Simple question: What add-on functionality should be baseline?
This is nothing against add-ons, but some are so ubiquitous among players that it seems that Blizzard should consider adding this functionality into the default UI whenever feasible.
I’ll start with my list:
- TomTom
This add-on is very nearly required for achievement hunters and collectors. Often you can look at Wowhead and find a map pin telling you where an item is, but if you’re looking for spawn locations that may have a dozen or more map points, you really need multiple in-game map pins for this. TomTom fits this need perfectly, and it’s been a great add-ons. I would humbly suggest that Blizzard extends the default map pin functionality to include multiple pins able to be set via console command, just like TomTom does with /way (coordinates).
- Cast Bar Enhancements
Add-ons such as Quartz, Gnosis, or full UI replacements like ElvUI all have their own take on what the cast bar should be. However, all of them have some common elements that the default UI really should have (and to be fair, the new UI cast bar is much better than the original one).
I would like to see an option for the default bar to show total cast time, and not just time remaining. This is important to know, especially when you have haste procs changing total cast times. Blizzard has taken steps toward this (such as including the time remaining as an option), but they still don’t include total cast time. It seems like a really easy feature to add.
Another enhancement, and granted, this is more of a stylistic wish (it’s not critical), would be more cast bar color options. Allow us to color-theme the cast bar! Class colors would be nice, or even perhaps color-coding the bar by spell school or ability type.
There is a lot more they could do with cast bar theming, but that’s a basic idea. The cast bar is just so ubiquitous. Everyone in the game spends so much time staring at it. It’s a critical part of the UI.
- Other QoL Enhancements
There are a bunch of things that many players use small add-ons for to just enhance their gameplay quality of life. Examples of this are add-ons which unlock all windows for moving, give more detailed information about equipped gear, listing M+ ratings, better FPS and latency indicators, or better currency trackers. These are just some examples. I’m sure many folks have their own lists.
My goal is not to request bloating in the default UI, but simply to strive to present as much information (optionally) as possible while still being relatively efficient.
- Better Buff/Debuff/Proc Tracking in the HUD
This one probably speaks for itself, but of course I’m referring to the functionality of WeakAuras and others that help the player see what the UI should be displaying more clearly front-and-center.
The default UI has made great strives on this in the last few years, but there is more work to be done. Any critical combat buff or proc should be displayed in the HUD clearly so that we can act upon it, rather than having to search around the buff bar (Arcane’s Clearcasting stack count is a good example of this).
Anyway, I realize that there will always be a need for add-ons for those who like specific niche or technical functionality that Blizzard doesn’t want to provide (for whatever reasons). I think meters are a great example of this. I don’t foresee them ever adding any kind of default meter in, simply because it’s not critical to gameplay unless you optional want to seek-out that information.
However, I do think that it’s important to list ideas and let the devs know what we players think should be added as baseline features.
I realize that we should always be wary of feature creep and bloat, but in my opinion, I would rather have small features that most players use added as a baseline options rather than feeling compelled to find many different add-ons for them.
What do you guys think?