Frequently asked questions
Is Simhive free, is it safe, how accurate are the sims, which classes work, does it do Mythic+ routes, do I need SimulationCraft? Short answers about the shared simming pool for World of Warcraft.
Short answers about Simhive. Setup steps are in the docs.
- Is Simhive free?
- What is a Droptimizer, and does Simhive have one?
- How is this different from simming on my own PC?
- Do I need to install SimulationCraft?
- How accurate are the results?
- Is it safe to let other people's sims run on my PC?
- What leaves my machine when I sim?
- Do I need an account?
- Which classes and specs work?
- Does it sim Mythic+ routes?
- Can I share a report?
- Can I sim without my PC, from a phone or another computer?
- Do I have to leave my PC on?
- Can I run it on a server or a NAS?
- Which operating systems?
- Can the pool operator control my machine?
- Why is my sim waiting?
- Who runs this, and what is it built on?
Is Simhive free? #
Yes. There is nothing to buy and no premium tier: the currency is compute, and you bring your own. Your sims run on other members' PCs, and yours sims for them while you are not using it. Nobody is refused; when the pool is busy, members who lent more over the last 30 days are served first.
What is a Droptimizer, and does Simhive have one? #
A Droptimizer sims every drop of a raid, a dungeon pool or a vendor with your character and ranks them by how much DPS each would add. Simhive runs the full Droptimizer, plus Top Gear (the best combination of what you own), Quick Sim, Stat Weights and Mythic+ route sims. See Simming.
How is this different from simming on my own PC? #
The same SimulationCraft, the same numbers. The difference is speed and the queue: a Droptimizer that takes 20 minutes alone is split across every machine online and comes back in a couple of minutes, and there is no queue that depends on how much you paid. The price is that your PC sims for others while it is idle.
Do I need to install SimulationCraft? #
No. The app fetches the pool's exact SimulationCraft build (about 60 MB) from a public build channel, checksum verified, and keeps it current. Every machine in the pool runs the same commit, so a sim split over ten machines gives one consistent answer.
How accurate are the results? #
As accurate as SimulationCraft at the target error you pick. 0.1 % is plenty for gear decisions; go finer when two items sit within a few DPS of each other. Every machine is probed with a known batch when it joins, and a share of live work is re-simmed on a trusted machine, so a wrong machine gets benched rather than into your report.
Is it safe to let other people's sims run on my PC? #
Every batch is plain text for SimulationCraft, checked before it runs: anything that names a file, a path or the network is refused. The simc build has networking compiled out. It runs with the threads you allow, pauses by itself while World of Warcraft runs, and stops the moment you press Pause or quit. What runs on your machine has the full list.
What leaves my machine when I sim? #
Gear, talents, spec and fight settings, the same things on the public Armory. Never the character's name or realm; they are stripped before the sim leaves. Results come back only to you and are kept on your disk.
Do I need an account? #
No. You pick a name and get a token; the token is you. Use it on every machine you own, and treat it like a password. Getting a token.
Which classes and specs work? #
Everything SimulationCraft supports: every DPS spec, and tanks and healers where simc models them. The pool runs the nightly build, so new patches and tuning arrive as soon as SimulationCraft has them.
Does it sim Mythic+ routes? #
Yes. Paste a Mythic Dungeon Tools export string and Simhive sims the run pull by pull, with each pack's health scaled to the key level. Long routes are fine; a batch may run up to 20 minutes on a machine.
Can I share a report? #
"Save report" writes a self-contained HTML file. "Publish" puts the same report on the pool as a link you can paste anywhere, with or without your character's name. Delete it any time; a report nobody opens for 180 days is removed.
Can I sim without my PC, from a phone or another computer? #
Yes, from the browser at https://simhive.app/sim, while one of your machines is connected to the pool. Sign in with your token. Sim from the browser.
Do I have to leave my PC on? #
No. It only makes your own sims faster at peak, because served-first goes by what your machines gave over the last 30 days. The app does nothing while it is closed.
Can I run it on a server or a NAS? #
Yes, as a Docker container, with or without the sim interface. It lends the machine's cores under your name and follows the pool's SimulationCraft build by itself. Docker and headless.
Which operating systems? #
Windows 10/11 (x64) and Linux (AppImage and .deb). macOS later. The Docker image is x86-64 Linux.
Can the pool operator control my machine? #
Only what you allow: threads, pause and the name, and only if your app's policy lets the pool do so. The default lets a pool manage only machines it issued as its own. Never the pool a machine connects to or its token.
Why is my sim waiting? #
The pool is busy and orders jobs by what each member's machines gave over the last 30 days, with a free allowance so newcomers are not stuck behind everyone. Off-peak there is no ordering at all. Lending a machine off-peak moves your own sims up the line on raid night.
Who runs this, and what is it built on? #
Simhive's engine descends from Localbots (MIT) and runs SimulationCraft (GPLv3). Not affiliated with either project or with Blizzard Entertainment. The pool at https://simhive.app is run by its operator; the scores page shows who keeps it running.