How to run WotLK on MacOS (with M4 chip)

Intro:
So recently I started playing World of Warcraft again. Only problem was; I only have MacOS products and the Warmane server is Windows only.

At first I came across a method via Porting Kit (a quick youtube search will give you a detailed instruction video from AlcodeTV). This worked for my macbook pro with M1 chip, but very buggy and very laggy. I had many weird smudges of color in my screen while playing.
So for the most part playable, but not optimal.

This method did NOT work for my iMac with M4 chip. As soon as I logged in, the client crashed.

Once I reached lvl 80 and wanted to go raid, the Porting Kit method wasn't working for me anymore as too many people or too many actions would crash my client. So I had to search for a new way, to be able to play in my iMac with the M4 chip.

With the help of ChatGPT I managed to run WotLK on my iMac with M4 chip! So if something doesn't completely work, ask ChatGPT for help.
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THE METHOD: I used to run WotLK smoothly on an iMac with a M4 chip:
(I literally asked ChatGPT: Tell me step by step how to run WotLK Warmane server on an iMac with m4 chip using VMware Fusion)

- Download VMware Fusion. There's a free version if it's for personal use. And install the application.
https://www.mikeroysoft.com/post/download-fusion-ws/
- Download a Windows 11 ARM
https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/soft...e5410d70dd6639

- Open the VMware app and press the + to add a new virtual machine.
- Double click on "install from disc or image"
- Select or drag your Windows 11 ARM file and press continue. Press continue again.
- Generate a password and press continue
- In the "Finish" screen, click on "customize Settings" in the bottom of the screen.
- Here you can optionally choose to change the machine name. Press "save"

Your base virtual machine is now made and the Settings menu should have popped up.
In the Settings menu adjust the next settings:

- Processors & Memory:
Processors: 4 processor cores
Memory: more than 8.000MB (I chose 10.240 MB)
- Hard Disk: Change size to more than 80GB (I chose 100 GB)

You can now exit settings and press "play" on the virutal machine.
Follow the Windows installation instructions and choose your preferred languages.

When you get to the point where it asks to install the drivers and it asks you to connect to the internet:
- look at the menu bar from MAC and click on "Virtual Machine". Then click on "Install VMware Tools".
(if this option isn't available. Delete the virtual machine and start over)

Once you clicked this, you should be able to instal the Drivers by clicking on the DVD disk.

After this, the drivers will install and Windows 11 will continue to be installed inside of the virtual machine. Finish the installation.

Once this has been installed. Download the Windows version from WotLK as you would on a Windows desktop/laptop and you are ready to play!


Sidenote: I had issues with my right mouse key, which would shoot my camera angle to the sky or would just rotate like crazy.
This can be fixed in the Virtual Machine settings by doing:

- Go to Settings
- Click Keyboard and Mouse
- On the left you should see different Profiles. It shouldn't really matter which profile you pick.
In the bottom of this screen you see a + symbol, - symbol and 3 dots in a circle with a downward arrow. Click on these 3 dots in a circle and choose "Edit Profile"
- In the popped up screen go to "General"
- At option "Gaming" choose: Always optimize mouse for games.

your camera angle via right mouse click within WoW should be all normal now.

Hopefully this will help my fellow Mac ppl to join the Warmane community !

Thanks for the guide.
And how does it work, without errors?
I also want to try installing it on my Mac mini M4

So far everything works super smoothly. The only error I found is that the internal clock isn't always synced with the actual time. But gameplay wise it works as if you are playing on a windows computer.
Did a few 25 player raids yesterday, also worked fine. The only lagspikes i get are related to my personal internet connection.

Hey
I can't download VM fusion. When I go to search it gives me no results. Any ideas?

Hey man. I actually managed to download everything and now im stuck on this step:

"You can now exit settings and press "play" on the virutal machine.
Follow the Windows installation instructions and choose your preferred languages."

I hit play and then I get "Press any key to boot from CD and then it's doing some stuff and then it gets me to a DOS like blue screen Boot manager.
Is thisright? Doesnt seem to install windows or anything..

This is not the most optimal solution.Because virtualization demands lot of cpupower/ram futhermore when virtualize windows (and you have to know what you do to really cfg and improve your vm). It' not because warname is windows only. That false you can play and join with any os. The matter is like most of games wow is built and compile for windows only.

I forgot to say if you want to virtualize, you need to check if your cpu support it. And sometimes you have to enable it in bios. (idk m4 cpu)

The best answer is emulation.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by phrias

This is not the most optimal solution.Because virtualization demands lot of cpupower/ram futhermore when virtualize windows (and you have to know what you do to really cfg and improve your vm). It' not because warname is windows only. That false you can play and join with any os. The matter is like most of games wow is built and compile for windows only.

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You have no clue what you're talking about.
The problem is the Wrath of the Lich King client is 32-bits, and Apple decided to stop supporting that natively:
"Starting with macOS Catalina 10.15, 32-bit apps are no longer compatible with macOS."

Source: https://support.apple.com/en-us/103076

I have no actual knowledge in coding or creating virtual machines. I would ask chatgpt for your help here..
ask him: Tell me step by step how to run WotLK Warmane server on an iMac with m4 chip using VMware Fusion.
Then tell him what went wrong. You'll get suggestions to try out.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Blanmanjr

I hit play and then I get "Press any key to boot from CD and then it's doing some stuff and then it gets me to a DOS like blue screen Boot manager.
Is thisright? Doesnt seem to install windows or anything..

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You have to click the virtual machine to give focus to it then you have to press any key to boot from the installer DVD. Once that part is done, it will keep trying to install from the DVD, so stop the virtual machine, then open settings (the wrench icon), then open Startup Disk and choose Hard Disk.

Something else that is not mentioned in that guide is that once Windows is booted for the first time it will require you to have an internet connection to continue installing, but there are no network drivers available. It will also require you to log into a Microsoft account. You can bypass this by following this guide https://www.elevenforum.com/t/clean-...-11.99/#step17 (step 17, the section in red). Network drivers will be installed later when you install vmware tools.

Regarding performance, well, it works. Perhaps some tweaking would make it run better. I mean, if you absolutely need to play wow...

https://i.imgur.com/j6ntyTG.jpeg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Obnoxious

You have no clue what you're talking about.
The problem is the Wrath of the Lich King client is 32-bits, and Apple decided to stop supporting that natively:
"Starting with macOS Catalina 10.15, 32-bit apps are no longer compatible with macOS."

Source: https://support.apple.com/en-us/103076

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.....You don't even seems to understand the principe of virtualisation. Ok quick lesson, to be able to virtualize your cpu (arm, am64, ...) need to support it (look at intel vt-x/ amd-V tech). Whatever your arch (amd64, 32, arm, ...) if your cpu support and software to virtualize is available then you can do it. THE MACHINE YOU CREATE CAN RUN EVERY ARCH BECAUSE WHEN YOU CREATE A MACHINE YOU HAVE TO INSTALL AN OS. THAT MEAN YOU CAN CHOOSE WHATEVER YOU WANT. It's litteraly a computer on a computer. So you choose to allocate cpu power (depends the cpu on your computer and the os you want to run and do. You have to allocate more or less ressources) but it' still a computer on a computer so it eat more ressource than emulation. Futhermore windows os thend to allocate all ram.

gift for you
cpu tech: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X86_vi...6_(Intel_VT-x)
general manual of one of most famous virtualization soft: https://www.virtualbox.org/manual/
what is virtualization: https://www.virtualbox.org/manual/to...irt-why-useful

read all then come back to me, before saying I said bs. (And as a man who maitain several linux server under virtualization)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by phrias

Blah blah blah blah

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Holy missed opportunity to avoid further embarrassment...

First you say "this is not the most optimal solution," which inherently implies there is a "most optimal solution" out there. People have tried "wraps" for a long time, and that never worked in an "optimal" way as far as many players reporting about it goes (from bad performance/low FPS to frequent crashes and others, if I recall). Meanwhile people have been reporting getting fine results with a VM, despite "demands lot of cpupower/ram." Unless you mean getting an older Mac that still can support 32-bits as the "optimal" here? Not quite sure many would see it that way.

Then you say "that false you can play and join with any os," which I guess means all the people having issues with the recent Catalina versions are just making it all up? I'm sure all of them will be glad to find out they just imagined being unable to play the game because Apple's whole business is about planned obsolesce.

And finally you wrap it up with "the matter is like most of games wow is built and compile for windows only," which shines a light on how much you know about the matter. Wrath of the Lich King had a Mac client. The thing is, again, that it's 32-bits, not that it was "built and compile for Windows only."

Wth do you not understand. I talked and try to help people about virtualization because it's the solution the author give read the first post. He even use vmware (= virtualization soft). Then I suggest people to look at a better solution with emulation. I don 't know no but before on mac wine was available (windows emulator)

a quick video quick for vitualization on mac M1-4 with windows but as you see you can select any windows os, mac os, linux os, arm os,... (at 0.29s)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uis3pvt4wBU

and btw a picture of emulation and not virtualization on linux 64 bit fedora 42 (btw like mac is not running natively wow)
https://ibb.co/N6pShr1C



and seriously RTFM about virtualization or emulation (Read The ****ing Manual). I was kind enought to not talk about the enormous bs you said about "it's because 32 bit not support". The principle of using these kinf of solution is to translate the intruction (32,64,.....) to the same language of your own os and computer.

I truly believe you work maintaining Linux servers, because doing that requires no social or communication (reading comprehension included) skills.

Using vm does not requier to code. As i suggest if you are not confident try emulator. Some of them 'll work out of box.

and for the other one who can download vmware (and because it was not a free soft). There is plenty of others soft to do the same just search for vm on mac.