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in: Outdated sections, Connected realms, Cross-realm

Connected Realms

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Connected Realms (previously known as 'Virtual Realms')[1] are a joining of realms, where players from different realms function as though they were full members of any of the other connected realms, and whose players can persist with you in any zone you go into. Members of connected realms can trade gold, trade items, and share the same auction house. Players in a connected realm who are really members of another Realm, are marked with a #. These differ from the more temporary Coalesced Realms, in that these joinings are constant and share persistence.

Details[]

Connected Realms

Connected Realms

Connected Realms (also called "Virtual Realms")[2] is a new feature that was to be implemented for Patch 5.4, but not activated until some time after the patch launched.[3] Connected realms were supposed to be essentially several fairly low population servers merged into one, they will be able to interact with the other players as though they were on the same realm. Unlike Cross-realm zones the player's server name will not appear alongside their name in the game world, but only in chat.[3]

In practice, Blizzard has often mixed medium to high population realms with low population realms.

Connected realms[]

US completed connections[]

As of October 24, 2014:[4]

EU completed connections[]

Icon-time This section concerns content that is out-of-date. Reason: Connected realms blue post below updated by Takralus on 16-Jun-2015 14:34 BST.

As of 4-Jul-2014:[5]

English realms
French realms
German realms
Spanish realms
Russian realms

To be connected[]

US future connections[]

As of October 24, 2014 there are no future realm connections listed for any US realms.

EU future connections[]

Planned for 9-Jul-2014:[6]

English Realms
  • (PvE) Khadgar and Bloodhoof
  • (PvE) Bronze Dragonflight and Nordrassil
German Realms
  • (PvE) Tichondrius and Lordaeron
  • (PvE) Arygos and Khaz'goroth
Russian Realms
  • (PvP) Король-лич and Седогрив

Future, but no date specified:[6]

English Realms
  • (PvE) Saurfang and Darkspear/Terokkar
German Realms
  • (PvE) Teldrassil and Perenolde
  • (PvE) Durotan and Tirion
  • (PvE) Lothar and Baelgun

FAQ[]

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Note: This is a generic section stub. You can help expand it by clicking Sprite-monaco-pencil Edit to the right of the section title.

Q. Why are you implementing Connected Realms?

A. As WoW has evolved, we’ve seen players naturally gravitate toward a subset of very active realms, leaving behind lower-populated realms. Due to the massively multiplayer nature of World of Warcraft, certain kinds of gameplay experiences simply aren’t well-suited to a low-pop realm. By allowing players from two or more lower-pop realms to play together, we hope to give more players more opportunities to participate in group-oriented activities, helping to foster a more vibrant in-game community.
Connected Realms also allow us to link populations in a way that’s not disruptive to players, and that doesn’t negatively impact players’ sense of identity and character. Other alternatives such as merging realms would require us to force character name changes if there were conflicts, and could lead to confusion for returning players who’d log in to find their realm missing from the realm list. Some players also feel strong ties to their realm’s name or history, and we don’t want to erase that.

Q. Why implement this now?

A. Our cross-realm technology has continued to evolve since it was first developed for joining players in dungeons. It’s now at a point where we can create seamless worlds made up of multiple individual realms, and we think there are some really positive benefits to that.

Q. How can I tell if someone is on my Connected Realm, but from a different realm?

A. We want the experience to feel seamless so we won’t be indicating player’s home realms in the game world. In certain places, such as chat, players' home realms will be displayed next to their name.

Q. Which realms will be connected as Connected Realms?

A. We haven’t decided yet which realms will be made part of a Connected Realm, or which other realms they’ll be connected to, though realms will only be connected to other realms of the same type (e.g. PvE to PvE, PvP to PvP, RP to RP). In the end, we’re considering a number of factors, including Battlegroup, population, and faction balance.

Q. How many realms will make up a Connected Realm?

A. We don’t know how many realms will make up a Connected Realm yet, and it’s likely to differ from Connected Realm to Connected Realm. Our goal is to create a vibrant and fun online experience where you can join guilds, access an active Auction House, and band together to take on group content.

Q. Will Connected Realms have any limitations?

A. There should be no limitations. We want the experience to be seamless, and we expect it work as if you’re suddenly part of a much more active realm.

Q. When will Connected Realms be available?

A. We haven’t yet determined when we’ll be creating the first Connected Realms, but we expect it will be some time after the launch of Patch 5.4.

Unofficial FAQ[]

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Note: This is a generic section stub. You can help expand it by clicking Sprite-monaco-pencil Edit to the right of the section title.

Q. Can you mail items between characters on Connected Realms?

A. Yes. This has been tested by WoWWiki users. See "A Guide to Cross-Realm Mailing" in the External links section for how to enter destination character name and realm. This similar to how you can mail Bind to Account items across realms, but also applies for Bind on Equip and Bind on Use items between Connected Realms.

Virtual Realms[]

This was the original name for Connected Realms[1] and was slated to be a part of Patch 5.4, but was apparently renamed and delayed until some time after the launch of the patch.

From the PTR patch notes:[7]

  • Virtual Realms are sets of realms that are fused together, and will behave exactly as if they were one cohesive realm. Players on the same Virtual Realm will be able to join guilds, access a single Auction House, join arena teams and raids, as well run dungeons or group up to complete quests.
  • Players belonging to the same Virtual Realm will have a (#) symbol next to their name.

References[]

  1. ^ a b Blizzard Entertainment Peratryn 2013-08-06. #3 - Connected Realms vs Virtual Realms. Official Website and Mobile Feedback > Community Platform API forum (US).
  2. ^ Adam Holisky 2013-08-05. Blizzard releases more information on Connected Realms. WoW Insider.
  3. ^ a b Blizzard Entertainment 2013-08-05. Patch 5.4 Feature Preview: Connected Realms. World of Warcraft Official Game Site (US).
       Patch 5.4 Feature Preview: Connected Realms. World of Warcraft Official Game Site (EU) (2013-08-05).
  4. ^ Blizzard Entertainment 2014-08-21. Connected Realms - Update 8/20. Official World of Warcraft Game Site (US).
  5. ^ Error on call to Template:ref web: Parameters url and title must be specifiedBlizzard Entertainment Takralus 2014-07-04. . Official Gameplay > General forums (EU).
  6. ^ a b Blizzard Entertainment Takralus 2014-07-07. Connected Realms Update - 04/07. Official Gameplay > General forums (EU).
  7. ^ PTR patch notes section of Patch 5.4.0.

See also[]

External links[]

Preview
WoW Official Game Site (US) WoW Official Game Site (US) Patch 5.4 Feature Preview: Connected Realms by Blizzard Entertainment, Aug 5, 2013 9:00 AM PDT
WoW Official Game Site (EU) WoW Official Game Site (EU) Patch 5.4 Feature Preview: Connected Realms by Blizzard Entertainment, 05 Aug 2013 17:00 BST
EU list
WoW Official Game Site (EU) Official Gameplay > General forums (EU) Connected Realms List by Blizzard Entertainment Takralus 20/11/2013 10:05 GMT; Edited by Takralus on 04/07/2014 07:34 BST
Guides
WoW Official Game Site (US) WoW Official Game Site (US) (Sticky) A Guide to Cross-Realm Mailing by Xes 12/10/13 9:03 AM (PST)
News
WoW Official Game Site (US) WoW Official Game Site (US) Connected Realms - Update 7/07 Blizzard Entertainment 7/7/2014
WoW Official Game Site (US) Official Community > General Discussion forums (US) Connected Realms – Updated 7/07 Blizzard Entertainment Nethaera 2/20/2014 3:07 PST; Edited by Nethaera on 7/7/2014 11:35 AM PDT
WoW Official Game Site (EU) Official Gameplay > General forums (EU) Connected Realms Update - 04/07 by Blizzard Entertainment Takralus 03/02/2014 8:53 GMT; Edited by Takralus on 07/07/2014 12:59 BST
WoW Official Game Site (US) WoW Official Game Site (US) Connected Realms - Update 4/4 Blizzard Entertainment 4/4/2014
WoW Official Game Site (EU) Official Gameplay > General forums (EU) Connected Realms Update - 02/04 by Blizzard Entertainment Takralus 03/02/2014 08:53 GMT; Edited by Rynundu on 02/04/2014 17:53 BST
WoW Official Game Site (EU) Official Gameplay > General forums (EU) #1 - Connected Realms (Updated 13/11) by Blizzard Entertainment Takralus 23/10/2013 12:23 BST; Edited by Draztal on 13/11/13 10:56 (GMT)
WoW Official Game Site (US) WoW Official Game Site (US) Connected Realms Update by Blizzard Entertainment, Nov 12, 2013 9:00 PM PST
WoW Official Game Site (US) WoW Official Game Site (US) Connected Realms Update by Blizzard Entertainment, Oct 25, 2013 5:00 PM PDT
MMO-Champion MMO-Champion Patch 5.4.1 - RaF Changes, EU Connected Realms, Dampening Hotfix, Blue Posts, Comic by chaud 2013-10-25 06:11 AM
WoW Insider WoW Insider Vaneras on the merging of high-pop realms by Sarah Pine Oct 24th 2013 at 7:00PM
MMO-Champion MMO-Champion New Connected Realms Coming, Oct 16 Hotfixes, Flex Mechanics Scaling, Blizzard Art by chaud 2013-10-17 06:07 PM
WoW Official Game Site (EU) Official Gameplay > General forums (EU) #139 - still no virtual realms (why some of the highest population realms will not be connected with other realms) by Vaneras 04/10/2013 10:26 BST
External link 2P.com Player Number Decline Is A Reason WoW Gets Virtual Realms By JoeLW on Jul 22, 2013
WoW Insider WoW Insider WoW Insider Round Table: Virtual realms by Alex Ziebart (but really hosted by Olivia Grace) Jun 21st 2013 at 7:00PM
WoW Insider WoW Insider Patch 5.4 PTR: Virtual Realms announced by Matthew Rossi Jun 12th 2013 at 2:07AM
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