This move to strip away combat addon functionality is a massive mistake.
Blizzard says they want to “enhance the base game” and “reduce reliance on third-party tools”, but let’s not pretend this is some overdue quality-of-life improvement. What they’re actually doing is dismantling systems the community built to fill the gaps the base game left behind, systems that made WoW more playable, more customizable, and more fun.
Removing access to the combat log, limiting what addons like OmniCD or WeakAuras can do, and phasing out real-time combat tools under the banner of “player skill” is missing the point entirely. These addons amplified skill and often helped players learn what they were supposed to be doing in the first place. They gave teams better ways to coordinate, practice, and push content at all levels. They evened the playing field for people who don’t have perfect reaction times or telepathic raid awareness, and most importantly, increased the game’s accessibility.
This isn’t just about Mythic raiders or sweaty M+ pushers. It’s about the ecosystem. Addons are part of World of Warcraft. They always have been. They’ve enabled accessibility, innovation, and entire communities of developers who’ve supported your game for decades, for free, out of love for this game.
Taking a sledgehammer to that because you think removing tools makes the game “purer” is out of touch. If the base UI isn’t keeping up, improve it. Compete. Get gud. “Tony Stark was able to build this addon in a cave with a box of scraps!” People should want to use the base UI because it’s better, not be forced to use it. If certain tools are too powerful, tune the fights or tweak the mechanics. But don’t punish the entire community for building better ways to play your game.
These changes are being pitched as a way to make things more “fair” and “skill-based.” But in reality, you’re stripping away one of the very things that set WoW apart from its competitors: the open, creative addon ecosystem that kept players engaged long after the new-patch shine wore off.
We’re not asking you to carry addons forward forever unchanged. But gutting access to the combat log and the tools built around it like this is just plain sabotage.
Please reverse this decision.