World of Warcraft: Midnight has finally populated its decor cash shop with a plethora of items, but Hearthsteel prices, limited-time availability, and disputes over theme have angered many fans. These new cash shop Housing items in World of Warcraft have been a significant downside to an otherwise exciting system.
Housing officially launched in early access during World of Warcraft in Patch 11.2.7, and fully during the Midnight Pre-Expansion Update. While the system was a huge hit, the promise of eventual microtransactions hung like a shadow over it. The first Housing decor items hit the WoW cash shop in early February, along with Hearthsteel, a new Housing-specific premium currency. Only two items were available at this time: the Beloved Lion Plushie and Beloved Wolf Plushie.
World of Warcraft Fixing Haranir Allied Race Issues Soon
World of Warcraft is aware of the issues plaguing Midnight’s new Haranir allied race and is working on implementing fixes very soon.
WoW: Midnight Housing Decor Shop Controversy Explained
Now, World of Warcraft has added a plethora of new Housing decor to its cash shop. A total of 17 items were added, all of which coincide with decorations World of Warcraft players saw in the Midnight beta. Alliance and Horde Doormats greet visitors with faction pride, Spring Blossom items provide gorgeous, floral pink set pieces, and the Lush Garden decor provides whimsical, fungal flair. However, the implementation of these decor items raised three major complaints from the community due to cost, limited-time availability, and theme.
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Item Name
Cost (Hearthsteel)
Alliance Doormat
200
Horde Doormat
200
Spring Blossom Gazebo
800
Spring Blossom Hanging Chair
250
Spring Blossom Shelf
250
Spring Blossom Tree
250
Spring Blossom Ceiling Light
100
Spring Blossom Window
100
Spring Blossom Wreath
100
Lush Garden Fungal Fountain
500
Lush Garden Fungal Basin
250
Lush Garden Fungal Chair
250
Lush Garden Butterfly Sconce
100
Lush Garden Gnome-Like Statue
50
Colorful Dotted Egg
10
Colorful Striped Egg
10
Colorful Shroomic Egg
10
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Spring Blossom Decor Pack (2,500)
Lush Garden Decor Pack (2,500)
Spring Blossom Hanging Chair (x4)
Colorful Egg (x12, 4 of each)
Spring Blossom Wreath (x4)
Lush Garden Butterfly Sconce (x4)
Spring Blossom Ceiling Light (x4)
Lush Garden Fungal Basin (x2)
Spring Blossom Shelf (x2)
Lush Garden Fungal Chair (x4)
Spring Blossom Tree (x3)
Lush Garden Fungal Fountain
Spring Blossom Window (x4)
Lush Garden Gnome-Like Statue (x8)
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Lush Garden Trellis (x2)
Total Value: 3,450 (+$9.50)
Total Value: ~3,420 (+$9.20)
Large Starter Decor Pack ($35)
Small Starter Decor Pack ($15)
Spring Blossom Gazebo (x2)
Alliance Doormat (x2)
2,500 Hearthsteel
Horde Doormat (x2)
–
1,000 Hearthsteel
Total Value: 4,100 (+$6)
Total Value: 1,800 (+$3)
When World of Warcraft first introduced the idea of Hearthsteel, it made a number of promises:
- “The costs of items are designed to align with Hearthsteel offer amounts in a player-friendly way. Buying Hearthsteel at the amount you want lets you purchase the items you want without requiring you to think about which packs should be added together to minimize leftovers.
- All Housing items in the shop will be available for individual purchase. While we’ll sometimes offer sales on bundles of items for a limited time, you shouldn’t feel like you have to spend money NOW or risk missing something you want.
- Housing items tied to core fantasies of a player’s race or class, or that already exist in Azeroth, won’t be sold in the shop. Thematically important decor that players know and love will also not appear in the shop.”
With the Housing Catalog up and running, World of Warcraft fans feel Blizzard has gone back on its word, particularly on these points.
High Price and Uneven Hearthsteel Costs
First and foremost, the prices of many WoW Housing items do not “minimize leftovers.” Several pieces of decor, including the Spring Blossom Hanging Chair, Spring Blossom Shelf, and Lush Garden Fungal Chair, cost 250 Hearthsteel, making it impossible not to have leftover currency. Items like the 800-Hearthsteel Spring Blossom Gazebo can technically be bought exactly, but Hearthsteel bundles only exist for 500 and 1,000, which goes against Blizzard’s intention to be “user-friendly” with Hearthsteel price points.
100 Hearthsteel equals $1 USD, and purchasing larger bundles does not give extra currency.
Beyond this, for a short time after being added, the Spring Blossom Tree was erroneously sold for 750 Hearthsteel. World of Warcraft has since adjusted the price to 250 Hearthsteel, and is actively refunding players who bought it during this time. Even so, the debacle has only served to infuriate fans even more – especially since decor must be purchased multiple times in order to place more than one in their houses.
Limited-Time Availability For Cash Shop Housing Decor
Another shocking revelation is that these decor bundles will only be available for a limited time. The 2500-Hearthsteel Spring Blossom Decor Pack and Lush Garden Decor Packs, both of which include bonus copies of these items, will only be sold until April 23. While it is unclear if the individual decor items will also be removed alongside their bundles, players believe Blizzard has broken its promise to avoid FOMO with Hearthsteel because of these new World of Warcraft cash shop bundles.
The Lush Garden Trellis is also not currently available for individual purchase, and appears only in the Lush Garden Decor Pack, though this is more than likely an error rather than an intentional omission.
What Constitutes ‘Class and Race Fantasy’ in World of Warcraft?
Lastly, the Spring Blossom decor in particular has raised questions about what exactly constitutes race or class fantasy. Many fans have pointed out that cherry blossom trees could be considered an intrinsic part of the Pandaren race fantasy in World of Warcraft, as they appear prominently in the Jade Forest. Locking the Spring Blossom Tree behind a paywall has landed especially poorly for Pandaren players, as it means they likely will not be able to use this iconic type of tree without spending money on this seemingly limited-time product.
Hearthsteel can technically be purchased with in-game gold using WoW Tokens, but the price of this sanctioned RMT currency fluctuates and is often quite high.
While WoW’s Housing system has been one of the most popular parts of the Midnight expansion, these cash shop controversies have been a major sticking point. Fans will have to see what Blizzard does with cash shop Housing decor in the future – and should, as ever, be sure to vote with their wallets.
- Released
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March 2, 2026
- ESRB
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Teen / Blood and Gore, Crude Humor, Mild Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco, Violence, Users Interact, In-Game Purchases
