Questions

The short answers.

No spin. Just the things a new player usually needs to know before the first login.

Is it free? Will it cost me anything later?
Yes. Completely free. No shop, no monthly fee, no expansion to buy. The server costs us money to run. If you want, you can help with the costs on Ko-fi or with crypto — but a donation never gives you anything in the game.
Do I need to set anything up to play?
No. Download the client, unpack the zip file, and run it — it is already set up for our server, with no config file to edit, no patcher and no setup tool. Elwynn takes the classic 1.12 client; a modern 1.14.2 client reaches the same realm through HermesProxy. Barrens uses a real client per era — 1.12, then 2.4.3, then 3.3.5a. The Clients page has both.
Is the download safe?
Yes. The client is a plain zip file — no installer, no copy protection, no tracking. SHA-256 hashes are on the download page if you want to check the file before unpacking.
Will Blizzard ban my retail account for playing here?
No real risk. Stonetavern runs completely separately from Battle.net — it never talks to Blizzard's servers, doesn't see your retail account, doesn't touch Battle.net at all. Just don't post about us in their official Discord and you'll be fine.
Can I play with my friends?
Yes, and across the faction line: Alliance and Horde share chat, parties, trade and dungeons here, so your friends don't have to reroll to your side. One honest limit on Elwynn — equivalent Paladin and Shaman buffs exclude each other, so a group gets one or the other, never both. Send them the client, make accounts, you can play together in a few minutes.
How many people are online?
The live player count for Elwynn is on the Status page, and the Leaderboard shows who is ranking up. We're a small but growing community — big enough for dungeons and pickup groups, but not so big that the world feels crowded.
Where are the servers? What's the ping?
The servers are in Europe. Most European players see 10–30 ms ping. Players from North America usually see 90–130 ms, which is fine for PvE and dungeons. Serious PvP feels better with lower ping.
Will my characters ever get wiped?
No. Elwynn, the museum realm, is a permanent server, not a season — your characters and progress stay forever. Barrens is the progressive realm: one world advancing together through Classic, The Burning Crusade and Wrath.
Is there a queue?
No queue on Elwynn right now. The realm is sized for growth, and if we ever get close to its player limit, we'll say so on the Status page before anyone sees a queue screen.
Are there bots? Are there active GMs?
Bans are given by hand by people who play here, usually the same day. No automatic false bans. Cheaters and griefers are dealt with — the Rules page explains exactly what is not allowed.
Does it run on Mac?
Yes, with one extra step — the 1.12 client runs on Mac through Wine or CrossOver. We host the Windows version; the Wine setup is well-known, and the steps are on the Clients page.
When does new raid content open?
On Elwynn, the first raids open 2 weeks after 80 accounts reach level 60. From there we open one chapter at a time, roughly every two months. Every opening is announced on the Changelog and in Discord well in advance — no surprise changes. Barrens advances on its own schedule — its page lists it.
Can I play without confirming my email?
Yes. Create an account and play right away. Confirming your email unlocks the Armory and character pages.
How do I appeal a ban?
Bans are given by hand and can be appealed. Write to [email protected] and we'll look at your case again.
Is there pay to win, a shop, or perks for donating?
No. No shop, no pay to win, nothing you can buy. Money never touches the game: helping with server costs gets you nothing in game, and GMs have no advantage on either realm.
Is this real Vanilla 1.12 or Vanilla+?
Elwynn, the museum realm, is real 1.12.1, x1 rates, blizzlike. No custom content there — no new items, zones or classes — no transmog, no LFG, no Vanilla+, just invisible bug fixes and a little account comfort. The handful of deliberate rule changes we did make — cross-faction being the big one — are written up in the changelog. Barrens is the progressive realm and sets its own rules; its page lists them. If you want Vanilla+ on Elwynn, this is not it.
How often does the realm restart?
Wednesdays around two in the morning, for the honor calculation. The realm does it on its own. Unplanned restarts happen too, and the status page is where they are said out loud.