Blackhand

Blackhand is a Vanilla WoW 1.12 server that you play in your web browser. There is nothing to install. The game streams the parts of the world you visit and keeps them in the browser, so later logins start faster. The team wants to keep the original game intact, so the PvP realm runs at 1x rates with the original classes, talents and mechanics and no custom content. Content comes out in stages, starting with patch 1.2, and the plan is to work through the whole Vanilla progression. The server runs on VMaNGOS. It opened as an open beta at the end of October 2026, and the team has promised no wipe, so characters made now are kept. The game needs WebGPU, which for now means Chrome or Edge on a desktop computer. Firefox and Safari don’t work yet, and mobile and touch controls are being built. The pfQuest quest helper was added in early November and more addons are planned. Blackhand is free to play and the team says there is no pay-to-win. One early player wrote that it takes longer to load than the normal client but feels good once it runs. Its Discord had about 140 members in early November 2026.