The Complete Expert Guide to Housing and Lotteries in FFXIV
As an expert with years of experience in architecture, renovation, and design both in games and real life, I‘m thrilled to provide this comprehensive guide to Final Fantasy XIV housing. My goal is to help you master FFXIV‘s complex housing system and successfully secure your own instanced sanctuary.
Housing Overview – A Home Away From Home
Housing in FFXIV gives you a personal space to call your own. You can decorate it, invite friends over, display trophies, and more. For any hardcore player, it‘s incredibly valuable both functionally and emotionally.
However, housing is limited. The lottery system ensures fairness in distribution, but also means securing a house takes effort and luck.
My guide will cover everything you need to know to understand FFXIV housing deeply and get started on the path to owning your perfect virtual dream home.
How Housing Districts Are Set Up
FFXIV has 5 residential areas divided into wards, each containing a set number of housing plots:
Mist (Limsa Lominsa): 11 wards, 60 plots each (660 total)
The Goblet (Ul‘dah): 11 wards, 60 plots each (660 total)
Lavender Beds (Gridania): 11 wards, 60 plots each (660 total)
Shirogane (Kugane): 18 wards, 60 plots each (1,080 total)
Empryreum (Ishgard): 18 wards, 150 plots each (2,700 total)
The key things that differ between districts are:
- Location/aesthetic theme of the neighborhood
- Size of houses available – small, medium, or large
When entering lotteries, you compete only against other entrants in the same district and ward. This localization is important for strategy (more tips later!).
Entering the Lottery – Requirements and Process
To enter the FFXIV housing lottery, you must:
- Have at least one Disciple of War/Magic job at level 50
- Be a Second Lieutenant in your Grand Company
The lottery entry process works as follows:
- Check the Lodestone for lottery announcements to see which wards are open.
- Buy land purchasing permits from the Housing Enthusiast NPC. Each permit equals one lottery entry.
- Go to the chosen ward and interact with the lottery counter. Select your desired plot and enter for a chance to win.
- Wait for lottery to end and results to be posted!
* See current permit prices and max entries here
Now that you understand the basics, let‘s get into strategies for maximizing your chances.
Lottery Timing and Frequency
The first key to success is paying attention to when lotteries are happening. Timing your participation is half the battle.
- Lotteries occur most frequently right after new housing is added to the game.
- As availability stabilizes, lotteries happen less often – perhaps 1-2 times per year.
- Most wards see a lottery once before periods of inactivity. But popular areas re-enter lottery more frequently.
- Lotteries tend to run for 1-2 weeks per ward before ending.
By carefully tracking lottery announcements, you can plan your permit purchases, server transfers, and game activity to align with opportunities.
How Many Alts Do You Need? Average Odds of Winning
With housing scarcity, you may think you need multiple alt characters to have a good lottery chance. In reality, the odds are not that brutal.
Here are estimated odds of winning a lottery plot with 1 entry:
- Mist/Lavender Beds/The Goblet: 1 in 30
- Shirogane: 1 in 50
- Empyreum: 1 in 120
As you can see, Empyreum is ultra-competitive. But for other areas, entering with just your main character gives you a solid chance, especially if you choose less popular wards.
Choosing a Housing District – Popularity and Prices
Picking the right district and ward is critical for lottery strategy. Consider both popularity and cost:
| District | Popularity | Small Plot Price |
|---|---|---|
| Mist | High | 4,000,000 |
| Lavender Beds | Medium | 3,750,000 |
| The Goblet | Low | 3,000,000 |
| Shirogane | High | 10,000,000 |
| Empyreum | Ultra-High | 20,000,00 |
Avoid entering Empyreum until you have experience, unless you enjoy pain.
The Goblet is an excellent starting area with decent odds and low cost. From there you can work your way up!
What Happens When You Win? – Taking Ownership
So you‘ve beaten the odds and won the lottery – congratulations! But your work isn‘t done yet.
Once lottery results post, you have a short window to claim your new plot. Here are the steps:
- Interact with the placard of your winning plot within the allotted time.
- Pay the FULL plot price upfront to secure ownership. This takes the plot off the market.
- Once the timer starts, you have 45 days to build a house on the land.
If you miss the payment period, you lose your claim and the plot returns to lottery. So don‘t celebrating prematurely – be ready to pay!
Relocation and Reselling -PLOTS Plots Open Up
So what happens when players relinquish previously-owned plots? These return through two main avenues:
Relocation:
- Players can voluntarily relinquish owned plots and choose a new one.
- The abandoned plot is resold on a first-come basis, not lottery.
Auto-relinquish:
- If house construction timer expires, the plot is relinquished automatically.
Again, these are resold on a first-come first-served basis to eligible buyers.
Apartments – An Affordable Alternative
For players without millions of gil for a house, apartments provide an affordable instanced housing option.
Key facts:
- Apartments cost 500,000 gil – far cheaper than houses.
- They are located in apartment buildings in each residential district.
- No lottery – ownership is first-come, first-served.
The tradeoff is apartments offer less customization and fewer features than houses. But they do let you get basic trophies and decorations for your character!
Reselling also happens frequently, so check listings after patches and early morning.
Top Tips and Strategies for Housing Success
After helping many other players on their housing journeys, I‘ve compiled my top tips and tricks:
- Stalk the Lodestone religiously – lottery prepping is everything.
- Join a housing/lottery preparation Discord to get notifications.
- Target starter areas like The Goblet and set a budget cap.
- Enter off-peak time lotteries (early morning) to avoid crowd competition.
- For resells, use world visit to scout other district placards then hop back.
- Have permit money ready in your inventory or retainer for urgent purchases.
- Persistence pays off – keep entering and learning from mistakes.
Conclusion – Your Journey to Housing Success
Obtaining housing in FFXIV requires equal parts strategy, grinding, and sheer commitment. My guide has hopefully provided you the knowledge to tackle housing lotteries smartly.
Just remember – stay patient, keep working toward your goals, and never give up. With the right mindset and preparation, you‘ll be decorating your own virtual dream home before you know it!
I wish you the best of luck on your housing journey. Never hesitate to reach out if you need more tips or have questions!