How do WOW bots work?

[jeromeprice]

How are wow bots programmed? Are their actions “recordings” of what a player actually did becore as in how you might make a macro in excel or how the “ghost” in mario kart 64 worked? Are they given decission rules? As in, “if you encounter a mob of lvl X, walk around, if you encounter a mob of lvl Y engage”. Is it a combination of the 2? Such as “walk to place X via this route, if you encounter Y do this”. Does a real live player have to get them started and put them in a certain location every once in a while or do they just work their way up all the way from Elwynn forest to 60 straight into strat?

Or is it something else completely?

slope game

[Humbleguy]

❓ Are WoW bots just “recordings” of previous gameplay?
No. A serious WoW bot doesn’t replay recorded inputs like a macro or Mario Kart ghost. Instead, it works by reading real-time game data — usually through memory reading or, more safely and reliably, by reading pixels drawn by a custom addon.

In this approach, the addon paints a visual representation of the game state (like HP, mana, target info, cooldowns) directly onto the screen in predictable locations. An external program reads those pixels and makes decisions accordingly.

❓ So the bot follows decision rules?
Yes, exactly. It uses a rule-based system. For example:

If the player’s HP is low and a potion is ready → use it

If the enemy is casting and stun is available → interrupt it

If the bot is OOM (out of mana) → switch to passive blessings

If incoming damage is too high → backpedal or cast protection

These bots don’t follow a script; they react to conditions as they happen.

❓ Is there pathing? Like “go here, unless X happens”?
Yes — most bots are modular:

One module controls movement (walking between predefined points)

Another handles pulling mobs

Another controls combat (healing, interrupts, cooldowns)

Post-combat logic handles looting or buffing

So the bot might walk a fixed route, but react dynamically to mobs or combat situations.

❓ Does it need player input or supervision?
Yes, some. Bots like this usually need a player to:

Start the bot manually

Place the character at a safe grind spot

Intervene if the character dies, disconnects, or gets stuck

They aren’t full “1 to 60” levelers. They’re grind bots — designed for localized, repeatable farming with smart survival logic.

❓ Can it level to 60 by itself?
Not directly. Without automated pathing, questing, vendor logic, or death handling, it can’t progress across zones or recover from death on its own.

But within a fixed grind zone, it can fight, heal, survive, and loot with very little intervention.

❓ So what kind of bot is this?
It’s a pixel-based, rule-driven automation bot, powered by:

A custom Lua addon that draws all relevant game state as pixel data

An external app (in C#, Python, etc.) that reads that data

Logic that mimics human decision-making

No memory injection, no API calls — just screen analysis and input simulation

This approach is extremely flexible. With enough addon-side data, you can build anything from a potion user to a fully functional grind bot, all using safe and modular code.