[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":493},["ShallowReactive",2],{"site-settings":3,"article:\u002Fresources\u002Fguides\u002Fwowsilicon-apple-silicon-launcher-guide":16},{"id":4,"description":5,"email":6,"extension":7,"footerNote":8,"legalNotice":9,"locale":10,"meta":11,"name":12,"stem":13,"url":14,"__hash__":15},"settings\u002Fsettings.yml","Compare World of Warcraft realms by expansion, region, population and play style.","listings@realmlist.org","yml","An independent realm directory.","Not affiliated with Blizzard Entertainment.","en",{},"RealmList","settings","https:\u002F\u002Frealmlist.org","QXaYspLUSxnrVumL6oFir6PInhNsRw-yJchxEYSe1AU",{"id":17,"title":18,"author":19,"body":20,"category":464,"description":465,"draft":466,"extension":467,"featured":466,"meta":468,"navigation":469,"path":470,"publishedAt":471,"seo":472,"sitemap":473,"sources":476,"stem":485,"tags":486,"updatedAt":491,"__hash__":492},"articles\u002Fresources\u002Fguides\u002Fwowsilicon-apple-silicon-launcher-guide.md","WoWSilicon: Running Classic WoW on Apple Silicon Macs","RealmList Editorial",{"type":21,"value":22,"toc":454},"minimark",[23,27,30,35,38,41,45,128,131,135,151,159,163,190,218,228,232,258,264,278,281,287,307,310,328,334,338,370,374,435,438,444,450],[24,25,26],"p",{},"WoWSilicon is a macOS launcher that makes 2006-2010 World of Warcraft clients run on Apple Silicon without CrossOver or a Windows VM. It ships its own Wine runtime, D9VK and MTLd3D graphics translation, accelerated x87 handling, and the patching tools those clients need — all in one app.",[24,28,29],{},"If you have been told \"just use CrossOver\" one too many times, this is the project that deliberately removes that dependency.",[31,32,34],"h2",{"id":33},"why-old-wow-clients-need-help-on-apple-silicon","Why old WoW clients need help on Apple Silicon",[24,36,37],{},"Two problems stack up. First, Vanilla through WotLK clients are 32-bit Direct3D 9 applications, and modern macOS has no Direct3D at all. Second, those binaries lean on x87 floating-point instructions, which Rosetta 2 translates correctly but expensively — x87-heavy paths are one of the main reasons a Classic client feels sluggish on an M1 compared with the same code on an Intel Mac.",[24,39,40],{},"WoWSilicon attacks both: a bundled Wine runtime for the Windows side, DXVK (through MoltenVK) or MTLd3D for Direct3D 9, and a choice of accelerated x87 translators.",[31,42,44],{"id":43},"supported-clients","Supported clients",[46,47,48,64],"table",{},[49,50,51],"thead",{},[52,53,54,58,61],"tr",{},[55,56,57],"th",{},"Profile",[55,59,60],{},"Client",[55,62,63],{},"Notes",[65,66,67,79,90,101,112],"tbody",{},[52,68,69,73,76],{},[70,71,72],"td",{},"VanillaSilicon",[70,74,75],{},"1.12.1",[70,77,78],{},"vanilla-tweaks support, libSiliconPatch on by default",[52,80,81,84,87],{},[70,82,83],{},"BurningSilicon",[70,85,86],{},"2.4.3",[70,88,89],{},"Rosetta patching + DX9 translation",[52,91,92,95,98],{},[70,93,94],{},"WrathSilicon",[70,96,97],{},"3.3.5a",[70,99,100],{},"libSiliconPatch on by default",[52,102,103,106,109],{},[70,104,105],{},"Custom profiles",[70,107,108],{},"Any of the above",[70,110,111],{},"Separate folders, separate settings",[52,113,114,117,120],{},[70,115,116],{},"Non-WoW game",[70,118,119],{},"32-bit D3D9",[70,121,122,123,127],{},"Experimental — executable plus ",[124,125,126],"code",{},"d3d9.dll"," only",[24,129,130],{},"Profiles are the important abstraction: each one keeps its own game path, graphics settings, environment variables and addon list, so a Vanilla realm and a WotLK realm never fight over the same config.",[31,132,134],{"id":133},"requirements","Requirements",[136,137,138,142,145,148],"ul",{},[139,140,141],"li",{},"Apple Silicon Mac (M1 or newer)",[139,143,144],{},"macOS 15 or later — the repository README states 14 or newer, so check the release notes for your version",[139,146,147],{},"A legally acquired local World of Warcraft client folder",[139,149,150],{},"Write permission on that folder (patching copies files into it)",[24,152,153,154,158],{},"The current release is ",[155,156,157],"strong",{},"3.2.2"," (September 2026), a hotfix that reverted MTLd3D to v0.7.0 and restored cursor scaling on the DXVK path.",[31,160,162],{"id":161},"install","Install",[164,165,166,177,187],"ol",{},[139,167,168,169,176],{},"Download the latest DMG or ZIP from ",[170,171,175],"a",{"href":172,"rel":173},"https:\u002F\u002Fwowsilicon.github.io\u002F",[174],"nofollow","wowsilicon.github.io",".",[139,178,179,180,183,184,176],{},"Drag ",[124,181,182],{},"WoWSilicon.app"," into ",[124,185,186],{},"\u002FApplications",[139,188,189],{},"The build is unsigned, so Gatekeeper blocks the first launch. Remove the quarantine attribute:",[191,192,197],"pre",{"className":193,"code":194,"language":195,"meta":196,"style":196},"language-sh shiki shiki-themes material-theme-lighter material-theme material-theme-palenight","xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine \u002FApplications\u002FWoWSilicon.app\n","sh","",[124,198,199],{"__ignoreMap":196},[200,201,204,208,212,215],"span",{"class":202,"line":203},"line",1,[200,205,207],{"class":206},"sBMFI","xattr",[200,209,211],{"class":210},"sfazB"," -dr",[200,213,214],{"class":210}," com.apple.quarantine",[200,216,217],{"class":210}," \u002FApplications\u002FWoWSilicon.app\n",[164,219,221],{"start":220},4,[139,222,223,224,227],{},"Open WoWSilicon, pick a profile, and select ",[124,225,226],{},"WoW.exe"," when prompted. Grant macOS access to the game folder when it asks.",[31,229,231],{"id":230},"first-run-setup","First-run setup",[24,233,234,237,238,183,241,244,245,248,249,251,252,255,256,176],{},[155,235,236],{},"Patch the game folder."," Click Patch before you play. For WoW profiles this copies ",[124,239,240],{},"winerosetta.dll",[124,242,243],{},"mods\u002F",", drops ",[124,246,247],{},"libDllLdr.dll",", ",[124,250,126],{}," and ",[124,253,254],{},"mtld3d.conf"," into the game directory, and cleans up legacy patched executables. Non-WoW profiles only get ",[124,257,126],{},[24,259,260,263],{},[155,261,262],{},"Choose a graphics backend."," Under Options you pick between:",[136,265,266,272],{},[139,267,268,271],{},[155,269,270],{},"DXVK"," — Direct3D 9 to Vulkan, running on MoltenVK, or on KosmicKrisp if you are on macOS 26 or later (experimental).",[139,273,274,277],{},[155,275,276],{},"MTLD3D"," — Direct3D 9 straight to Metal, with optional HDR.",[24,279,280],{},"If something renders wrong, switching backends is the fastest diagnostic: it tells you whether the problem lives in the Vulkan path or the Metal path.",[24,282,283,286],{},[155,284,285],{},"Choose an x87 translator."," Three options, per profile:",[136,288,289,295,301],{},[139,290,291,294],{},[155,292,293],{},"rosettax87 JIT"," — hooks Rosetta 2 and emits ARM instructions (the default)",[139,296,297,300],{},[155,298,299],{},"x87sidecar"," — same idea in an isolated helper process",[139,302,303,306],{},[155,304,305],{},"Stock Rosetta"," — accelerated translation off, for troubleshooting",[24,308,309],{},"Vanilla and WotLK profiles can also use libSiliconPatch, which recompiles selected x87 hot paths to SSE-friendly code. It is enabled by default on those two profiles and can be turned off if you suspect it.",[24,311,312,315,316,319,320,323,324,176],{},[155,313,314],{},"Point the client at your realm."," WoWSilicon has a built-in realmlist editor rather than making you hand-edit files — it finds the ",[124,317,318],{},"realmlist.wtf"," in the game folder and manages ",[124,321,322],{},"set realmlist"," lines, including keeping several addresses on file with only one active. If you prefer doing it manually, the steps are the same as in our ",[170,325,327],{"href":326},"\u002Fresources\u002Fguides\u002Fchange-realmlist-wtf","realmlist.wtf guide",[24,329,330,333],{},[155,331,332],{},"Install dependencies only if asked."," The Dependencies view can install Wine Mono, Microsoft Visual C++ 2022 and Git. Most clients need none of them; Git is only required for addon installs from a repository URL.",[31,335,337],{"id":336},"day-to-day-features-worth-knowing","Day-to-day features worth knowing",[136,339,340,346,352,358,364],{},[139,341,342,345],{},[155,343,344],{},"Addon manager"," — install addons from Git URLs, update managed addons in bulk, and import or export an addon list when you move machines.",[139,347,348,351],{},[155,349,350],{},"Mod manager"," — enable or remove DLL-style mods while protecting the runtime files WoWSilicon needs.",[139,353,354,357],{},[155,355,356],{},"Per-profile graphics"," — resolution, refresh rate, window mode, multisampling, texture filtering, view distance and shadow quality, plus Retina mode, cursor scaling and Option-as-Alt remapping.",[139,359,360,363],{},[155,361,362],{},"Process monitor"," — shows when Wine processes are still alive and gives you a Force Quit control, which matters because a hung Wine helper silently blocks the next launch.",[139,365,366,369],{},[155,367,368],{},"Update checks"," — Sparkle-based, from the app menu or the Options window.",[31,371,373],{"id":372},"troubleshooting","Troubleshooting",[46,375,376,386],{},[49,377,378],{},[52,379,380,383],{},[55,381,382],{},"Symptom",[55,384,385],{},"First thing to try",[65,387,388,403,411,419,427],{},[52,389,390,393],{},[70,391,392],{},"Patch fails",[70,394,395,396,398,399,402],{},"Confirm ",[124,397,226],{}," exists and the folder is writable; the patcher looks for ",[124,400,401],{},"DivxDecoder.dll"," to recognise a real client",[52,404,405,408],{},[70,406,407],{},"Graphical glitches",[70,409,410],{},"Switch between DXVK and MTLd3D",[52,412,413,416],{},[70,414,415],{},"Launch hangs or stutters",[70,417,418],{},"Try the other x87 translator, then disable libSiliconPatch",[52,420,421,424],{},[70,422,423],{},"Vanilla tweaked exe is stale",[70,425,426],{},"Let WoWSilicon regenerate it when the build-mismatch prompt appears",[52,428,429,432],{},[70,430,431],{},"Wine stays running",[70,433,434],{},"Use the process indicator and Force Quit",[24,436,437],{},"For anything you report, include macOS version, profile, graphics backend, x87 translator, and a debug log generated from the Troubleshooting view.",[439,440,441],"note",{},[24,442,443],{},"WoWSilicon is GPLv3, not affiliated with Blizzard, and — like every launcher in this space — needs a legally obtained client. It ships no game data.",[445,446,447],"warning",{},[24,448,449],{},"Unsigned builds mean you are trusting the release artifact. Download only from the project's own site or GitHub releases, and remember that a realmlist address never requires your Battle.net credentials.",[451,452,453],"style",{},"html pre.shiki code .sBMFI, html code.shiki .sBMFI{--shiki-light:#E2931D;--shiki-default:#FFCB6B;--shiki-dark:#FFCB6B}html pre.shiki code .sfazB, html code.shiki .sfazB{--shiki-light:#91B859;--shiki-default:#C3E88D;--shiki-dark:#C3E88D}html .light .shiki span {color: var(--shiki-light);background: var(--shiki-light-bg);font-style: var(--shiki-light-font-style);font-weight: var(--shiki-light-font-weight);text-decoration: var(--shiki-light-text-decoration);}html.light .shiki span {color: var(--shiki-light);background: var(--shiki-light-bg);font-style: var(--shiki-light-font-style);font-weight: var(--shiki-light-font-weight);text-decoration: var(--shiki-light-text-decoration);}html .default .shiki span {color: var(--shiki-default);background: var(--shiki-default-bg);font-style: var(--shiki-default-font-style);font-weight: var(--shiki-default-font-weight);text-decoration: var(--shiki-default-text-decoration);}html .shiki span {color: var(--shiki-default);background: var(--shiki-default-bg);font-style: var(--shiki-default-font-style);font-weight: var(--shiki-default-font-weight);text-decoration: var(--shiki-default-text-decoration);}html .dark .shiki span {color: var(--shiki-dark);background: var(--shiki-dark-bg);font-style: var(--shiki-dark-font-style);font-weight: var(--shiki-dark-font-weight);text-decoration: var(--shiki-dark-text-decoration);}html.dark .shiki span {color: var(--shiki-dark);background: var(--shiki-dark-bg);font-style: var(--shiki-dark-font-style);font-weight: var(--shiki-dark-font-weight);text-decoration: var(--shiki-dark-text-decoration);}",{"title":196,"searchDepth":455,"depth":455,"links":456},2,[457,458,459,460,461,462,463],{"id":33,"depth":455,"text":34},{"id":43,"depth":455,"text":44},{"id":133,"depth":455,"text":134},{"id":161,"depth":455,"text":162},{"id":230,"depth":455,"text":231},{"id":336,"depth":455,"text":337},{"id":372,"depth":455,"text":373},"guides","What the WoWSilicon launcher does, how its Wine runtime, DXVK\u002FMTLd3D graphics backends and x87 translation fit together, and how to set up a Vanilla, TBC or WotLK client on an M-series Mac.",false,"md",{},true,"\u002Fresources\u002Fguides\u002Fwowsilicon-apple-silicon-launcher-guide","2026-09-25",{"title":18,"description":465},{"loc":470,"changefreq":474,"priority":475},"monthly",0.7,[477,480,482],{"label":478,"url":479},"WoWSilicon repository","https:\u002F\u002Fgithub.com\u002FWoWSilicon\u002FWoWSilicon",{"label":481,"url":172},"WoWSilicon project site",{"label":483,"url":484},"WoWSilicon 3.2.2 release notes","https:\u002F\u002Fgithub.com\u002FWoWSilicon\u002FWoWSilicon\u002Freleases","resources\u002Fguides\u002Fwowsilicon-apple-silicon-launcher-guide",[487,488,489,490,373],"macOS","Client Setup","Vanilla","Private Servers",null,"svbF0dnCuwRXHC7sNBaUamQUAu2qknU_bahPKUIz3M4",1790306335495]