Proxy for World of Warcraft: a beginner's guide
Most World of Warcraft players never need a proxy. Here's where one does help, mainly Blizzard's websites and public Wi-Fi, and how to try it cheaply.
Start here
World of Warcraft and proxies, explained simply
In plain English, a proxy lends you another computer's internet address, so Blizzard's websites see that address instead of yours. With World of Warcraft that mostly matters in a browser, for Blizzard's site and shop, since the game talks to Blizzard's servers in its own way rather than like a web page. Choosing the region you play in happens in the Battle.net app itself, not through a proxy.
Switching region the official way
In the Battle.net app, the globe icon near the Play button switches between the Americas, Europe and Asia. WoW needs a separate licence in each region, and characters, game time and items don't move between them, so check before you start over.
Put the proxy in one browser, not Windows
To view Blizzard's site or shop as a visitor from elsewhere, add the proxy to a single browser, such as Firefox with its own connection settings, instead of switching it on for all of Windows. The Battle.net app and the game then keep their direct connection.
Three things Blizzard bans
Don't use bots, don't buy gold from sellers, and don't share your account; Blizzard's rules ban all three, and an account can't be shared even with a friend. Letting a paid levelling service log in to your account counts as sharing it too.
Which type, if you buy one
For browsing Blizzard's sites as a visitor from another country, datacenter, meaning an address from a server company rather than a home connection, is the low-cost choice. The pricier residential and mobile 4G/5G types bring nothing extra for that.
Quick start in three steps
Nothing to install. This is the whole route, from paying to the first page you load through the proxy.
Buy a small Datacenter plan
On the order form, pick a country, a protocol and a login method, then pay. At $2.49 per GB (gigabyte of data) it costs less than our other types, so a first test is cheap.
Add it to one browser
Use the proxy in one browser for the game's website, forums or shop. The game and its launcher can keep their normal connection, which is usually quicker.
Check that it worked
With the proxy switched on, open our IP checker: it should show the proxy's address, not your own. The IP location lookup then tells you which country that address is in, and if anything looks wrong, the quick fixes further down cover the usual slips. Address right, but one site still turns you away? The last of the fixes below covers that.
Our pick for World of Warcraft: Datacenter
World of Warcraft plays perfectly well on an ordinary home connection, so a proxy only has small jobs here: Blizzard's websites, the shop and perhaps a routing test. For those, datacenter is plenty. It means an address hosted by a server company rather than a household, and it costs less per GB than residential or mobile 4G/5G.
A route that holds its region
If you try routing the game, pick a proxy country near the realms you play on, for example somewhere in Europe for EU realms. Then pick Sticky in your dashboard, so one address stays with you for a fixed stretch. An address that changes mid-raid can drop your connection.
Headroom on patch day
Patch days mean big downloads, and every gigabyte that passes through a proxy comes out of your plan. Let the Battle.net app update on your ordinary connection, then switch the proxy back on for browsing. Your data allowance will last far longer.
Neat separation per account
Real protection for each account comes from Blizzard's own tools: a different strong password for every Battle.net login and the Battle.net Authenticator switched on. A proxy keeps your address private on someone else's Wi-Fi, but it adds no protection to the account itself.
Authentication to suit your kit
Each proxy comes with a username and password, and a browser asks for them the first time it connects. If a tool has no box for them, add your home internet address to the IP whitelist in your dashboard; that list lets approved addresses in without a password.
What a proxy won't do here
It won't lower your ping, the delay between you and the game server. And it won't make bots, extra accounts or account sharing acceptable to a game that forbids them.
What people use it for
- ▸Viewing Blizzard's shop pages for another region
- ▸Reading the official forums privately on café Wi-Fi
- ▸A short test of whether routing changes your ping
- ▸Browsing guides and fan sites with your IP kept private
Which proxy type should I pick for World of Warcraft?
The usual rule is to start with the type that costs least and step up only when a site says no. Here, datacenter is enough to begin with.
| Type | Choose it when… | From, per GB |
|---|---|---|
| Datacenter Our pick for World of Warcraft | Cost matters most and the site is happy with addresses from server companies. Good for public pages and first experiments. | $2.49 |
| Residential | A site turns server addresses away, or you want to see it the way a local visitor does. The address belongs to a home broadband line. | $3.98 |
| Mobile 4G/5G | The service is built around phones, or you want to see it as someone on 4G or 5G would. The address comes from a phone network. | $4.98 |
| Residential Premium | Standard residential keeps being refused on one particular site. Hand-picked home addresses, at a higher price per GB. | $6.99 |
Choosing a country: Pick one near you, or near the game's servers if you know where they are. A longer route adds delay. There are 55+ countries, and in major markets some types let you pick a city too. Browse locations
For the longer version, our proxy comparison walks through all four types.
What you need for game websites and shops
Wherever you set it up, you type in the same four details from your dashboard: the host (the proxy's address), the port (a number that tells the connection which door to use), a username and a password.
In one browser
Firefox has its own proxy settings, so only Firefox uses the proxy. On Windows and Mac, Chrome and Edge follow the computer's settings instead.
Setting it up somewhere else? Step-by-step guides:
Two ways to log in to the proxy
- ▸Username and password. The
host:port:user:passdetails that browsers, apps and scripts ask for. - ▸IP whitelist. Add your own IP address to the list in your dashboard and connections from it need no password. Handy where there's nowhere to type one, such as Android's Wi-Fi proxy screen.
Which protocol?
A protocol is the language your device uses to talk to the proxy. Every proxy works over HTTP, HTTPS and SOCKS5; if an app asks for SOCKS5 by name, give it SOCKS5 details, and put HTTP details in an HTTP box.
Common slip-ups, and the quick fix for each
When something feels off on a first try, it's often one of these.
Logging in on a rotating address
Rotating means a new address for every request; sticky means one address kept for 1-30 minutes. Use sticky for anything you sign in to, or the site may log you out halfway through.
A slip in the proxy details
One wrong character in the host, port, username or password and nothing connects. Copy them again from your dashboard and try them in our proxy checker. Using the IP whitelist? Home IP addresses change now and then, so check yours with the IP checker and update the list.
Expecting smoother matches
A proxy adds a stop on the way to the game server, so play rarely gets any smoother through one. If a match lags, switch the proxy off before trying anything else.
A site keeps refusing the address
Some sites turn away addresses from server companies however gently you go. Retrying won't change that, so move just that site to residential.
Proxy not working when it arrives? Tell us within 24 hours of delivery and we'll swap it, or refund that part of the order if we can't (see the refund policy). Support answers 24/7 through the contact page.
Is a proxy for World of Warcraft allowed?
Using a proxy is legal in most countries (a few restrict them), so the question is what you do through it: stick to public information and your own accounts, at a sensible pace, within the service's terms and the law where you live.
Games set their own rules, and many forbid bots, account sharing or selling in-game items for real money. A proxy changes your address, not those rules or what happens to an account that breaks them.
If personal data is involved, data-protection law applies as well, and no proxy can protect an account from a platform's own decisions.
Keeping the cost down
You pay for data by the GB, never for time, so set the proxy in the one browser or app that needs it and switch it off when you're done.
Start with a small order
Buy a little Datacenter data first, at $2.49 per GB, and try it where you need it. Top up once it works.
Use it within 30 days
Each order runs for 30 days from payment, and GB you haven't used don't carry over, so buy for the weeks ahead rather than the year.
Match the type to the site
Leave easy sites on datacenter and send only the stubborn ones through residential, mobile or premium. Mixing types keeps the bill small.
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Questions beginners ask about World of Warcraft
Start small, then decide
Order a little Datacenter data, test it with our free tools, and buy more only once it does what you need.
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