

2. Give Us A Place To Keep Our Stuff One of the challenging aspects of ESO is balancing the amount of stuff you collect with the game’s limited bank and bag space. Yes, Update 1.6 will provide some relief with pets and trophies no longer taking up valuable slots, but more room is still needed. Players (myself included) have made alternate characters just to store inventory. Like in Skyrim, player housing would provide a means to store all the stuff you just can’t bear to part with, and would allow us to display all the trophies and armor sets we’ve collected throughout our travels.

3. Place of Relaxation and Refuge One of things that I really enjoy about Skyrim’s Hearthfire expansion is the ability to create my own special place — a place to get away from the questing, dungeon diving, etc. that takes up the bulk of my time in-game. In a like manner, player housing in The Elder Scrolls Online would give us all a place of relaxation and refuge — a place to hang our hats after PvP, grinding, and all the other MMORPG elements. Housing could definitely provide a unique experience, providing even deeper game immersion. With crafting tables, research rooms and personal living space, we’d have a private home base to focus on our character’s development.

4. Decorating and Means to Acquire Player housing in The Elder Scrolls Online would allow us to acquire furnishings and unique collectibles. Special items could be found in-game, but convenience items like trophy racks, bookcases, and more could be sold in the upcoming Crown Store. Purchases would help support the game we love, and we’d have a chance to trick out our houses just the way we want.

Final Thoughts

So how do you feel about player housing in The Elder Scrolls Online? Would housing enhance your game experience? If so, what are some reasons why? Please feel free to share your thoughts and opinions in the Speak Your Mind section below. Until next time, fellow travelers!