By: Martuk

One of the most anticipated features of the coming Book 11 update is the implementation of player housing. There are a lot of questions that have yet to be answered on this subject but it keeps popping up from time to time. To help aid in the search for answers we have compiled a list of known information about player housing that should give some insight into what we can expect. Keep in mind that even though this information came from the developers it is still subject to being changed before Book 11 goes live presumably near the end of October or early November.

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With the apparent large size of the patch needed for player housing and Book 11 as a whole, some speculated that it may be part of a coming expansion. To put those thoughts to rest, it has been confirmed that Book 11 will be a free content update for existing LOTRO customers. If housing is your thing keep reading. Also make sure to check out the interview on housing conducted by Tentonhammers own Cody "Micajah" Bye and Jeff "Ethec" Woleslagle link included at the end of this article.

Neighborhoods

Player housing will be kept in what is known as a neighborhood. Each Neighborhood will contain thirty houses of varying types. In contrast each neighborhood will have sixteen tier one houses, ten Tier two houses, and four Kinship houses. While there are no real specifics on how each housing type will vary, we do know that Tier one homes will be the cheapest and easiest to access for players. Tier two homes will be a bit more expensive and probably a bit more extravagant than the Tier one homes, but the big house on the block goes to the Kinship homes. These are said to be very expensive and very extravagant. While there are no real solid details on the features, we can speculate that Kinship homes might have several rooms and possibly a Kinship vault to allow members to store their items.

Customization

One thing that makes player housing an attractive aspect to the gaming world is the ability to customize your home to be unique and different from everyone else’s. It has been stated several times that there will be hundreds of items that a player can use to customize their home. Some items can be obtained from a vendor while others can be gathered from combat or by crafting. This can be a useful feature that could potentially allow players to possibly store items they have become attached to and maybe outgrown. Rather than selling it off to the vendor, perhaps we can turn the item into a trophy to be displayed within our homes. You will also be able to change the colors of your homes interior build. What colors we will be able to choose from is still a mystery, but the fact that we have even more customizable options is a bonus in itself.Each home will have a given number of slots that a player can store an item in. We can speculate that the more extravagant the home, the more slots it will have.

This isn’t the only area of customization. The developers at Turbine went that extra mile to allow players to not only be able to customize the inside of their house, but the outside as well. Players can decorate the exterior of their homes for added flavor. This has the potential to not only let a players home appear unique, but it could give each neighborhood a unique look and identity of their own.

Miscellaneous

The look of each racial house will be unique. If you purchase a Hobbit home you can expect to see houses much like the homes in the Shire with the small hillside dwellings with porthole windows. Elvish and Dwarfish homes will likely fit the theme of their respected areas.

There is a lot of information still unanswered, but Tentonhammer will keep you informed as we get even more up to date information on this highly anticipated aspect of LOTRO.

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Read Tentonhammers developer interview on Player Housing Here.