name: wow-modding description: WoW 3.3.5a (WOTLK) modding overview. Use when working on WoW mod tasks, client patching, texture work, DBC editing, MPQ archives, or AIO plugins. Pulls in relevant sub-skills. dependencies:

• mpaqer
• dbcaptain
• texprep
• wow-aio-plugin

WoW 3.3.5a Modding

Project root: /Users/alfred/git/svartkonst-wow

Project Structure

data/dbc/          — DBC files (game data tables)
data/sql/          — SQL for auth/world/character databases
modules/           — C++ server modules (mod-*)
client-patching/   — Client-side patches and launcher
tooling/           — Custom CLI tools (texprep, etc.)

Tool Chain

Common Workflows

Modifying game data (spells, items, etc.)

1. Edit DBC with dbcaptain
2. Stage files preserving internal path structure (DBFilesClient\*.dbc)
3. Pack into MPQ patch with mpq create
4. Deploy to client Data/ directory

AI texture generation

1. texprep strip to separate RGB from alpha (WoW packs heightmaps/masks in alpha)
2. Run AI generation on the RGB image
3. texprep apply to restore original alpha
4. Pack into MPQ patch

Client-side Lua plugins (AIO)

Use the AIO framework for server-authoritative Lua that runs on the client. See the wow-aio-plugin skill for the full API.

Key Conventions

• WoW 3.3.5a (WOTLK) — all tooling targets this version
• MPQ internal paths use backslash separators (DBFilesClient\Spell.dbc)
• Patch archives load in numeric order; highest number wins
• Server uses AzerothCore (C++ with modules in modules/)