World of Warcraft Officially Adds Housing Decor To the Cash Shop

It’s official: the Housing-specific Hearthsteel currency and the first two cash shop decor items have been added to World of Warcraft. These mark the first Housing decorations that can be purchased with real money in World of Warcraft, but certainly not the last.

Housing has arrived in Azeroth, with the new features opening for early access during Patch 11.2.7, and launching in full during the World of Warcraft: Midnight Pre-Expansion Update. Of course, a new type of collectible item in World of Warcraft means a new opportunity to sell things at the cash shop. Blizzard confirmed unique Housing decor would be sold in the in-game store alongside Hearthsteel, a new premium currency used specifically to purchase these items.

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World of Warcraft’s new shop controversy is definitive proof that issues tied to this in-game currency will never go away until addressed.

Housing Decor Now Available At the World of Warcraft Cash Shop

Now, the first World of Warcraft Housing decor items have officially made their way to the in-game store. The Beloved Lion Plushie and Beloved Wolf Plushie are charming Alliance- and Horde-themed stuffed animals for decorating one’s home. These plushies can be purchased individually for 100 Hearthsteel each, or in a bulk bundle that includes four of each type for 500 Hearthsteel.

Like other decor items, players must purchase additional copies of these items if they wish to place more than one in their houses.

World of Warcraft‘s Hearthsteel conversion rate for USD is simple: 100 Hearthsteel equals $1. This means the Beloved Lion Plushie and the Beloved Wolf Plushie are already cheap on their own, but fans essentially save $3 if they buy the bundle over purchasing eight copies of these decor items individually.

world of warcraft cash shop hearthsteel housing

Unlike many in-game currencies, such as Diablo 4 Platinum used for its Battle Pass and at Tejal’s shop, Hearthsteel does not offer bonuses or discounts for buying large quantities at once. While this may seem unfair at first glance, this is actually a good thing, as it doesn’t incentivize players to buy larger bundles; purchasing 100 Hearthsteel is exactly as efficient as buying 500, 2,500, or 10,000 at once.

What To Expect From Hearthsteel in World of Warcraft: Midnight

While there are only two World of Warcraft decorations in the cash shop right now, there are going to be more soon. A total of 19 items, including these plushies, were datamined as cash shop decor during the World of Warcraft: Midnight beta, with many being inspired by cherry blossoms and garden gnomes. Additionally, new Alliance and Horde Doormats were just added to the beta in its most recent build, taking the total up to approximately 21.

Cherry Blossom
- Chair
- Gazebo
- Hanging light
- Shelf
- Tree (with and without pond)
- Window
- Wreath
Spring/Garden Gnome
- Bird bath
- Chair
- Fountain
- Garden gnome statue
- Painted eggs (garden gnome, blue, purple)
- Trellis
- Wall lamp
Alliance/Horde
- Beloved Lion Plushie
- Beloved Wolf Plushie
- Alliance Doormat
- Horde Doormat

With over 1,000 items available in-game, this means less than 1% of all Housing decor is planned to be from the cash shop.

While some of these decor items will definitely cost more than $1, these new plushies have revealed the minimum cost that fans can expect to see for Housing decor. As a point of comparison, the cheapest furnishings for Final Fantasy 14’s housing system in its cash shop cost $5 outside of holiday sales. While FF14 understandably has a wider selection of items, and no intermediary currency like Hearthsteel, it currently seems like WoW’s Housing decor cash shop will be more forgiving.

Even so, the addition of Hearthsteel in general has drawn criticism towards Blizzard, despite WoW‘s assurance that cash shop will not include items tied to core player race and class fantasies, decor that already exists in game, or iconic objects that players “know and love.” Only time will tell if this continues to be the case, or if Hearthsteel ends up becoming a problem for Blizzard. Either way, the World of Warcraft cash shop will never be the same again.