Here's how to change layers in World of Warcraft WotLK Classic and WoW Classic Hardcore, including an explanation of what benefits a layer switch can bring.
World of Warcraft has an estimated player count of about 3-5 Million active subscribers, which means every realm has to process thousands of player interactions at once. To handle the large populations on a realm, Blizzard uses a so-called layer system.
In this article, we'll give you an overview of the most important things to know about layers in World of Warcraft, including how to switch to another layer.
World of Warcraft: Layers Explained
In World of Warcraft, Blizzard splits a realm's population into different "layers", each being a separate instance of the same world, also imaginable as a parallel dimension. Players in one layer can't directly interact with those in another (except they are grouped), even though they're on the same server and might be standing in the exact same spot.
The Idea Behind WoW Layers
The primary idea behind layering is to ensure that the world doesn’t feel overpopulated. Imagine you're a herbalist, trying to farm a Black Lotus, which is exceptionally rare in general, and now imagine that there are not only five, but fifty other players with herbalism, farming it in the same area. Or trying to complete the Onyxia prequest in Stormwind Castle, which you can't because the NPC only spawns once every 10 minutes, with dozens of other players trying to start the same quest.
Those kinds of situations can easily result in long queues for certain tasks and eventually in a high frustration level. The layer system is intended to prevent this, offering players a better experience by separating them where it makes sense.
How To Change Layers in World of Warcraft Classic
To change the layer in World of Warcraft, you first have to find out on which layer you currently are. The best way to do so is with an add-on called Nova World Buffs. You can download it directly here on CurseForge. Once your download is finished, unpack the folder in [WoW version]/Interface/AddOns in your World of Warcraft directory.
Extra Tip: To manage your WoW Add-ons, we strongly recommend using a dedicated add-on software like the CurseForge client instead of managing them manually – it makes it a lot easier to not only find and install add-ons, but also to keep them up to date.
Once you've installed Nova World Buffs, you'll find the add-on pinned to your map in the upper right corner of your WoW interface (like you can see in our screenshot). If it tells you "No layers found yet", just target any friendly NPC nearby, for example a city guard. Hovering over the Nova World Buffs icon again, the add-on should now display your current layer.
Now you're almost done: All that is left to do is to call out someone that is on a different layer and have him invite you to a group. You can use the guild chat as well as any other chat for that, like General, LocalDefense, Trade or LookingForGroup to name the most popular ones. As soon as you join a group on another layer, you will automatically get switched to the same layer.
And that's it! For more tips, tricks, news and guides on (World of) Warcraft, check out these articles: