Warnings
- This game requires a constant internet connection for all game modes.
Key points
- Mod friendly (Mods pertains to UI addons)
- Very active community
- One of the largest MMORPGs around
- Updated frequently
- Runs well on low end machines
- Expansions must be bought to play in active endgame areas and activities
- Game requires per month subscription fee
General information
- Official Blizzard community site for US
- Official Blizzard community site for EU
- Blizzard Watch "WoW" Category - A news site dedicated to all Blizzard Entertainment news.
- Wowpedia - A huge wiki for everything World of Warcraft related. Also handles anything Warcraft universe related.
- Thottbot - A old but expansive database on anything that can be found or used in-game. Same database as Wowhead currently.
- Wowhead - An expansive database on anything that can be found or used in-game. Has a clean interface.
- Statista - A ranking on the distribution of characters across EU and U.S. realms. Other statistics on World of Warcraft accessible.
- Curse and WoWInterface are both great addon sources.
Availability
Source |
DRM |
Notes |
Keys |
OS |
Official website |
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First 20 levels are free to play. Base game purchase includes the Burning Crusade, Wrath of the Lich King, Cataclysm, Mists of Pandaria and Warlords of Draenor expansions. |
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- The playable characters from all expansions are available, even if the player has not bought any expansion packs.
DLC and expansion packs
Name |
Notes |
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The Burning Crusade |
Available for free. Included with all full versions of the game. |
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Wrath of the Lich King |
Available for free. Included with all full versions of the game. |
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Cataclysm |
Available for free. Included with all full versions of the game. |
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Mists of Pandaria |
Available for free. Included with all full versions of the game. |
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Warlords of Draenor |
Available for free. Included with all full versions of the game. |
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Legion |
Can be bought from the Battle.net store. |
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Version differences
Starter Edition
The World of Warcraft Starter Edition is a free but limited version of World of Warcraft.
- Characters can be created and leveled up to 20, and professions to 100.
- Each character can earn up to 10 Gold.
- Cannot access expansion zones or quests, join guilds, hold Pet Battles, or use the Auction House.
- All achievements and progress carry over to the full version.
Game data
Configuration file(s) location
- Progress and stats are saved automatically by Battle.net
Video settings
In-game general graphics settings.
In-game advanced graphics settings.
Template:Video settings
Input settings
Template:Input settings
Audio settings
Template:Audio settings
Localizations
Language |
UI |
Audio |
Sub |
Notes |
English |
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French |
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Russian |
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Brazilian Portuguese |
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Spanish |
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Both Spanish and Latin American. |
Network
Multiplayer types
Connection types
Ports
Protocol |
Port(s) and/or port range(s) |
TCP |
3724, 1119, 1120, 4000, 6112, 6113, 6114, 80, 6881-6999 |
UDP |
3724, 1119, 1120, 4000, 6112, 6113, 6114, 80, 6881-6999 |
- Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) support status is unknown.
Issues fixed
Windowed mode (OS X)
FPS performance issues (OS X)
Sound issue (OS X)
Mature Filter Options Not Saving
Other Information
Visual enhancements
DirectX 11 Rendering
- DirectX 11 can significantly boost performance in some scenarios
gxTextureCacheSize
Addons
- World of Warcraft's UI is developed via LUA scripting, and XML data.
- AddOns are essentially mods, files to add to the installation folder that can improve interaction with the game.
- AddOns are generally self-contained User Interface (UI) modification components. However, some AddOns can be dependent on other AddOns to work, and some AddOns are actually collections of other AddOns. Some are built on libraries such as Sea or Ace. There is no size restriction on AddOns; some can grow to be quite massive.
Blizzard's AddOn Policy
- With the release of Patch 3.1, Blizzard Entertainment introduced a new UI AddOn development policy.[1]
- According to the policy, "failure to abide by them [these rules] may result in measures up to and including taking formal legal action."[1]
Creating an AddOn
Troubleshooting an AddOn
System requirements
Windows |
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Minimum |
Recommended |
Operating system (OS) |
Windows XP / Windows Vista with the latest service pack |
7 / 8 / 10 64-bit with latest service pack |
Processor (CPU) |
Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 AMD Phenom X3 8750 |
Intel Core i5 2400 AMD FX 4100 |
System memory (RAM) |
1 GB (XP) 2 GB (Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, 10) |
4 GB |
Hard disk drive (HDD) |
35 GB | |
Video card (GPU) |
Nvidia GeForce 8800 GT ATI Radeon HD 4850 Intel HD Graphics 3000 512 MB of VRAM
| Nvidia GeForce GTX 470 ATI Radeon HD 5870 1 GB of VRAM |
macOS (OS X) |
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Minimum |
Recommended |
Operating system (OS) |
10.8.x |
10.9 |
Processor (CPU) |
Intel Core 2 Duo
| Intel Core i5 |
System memory (RAM) |
2 GB |
4 GB |
Hard disk drive (HDD) |
35 GB | |
Video card (GPU) |
Nvidia GeForce 9600M GT ATI Radeon HD 4850
| Nvidia GeForce GT 750M AMD Radeon HD 6750M |
References