Emulated server


 * Note that Wowpedia does not allow any links to, or naming of, emulated servers. See also WP:DNP.

Emulated servers, also known as sandboxes or private servers, are private environments running the World of Warcraft game client after having reverse-engineered the game's server architecture. This consists in a breach of the World of Warcraft End-User License Agreement, which requires the user to agree not to connect to unauthorized emulated servers. Blizzard has made substantial effort to prevent the authoring, distribution and hosting of third party game servers, with responses including legal action against their developers and sites.

Description
Emulated servers are usually created by writing or using custom emulation software which mimics the behavior of an official game server. For this reason, players are experiencing a third party product that may have new or different features and bugs from the official servers. Some servers offer incentives or advantages to play upon them such as custom or new items, access to cheap or free items and equipment, boosted experience and drop rates, disabled fall damage, access to inaccessible areas, the ability to go to war with your own faction, ability to go past the current level cap, instant max level, or even Game Master powers for certain users. In the majority of cases, the purpose of a private server is to make money off donations or micro-transactions (such as buying special items).

Scripted events, such as boss encounters and many newer quests, are often broken on private servers and must be updated manually. For instance, around the time of Cataclysm's release, private servers were still trying to script bosses in Icecrown Citadel. With the extensive use of phasing in Cataclysm private servers are likely to decline significantly.