Obtaining a house in Final Fantasy XIV is one of the most brutal content offerings in the game. Over the years, Square Enix has tried to address the issues, but it has never really gotten better. House hunting bots and property flippers haven’t made it any easier. As it stands now, when a property becomes available for sale, it will unlock for purchase at a random point within a 24 hour period. Players hoping to acquire the plot must camp the placard just outside the property during this time while spam clicking the purchase option and hoping that they are the lucky one to click it just as the property unlocks for purchase. To make this experience a little less chaotic, Square Enix will be implementing a lottery system with the launch of the new Empyreum neighborhood in Patch 6.1.
When the new Ishgardian neighborhood becomes available, players looking to score a plot will have to visit the ward they wish to live in and search for their dream location. The lottery periods will last for a set amount of time before selecting a winner for each plot. It is important players consider carefully which house that they want to enter the lottery for, as they can only select and enter for one plot each lottery period.
Upon inspecting the placard of the location, players will now have the option to enter the lottery system for that specific plot by putting down a deposit for the full cost of the house. They can also see just how many people have entered into the drawing for that specific location so that they can decide which spot gives them the highest chances of winning based on entry numbers.
It may seem daunting to put a great deal of Gil into limbo during the lottery period, but players who don’t successfully win the plot will be able to reclaim their deposit upon the end of the period. However, once a deposit is made, the player will be unable to change their entry or get their Gil back until after the location winner is drawn. The lucky one who wins the plot will have a limited amount of time to claim it, or they will lose out on both the house and half of their deposit.
The lottery system may not seem like the perfect solution to Final Fantasy XIV’s housing system, but it is much more fair than the current method. It demands less time, stress, and commitment from the player, and simply makes it a game of chance for those who can afford to place a deposit and wait for their lucky day to come.
Published: Mar 26, 2022 12:02 pm