Devs: Is ReShade allowed?

[Fléxie-frostmourne]

Not really asking the general public unless you have experience with it or know what ReShade is.

Just want to preface this by stating that I asked in a GM ticket since GMs are the ones that typically deal with bans, but they wanted me to ask the devs in the forums for some weird reason. Annoying but here I am!

For those unfamiliar, ReShade is a popular filter/overlay that implements the usage of shaders to vary how your game looks. To my knowledge, it doesn’t inject any data and is just purely an overlay.

Here is some information provided about ReShade (courtesy of ChatGPT because I’m lazy):

ReShade works by injecting its code into a game at runtime, but it does not modify game DLL (Dynamic Link Library) files on disk. Instead, ReShade operates by inserting its code into the graphics API (such as DirectX or OpenGL) calls made by the game while it’s running. This process is often referred to as “hooking.”

Here’s a basic overview of how it works:

1. DLL Injection: When you launch a game with ReShade installed, ReShade injects its own DLL into the game’s process. This DLL is usually named something like dxgi.dll, d3d9.dll, or opengl32.dll, depending on the graphics API the game uses.
2. Graphics API Hooking: ReShade’s DLL intercepts calls made by the game to the graphics API. It applies its shaders and effects during these calls, before the graphics API processes them.
3. Real-Time Rendering: The effects added by ReShade are rendered in real-time. They can include enhancements like color correction, depth of field, and ambient occlusion.
4. No Permanent Changes: ReShade doesn’t permanently change any game files. The effects are only applied while the game is running and ReShade is active. If you remove ReShade or launch the game without it, the game will look as it did originally.
5. Customizability: Users can customize or disable specific shaders and effects provided by ReShade according to their preference.

It’s important to note that while ReShade does not modify game files, the act of injecting code into a game’s process is what sometimes causes concerns with anti-cheat systems or game publishers, as it can be similar to how some cheat programs operate. That’s why it’s always good to check the game’s terms of service or with the game publisher about the use of such tools.

Anyways, I would like to get an official response from a dev about this since the GMs don’t seem to have the necessary tools or say-so to answer the question. My main reasoning being that I would like to use it since I used it on Final Fantasy XIV and feel like it would be a great enhancement to the already great graphics on WoW.

Thank you in advance!

[Vorsol-thrall (Vorsol)]

I believe there was something like this a few years ago and people that used it got banned or suspended for using it.

[Elocin-mugthol]

@Fléxie-frostmourne

Not really asking the general public unless you have experience with it or know what ReShade is.

Just want to preface this by stating that I asked in a GM ticket since GMs are the ones that typically deal with bans, but they wanted me to ask the devs in the forums for some weird reason. Annoying but here I am!

You would want to post in General Discussion — devs do not monitor the troubleshooting forum.

It’s likely you will get public input, because the forums are not private inquiries.

[Sniperorc-azgalor (Sniperorc)]

There are no devs here, and no one (not even the actual Blizzard employees) will give you a definitive answer.

Use anything that modifies the rendering chain at your own extreme peril.

[Pawgwalker-dalaran]

No, any form of injection like that is not allowed. Even if it’s not being used for bad reasons, it would open a pandora’s box for cheaters to cheat. Things like wallhacks, model swaps/modifiers, etc, almost always work through injection and hooking(to bypass the engine’s scanning for modified files).

The only things that are allowed, in this sense, are things like overlays and even those probably have to be manually whitelisted by the team on a per case basis.

You’ll likely never get a concrete answer out of the devs, but just assume that you will be banned. People have been banned for things like this before.

@Fléxie-frostmourne

My main reasoning being that I would like to use it since I used it on Final Fantasy XIV

It’s also against their ToS as well and they can ban you at ANY time they chose for it. If they wanted to, they could even ban you for using it years ago, even if you never touched it again. The same goes for Blizzard and WoW, which they’ve already done about other things in the past like this. Blizzard knows when you’re using things like this and you’ll just get added to a list. Tomorrow, next month, next year, etc, they could decide to action accounts on that list if they want.

So again, I highly advise against trying to skirt the rules here. It’s explicitly stated that it’s against the ToS, within the ToS:

C. ii. 4. any code and/or software, not expressly authorized by Blizzard, that can be used in connection with the Platform and/or any component or feature thereof which changes and/or facilitates the gameplay or other functionality;