Can I use remote desktop to access my computer and play wow or check vaults?

Would like to open vaults while at work so I can go home after and get straight into the game but want to avoid any kind of breaking TOS. would not want to risk getting my account banned.

My recommendation, it is best that you avoid using remote access software to play the game.

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Nope, they are against the ToS and will almost certainly result in a ban. It’s one of the main ways that account pilots do stuff for real money.

From the ToS(the most likely relevant section that they would use to ban with):

Cloud Computing: Use the Platform, including a Game, in connection with any unauthorized third-party “cloud computing” services, “cloud gaming” services, or any software or service designed to enable the unauthorized streaming or transmission of Game content from a third-party server to any device.

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Gonna disagree a little bit. Using remote desktop is not cloud computing and is not against the ToS. I have heard it said on here by blues that it is not recommended to do it as it could arguably fall under that umbrella, but I don’t agree that there is any interpretation of that paragraph that could include remote desktop. Despite that, avoiding it is probably a wise idea.

Go ahead and disagree, doesn’t change the fact. Blues have answered this question in the past on here and align with what I’m saying. Somewhat recently, people would ask if they could stream WoW from their PC to their Steam Decks and Blizzard straight up said no. There was a banwave years back over this where people were claiming that they were just streaming to their living room TV and Blizzard told them that there’s no way to distinguish if that’s true or if the account is being remotely piloted from someone somewhere else.

To stream the game to another device, you have to use programs. Those programs are deemed cloud services or “software designed to enable the unauthorized streaming or transmission of game content from a 3rd party server.” This would be your PC that you’re remotely accessing and aren’t physically interacting with, it becomes the 3rd party server essentially where your internet traffic from “work” is being routed to the home PC, being interpreted and then virtually pressing buttons on your machine. Oh and virtually pressing buttons on the client PC, without physically being interfaced with it, is also likely deemed botting in the eyes of Blizzard.

If you got links to any of that, that would be great. I have heard of none of that happening from blizzard regarding banwaves over remote desktop or steam deck. I’m aware blues in customer support have said it is against the ToS. That is not any sort of official opinion, it is their interpretation which err’s on the side of caution. Likewise, a blue in technical support has said it is not against the ToS.

Your own personal computer is not a third party server. Your own device is not essentially someone else’s device. I also don’t get what you’re saying as to how it could be deemed botting but that’s kind of irrelevant I guess.

The changes happened sometime around when they clamped down on multiboxers and started cracking down more on pilot carry runs and boosts. Look around 2020 and later for more information about it.

No, the remote access app becomes the middle man between wow<>remote<>other pc/phone/etc. That is by definition a third party, it’s the middleman that connects the two parties together. On the other end of things, they can’t explicitly know who is actualyl connected in remotely. It could be you or someone on the other side of the world. This is how RMT boost were operating for a while.

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I strongly advise against using remote access to check your vaults.

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I’m familiar with the change that banned cloud gaming which I think was in 2020, and that ban wave which banned people for… cloud gaming. I’m not aware of anyone using remote desktop being banned, people saying they were just connecting to their tv as a defense, or blizzard saying steam deck is not allowed. Which is why I was asking for links to those things, because I don’t think they happened.

It doesn’t matter if a remote access program is a middle man between your computer and you. “transmission of Game content from a third-party server to any device” is what is banned. Game content is not being transmitted from a third party server - moreover that sentence is just another way of defining “cloud-gaming” and playing on your own computer via remote desktop is not anywhere called cloud gaming.

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Unfortunately, you will not get a clear cut answer from a GM or CM on this matter. All they can say is to review the policy that has already been linked in this thread.

Can or will you get suspended or banned for remote accessing the game? Maybe. The regulars here have advised for you to not use any remote access application or means to login and/or play the game. It is a risk that you will be taking if you decide to use it.

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The staff will never tell you “yes” or “no” on this issue because company policies change all the time. Any method for accessing the game beyond logging in directly on your computer is completely at your own risk. They rarely overturn bans for stuff in the gray area and I personally would never risk my account of 16 years over being impatient to check my vault.

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I don’t think advising against it is unreasonable, and it is at your own risk. Though I have never heard of anyone being banned for using it - I really think it is more akin to “unsupported” than “banned”.

The difference is that I have heard of people being banned for this and there was a flood of posts about it way back when they started cranking down on it. Probably a good percentage of them were using pilot services, but again, Blizzard can’t tell the difference since they don’t use kernel level anticheat detection, where they’d be able to see the IPs of the inbound and outbound traffic. Even still, that could be circumvented by always using some specific VPN node and having a pilot do the same, which is yet another thing RTMers were doing and another reason why I wouldn’t ever attempt remotely playing if I were you.

Simply put: Don’t do it. Your vault can wait…

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