EQ:Player Housing in EverQuest  

This is an overview of Housing in EverQuest, a feature introduced with the House of Thule expansion which went live October 12, 2010.

Neighborhoods

Neighborhoods are entered through a gateway in the Guild Lobby. Neighborhoods are instanced. Each neighborhood has its own name, but they are all based on the same zone: "Sunrise Hills" (map: "neighborhood.txt"). You can view/search for different neighborhoods by clicking on the gate and bringing up the Neighborhood Search if you're in the Guild Lobby, or from within the neighborhood, you can change neighborhoods/bring up the search tool by clicking on the shimmering portal to the left of the gate to exit Sunrise Hills. In the search tool you can see all the available neighborhoods and how many player plots or guild plots are used in each. If you click on the neighborhood name, it will display all the characters and guilds who own plots in that neighborhood.

As current neighborhoods fill up, the game will automatically create new ones for players to move into.

It is also possible for a guild to buy a private neighborhood. In the Station Cash Store there is a Guild Writ of the Sunrise. You can purchase this and activate it to create a guild specific neighborhood. The neighborhood will belong to the guild, not the person who creates it with the writ. Once you've created a guild specific neighborhood, you'll see it added to the Neighborhood Search tool as "Guild Name" Village. It is also possible for a guild to have more than one Village, but not more than one guild hall across the different villages. Only characters that are members of the guild are allowed to purchase plots in guild villages.

Plots

Each neighborhood has 71 player plots available for purchase. Players can own up to three plots in total across all neighborhoods. There are also four guild plots in each neighborhood, but a guild can only own one guild plot across all neighborhoods.

Plots have a purchase cost and an upkeep cost. These costs vary by the plot. You can find this information (as well as ownership information, if it's already owned) by clicking on the stone marker on a plot's border.

You can go to a plot very quickly by clicking on the spring contraption near the zone line between Sunrise Hills and the Guild Lobby. It will bring up a list of all the plots in the neighborhood. You can sort by area, address, type and owner and you can filter for player, guild, owned and vacant.

Houses

You have the option of placing a house on your plot. Doing so grants you access to another instanced zone (the interior of the house). Whereas the neighborhood is a public zone to which anyone can access, your house is private with the option of granting access to whomever you want.

Houses are entered and exited by clicking on their front doors.

There are one room houses and three room houses available in one of four levels and in various styles. The combination of the number of rooms and the level determine what you can place and/or store in your house and what the upkeep is for the house. The four levels are: Hut, House, Residence, and Domicile. Each house (and apparently crates and plots) has two types of storage. The first is the total storage allowed and the second is the number of "any items" or of non-placeable items. This is the number of regular inventory items you can store in the house. There are also Manors available from either the Station Cash Store or the Loyalist Vendor:

Real Estate Management

Use Shift-M or EQ Button>Real Estate>Manage to bring up the management window. This is where you manage your escrow and access for your plot.

Escrow

Use Shift-M or EQ Button>Real Estate>Manage to bring up the management window and the escrow tab should present by default.

Each plot has a daily upkeep associated to it and some of the items you can place on your plots may also have a daily upkeep cost associated to them. You can use some of the alternate currencies available in EQ in order to pay for your plot up keep (Doubloons, Orux, Phosphenes, Faycitum or Chronobines), but you have to deposit platinum to pay for the upkeep on houses and other items. By just picking up some currency on your cursor and dropping it over the label in the window, you can deposit escrow.

If you don't keep up with your escrow, you won't be able to access your house or the items in it until more escrow is deposited.

Granting Access

You can control who can access your house and how much you want them to be able to do with your house and items.

Use Shift-M or EQ Button>Real Estate>Manage to bring up the management window and then click on the access tab.

You can grant access to people individually by clicking on the Individual radio button and typing their character name in the box below the list box. Here you also have to choose an access level for them, see Permissions below for more information. You can also grant access to different groups of people by clicking on the Owner's Clubs radio button. Here you can choose your fellowship and people in your guild by role.

Permissions

There are seven different permission levels for your housing plots. When you're looking at the right hand pane of the Access Tab in the Real Estate Management Window, the levels from left to right are: Owner (you can't actually change that one) Co-Owner Trustee Friend Acquaintance Visitor Everyone. By simply clicking and unclicking the boxes you can configure each role to your custom needs. You can control whether someone can: receive Buffs, Enter, Withdraw Upkeep, Remove Crate, Add Crate, Remove House, Add House, Mail Item, Remove item, Add item, Move Item, Interact Item or Manage your plot,

Real Estate Inventory

You can use the /outputfile realestate to get a complete list of your real estate housing inventory sent to a text file. You can also use /outputfile guildhall to get a complete list of the inventory placed/stored in your guildhall. These text files should be saved to your top level Everquest directory by default.

More About Housing

Quest: Secalna Galnor

There is a new quest offered by Secalna Galnor (Tutorials NPC) in the Plane of Knowledge to acquaint yourself with housing in Norrath.

You say,'Hail, Secalna Galnor'

Secalna Galnor says, 'Hello Soandso. I hear you are an up-and-coming new adventurer. Your future looks bright. Won't you stay a moment and learn what I have to teach? If you miss your friends in the Mines of Gloomingdeep it might be possible for me to send you back there.'

A window will pop up with a choice of tasks. Choose the task Housing

Speak to Annabelle within the Guild Lobby 0/1 (Travel to the Guild lobby and hail Annabelle, then say 'enter')

Click on the gate to enter a neighborhood 0/1 (Choose a neighborhood and click Go button)

Speak with Christine to learn more about housing 0/1 (Hail Christine)

Learn what a "plot" is 0/1 (Say Plot)

Learn how to "find" a plot 0/1 (Say Find)

Learn about placing a "house" 0/1 (Say House)

Learn how to "place" items 0/1 (Say Place)

Learn how to "travel" to different plots 0/1 (Say travel)

Speak to Christine once again 0/1 (Hail Christine)

Receive a Behroe Style Stone Hut, Stucco Interior

Detailed Chat with Christine

A more detailed chat with Christine, an NPC found in the Sunrise Hills:

You say, 'Hail, Christine'

Christine says 'Greetings _____. Welcome to the neighborhood. I am here to help you with general information about housing. Some of what I say may be in a weird tongue, but you will understand it anyway. I can help you [find] plots. This will also allow you to see what plots are available. I can also help you with information on how to buy a [plot] and a [house]. Additionally I can give information on how you [place] items including the house. In addition, you can get more [detail]. Finally, you may [travel] quickly around the neighborhood using the teleportation pads.'

You say, 'What is a plot?'

Christine says 'Plots are bordered by stone. In order to purchase a plot, simply touch this stone. You will be shown how much it costs to buy this plot, how much it will cost you daily to keep the plot, and how many items you can place on the plot. You may also be able to choose amongst some alternate currencies. If the plot is un-owned, and you wish to buy the plot, simply choose what currency you want to use, and select buy. You will be able to change the upkeep later if you wish, and will not be committed to the currency you choose at this time. You can also [manage] your plot from the border. There are also additional things you can do if you [own] the plot.'

You say, 'What if I own the plot?'

Christine says 'If you own plot, you can move out of the plot or transfer the ownership of the plot. Moving out is simply selecting move out in the manage window. All of your items will be packed into a moving crate and the plot will revert to un-owned. To transfer the plot, target the person you want to transfer the plot too, and select transfer.'

You say, 'How do I find plots?'

Christine says 'Simply enter the name of a person you are looking for and search for them. If you are looking for a plot you already own, select 'my plots'. If you are looking for vacant plots that you may be able to purchase, select Vacant. If you select a plot and then select go, a wisp will be drawn to the plot you selected. You can also bring up this plots search at any time from the real estate section of your EverQuest menu.'

You say, 'How do I buy a house?'

Christine says 'A house is actually an item that you place on plots, that if placed and paid for allow you to enter another area. This area is the interior of your house. With the magic of Norrath, your interior will not always match the exterior. There are various merchants nearby that will sell you houses. Houses will have both a purchase price and an upkeep price. If you do not pay the rent on the house, you will not be able to enter the house or access anything inside of it until you pay. You can pay it by accessing the [manage] interface. There are also different [types] of houses.'

You say, 'What different types of houses?'

Christine says 'Houses are defined by how they look on the outside and the inside. Monel and Zimel style houses are three-room houses, while Behroe and Cobbler style houses are one-room houses. A One room house can hold a total of 100 items, while a three room can store a total of 300 items. Additionally, the size of the [vault] is different. Huts have no vault space. Houses have 20 vault spaces in a one room, and 40 in a three room. Residences have twice the vault space while domiciles have three times a house's vault space.'

You say, 'What is a vault?'

Christine says 'A vault is the space that you can use to store items that cannot be placed. A house cannot have more items in it than a house can take. The vault is not additional space, but space taken from the house for vault space. Placed items can use un-used vault space.'

You say, 'How do I place items?'

Christine says 'You can place items inside your house or outside on your plot. Each has a separate limit on how many items can be placed or stored. To place an item simply be in your plot or house and "drop" the item. From there you can move the item around. If you hold down ctrl you can rotate the item around two axis. The mouse wheel will rotate along the third. If you hold down alt you can resize the item by moving the mouse forward and back. You can also move items in and out of your [closet] and shed in the real estate items window. You can access this window from the manage window or the real estate menu in the EverQuest menu. For more [detail] on placing items, click the question mark button in the title bar of the real estate items window. There are also four placement [modes].'

You say, 'How do I get more detail about placing items?'

Christine says 'You can get more specific details by selecting the small question mark on the top right of most of these magical view windows.'

You say, 'What are the placement modes?'

Christine says 'There are three placement modes. Cursor mode tries to place the item where you are pointing. Cursor mode will follow the rules of placement and try to place it on the floor, wall or ceiling, as the item allows. Collision mode is similar, but it will allow you to more easily "stack" items. Collision mode will not work for wall items. Free placement mode will allow you to place an item that allows it anywhere, including floating in the air, or through other objects. To change modes, use shift-z. More information can be found in the help text, accessed through the question mark, on the housing items window.'

You say, 'What is a closet?'

Christine says 'The closet and shed are additional storage area for real estate items. Houses sometimes even have space for non-real estate items in the closet. You access the closet from the manage window or the real estate menu in the EverQuest menu. This shows a list of items you can move in and out of the closet. If you own a moving crate, you can also access it from here. A crate must be placed for you to have access to its contents. From here you can also chose to place items, take them from your inventory and store in your shed or closet, or put items back in your inventory.'

You say, 'How do I manage payments?'

Christine says 'Managing your real estate allows you to pay escrow in order to keep your plot or house. Houses, plots and some items will charge 'rent' that you need to pay daily. You do not have to visit every day, and instead you can pay ahead for time. If you own a plot, you can touch the stone border to your plot, and select manage. From here, you can individually pay for each item that has a rental cost. You can also take money from your escrow account if you want it. You can also select access at the top, where you can give friends and visitors individual access restrictions to the plot or house that you are in. You can also manage your real estate by selecting manage from the real estate menu in your EverQuest menu.'

You say, 'How can I travel quicker around the neighborhood?'

Christine says 'There are teleportation pads around the neighborhood. These pads will teleport you to other pads within the neighborhood. The symbol in the center of the pad is the symbol for that pad. Step on one of the other symbols and it will teleport you to the pad with that symbol. Each symbol represents a set of streets within the neighborhood.'

EverQuest Wikibase™