OWL

Open-source Wow Launcher for World of Warcraft Classic 1.12.1 and WoTLK 3.3.5a.

Install

Download the latest release from here.

Features

• Addon & Patch Management:
  • Enable, disable, delete, and update installed addons and patches/mods
  • Save, apply, rename, and delete custom addon configurations with the User Profiles system
  • Import and export addon configurations to share or back up setups easily
  • Manage Git branches directly from the interface for git-based addons
  • Scan and open addon/patch folders instantly
• Import addons from addon stores:
  • Supports installation of addons directly from CurseForge and GitHub
  • Automatic dependency detection and installation when importing addons
  • Filter catalog by categories and target game versions (Vanilla vs. WotLK)
• Game Configuration & Downloader:
  • Built-in torrent downloader integrated with librqbit to download the game client via magnet links or .torrent files with progress tracking, speed display, and pause/resume/cancel controls
  • Setup choices modal on startup to locate existing game paths or download a new client
  • Edit config.wtf game settings (tweaks) directly through a user-friendly configuration panel
• Utilities:
  • Multi-language support (English, Spanish (Latam), Portuguese (Brasil))
  • Dark/Light mode
• Multi OS Support:
  • Cross-platform launcher supporting Windows and Linux (Bazzite only validated but it should work on any Fedora-based distro). Check the Linux Setup & Compatibility guide for Proton/Wine runner configuration and Wayland setup.

Local Development

1. Install dependencies:

   pnpm install

2. Run in development mode:

   # Standard
   pnpm run dev
   
   # Linux (Wayland / WebKitGTK fix)
   pnpm run dev:linux

3. Run tests:

   # Run Rust cargo check
   pnpm run cargo:check
   
   # Run frontend unit tests
   pnpm run unit:front
   
   # Run backend unit tests with coverage
   pnpm run unit:back
   
   # Run automated E2E tests
   pnpm run automation

4. Build for production:

   pnpm run build

Linux Setup & Compatibility

WebKitGTK & Wayland Rendering

If running on Linux under Wayland or encountering rendering/WebKitGTK issues (e.g. blank window or display errors), use the dedicated Linux dev command:

pnpm run dev:linux

This passes recommended environment overrides: GDK_BACKEND=x11 WEBKIT_DISABLE_COMPOSITING_MODE=1 WEBKIT_DISABLE_DMABUF_RENDERER=1

Running WoW.exe on Linux (Proton & Wine)

To launch Windows executables (WoW.exe), Owl handles compatibility automatically:

• Steam Proton (Automatic): Owl automatically scans system Steam installations (Native Steam, Flatpak Steam, compatibilitytools.d, GE-Proton, Proton Experimental) and launches the game with an automatically provisioned Proton prefix at ~/.local/share/owl/proton_prefix/.
• System Wine: If Steam Proton is unavailable, Owl automatically falls back to system wine or wine64.
• Custom Runner Override: You can specify a custom runner or custom Proton path via environment variables:

  GAME_RUNNER="proton run" pnpm run dev:linux
  # or
  GAME_RUNNER="/path/to/proton run" pnpm run dev:linux

System Build Dependencies

Building from source on Linux requires GTK3 and WebKitGTK development packages:

• Debian / Ubuntu:

  sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y libgtk-3-dev libwebkit2gtk-4.1-dev build-essential curl wget file libssl-dev libayatana-appindicator3-dev librsvg2-dev

• Fedora:

  sudo dnf install gtk3-devel webkit2gtk4.1-devel gcc-c++ openssl-devel

• Bazzite:

  sudo rpm-ostree install webkit2gtk4.1-devel gtk3-devel openssl-devel dbus-devel libsoup3-devel

• Arch Linux:

  sudo pacman -S --needed base-devel webkit2gtk-4.1 gtk3 cairo pango