HGXIV: Meet the Interior Decorators Leading Final Fantasy XIV’s Vibrant Housing Community

ign.com:

Buying a house inFinal Fantasy XIV sometimes feels as insurmountable a task as buying a house in real life.

Housing has been a hot commodity inFFXIV for years, as owning a house gives players a space to decorate and make their own. But with demand far outpacing supply, housing is one of the luxury items in Final Fantasy XIV.

But if you're lucky to get a house, you'll be glad to check out HGXIV, a fan podcast, and community that shines a spotlight on designers and provides essential resources like design guides, housing directories, designer portfolios, and more.

There are two big hurdles to purchasing a house in FFXIV. The first is the high cost, as the most basic plot of land starts at 3 million gil (the in-game currency), and larger plots can cost up to 50 million gil. What makes buying a house even more difficult is that it has practically become a game of chance, as players need to comb through residential wards and wait for plots to go on sale, then hope they can snatch it before someone else. A certain level of commitment to FFXIV is needed to even consider owning a house.

Square Enix has constantly tried to introduce new ways to get houses to more players, but even its most recent attempt with a lottery system was met with a crippling glitch that messed up the way winners were drawn.

Despite all the roadblocks, however, a vibrant community has popped up around the housing market, filled with dozens of virtual interior designers.

“When I first started to learn how to decorate, there weren’t many guides or resources online on how to do things. I would look on the FFXIVsubreddit and sometimes people would post their houses, but where could I find more? I luckily was able to find a website called Housingsnap. It’s