If Blizz is reimagining Classic+, they should consider the long term benefit of no addons

WoW Classic WoW Classic General Discussion
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Don’t get me wrong. Addons bring an enormous wealth of QOL enhancements that classic needs, and this is why I think Blizzard should update the base game to have many of these same options, such as:

  • Improved, customizable raid frames
  • Improved, customizable user interface options
  • Improved bag storage
  • Even include raid meters with options to export the data (I think WCL brings a fun competitiveness to the game)
  • more for sure

However, I think many other addons have contributed to cheapening the gameplay of WOW for a long time and it only gets worse as the game progresses. PVE and competitive PVP become less about being immersed in the game and more about watching and reacting to blinking alerts and timers on your screen. I am certain that many/most WOW encounters would be far too difficult for your average raid team to take down without those crutches. This is in part because Blizz has had to ramp up difficulty knowing all players are using these crutches AND Blizz has long taken shortcuts when designing encounters - why design interesting and immersive raid indicators when you know the player base is going to program a loading bars onto the screen to indicate timers. The game sometimes feels like you are playing Dance Dance Revolution, just watching instructions on a screen and reacting to them rather than being immersed and using visual cues from the game itself.

I know all these bosses do have cues letting you know what is happening, but players don’t use them. They’re not listening to what the boss is saying, or watching what its doing, they’re just watching and reacting to the blinking alerts and numbers from their addons. I know addons are a choice, but not using them would put you at a major disadvantage cause everyone else is using them, many guilds require them.

Many fights would likely need some TLC to make them more approachable, this would be a pretty massive undertaking from Blizzard, I know it would never happen but one could dream. Wow could be immersive and difficult again. Fights you’ve done hundreds of times could feel fresh again.

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They might, they’re doing it to retail, probably as simple as copy and pasting the UI over.

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Retail’s UI is trash. Classic’s is infinitely superior.

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so you only want blizzard to add the addons you’re using or what you only wants?!
you’re just A hypocrite

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  • Smaller population to manage since everyone will quit

Huge benefit to their server running costs.

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The classic Andys can’t play without addons. Basic mechanics like living bomb has proven that it’s too challenging for them. Classic players are majority bottom of the barrel 30+ year old boomers who think fights like KT are mechanically intense.

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Nerds seething that I use Auctionator add-on will never not be funny-dumb.

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it’s the same UI.

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Wut. The UI is radically different. I’m talking about the general ui though. Last time I tried to play retail I had to get an addon to turn the ui back to Classic. Which was semi-effective.

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That would be fine imo.

But where does labeling something a crutch become someone else’s accessibility? If Blizzard includes bare bones enhancements but say someone with mobility issues needs more shouldn’t the option be available to assist them if Blizzard’s build doesn’t provide enough to allow the player to perform in combat well in a group setting?

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nah because like sod they will hyper focus have 1000 people working on stuff for it then just be abandoned and would fall into a state of disrepair.
The only thing blizz cares about with the addons is that curse forge is making money doing it. It’s what happens when a company is better than the other at doing things. they could not care any less about the qol in the game.

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And every time I play classic I get tons of mods so I can have the retail UI :person_shrugging:.

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i use the same addon in Retail…

but it does make the Ui basically like Classic.