Starting with version 1.32.6, we’re transitioning Warcraft III to use the shared container technology that World of Warcraft and Overwatch already use. Having a shared container for Warcraft III means that we can have the different types of builds (currently retail
and public test
) use the same data directory.
In order to support this new technology, we’ll change the directory layout of the game. The root Warcraft III install directory will contain a Data folder, and one or more folders that represent the build types: _retail_
for the retail version and _ptr_
for the public test version. The Data folder will store data for all build types (reusing data when possible). The build type folders ( _retail_
, _ptr_
) will act as the game root. For example, any file or folder that you previously placed in Warcraft III
should now be placed in Warcraft III/_retail_
instead. If you have any files that you previously added to your install directory (not recommended), you will need to move those files to _retail_
or _ptr_
. With this new layout, you can have multiple build types installed side by side without disruption.
When installing a build, the user will still have the option to have separate installs of Retail and PTR if so desired. However, we recommend using the shared installed because it will overall use less disk space and will be quicker to install the Retail or PTR versions of the game.
There will be a phased transition to change to the new directory layout. You won’t be able to fully take advantage of this technology until both the 1.32.6 version of retail and the PTR have been released. The 1.32.6 PTR is aware of the new directory layout, but the current Retail version of the game is 1.32.5 and that version is not yet aware of the new directory layout.
Once the 1.32.6 Retail version is released, we highly recommend that you uninstall the 1.32.6 PTR version. Any future PTR or Retail releases after 1.32.6 will now be able to share the data directory if desired.