Playing on Mac and Linux

The 3.3.5a client is a 32-bit Windows program. There is no native macOS or Linux build for this version, but it is old and light, and it runs very well through Wine, the compatibility layer that lets Windows programs run on other systems. All the tools below are built on Wine in one way or another.

Before you start

• Get a complete 3.3.5a client folder (see Downloads). You don't need to "install" it: copying the folder is enough.
• Set the realmlist exactly as on Windows (Getting started). The file is inside Data/<locale>/.
• Note that the client is 32-bit. Recent macOS versions dropped 32-bit Mac apps, but that does not affect us: what matters is that your Wine-based tool can run 32-bit Windows programs, which current versions handle.

macOS

Option 1: a ready-made Wine wrapper

The most comfortable route is an app that wraps Wine with a friendly interface: you create a "bottle" (a small fake Windows), point it to Wow.exe and launch it. There are paid commercial options with support and free community projects. On Apple Silicon (M1 and later) they use Apple's translation layer together with Wine, and an old client like this one usually runs smoothly.

Option 2: Wine directly

If you are comfortable with the terminal, you can install a Wine build for macOS through a package manager and start the game with wine Wow.exe from the game folder. It is free but needs more fiddling.

Tips for Mac

• If the screen stays black, try SET gxApi "opengl" in WTF/Config.wtf, or the opposite ("d3d9") if your wrapper translates DirectX.
• Windowed mode (SET gxWindow "1") avoids most problems with full screen and multiple monitors.
• The right mouse button: enable "secondary click" in macOS or use an external mouse; you will need it constantly.

Linux

Option 1: Steam (Proton)

If you already use Steam, add Wow.exe as a "non-Steam game", open its properties and force a Proton compatibility version. It is often the quickest way to get it running.

Option 2: Lutris or Bottles

These managers create a separate Wine prefix for the game and let you pick the Wine version, enable DXVK (DirectX translated to Vulkan) and add the launch options with a few clicks. Create a new entry, choose "Windows game" and point it to Wow.exe.

Option 3: plain Wine

Install Wine from your distribution (make sure the 32-bit support packages are installed too) and run wine Wow.exe from the game folder.

Tips for Linux

• With DXVK, keep SET gxApi "d3d9". Without it, OpenGL is usually the most stable.
• If the sound crackles, lower the sound channels in the game options.
• Keep the game folder on a native Linux file system, not on an NTFS partition: it avoids permission errors and slowness.

Common problems

• It does not save settings: the game folder must be writable by your user.
• Stuck when connecting: check the realmlist and see The game won't load or connect; network problems are the same as on Windows.
• Addons: they work exactly the same; copy them into Interface/AddOns.