Arachnophobia Mode
- This article is about the setting. For other uses, see Arachnophobia.
Arachnophobia Mode is a World of Warcraft graphics setting, available under Options > Accessibility > General, which replaces most spider and spider-like models in the game with those of other arthropods. It does not affect gameplay or difficulty. It does not change any text in the game (spider mobs are still called spiders even if their models are changed to crabs), nor does it affect pre-rendered artwork (such as loading screens, item and spell icons) or cinematics.[1]
The setting was added in patch 11.0.0 in response to portions of the community who, following the announcement of the heavily nerubian-themed The War Within expansion, expressed concerns that they wouldn't be able to enjoy the expansion due to having a strong aversion to or fear of spiders in games. Members of the development team had previously internally voiced concerns about feeling uncomfortable while working on the expansion for the same reasons. Arachnophobia Mode is intended to be a solution that preserves the fidelity of the game while making it more approachable for everyone.[2][3]
Affected models
Original model | Arachnophobia Mode |
---|---|
Tarachnids |
Crabs |
Giant spiders |
Sand crabs |
Mechanical spiders | Hermit crabs |
[Bloodfang Cocoon] |
|
Nerubians |
Makrura |
Nerubian flyers | Skitterflies |
Unaffected models
The following spider-adjacent creatures are not affected:
- Queen Ansurek
- Female fal'dorei
- Nerubian spiderlords and crypt lords
- Nerubian viziers
- Sennarth
- Shale spiders
- Skitterlings
Notes
The test item [Arachnophobia Goggles] appeared in the data for the Dragonflight beta test, suggesting the mode was already under development at that point.
Patch changes
- Patch 11.0.0 (2024-07-23): Added option to replace spiders with alternative creatures. This doesn't affect gameplay or difficulty. Option under Accessibility > General > Arachnophobia Mode.
References
- ^ Blizzard Support - Arachnophobia Mode. Archived from the original on 2024-08-23.
- ^ World of Warcraft 2024-04-17. Devs Reveal The War Within Alpha | WoWCast (11:40 - 12:42). YouTube. Retrieved on 2024-08-24.
- ^ Blizzard Entertainment 2024-07-22. User Interface and Quest Updates in The War Within™. Retrieved on 2024-08-24.