What is World of Warcraft Engine Reimplementation?

World of Warcraft Engine Reimplementation is an open-source engine reimplementation of World of Warcraft. A new engine written from scratch that loads the original game's data files.

Do I need the original game files to run World of Warcraft Engine Reimplementation?

Yes. The project does not include the original game's assets, so you need your own copy.

How is World of Warcraft Engine Reimplementation licensed?

project: MIT License with an additional restriction (WoWee source code); project: reserved (original music and audio assets). The repository itself is the authoritative source.

World of Warcraft Engine Reimplementation

Engine reimplementationActive

A new engine written from scratch that loads the original game's data files.

Based on World of Warcraft

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World of Warcraft Engine Reimplementation screenshot

Links, repository & details

About

WoWee is a native C++ World of Warcraft client with a custom Vulkan renderer. It supports Vanilla 1.12, TBC 2.4.3 and WotLK 3.3.5a through expansion-specific profiles, and has been tested with AzerothCore/ChromieCraft, TrinityCore, MaNGOS and Turtle WoW 1.18. It is an active work in progress and not a drop-in replacement for the official client. It runs on Linux, macOS and Windows (x86-64 and ARM64) and on arm64 Android.

How it differs from the original

The project contains no Blizzard assets, data or proprietary code, and ships its own original music, which can be turned off in the sound settings. It adds an in-client asset builder, game controller support, FSR upscaling options and an experimental world editor.

Getting started

You must supply your own legally obtained game data. Build the client with CMake, then extract the data from your game folder using the built-in asset builder or the extraction scripts, and run the client. Pick a server from the login screen's server list. The Android build needs Android 13 or newer on arm64, and the extracted data has to be copied to the device.

Known issues & limitations

The project is an active work in progress, not a drop-in replacement for the official client.
Terrain and WMO transitions can select the wrong floor or leave the character stuck.
Long rotational Northrend transport paths can occasionally show spline-wrap glitches.
World-map zone hover has edge cases near continent boundaries.
Pet-bar protocol behavior may need adjustment for non-AzerothCore forks.
On Android, the session drops a few seconds after the app goes into the background, and the client returns to the login screen.
On Android, the FrameXML interface appears small because it is drawn at native size.
Listed limitations include shadows that cannot be switched off, occasional terrain and WMO floor-selection problems, and Android sessions dropping shortly after the app goes to the background.

What you need to run it

Original game files required. The project ships code only; you provide your own copy of the game.

You must provide your own legally obtained game data.
The desktop build needs a Vulkan 1.3 driver; macOS uses MoltenVK.

Features

Supports Vanilla 1.12, TBC 2.4.3, and WotLK 3.3.5a through expansion-specific profiles.
Offers terrain, WMO, M2, water and lava rendering, particles, lighting, shadows, weather, and asynchronous world streaming.
Supports character creation, movement, combat, spells, inventory, quests, chat, parties, pets, maps, and other gameplay systems.
Loads Blizzard's FrameXML interface from game data and supports addons in the game's Interface\AddOns folder.
Includes zone and city music, ambience, footsteps, mounts, combat, spell, and NPC voice audio.
Runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows on x86-64 and ARM64, and on Android arm64 with on-screen controls.
FSR 1 and FSR 3 upscaling are built in; graphics acceleration features remain under active development.

How to install

Use the asset builder to point at your World of Warcraft folder and extract its data; reopen the client when extraction finishes.

Controls

W/S move forward and back; A/D turn, and strafe while holding the right mouse button; Q/E strafe.
Use the mouse to look or orbit the camera; left-click to target or interact; Tab cycles targets.
B/C/P/N open bags, character, spellbook, and talents; L/M/O/H open the quest log, map, social, and player-versus-player panels.
Enter or / opens chat; /unstuck recovers a character trapped by terrain or WMO collision; Escape closes windows, deselects, or opens the game menu.
With a controller, the left stick moves, the right stick looks, and the triggers zoom.

Summarised from the project's README.

Media

Licensing & legal

The source code is under the MIT License with an additional restriction against use as the basis of a commercial game, and the original music and audio are reserved.

FAQ

What is World of Warcraft Engine Reimplementation?: World of Warcraft Engine Reimplementation is an open-source engine reimplementation of World of Warcraft. A new engine written from scratch that loads the original game's data files.
Do I need the original game files to run World of Warcraft Engine Reimplementation?: Yes. The project does not include the original game's assets, so you need your own copy.
How is World of Warcraft Engine Reimplementation licensed?: project: MIT License with an additional restriction (WoWee source code); project: reserved (original music and audio assets). The repository itself is the authoritative source.