World of Warcraft is getting a new kind of fake money
TL;DR
World of Warcraft introduces Hearthsteel, a new real-money currency for some Housing items, but most items remain earnable in-game. This addition comes with the Midnight expansion and subscription costs.
The long-awaited addition of Housing in World of Warcraft is going to cost you. On top of your monthly subscription and the cost of the Midnight expansion itself, some Housing items will require a new in-game currency called “Hearthsteel” that players will have to pay for with real money. World of Warcraft already has hundreds of currencies, and at one point, the game’s main currency, gold, was worth more than the Venezuelan bolivar.
Blizzard said in its announcement blog post for Hearthsteel that it will only be for Housing, not the Trading Post, mounts, or other in-game items. Blizzard also clarified that not all of the Housing items will require Hearthsteel:
“The vast majority of Housing items are (and will continue to be) earnable in-game. Only a small fraction is available for purchase from the shop. Comparing this number against collectibles such as mounts is a good metric here, with more than a thousand mounts earnable in-game and only a few dozen from the shop.”