I’m not in the alpha and can’t comment in the development feedback forum, but like many I have concerns. I hope you don’t mind me venting those concerns here.
Midnight Add-on purge feedback:
It is often very difficult to understand mechanics from the Adventure Guide alone. Even with watching tutorial videos on YouTube I still struggle to fully understand without actually doing it myself. Thanks to the content creators who produce those, they do help significantly.
I need to learn by doing and need to experience boss mechanics with clear indicators in real time. DBM and WeakAuras have been vital to me for learning boss mechanics and situational awareness once I have learned the fights. In particular these addons help my ADHD brain keep up with where we are in the timeline of a fight and what mechanics are coming out “soon”.
Historically, there have been situations where voice lines are unclear or inaudable leading to sudden unexpected death. Likewise there is a history of ground effects being used interchangeably for soak and “floor is lava” mechanics. It has sometimes felt like there’s no consistent design language for communicating mechanics to players. It has also felt like there is too much reliance on written descriptions in the Adventure Guide and not enough in-game opportunities to learn mechanics before confronting the bosses.
I’m very concerned that the black boxing of all combat data will severely impact dungeons, raids, scenarios, and delves. Even unique rares and world bosses have mechanics we need to be aware of.
We’re seeing the looming loss of these addons and hearing about a lack of ready replacements on the Alpha. This does not inspire confidence.
If Blizzard is unwilling to compromise on this then the replacement systems need to be robust and customizable enough to clearly communicate mechanics to players in real time. These systems need to account for accessibility as well or risk alienating players with disabilities.
Finally there needs to be ample opportunities to learn mechanics beyond just reading about it in the Adventure Guide and then getting thrown to the wolves. And YouTube videos aren’t enough. Some players actually need experience in-game to fully understand the mechanics.
I really hope Blizz is listening to this and taking it seriously. The loss of combat data without clear and consistent systems for communicating mechanics to players in combat could end situational awareness for many players. This would make most endgame content much less approachable if not completely inaccessible for many players.