World of Warcraft (aka WoW) is certainly one of the biggest games to hit the market in quite some time. Along with this big title comes all the cheats, hacks, bots, exploits, guides, walkthroughs, macros, scripts, etc. You may or may not know that using some of these methods can get you account suspended or even permanently banned. However, it is true…you could lose everything you have worked for because of one bad decision. In fact, here is a quote directly from Blizzard (the creatores of WoW and Battle.net):

“Blizzard Entertainment takes an aggressive, zero-tolerance stance on hacks and cheats committed against any games played on Battle.net. Hack and cheat programs provide an unfair advantage to their users, and they impair, devalue, and in some cases seek to ruin the gameplay experience of legitimate players.

The use of such programs is a violation of the Battle.net Terms of Use Agreement and/or our products End User License Agreements. This can result in, but is not limited to, Battle.net account closures, muting or banning of Blizzard Entertainment CD-keys. We are now proactively tracking down all sites that host these programs.”

So what is safe to use and what isn’t? I have compiled a list of just that to help you make the decision before just diving in and downloading a bunch of crap that can get you in trouble.

What isn’t safe: 

Bots - WoW Bots such as the World of Warcraft Honor Bot,  Fishing Bot, Auto-IT, AC Tool, Realm Bot, and Auto-Leveling bot are dangerous to use no matter what the website or person says to you. They will often tell you its “undetectable”, which should automatically be a red flag to you. They wouldn’t say this if the program wasn’t illegal in the first place. Blizzard frowns upon bots because they are influencing the gameplay unfairly in some way or another.

Exploits -  An exploit is when you are using a game bug to your advantage. These are often patched quickly because Blizzard does a good job of staying on top of their game. Even though you are only exploiting a bug, this could still result in a warning or suspension.

Hacks/Cheats - After reading the quote above from Blizzard, you should know already that this is a major offense. Any program that is promising you an unfair advantage such as speed hacks, maphacks, gold cheats, etc. is NOT acceptable to use. These programs directly violate the Terms of Service (TOS) and End User License Agreement (EULA) which you agreed to abide by upon installing the game.

Scamming -  Even though you are merely taking advantage of a users inability to make a good decision, this can still get you in trouble. Not only is it a pretty scummy thing to do, but the game staff is doing everything they can to make this game a fun and clean environment for players. This obviously cannot happen with people running around scamming other players.

What is safe to use:

Strategy Guides/Walkthrough -  Using a strategy guide or walkthrough to level up your player, gain gold faster, and give you tips and tricks to complete tasks within the game are certainly safe to use….as long as these don’t include any use of hacks, scams, or exploits. If you are ever questionable about something feel free to contact Blizzard directly. They will not penalize  you for asking a question!

Macros - I have not found or heard anything about these being illegal. However, just think before you use something that is going to add an advantage to you in the game. Don’t you want to be the best of the best based on you own skills anyway?

Unless you don’t mind losing your account, if you are in doubt about something you should contact Blizzard or post on the forums to clear things up BEFORE using the program or technique in question. It is always better to be safe rather than sorry…seriously.I am not against cheating in most games, however, I do have to side with Blizzard in this case. MMORPG games are meant to be a fun and entertaining experience for players and cheats completely ruin that. Help make the community a better place by reporting WoW cheat/hack sites and/or cheaters/scammers here (will open in a new window). So with that said go play the game, meet some cool people, have some fun, and stop looking for cheats.