World of Warcraft is one of the most well known and popular MMORPG’s. Blizzard’s WoW is a subscription base game where you need to pay every month you play. The game has had 8 expansions that have added to the lore of the game. It is a deep universe that has been developing since the first title that was released in 1994, Warcraft: Orcs & Humans. You can join guilds and battle creatures with your friends by your side. The dungeons are also fun to participate in. One thing that annoys all players is lag. It is truly the Leroy Jenkins of gaming. It comes out of nowhere and almost always brings disaster. While some of the lag is caused by the game server, the rest is a result of your connection to the game. In this post we will teach you how to fix lag with a VPN. We will provide suggestions for PC and Mac.
How to Fix Lag Spikes in World of Warcraft
Here is the quickest way to improve World of Warcraft lag on PC or Mac with a VPN.
- Sign up for ExpressVPN (includes a 30-day money back guarantee)
- Download the ExpressVPN app and connect to a server in the region you wish to play in.
- Test to see if your ping has lowered from your normal response time.
- Launch WoW and enjoy!
Why Does WoW Lag?
The popularity of World of Warcraft is both a blessing and a curse. As we mentioned, you will compete against other players with differing Internet connection speeds. If you have performance issues when using the Internet in general then you can expect lag spikes when playing WoW. The two main considerations for lag are your Internet speed and hardware. PC gamers will want to focus on CPU, memory, and graphics card. Everyone needs a fast Internet connection.
More Tips to Fix Lag Spikes in WoW
Wifi is not always the most reliable connection, so we recommend using a LAN cable if possible. The LAN cable will give you a faster and more stable connection. If that isn’t possible you may want to set a separate WiFi network for gaming or prioritize your traffic. For specific news on the game you can check out the WoW Twitter. If you think it is the battle.net servers then you can check Downdetector to see if anyone else is having problems.
Let’s continue to look at the best way to increase your Internet speed and lower ping times. In doing so you can expect less lag and a better gaming experience. We recommend testing a VPN to improve ping and reduce your lag. The key is to find a better route between your system and the game server. Your ISP isn’t focused on this issue as much as VPN providers. They know that it’s a competitive advantage if they can offer you a faster router to key locations. Most of the game developers host regional game servers in the same locations. This allows VPNs to offer better routes and will give you a boost in performance.
World of Warcraft Locations
Blizzard has not announced where their servers are. However, some of World of Warcraft’s server locations have been found by the community through IP location. Based on this we have selected places to connect to with a VPN.
Here are some key VPN servers locations for ExpressVPN.
- United States – Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Chicago
- Europe – Frankfurt, Paris, and Stockholm
- Australia – Sydney
System Requirements and Recommendations
This section is mainly for PC gamers. You will want to make sure you have the proper system specs for World of Warcraft. The minimum requirements are often not enough to enjoy the game. You will want to come as close as possible (or above) these recommended system specs.
PC:
- Operating system – Windows 10 (64-bit)
- CPU – Intel Core i7-4770, AMD FX-8310, or better
- Video Card – NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 4GB, AMD Radeon R9 280, or better
- Memory – 8 GB RAM
Mac:
- Operating system – MacOS 10.13 or newer
- CPU – Intel Core i7-4770 or better
- Video Card – AMD Radeon R9 M395X or better
- Memory – 8 GB RAM
Here is a little more information on using a VPN for gaming.
How to Play World of Warcraft with ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is our favorite VPN for gaming. There are a number of reasons including the ability to quickly change you’re IP address to be located in any of 160 cities across 94 countries. This is especially useful for purchasing games in other regions and unblocking restrictions. If you plan to play games at school or work then we highly recommend connecting to ExpressVPN to unblock any firewall restrictions. You can download the ExpressVPN app for Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android. Members can install the app on as many devices as you want. You can connect on up to 3 devices at a time. You will also have access to ExpressVPN MediaStreamer service which will let you switch DNS on a wide range of devices including game consoles (PS4, Xbox One, Switch), streaming media boxes, and smart TVs, and more.
We’re excited to share an exclusive discount on ExpressVPN for our readers. You can save up to 49% off a year of VPN and receive an extra 3 months of free VPN. This will grant you unlimited access to both their VPN network and MediaStreamer service. Save on your favorite games, reduce lag, protect against DDoS attacks, and unblock restrictions at school or work. ExpressVPN offers a 30 day money back guarantee so you will have a month to test their VPN and experience all the benefits of the service.
