How to use Item Restoration in World of Warcraft

Mistakes were made.

The lich king in Wow
Image via Blizzard Entertainment

You have a limited amount of time to buy back anything you regret selling in World of Warcraft. However, deleted items can’t be recovered by any in-game method. Luckily, there’s a way to recover items lost under those conditions.

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Here’s how to use Item Restoration in World of Warcraft.

How to Restore Deleted or Sold Items in World of Warcraft

You can restore lost WoW items via Blizzard’s Battle.net website. The Item Restoration system can be found on this webpage, and it includes a few basic instructions to get you started.

How to use Item Restoration in World of Warcraft
Make sure to follow the instructions. Image via Battle.net

After you log into Battle.net, can click on Begin Item Restoration. That will bring up a list of every server where you have a WoW character. That includes retail and Classic Era servers. Selecting a server will open up a drop-down of characters you have on that server. From there, pick the character that you want to restore an item for.

Item Restoration isn’t available for everything though. Before restoring an item, you must log out of WoW to allow your Item Restoration list to update. If you’re restoring something you scrapped or vended, you must still have the same number of materials or gold that you gained from doing so. That will be taken from your character when you get your item back.

After you’ve found and selected all the WoW items you want to restore, click the “Next: Review Item Restoration,” and then press the large blue “Restore Item” button on the next page.

Once you’ve completed all of these steps, log back in and head to your nearest mailbox. The item will be sent to you with a message that serves as a receipt for your restoration.

Limitations and Requirements for Item Restoration in WoW

Here’s a list of items that cannot be restored using item restoration:

  • Temporary items (event items)
  • Collectibles (mounts, pets, heirlooms)
  • Consumables (potions, food, flasks)
  • Stackable crafting materials (herbs, ores)
  • Holiday items
  • Items sold within the current session (can be bought back)
  • Items sold on the Auction House
  • Items traded or mailed to other characters
  • Items destroyed before a character transfer or faction change

Temporary WoW items, collectibles, consumables, and stackable crafting materials can’t be restored at all, and items are only recoverable for 30 days. If you’re unsure about how much you might want to restore, there’s a seven-day cooldown per character for restoring items, so it’s better to restore more things than less.

Note, you must have an active subscription and be free of bans and suspensions to use Item Restoration in WoW. If you’re banned, even temporarily, the service won’t be available. You may need to wait for the suspension to expire before recovering your items.

Author
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Max Miceli
Senior Staff Writer. Max graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a journalism and political science degree in 2015. He previously worked for The Esports Observer covering the streaming industry before joining Dot where he now helps with Overwatch 2 coverage.
Author
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Davi Braid
Davi Braid is a writer for Dot Esports with a passion for storytelling. He has been a full-time writer for the past 5 years. His work spans RPGs, fighting games, and many other genres, showcasing his versatility and broad interests. With a degree in International Relations, his writing has been published across various outlets and niches. Leaving a traditional office job, he built a career as a writer, embracing new genres and discovering hidden gems in gaming.