How to play

Everything you need to start playing on Lich Party: client, realmlist, Linux, macOS and fixes.

Getting started

1. Create your account

Create an account on this website. The same username and password are used to log in to the game.

2. Get a 3.3.5a client

You need a 3.3.5a client, build 12340, the last Wrath of the Lich King version. Any clean, unmodified 12340 client works. If you need help getting set up, ask on our Discord.

Using a client prepared for another server? That works too, but remember to change its realmlist (step 3), since it points to that server.

HD patches are fine: they only change textures and models. To install one, copy its .MPQ files into your game's Data folder; to remove it, delete them. Skip content patches made for other servers (like "challenge mode" patches): they can cause missing text, broken icons or disconnects here.

3. Set the realmlist

Open your game folder and edit Data/enUS/realmlist.wtf with Notepad. If your client is in another language, the folder is named after it, like enGB, ptBR, esES or deDE. Replace everything in the file with:

set realmlist logon.lich.party:4257

Then open WTF/Config.wtf. If it has a line starting with SET realmList, change it to the same address or delete that line.

4. Play

Start the game with Wow.exe, not Launcher.exe. Log in with your account and pick the realm. See you in Northrend!

Windows, Linux & macOS

  • Nothing special: follow the steps above and run Wow.exe. On a high-refresh or ultrawide monitor, set the resolution and refresh rate in System → Video inside the game.

  • The client runs well with Wine.

    1. Install Wine from your distribution's packages (for example sudo apt install wine) or use Lutris, which manages Wine for you.
    2. Copy your game folder to your Linux machine.
    3. Open a terminal in the game folder and run:
      wine Wow.exe

    If performance is poor, try the OpenGL renderer: add SET gxApi "OpenGL" to WTF/Config.wtf (remove any other SET gxApi line first).

  • macOS can't run 32-bit Windows programs directly, so you need a compatibility layer.

    • Wineskin (free): install Wineskin Winery, create a new blank wrapper, use Install Software → Copy a Folder Inside to add your game folder and set Wow.exe as the executable.
    • CrossOver (paid): the easiest option, with a free trial.
    • Virtual machine: on Apple Silicon, Windows in Parallels or VMware Fusion also works. Turn off Hardware Cursor in the game's video options.

    Black screen with music only? Your client is missing WTF/Config.wtf. Start the game once on Windows to create it, or create the file with the realmlist line from step 3, then rebuild the wrapper.

Crashes in busy zones

The original client is 32-bit and can only use 2 GB of memory. With high view distance, large resolutions or many addons it may crash in places like Dalaran or Icecrown with an error such as "Not enough storage is available" or "Requested ... bytes of memory".

The fix is to make Wow.exe Large Address Aware, which lets it use 4 GB on 64-bit Windows:

  1. Back up Wow.exe.
  2. Apply a "4GB patch" tool to it, such as NTCore's 4GB Patch. It only flips one flag in the file.
  3. If it still crashes, lower View Distance and ground clutter in the video options.

64-bit client (experimental)

The community project wowdecomp rebuilds the 3.3.5a client from source and can produce a native 64-bit Wow64.exe, with no 4 GB memory limit. We've tested it on Lich Party and it works, but it's still experimental: report anything odd.

We don't distribute the binary. To build it on Windows:

  1. Install Build Tools for Visual Studio 2022 (workload "Desktop development with C++") and Git.
  2. Build it:
    git clone https://github.com/SatyPardus/wowdecomp.git
cd wowdecomp
cmake -S . -B build/x64 -G "Visual Studio 17 2022" -A x64
cmake --build build/x64 --config Release --target Wow --parallel
  3. Copy bin/Win/Wow64.exe and bin/Win/XvidDecoder.dll into your game folder and start Wow64.exe.

Your realmlist, settings and addons keep working, since it uses the same game folder.

Troubleshooting

"Unable to connect"

  • Check realmlist.wtf has exactly set realmlist logon.lich.party:4257, including the port.
  • Check WTF/Config.wtf doesn't have an old SET realmList line.
  • Make sure you edited the realmlist in the folder that matches your client language.

Wrong realm list or old server showing

Close the game and delete the Cache folder in your game directory. It's recreated automatically.

Addons

Addons go in Interface/AddOns. Use versions made for 3.3.5a; newer addons won't load. Enable them from the AddOns button on the character selection screen.

Still stuck?

Come say hi on our Discord. Tell us what you tried and the exact error message, and we'll help you out.