About Add-Ons

Community General Discussion
1

They are a gift. Some galaxy brains decided we need more than Blizz is giving us and created software to help. Some of it went too far and Blizz shut that down, but they did try to accommodate while maintaining the challenging nature.

This ultimately came to a head in Legion (from my understanding) as Add-ons had developed to a point where Blizz was creating encounters that all but required certain add-ons to even manage mechanics. And that’s obviously an issue. If I CHOOSE to download an addon to make something better or easier that’s one thing. When I’m forced to download an addon simply to complete an expansion is where the issue lies.

This seems to have been remedied. Encounters are tough, some add-ons were banned and overall raiding is a challenge without a group requiring an addon (even DBM is optional, unless you’re a good tank, as the mechanics of Nerub’Ar are pretty easy) which would seem to take the discussion off the table… But it isn’t.

Blizz is still talking about how they are having to keep add-ons in mind still to this day. They’ve been able to do it, sure
But just like us being required to have add-ons at one point in the game is wrong, it’s also wrong to expect Blizzard to balance encounters around unaffiliated add-ons.

Honestly, with the add-ons we do have access to, we are almost certainly making balancing more difficult for them as well. Though they have only mentioned about encounters. The balancing aspect is something I theorize as an issue. So, ignoring that, we still have encounters being shaped by add-ons, which takes away from time Blizz could be putting towards other things we want. New classes, new races, engaging patch content. The more time Blizzard has to spend tweaking an encounter because DBM/WA can tell us too much is time they don’t have to put towards those other aspects we are asking for.

I know Blizzard isn’t a small developer. WoW isn’t a new game. Blizz 100% has a headstart on everything. But then allowing us to use these outside codes inside their game just means the employee hours they have are even more limited, because at the end of the day Raids are the most interacted with endgame content. M+ starts strong but is already falling off this season (congrats if you’re still finding groups, just know you’re one of the lucky ones). Raid encounters will always take the lions share of endgame development.

So, we are left with a question as a player base, do we want to keep our add-ons (DBM/WA) and continue to get mid content everywhere else or can we accept when Blizz limits add-ons even more to alleviate some of the raid development stress?

If they have to spend less time on Raids then they can spend more time balancing classes, balancing M+, balancing delves, maybe even an extra questline or two.

I know I’m going to be labeled a Blizzard Sympathizer or Justificer. And on this topic I am, but I am calling the players out on decisions we are making, not calling Blizz out on how it’s responding to those decisions. At some point we have to realize we can’t have our cake and eat it too. This is an ever evolving game and both sides need to make concessions for it to thrive.

2

do you mythic raid?

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3

My guild started it last week after clearing heroic. And I’m assuming we’re going in again this week.

But, you’re asking about an aspect of the game only 1% of players interact with. Even in Raid, Mythic is a thing all its own. Mythic has always been to challenge the hardest core players. How much patience do you have because it’s not enough type stuff. I’m guessing DBM is beneficial in Mythic, though the walkthroughs I’ve been studying leave me no reason to be scared of not having it. The mechanics aren’tuch different than heroic, just tougher.

So, what’s your point I guess?

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4

The only addons that should be a thing are UI addons and damage meters. Ban all the rest.

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5

No. This is ridiculous.

It’s a fairy tale that the developers make up to shift blame. It can’t possibly be that they made a mistake, or are just bad at their jobs, you see. Oh no. The addons MADE them do it.

And people actually fall for that.

6

if you get to the later fights they basically require weak auras to complete. so no they didnt learn their lesson and they are still forcing the issue with add ons in mythic

7

Let’s take Mythic Ovinax as an example. It’s the first encounter teams will find this tier where an addon is actually “needed” (although I’m sure it could be done without, given time).

The problem is that 8 people, randomly picked, need to all perfectly coordinate when and how they’re going, within seconds, or else the raid wipes. And you have to do this 6 times during the encounter (assuming burn strat).

Now, here’s the question:
How did addons force the developers to create this widely despised aspect of the encounter?

The other encounters don’t have this mechanic, and they’re just fine.

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8

Ah, an addon Justificer. Just what I was hoping for. Because I can point at (as someone who thrived on add-ons the first time I played the game, Cata-WoD) what the problem is. Y’all don’t want to learn how to play the game the way it was intended to be played.

As I said, I relied on add-ons my first time on Azeroth. Everything I did, I had an addon for that. But upon returning in season 4 of DF. I got to 70 and searched endgame add-ons, noting that most of the recommendations were for UI or damage meters with DBM being the only one consistently listed as required. So I only downloaded Details! Because I know the benefit of analyzing my own numbers. Decided it’s time to raid again in TWW and downloaded DBM, Plater and Raider. So at the start of the Expac I had 4 add-ons that I thought were needed, DBM, Details!, Plater and Raider. I only have Plater and Details! still active. DBM is useless unless you’re just learning how to tank, healbot made healing so much more difficult than it needed to be to the point I haven’t touched my healer in over a month, bagon was added to the base game.

So I messed with the options and, turns out, I have insane control over the UI of the base game now. Especially when compared to what we could do back in MoP. So even UI add-ons are being phased out. Name Plates are the only UI issue for me anymore.

TLDR: the game doesn’t need add-ons, and most of the add-ons that are recommended are only going to get in the way once you learn the basics of your class. Once add-ons are gone Mythic Raiding gets nerfed a bit; but because the 21st man strat is officially the single most important addon any raiding guild can use they will remain a challenge very few accomplish. More than 1% probably, under 5% is possible unless every guild takes a 21st man

9

wow you just completely ignored his point and went on fat rant didnt you?

4 Likes
10

I don’t want to strain my neck to keep looking in the upper right corner of my screen for short-duration buffs that are inexplicably also mixed in with stuff like “it’s pet battle week!” so that I can’t even find them.

I want the ability to customize my UI and put information I want in the center of the screen where I can see it, yes.

I don’t know why that would bother you. Nor do I care, in the slightest.

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11

Dependency on addons proves why they should be removed. Blizzard can update their own UI.

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12

Not from what I’ve seen on walkthrough vids. WA’s simply make certain things easier. A good player paying attention to the screen will see the visual indicators anyway. BTW, I didn’t mention I play with sound off 100% of the time. Nothing against Blizz I just prefer my own background music. And, notably, was one of the most consistent performers in my raids the last few weeks. So, I can say, outside of the 1% content, WA’s is not required in the slightest if you just look at your screen.

13

They can’t. They “tried” in Dragonflight and didn’t do squat.

14

The only encounter I have ever done where I really felt an addon was required, was Mythic Queen Azshara. And that was years ago.

15

Wait so looking at the top of your computer screen puts a strain on your neck? That has to be the silliest thing I’ve ever read. lol

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16

Every 2 seconds? Yes.

I’m getting up there, a bit, in years.

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You know how I fixed that? I moved one of my spell bars into a 3x4 extra large right next to my character portrait with all of my big CD’s on it. And I know what the CD timer looks like when my temp buff runs out.

So, by not using an addon like WA or Hekili I was still able to get the same thing accomplished.

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18

lmao your not even on a boss like ovinax trying to tell people who have killed that boss that weak auras are not needed. it also doesnt matter if its 1% of the content or not that alone means that they have not learned their lesson and are designing encounters that require weak auras to organize the raid for the mechanic.

19

Yes, I did that about 10 years ago, with Bartender. But showing button cooldowns isn’t the be-all-end-all of gameplay, these days.

Try a Brewmaster in high-end play, for example. :joy:

20

I’ve downed Heroic Queen. Heroic Ovi is my guild b word. Mythic Raid is the 1% content I referred to.

So, yes, I can say, outside of the 1% content you can play this game perfectly without DBM or WA. As I do it every time I log in. I’m not a top 50 DH… Yet. But I’m much better than I was three weeks ago. And on the rise.

All without having my sound turned on or WA/DBM bossing me around. I did it by using the UI elements I have to my advantage and paying attention to my screen.