World of Warcraft client version compatibility and file format changes.
| Expansion | Version | Patch | Build | Status |
|---|
| Classic (Vanilla) | 1.12.1 | 1.12.1.5875 | 5875 | ✅ Supported |
| The Burning Crusade | 2.4.3 | 2.4.3.8606 | 8606 | ✅ Supported |
| Wrath of the Lich King | 3.3.5 | 3.3.5a.12340 | 12340 | ✅ Supported |
| Cataclysm | 4.3.4 | 4.3.4.15595 | 15595 | ✅ Supported |
| Mists of Pandaria | 5.4.8 | 5.4.8.18414 | 18414 | ✅ Supported |
| Version | Client | Changes | wow-mpq Support |
|---|
| v1 | 1.x - 3.x | Original format, hash table, block table | ✅ Supported |
| v2 | 3.x+ | Extended attributes, larger files | ✅ Supported |
| v3 | 4.x+ | HET/BET tables, increased hash table size | ✅ Supported |
| v4 | 5.x+ | 64-bit file support, MD5 checksums | ✅ Supported |
Note: wow-mpq has bidirectional compatibility with StormLib (the reference C++ implementation) and support for official Blizzard WoW archives.
| Version | Client | Major Changes |
|---|
| 256-257 | 1.x | Original format |
| 260-263 | 2.x | Particle emitters update |
| 264 | 3.0+ | .skin/.anim file separation |
| 272 | 3.3+ | Extended animations |
| 273 | 4.0+ | .phys physics data |
| 274 | 4.x+ | New texture types |
| 276 | 5.x+ | Improved bone structure |
| Version | Client | Changes |
|---|
| 18 | 1.x - 2.x | Original MCNK format |
| 20 | 3.x | Destructible doodads |
| 21 | 4.x | Terrain streaming, flight |
| 23 | 5.x | New texture blending |
| Version | Client | Format Support |
|---|
| BLP1 | 1.x - 2.x | JPEG compression, palettized |
| BLP2 | 3.x+ | DXT compression, mipmaps |
| Client | Records | String Encoding | Features |
|---|
| 1.x | Fixed size | ASCII | Basic structure |
| 2.x | Fixed size | UTF-8 | Extended fields |
| 3.x | Fixed size | UTF-8 | Localization support |
| 4.x | Fixed size | UTF-8 | New index format |
| 5.x | Fixed size | UTF-8 | Compressed strings |
Each crate handles version detection differently:
- MPQ: Format version is read from the archive header (v1-v4)
- M2: Header version field distinguishes expansions; MD20 vs MD21 magic separates legacy from chunked format
- ADT: MVER chunk is always 18; actual version is detected from chunk presence (MFBO, MH2O, MAMP, MTXP)
- BLP: File magic is
BLP1 or BLP2
- WMO: MVER chunk version number increases with expansions (17-27)
- WDT/WDL: Version detection via chunk analysis
| Format | Magic | Notes |
|---|
| MPQ | MPQ\x1A | All versions |
| M2 (Legacy) | MD20 | Pre-Legion |
| M2 (Chunked) | MD21 | Legion+ |
| BLP1 | BLP1 | Classic, TBC |
| BLP2 | BLP2 | WotLK+ |
| WMO/ADT/WDT/WDL | RVER (MVER reversed) | Chunk-based |
- Use each crate’s version enum for version-aware code
- Let the parser detect versions automatically where possible
- Test with files from multiple WoW client versions
- Check optional chunk presence rather than assuming version