SkyFire Launcher

SkyFire Launcher is a Windows desktop client (C#/WPF) for connecting to a Project SkyFire World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria (5.4.8) private server. Its goal is to let players connect with a completely unpatched, retail-original client — no permanently modified game files, no hosts-file edits, no manual configuration.

Instead of patching files on disk, the launcher starts the WoW client normally and applies its changes directly to the running process in memory:

• Redirects the client's login/realm connection to the server address configured in the launcher, by hooking the client's own DNS resolution.
• Applies targeted in-memory endpoint and trust patches so the clean client can use the server's authnet protocol implementation.
• Prepares the authentication modules required by the client without modifying the client executable.
• Leaves account and password entry to the client; the launcher does not ask players to enter their credentials a second time.
• Leaves the client executable on disk untouched. Every change is undone the moment the process exits.

The authnet login path is experimental and is being developed alongside the server implementation.

Status

Early and actively evolving alongside the rest of the SkyFire project. Expect rough edges.

Getting Started

Installer

Download and run SkyFireLauncherSetup.msi from the latest release. It installs SkyFire Launcher (self-contained, no separate .NET install required) with a Start Menu shortcut and a standard uninstaller entry.

From source

1. Build the solution:

   dotnet build SkyFireLauncher.slnx
   

2. Launch SkyFireLauncher.exe from the Build output folder.
3. On the Configuration tab, set your WoW 5.4.8 client folder, default client architecture (32 or 64-bit), and the login address of the SkyFire server you want to connect to.
4. On the Launch tab, pick a version and click Launch.

Building the installer

Requires the WiX Toolset CLI:

dotnet tool install --global wix --version 5.0.2
wix extension add -g WixToolset.UI.wixext/5.0.2

Then, from the installer folder:

./build.ps1

Produces installer\bin\x64\Release\SkyFireLauncherSetup.msi.

License

See LICENSE.