Realm
From WoWWiki
A realm is an instance of a World of Warcraft (WoW) game world. Realms are hosted on physical devices called "servers" (for this reason, the terms "realm" and "server" are often used interchangeably).
See the Realms List for a list of realms kept up-to-date by WoWWikians.
Why have realms?
The WoW game world is duplicated (mirrored) across multiple realms to prevent any one realm from becoming too crowded (and thus overwhelming the server), to provide for better connection times (by having players connect to local servers), to allow for localized communities based on language (for example, French speakers on realms in France), and to appeal to different play-styles for different users.
To allow for different play-styles, realms come in four types:
For the adventurous, there is also a Test Realm that is periodically available where players can try experimental features in development before they get released as general patches.
See also
- For a local list of realms by region, language, timezone, and type, see Realms List
- For a local list of articles about realms, see Category:Servers.
- For Pros and Cons of PvE (normal) realms, see Pros and Cons of PvE realms section of Player vs Environment article.
- For Pros and Cons of PvP realms, see Pros and Cons of PvP realms section of Player vs Player article.
External links
- Realms Q&A at WorldofWarcraft.com
- Realm Types Information
- World of Warcraft 'Realm Status' List of US Realms, including type and status
- US Servers' XML Status
- English, French, or German Lists of European realms, including type and status
- European Servers' XML Status
- WarcraftRealms.com Useful realm info, based on user submitted data
- Realm Status Firefox Microsummary tool European Realms and Firefox 2.0+ required
- Realm Status Firefox Add-On US realms and Firefox 1.5+ required
