Switches between 3d engines. Accepts D3D11_LEGACY, D3D11, D3D12, gll or opengl as parameters.
Windows[]
Default[]
- auto
- Automatically selects a graphics API.
Possible Settings[]
- D3D11_LEGACY
- Old single-threaded rendering backend using DirectX 11, similar to the functionality of DirectX 11 in 8.0.1. Enables World of Warcraft to use Shader Model 4 and 5.
- D3D11
- New multi-threaded rendering backend using DirectX 11.
- D3D12
- Multi-threaded rendering backend using DirectX 12 for hardware, drivers, and operating systems that support it. There are some performance improvements in 8.1.5, but it is mainly the same as the 8.1.0 release.
Macintosh[]
Default[]
- metal
- Apple's current API for accelerated graphics on macOS
Changing this setting[]
To change the setting, exit WoW, open the Config.wtf file, and add the following line:
SET gxApi setting
Changing the setting with a graphics engine restart in-game crashes the client.
Patch changes[]
Patch 8.1.5 (2019-03-12):
Patch 4.0.1 (2010-10-12):
- DirectX11 compatibility mode added - "d3d11"
- DirectX 9.0c functionality replaced with DirectX 9.0c Memory management system 2.0 (previously d3d9ex)
Patch 3.3.3 (2010-03-23): Mac users default to "GLL" again after fixes to the engine.
Patch 3.3.2 (2010-02-01): Mac users default back to "OpenGL".
Patch 3.3.0 (2009-12-08):
- New backend for Windows users added to the game engine. To enable, change this CVar to "d3d9ex".
- This CVar now defaults to "d3d9" from "direct3d" for Windows users.
- Mac users default changed to "GLL" from "OpenGL".
Patch 3.2.0 (2009-08-04): New backend for Mac users to increase fps/better GPU usage as an alternate to "OpenGL" introduced. To enable, change this CVar to "GLL".