Let's talk about the default UI

Community General Discussion
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The default UI is the subject of scorn by many players (particularly in raiding), yet, I’ve always preferred to use it.

I’m not against add-ons at all. I frequently use DBM, Quartz, Auctionator, and some others as-needed. However, I consider myself a minimalist when it comes to my UI configuration, meaning I want to stay as close to the experience that Blizzard intended as possible.

That having been said, any raider will tell you that there’s simply functionality missing from the default UI that is critical to the raiding environment.

I’d like to list some of those items as suggestions for adding to the default UI. I realize that these suggestions have very likely been made over the years, along with many others, but I thought this might be a nice point at which to consolidate discussion for how to make the default UI experience more viable for today’s raiding environment while lessening dependance on DBM and full UI replacements such as ElvUI.

So, here are my suggestions (again, I’m keeping this minimalist, I don’t consider being able to fully customize the UI to be a basic need for raiding):

  • Pull Timer – Implement a simple /timer (x seconds) command so that a group/raid lead can set a timer which everyone, regardless of installed add-ons, can see.

  • Better Debuff Notification – There should be an option to flash the screen (similar to the built-in low health option) when you have a critical debuff on you (the kind that will wipe the raid if you don’t move). The debuff icons by themselves are insufficient, as with buffs and debuffs being added/remove all throughout a fight, it’s very easy to miss seeing something critical go up.

  • A Better Cast Bar – The default cast bar has really been lacking throughout the game’s history. It’s small relative to the overall UI scale, especially considering how central a role it plays, particularly for casters. We’re looking at our cast bars a good percentage of the time. It should be at least a little bigger. Also, adding a cast time indicator would be very helpful, as well, so that we can measure our casting speed and adjust movement accordingly.

Now, I realize that these items are provided with add-ons like DBM and Quartz, which are both wonderful additions and respectable projects. However, they’ve become so ubiquitous that isn’t it about time some of this functionality were actually added to the default UI? Thoughts? Additional ideas?

2 Likes
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Built in pull timer would be a fantastic addition. Really don’t see why they haven’t done this yet.

They have gotten MUCH better with important Debuffs over the years, but I could see where a few specific instances could be improved upon.

I’m gonna hijack your third suggestion and offer an even better solution. Make the addon Move Anything a part of the default game! With this addon you can rescale and move any ui element you want. FFXIV does this and honestly it’s one of the best features of the entire game.

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I’d like to see that missing lower action bar button filled in, I could really use it!

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I’ve played WoW literally since day one. Currently I use ElvUI (w/ AddonSkins), Clique, DBM, and Skada. I also use WeakAuras to track stagger on my BrewMaster Monk.

After 15 years of playing, I consider myself pretty minimal with the addons, and could honestly play WoW on the majority of the classes with just the default UI if I had to…

…That is until I got on one of my healers. I don’t care how fast you claim to be, you can’t click your spells and call yourself a top level healer. If at the very least you’re not spending an inordinate amount of time making mouseover macros for your healers (at least on the default UI), you’re doing it wrong.

Because of this barrier to entry, I always, ALWAYS just end up recommend Clique + Some Raid Frames or an equivalent addon like Vuhdo.

You simply cannot efficiently play a healer with the default UI. Not without a massive amount of macros. It’s just so much easier to get Clique/Vuhdo/Healbot and call it a day.

2 Likes
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My only concern with the default UI is it’s off centered from your character and you have to use an addon to center it.

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This is pretty much what the game needs. Player/Target frames in the top left corner is a TERRIBLE layout, but I don’t blame Blizzard for not changing the default after over a decade of people being used to it.

Pull Timer functionality would be cool and a debuff flash based on the type of debuff would be a neat option (although hardly required).

For the most part the base UI gets the job done, it’s just not perfect. Personally I don’t grab UI addons because I find to original to be hard to work with, I grab UI addons because the base UI is designed as if we were still in 1996. It just looks tacky.

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One benifit blizz has for not adopting popular add-ons into the game is that they dont have to maintain it…

Which is probably the biggest reason.

To expand, why try updating the ui when most people still wont use it.

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Blizzard is depending way too much on the addon developers, the interface we have has been in need of improvements for years.

This game is not only lacking race customization, it is also lacking a lot of UI options. It is crazy how you can’t even move your skill bars if you don’t have an addon designed for that purpose.

They would add something to change the color and design of the UI; move skill bars, quest windows, map and the chat that shows up every time you get near to a world quest (this chat is extremely annoying in island expeditions); also an option to sell grey quality items.

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In fairness, the 4 you can enable by default are more than enough for normal gameplay. If you need more than that you probably have a bunch of non-combat stuff on your bars, or 4 different macros for the same ability in different situations, which is overkill.

2 is enough for the majority of specs in terms of abilities that see use related to combat + mount + consumables.

1 Like
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See I’m the opposite… I think the Blizzard UI is way to busy and cluttered and it is why I use ElvUI… Very minimalistic.

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I just wish the defualt UI had something like Inline AdiButtonAuras that puts the debuff timer right there on the actual spell button. Like I can see how much longer my Agony will last on my current target just by looking at my Agony button (on my lock, of course).

But yeah, over all, I just use the default UI because there’s less to go wrong and less to keep updated that way. There’s a lot I could do to improve it through addons but to me it’s just not worth the hassle.

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Ah, spelling error. Happens a lot when I am using my cellphone to post here. I meant to say “It is crazy how you can’t even move your skill bars”.

Gonna correct that.

I dont think we need more skill bars, we don’t even have enough skills to fill them up. :rofl:

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I use DBM for the pull timer. It sucks when it gets out of date, so disables itself, which happened to me last nite :frowning:

I use the default UI, and most boss debuffs let you know you have something you have to move for.