Why Addons Should Be Removed from World of Warcraft

[@yetiwow]

I might have to make a follow up video to avoid causing confusion. Until then, these are some takeaways: 1. My friend in the video DID use addons (Bigwigs, WA, MRT) to gain a competitive advantage - these aren't good for the game because blizzard has to tune content for addons and force harder boss fights with too many mechanics. 2. I am trying to say that the baseline difficulty of the game has to be purely gameplay/preparation and NOT fixing, modding WeakAuras or MRT healing sheet. 3. Blizzard has to improve the default UI to add tracking of buffs/debuffs/procs. But i am NOT a fan of a WeakAura instantly telling you if you dropped a debuff with a massive glowing icon and you just follow the instructions to do max DPS.

[@Netherstrasz]

@@yetiwow I agree with you 100%. The baseline difficulty needs to be changed to compensate for any disabling of addons like WeakAuras. It’s just too much right now. And you’re absolutely right that Blizzard is tuning encounters with the mindset we are using all these addons, so it’s a constant battle for complexity over fun. And that’s a battle where the players will eventually lose

[@xMovingTarget]

What you ask for is called Final Fantasy 14. Go play that if you despise addons so much. I have no problem with them. There is no argument to make about whether "some people cant get them or dont know about it". Everybody can get every addon. There is nobody in the world not being able to get addons. If you just play the game, people will tell you what addons you need or not. So these arguments are completely invalid. There is an argument to make about certain mechanics that require weakauras to even remotely succeed in a fight. Like Ovinax mythic for example. There I can see an issue. If you dont use weakauras there, the fight is extremely hard and borders at impossible. I wouldnt advertise banning addons over this.

[@GhostonYoutube201x]

yeah the problem they create is, its adding a barrier to entry that the game really needs to avoid, its why alot of people just play casual or quit, you literally need to do a science test to know what you have to get for the game, on top of that addons hit performance hard, you remove addons, you solve alot more problems than create, if addons get removed or baked in the ones like immersion etc, less is always more, combat addons getting removed would be where im like its okay anything else im not to bothered, combat addons hurt performance, there is generally people with top end pcs and drop under 60

[@xMovingTarget]

@@GhostonKZbin201x Thats just not true. Addons you "need" are very few and easy. Its BigWigs/DBM, Weakauras. There is nothing else you "need". And for weakauras its simple. Get a class WA for whatever you play, a raid package and a season m+ package. all you ever "need". You dont need a science degree for that. Details helps, but is not needed. Those 2 addons literally are the only ones a guild that raids requires. everything else is optional. I run a big list of addons. Including elvui and so on. The difference in fps from all addons / No addons in my case is like 5 fps. And raid works perfectly fine aswell. While I also log to WCL and record at the same time. Dropping under 60 fps in many cases especially raids (more than 20 people) is not fault of addons. it is the game itself. I dont have a highend PC (12600k, 3070Ti, 32bg DDR4 3200. I dont have these issues you try to make an argument about.

[@Max-9871]

Removing timers while fights are still 100% scripted is a stupid solution cause that would lead to even casual guilds raiding with 21 players and one of those is just dedicated to watch at a timer he started at pull and is reading the boss script down. And no one who ever played a souls game or other games with RNG based boss patterns wants this in wow cause that makes bosses impossible to balance.

[@michaelc657]

To a point, removing timers while fights are 100% scripted basically turns the game into Final Fantasy XIV, and there's a reason I don't raid in that game and come over to WoW instead. You can indeed have fights that require enough of the player that DBM "taunt now" stuff won't help them, but if raids turn into XIV-style savage puzzles then I'm out. Addons just aren't this huge problem people think they are, though certainly WeakAuras makes a case above all other addons as something that goes beyond what's reasonable.

[@tovarich9185]

typical elitist comment, addons help people be able to play the game, it would be impossible to heal at a high level and mentally track 20 different things for most people, it's already hard enough to be able to track the addons itself, would be only for the 0.1% to do it in your head, i would likely quit playing wow without addons. blizzard cannot be trusted to make a good ui either, they haven't been able to do so in 20 years, that's not going to change if you remove addons, bloated unusable aura bars, dozens of debuffs that you have to mentally understand which one is important or not all the time, sudden casts that wipe your raid if you didnt start ramping up your hots 10 seconds ago as resto druid, yeah, would be impossible to play for most people. addons allow us to also customize and give us a comfortable experience tailored for the different needs of each of us, some of us prefer different ui elements, asking to remove all this customization is just bad for players.

[@scorpogee6280]

I was just curious to see what WeakAuras did and what I got out of it was a completely frozen computer which required a reboot. Thank god it didn't happen while in combat! I figured it affected the graphics card and I have a high end card that easily handles everything currently thrown at it, but evidently something in the software caused a hard freeze. As soon as I removed WeakAuras there were no more problems.

[@tovarich9185]

@@scorpogee6280 that's a you problem, everyone uses them with no issues, i have the exact same fps with all my addons or with no addons, addons have become super efficient.

[@scorpogee6280]

@@tovarich9185 Doesn't make a difference anyways as I don't do group stuff. As a solo casual player I wouldn't need that. It probably was an overload as I do use other apps that might have had problems with what that app had. I use Zygor premium and have to shut that off unless I need it for certain things as it interferes with certain apps as well. To each his own as they say.

[@Netherstrasz]

You miss the entire concept. Removal of addons like WeakAuras would necessitate a change in how encounters are designed so we wouldn't have needed them anyway. Blizzard designs encounters around players using said addons, and that has led to things becoming more complicated and more obnoxious. Many enjoy the default UI since they revamped it in Dragonflight and not everyone uses WeakAuras anyway. The interface addons aren't on the potential chopping block. They don't tell you what to do, and those are the ones in the true spirit of what addons are supposed to be. So many people think of changes and fail to grasp the concept that nuances exist in everything. We then need to look at what the benefits are, along with the drawbacks, and see the results are before you go running around crying that the sky is falling.

[@scorpogee6280]

@@tovarich9185 Not everyone uses what you use. I don't group so why should I care about something that improves my combat if I'm solo and casual. I use Zygor and it sometimes conflicts with WoW depending what is going on so I turn it off until I need it. Not all apps work well together. I've 32 alts, ten of them level 80s, can you say the same? My level 80s do different things for different reasons, or I just play the flavor of the day. I was just curious as to what that app could do and I found out real fast that it wasn't friendly considering what I was using. So play the game your way and I'll play it my way.

[@Netherstrasz]

Your friend absolutely used addons for his Mythic Queen kill. DBM/Wigs and WeakAuras are two of the biggest offenders when discussing the removal of addons, too. Sorry, he used the competitive advantage you were discussing. Show us a clean Blizzard UI with maybe Details as the only addon and then we'll give him credit. Now, I agree we should have encounter addons like these removed, as it's hampered Blizzard's development and it's making things get insane. Players actually play worse because the thinking has gone away. But that would also need to come with a complete redesign in how encounters work across the board. Also, there's no issue with UI addons or something like Details because it doesn't actually tell you what to do.

[@yetiwow]

Oh he's absolutely using anything he can for a competitive advantage. Maybe I mis-explained the point. I believe that his UI is functional by itself and everything he is using shouldn't be allowed because he doesn't care about how a UI looks or feels, he just wants to perform.

[@Netherstrasz]

@ Ah okay. That makes sense. I’m one of the outliers who enjoys the default UI too. I use DBM and leave it at that and Details for my content. The default UI is set up to show the right debuffs on your character, timers on your bars for abilities and mouse over healing. I go with a minimalist mindset because, for me, a clean and open screen makes for a more efficient experience and I can more easily look out for mechanics too

[@infernal6969]

Ngl bro but if you do mythic raids you are not above average you are the 1% that keep the game alive, average players are people doing normal raids , hc raiders are above average

[@ostrogothiccyoutube8118]

roleplayers keep the game alive lol

[@ZomgZomg007]

Yikes...terrible take. Video highlighted shows, multiple addons running. If you want a addon free world, there is FF14.

[@nodlimax]

World of Warcraft has a general problem with how it is designed and balanced. The early game with the leveling phase is so easy that a brain dead monkey can make it through while the endgame rapidly increases the difficulty to the point where you can't do shit without addons. In competitive PVP playing without addons is a clear disadvantage and in PVE you have so many mechanics that can easily cause massive damage to the group to the point of where instant wipes are quite common (especially on heroic or mythic). The endgame is designed around the use of addons and that creates a problem due to it being an arms race between devs and addon creators. The more elaborate the addons become the more mechanically complex the fights have got to be. It's unnecessary and makes the game effectively worse for normal players. It's just one of the many problems WoW has but removing addons and designing new fights without them in mind would be a step in the right direction. Now imagine if a game like Elden Ring would provide you with the option to install addons where you can receive instructions on when to dodge or highlights safe areas during certain specials. Sure it would make the game easier but at the same time would basically cause the devs to create even more mechanically insane fights with even smaller time frames where you can stuff. It would be stupid and punish every player that doesn't use these addons.

[@RealFrinata]

Your arguement lacks a key component to it; evidence of what you're arguing for and why it's worth the arguement. You state that the game shouldn't have addons, alright fine, you brought up good points, but what does that look like on the other side? The game's stock UI is fine, changing it is just vanity at that point, I'm sure people could live without Elvui and other simmilar addons just fine. All the boss timers and major mechanics are alerted to you by the default UI as is, so that's alright there as well Personal responsibility, abilities, CDs, and proccs. This is where things get hard. Some classes get lucky, their built in procc information is all they need. But alot of other classes don't have that. Maelstrom Weapon for shamans, for example, only shows the growth of 1-5, but not 6-10. Meaning if you benefit hard from 10 stacks lightning bolt, but use it on 6, then you just lowered your own DPS. Hidden timers. I neglected something in the boss section, but this applies to so much more; not everything is alerted to you by the default UI. Enrage timer, certain boss CDs, that sort of thing. Taking away addons, even with some compensation, just won't work, wide spread. But. To play the game at an average level, you absolutely do not need addons. The game is friendly towards that. This isn't WoD and the trinket passing boss.

[@Silentstorm1220]

If u think u can play modern wow in CE / keystone 15+ level without ANY addons, u need a straight jacket. If ur argument is that the developers need to tone the game down to the point so people can play without any addons, then the entire game would have to be completely re-designed. No humans are capable of tracking dozens of buffs and procs that I need to react to asap to play my class at an optimal level while tracking what's going on. Your and others arguments of DBM/BW giving edge is also really stupid. If you have done any serious mythic raiding, you will know soon realize wiping on the same boss 100+ times, you don't even have to look at the timer after certain point. Does it help you plan stuff out when it's your first time vs that boss? Yes. Does that give you any advantage? No. Why? Cuz one could EASILY just watch a video of someone else killing that boss beforehand to understand the mechanics and their timings down to seconds if they wanted to. Using your same logic, then we must ban every single content creators who upload these guides on bosses, classes, and keys all should be banned as well, since they give an advantage to certain people, splitting the player base. Just play the game as the developers made the game out to be. They have exposed certain APIs to be usable by addon developers for reasons. They will design the bosses and mechanics around that as well. You think it's unfair, then keep yourself at a significant disadvantage and keep playing. But there is no need for crying that usage of addons is a form of cheating.

[@chessiecat7860]

This opinion is like asking people to do all math work in your head instead of using calculators lol. The former is simply not that fun for many people.

[@flashyhooves1710]

And then you have no idea about what procs and buffs and debuffs are on your class. Like about the resto shaman, how do you even know you have a high tide available without a weak aura... Without a timer, how can pro-active healers work? In my oppinion blizz should work more on the base UI, but in the end it is good to have customization too.

[@yetiwow]

Personal resource bars (under the player) have already had implementation of *some* procs, resources, etc. Of course blizzard would have to work on this to give classes a good feel

[@pisxd27]

and btw, you can see high tide as a proc in game without any addon

[@kil33r4eva]

Your chain heal glows when high tide is available :D

[@flashyhooves1710]

@@kil33r4eva Yes. But do you see that when it is on a bar somewhere at the bottom of your screen? I prefer to watch to the fight and play the mechanics, to be honest. The UI in this video also has the weakaura and chain heal on the bar, for good reasons. Not to forget the WA shows the timer.

[@kil33r4eva]

@@flashyhooves1710 idk how close are u to your monitor, u can see the whole screen and the bar if something glows on it to notice it without staring at it, atleast i can, and i can tell u i healed without that WA for 95% of the tier :)

[@rybr3ad]

Well yes that's what addons are for its for making it so that higher level players can have less cognitive overload when they are doing that tier of content, I'm sorry to say this but a lot of current high-end content you need at least some form of addon to help with timers, cooldowns, or visual clarity. It is a competitive advantage, because that's what it was made for. If you want a more laid back and simpler game go play classic or normal raid. People are gonna use every advantage they can, its called being resourceful. And anyone can install an addon people get paid to do this stuff, this honestly just sounds like a skill issue. You want the game to be easier, well guess what a lot of people play 20 keys and Mythic Raids because they want a challenge they don't want to play hold your hand simulator. Some people like getting straight to the point, I don't want sit there for 20 minutes figuring out what the bosses does when I can just watch a timer or use the journal to see what the mechanic does. You say it would be a net good for the game but it wouldn't people don't want to relearn the entire game just because someone wanted them too. If you don't know how to do your rotation or know when to pop a defensive that's your fault, not the addon. Your preaching to the choir, I'll say this again if you want a more casual or easier experience go play open world and do quest go play classic or just do easier content. Don't blame addons if you cant do that level of content then just don't do it but let those who can do it play their game.

[@rybr3ad]

Oh Just gonna add that your a massive hypocrite, when you yourself also use addons for your actions bars and FPS management when you just said that was cheating. And in a previous video in raid you were using bigwigs plater omni CD etc. So pick a side if your gonna complain.

[@AnotherCrazyClown]

In general i play almost without addons in everything, pve and pvp, and i'm doing good overall so i don't understand why people sometimes feel obligated to use addons which for me translates to skill issue but i get that some people grew too attached to them and now can't see the game the same way as before so yes, i think the best it's to get rid of addons so players can focus on the game instead of the ritual of getting the best guide that tells you everything beforehand

[@BaronSolace]

i get what you're saying, and i know your title is clickbait. but without certain addons i would not physically be able to play WOW. the accessibility from the ones I use allow me to play. Unless bliz implements these (they wont, and if they do they will be half-assed) i would have to quit.

[@itzxile1383]

I tried to get my wife to play the game with me. After I installed it for her, I mentioned that she had to download and customize all these other things for the game first to actually be able to play it properly. She said "why can't I just play the game normally" then sat down to watch Selling Sunset instead, because it made the game seem too overly complicated to her. Remove addons. It is a HUGE barrier to entry for new players.

[@anonreview2419]

100% agree this would even the playing field for everyone