refactor(Core/DB): normalize creature table by extracting multi-ID spawns by Nyeriah · Pull Request #25197 · azerothcore/azerothcore-wotlk

Nyeriah · 2026-03-23T04:51:26Z

Changes Proposed:

This PR normalizes the creature table by extracting the rarely-used multi-ID spawning system into a dedicated table.

Core (units, players, creatures, game systems).
Scripts (bosses, spell scripts, creature scripts).
Database (SAI, creatures, etc).

Database Normalization

The creature table currently stores three creature template entry columns: id1, id2, and id3. This was introduced in PR #10115 to support spawn points that randomly pick between multiple creature templates on spawn/respawn.

However, only ~737 out of 5.3M+ creature spawns (~0.014%) actually use id2 or id3. The remaining 99.99% of rows carry two permanently-zero columns, violating database normalization principles (specifically 1NF — the columns represent a repeating group of the same attribute type).

This PR:

Creates a new creature_multispawn table with a composite primary key (spawnId, entry) to store alternate creature template entries for the rare spawns that need them
Renames id1 back to id in the creature table, restoring the original column name
Drops id2 and id3 from the creature table
Migrates existing data — all non-zero id2/id3 values are inserted into creature_multispawn before the columns are dropped

The C++ CreatureData struct retains id2/id3 fields internally, populated from the new table during loading, so all downstream spawn logic (GetRandomId, respawn entry selection, etc.) remains unchanged.

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Issues Addressed:

N/A — this is a schema improvement.

SOURCE:

The changes have been validated through:

Live research (checked on live servers, e.g Classic WotLK, Retail, etc.)
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Tests Performed:

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Tested in-game by the author.
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This pull request requires further testing and may have edge cases to be tested.

How to Test the Changes:

This pull request can be tested by following the reproduction steps provided in the linked issue
This pull request requires further testing. Provide steps to test your changes. If it requires any specific setup e.g multiple players please specify it as well.

Apply the pending SQL migration
Verify creatures with single entries spawn normally
Verify creatures that previously had id2/id3 values still randomly pick between entries on spawn and respawn
Test .npc info on both single-entry and multi-entry spawns
Test .npc add to verify new creature spawns work correctly

Known Issues and TODO List:

Modules with custom SQL referencing id1, id2, id3 columns will need updates

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…awns Move the rarely-used id2/id3 columns from the creature table into a new creature_multispawn table, and rename id1 back to id. Only ~737 out of 5.3M+ spawns use multiple entries, so this eliminates two wasted columns on 99.99% of rows while preserving full functionality. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

Copilot

Pull request overview

Normalizes creature spawns by renaming creature.id1 back to id, moving multi-entry spawn variants into a new creature_multispawn table, and updating server code to load/consume the new schema while keeping existing random-entry behavior.

Changes:

Renamed CreatureData::id1 → id and updated references across scripts/commands/core.
Updated creature loading to read base entry from creature.id and load variant entries from creature_multispawn into id2/id3.
Added SQL migration creating creature_multispawn, migrating id2/id3 data, and dropping old columns from creature.

Reviewed changes

Copilot reviewed 19 out of 19 changed files in this pull request and generated 5 comments.

Show a summary per file

File	Description
src/server/scripts/Northrend/IcecrownCitadel/instance_icecrown_citadel.cpp	Switch spawn entry lookup from `id1` to `id`.
src/server/scripts/Northrend/IcecrownCitadel/icecrown_citadel.cpp	Update script logic to use `CreatureData::id`.
src/server/scripts/Northrend/FrozenHalls/PitOfSaron/instance_pit_of_saron.cpp	Switch spawn entry lookup from `id1` to `id`.
src/server/scripts/Kalimdor/TempleOfAhnQiraj/temple_of_ahnqiraj.cpp	Use `CreatureData::id` when building HighGuid.
src/server/scripts/Commands/cs_wp.cpp	Update prepared statement argument count for new query.
src/server/scripts/Commands/cs_tele.cpp	Use `id` in in-memory filtering and SQL query joins.
src/server/scripts/Commands/cs_npc.cpp	Spawn creation uses `data.id`; adjust DB query field indices after schema change.
src/server/scripts/Commands/cs_go.cpp	Use `CreatureData::id` for entry matching.
src/server/game/OutdoorPvP/OutdoorPvP.cpp	Use `CreatureData::id` when resolving capture point spawns.
src/server/game/Maps/ZoneScript.h	Default entry resolver now returns `data->id`.
src/server/game/Handlers/AuctionHouseHandler.cpp	Auctioneer template lookup uses `CreatureData::id`.
src/server/game/Globals/ObjectMgr.cpp	Load creatures from new schema; add loading of variants from `creature_multispawn`.
src/server/game/Events/GameEventMgr.cpp	Update event vendor/model equip loading for new creature schema.
src/server/game/Entities/Creature/CreatureData.h	Rename `id1` to `id`; annotate `id2/id3` as multispawn variants.
src/server/game/Entities/Creature/Creature.cpp	Save/load/respawn logic updated to use `data->id` as primary template ID.
src/server/game/Conditions/ConditionMgr.cpp	Condition validation now compares against `CreatureData::id`.
src/server/game/AI/SmartScripts/SmartScriptMgr.cpp	SAI validation uses `CreatureData::id`.
src/server/database/Database/Implementation/WorldDatabase.cpp	Update prepared statements to match new creature schema + multispawn lookup.
data/sql/updates/pending_db_world/rev_8337814054007982.sql	Introduce `creature_multispawn` and migrate/drop old repeating columns.

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Copilot · 2026-03-23T04:59:48Z

data/sql/updates/pending_db_world/rev_8337814054007982.sql

+INSERT INTO `creature_multispawn` (`spawnId`, `entry`)
+SELECT `guid`, `id2` FROM `creature` WHERE `id2` != 0;
+
+-- Migrate id3 entries
+INSERT INTO `creature_multispawn` (`spawnId`, `entry`)


These inserts can fail and abort the migration if duplicates exist (e.g., id2 == id3 for a spawn, or repeated values across runs), because (spawnId, entry) is the primary key. Use INSERT IGNORE / ON DUPLICATE KEY handling, or filter duplicates in the SELECT (e.g., exclude id3 rows where id3 = id2) to make the migration idempotent and robust.

Suggested change

INSERT INTO `creature_multispawn` (`spawnId`, `entry`)

SELECT `guid`, `id2` FROM `creature` WHERE `id2` != 0;

-- Migrate id3 entries

INSERT INTO `creature_multispawn` (`spawnId`, `entry`)

INSERT IGNORE INTO `creature_multispawn` (`spawnId`, `entry`)

SELECT `guid`, `id2` FROM `creature` WHERE `id2` != 0;

-- Migrate id3 entries

INSERT IGNORE INTO `creature_multispawn` (`spawnId`, `entry`)

Fixed — using INSERT IGNORE now to handle potential id2 == id3 duplicates safely.

Copilot · 2026-03-23T04:59:48Z

src/server/game/Globals/ObjectMgr.cpp

+    // Load alternate entries from creature_multispawn
+    QueryResult variantResult = WorldDatabase.Query("SELECT entry FROM creature_multispawn WHERE spawnId = {}", spawnId);
+    if (variantResult)
+    {
+        do
+        {
+            uint32 variantEntry = variantResult->Fetch()[0].Get<uint32>();
+            if (!GetCreatureTemplate(variantEntry))
+            {
+                LOG_ERROR("sql.sql", "Table `creature_multispawn` has creature (SpawnId: {}) with non-existing entry {}, skipped.", spawnId, variantEntry);
+                continue;
+            }
+            if (!creatureData.id2)
+                creatureData.id2 = variantEntry;
+            else if (!creatureData.id3)
+                creatureData.id3 = variantEntry;
+        } while (variantResult->NextRow());
+    }


The lazy-load path (LoadCreatureDataFromDB) diverges from the main bulk load (LoadCreatures) validation/behavior: it does not check difficulty-entry constraints, does not validate equipment compatibility, and does not detect/log >2 variants (it silently ignores extras after filling id2/id3). This can lead to inconsistent runtime behavior depending on whether a spawn was loaded via bulk load or on-demand. Consider reusing the same validation logic as LoadCreatures (including logging when >2 variants exist) and making the variant row order deterministic (e.g., ORDER BY entry) so id2/id3 assignment is stable.

Fixed — LoadCreatureDataFromDB now has the same validation as the bulk loader: difficulty entry checks, equipment validation, overflow logging, and ORDER BY entry for deterministic assignment.

Copilot · 2026-03-23T04:59:48Z

src/server/game/Globals/ObjectMgr.cpp

+            CreatureData* data = const_cast<CreatureData*>(GetCreatureData(spawnId));
+            if (!data)
+            {
+                LOG_ERROR("sql.sql", "Table `creature_multispawn` has entry for non-existing creature spawn (SpawnId: {}), skipped.", spawnId);
+                continue;
+            }
+


Avoid const_cast here. Since variants are being applied during the load phase, prefer retrieving a mutable reference/pointer directly from _creatureDataStore (e.g., via find(spawnId) and modifying the stored CreatureData). This removes const-correctness hazards and makes it clearer that the data is intentionally mutable in this context.

Suggested change

CreatureData* data = const_cast<CreatureData*>(GetCreatureData(spawnId));

if (!data)

{

LOG_ERROR("sql.sql", "Table `creature_multispawn` has entry for non-existing creature spawn (SpawnId: {}), skipped.", spawnId);

continue;

}

auto creatureDataIt = _creatureDataStore.find(spawnId);

if (creatureDataIt == _creatureDataStore.end())

{

LOG_ERROR("sql.sql", "Table `creature_multispawn` has entry for non-existing creature spawn (SpawnId: {}), skipped.", spawnId);

continue;

}

CreatureData* data = &creatureDataIt->second;

Fixed — using _creatureDataStore.find() directly now, no more const_cast.

Copilot · 2026-03-23T04:59:48Z

src/server/database/Database/Implementation/WorldDatabase.cpp

    PrepareStatement(WORLD_SEL_WAYPOINT_SCRIPT_BY_ID, "SELECT guid, delay, command, datalong, datalong2, dataint, x, y, z, o FROM waypoint_scripts WHERE id = ?", CONNECTION_SYNCH);
    PrepareStatement(WORLD_SEL_ITEM_TEMPLATE_BY_NAME, "SELECT entry FROM item_template WHERE name = ?", CONNECTION_SYNCH);
-    PrepareStatement(WORLD_SEL_CREATURE_BY_ID, "SELECT guid FROM creature WHERE id1 = ? OR id2 = ? OR id3 = ?", CONNECTION_SYNCH);
+    PrepareStatement(WORLD_SEL_CREATURE_BY_ID, "SELECT guid FROM creature WHERE id = ? UNION SELECT spawnId FROM creature_multispawn WHERE entry = ?", CONNECTION_SYNCH);


In the UNION, the second SELECT returns spawnId without aliasing it to match the first column name. While most consumers fetch by index, aliasing improves clarity and avoids subtle issues in any code path that relies on column names. Consider: ... UNION SELECT spawnId AS guid ....

Fixed — aliased as spawnId AS guid.

Copilot · 2026-03-23T04:59:49Z

src/server/game/Globals/ObjectMgr.cpp

+            if (!data->id2)
+                data->id2 = entry;
+            else if (!data->id3)
+                data->id3 = entry;
+            else
+                LOG_ERROR("sql.sql", "Table `creature_multispawn` has more than 2 variant entries for creature (SpawnId: {}), extra entry {} skipped.", spawnId, entry);
+
+            ++variantCount;


variantCount is incremented even when the variant entry is not actually stored (e.g., when a spawn already has both id2 and id3 and the entry is skipped). Increment only when an entry is successfully assigned to id2/id3 to keep the load log accurate.

Suggested change

if (!data->id2)

data->id2 = entry;

else if (!data->id3)

data->id3 = entry;

else

LOG_ERROR("sql.sql", "Table `creature_multispawn` has more than 2 variant entries for creature (SpawnId: {}), extra entry {} skipped.", spawnId, entry);

++variantCount;

bool stored = false;

if (!data->id2)

{

data->id2 = entry;

stored = true;

}

else if (!data->id3)

{

data->id3 = entry;

stored = true;

}

else

{

LOG_ERROR("sql.sql", "Table `creature_multispawn` has more than 2 variant entries for creature (SpawnId: {}), extra entry {} skipped.", spawnId, entry);

}

if (stored)

++variantCount;

Fixed — variantCount now only increments when an entry is actually stored in id2/id3.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

- Use INSERT IGNORE for migration to handle id2==id3 duplicates - Remove const_cast, use _creatureDataStore.find() directly - Only increment variantCount when entry is actually stored - Add validation parity to LoadCreatureDataFromDB (difficulty, equipment, overflow) - Add ORDER BY entry for deterministic id2/id3 assignment - Alias spawnId AS guid in UNION query Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

data/sql/updates/pending_db_world/rev_8337814054007982.sql

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

sudlud · 2026-03-23T16:14:05Z

Will Claude provide fixes for the 100 broken modules 🫣

Nyeriah · 2026-03-23T18:25:41Z

The change is a simple rename (id1 → id) — modules just need to replace data->id1 with data->id (or .id1 with .id). Most modules don't even reference id1/id2/id3 at all. For the few that do, it's a one-line find-and-replace each.

Nyeriah · 2026-03-23T18:44:49Z

Only one module in the CI suite is affected — mod-guildhouse (2 occurrences of id1). Fix PR submitted: azerothcore/mod-guildhouse#77

sudlud · 2026-03-23T18:46:44Z

Alright, currently module ci is failing on build already, so it's not showing the failing sql files yet

Nyeriah · 2026-03-23T20:55:33Z

Module SQL fix PRs for the id1 → id rename:

mod-guildhouse (C++ & SQL): fix: rename id1 to id for AzerothCore compatibility mod-guildhouse#77
mod-instanced-worldbosses (SQL): fix: rename id1 to id in SQL for AzerothCore compatibility mod-instanced-worldbosses#14
mod-zone-difficulty (SQL): fix: rename id1 to id, remove id2/id3 in SQL for AzerothCore compatibility mod-zone-difficulty#80

Nyeriah · 2026-03-23T21:18:57Z

Module fix PRs for removed creature_template columns (scale, mechanic_immune_mask, spell_school_immune_mask):

mod-1v1-arena#75
mod-arena-3v3-solo-queue#59
mod-arena-replay#25
mod-emblem-transfer#35
mod-guild-zone-system#21
mod-guildhouse#77 (updated with scale fix)
mod-instance-reset#33
mod-morphsummon#32
mod-npc-all-mounts#21
mod-npc-beastmaster#76
mod-npc-buffer#45
mod-npc-codebox#23
mod-npc-enchanter#34
mod-npc-free-professions#37
mod-npc-gambler#25
mod-npc-morph#9
mod-npc-services#27
mod-npc-talent-template#59
mod-npc-titles-tokens#17
mod-pocket-portal#14
mod-promotion-azerothcore#7
mod-queue-list-cache#17
mod-racial-trait-swap#26
mod-reward-shop#35
mod-system-vip#9
mod-tic-tac-toe#7
mod-top-arena#8
mod-npc-spectator#16 (repo is under Gozzim, not azerothcore)
mod-pvp-quests#6

Copilot AI review requested due to automatic review settings March 23, 2026 04:51

Copilot AI reviewed Mar 23, 2026

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fix(DB): add DELETE before INSERT to satisfy SQL codestyle check

0340ec1

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

Copilot started reviewing on behalf of Nyeriah March 23, 2026 05:06 View session

github-actions bot added DB related to the SQL database CORE Related to the core Script Refers to C++ Scripts for the Core file-cpp Used to trigger the matrix build labels Mar 23, 2026

Merge remote-tracking branch 'upstream/master' into multispawn

7c4862e

sudlud reviewed Mar 23, 2026

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data/sql/updates/pending_db_world/rev_8337814054007982.sql Show resolved Hide resolved

fix(DB): combine INSERT statements to satisfy SQL codestyle check

fe7d88a

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

Nyeriah mentioned this pull request Mar 23, 2026

fix: rename id1 to id for AzerothCore compatibility azerothcore/mod-guildhouse#77

Merged

This was referenced Mar 23, 2026

fix: rename id1 to id in SQL for AzerothCore compatibility azerothcore/mod-instanced-worldbosses#14

Open

fix: rename id1 to id, remove id2/id3 in SQL for AzerothCore compatibility azerothcore/mod-zone-difficulty#80

Open

Merge remote-tracking branch 'upstream/master' into multispawn

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Kitzunu approved these changes Mar 28, 2026

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Nyeriah commented Mar 23, 2026

Changes Proposed:

Database Normalization

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