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More addons and extras for your PvP UI
WoW Insider covers the world of player vs. player action in Blood Sport for fans of Battleground, world PvP and Arena play. Steering you to victory is Olivia Grace, who has spent the past two weeks adding additional addons. A while back in January, I wrote a guide to PvP addons and UI settings. This week's column will talk about a bunch of addons that aren't necessarily ones I'd recommend, so please, please head on over to the old column rather than just downloading everything on this page! Don't want to read a whole other column? Well, all right, then. I'll sum it up really fast for you here, and then we'll get into the fun bit! What's the fun bit? Well, a bunch of people last week suggested new addons for me to try or for others to use, and a few have suggested others to me more recently -- so here's where I try them! How is that fun? Oh, shush. Trying new things is great! As long as they're legal. At the time of writing the first piece, before starting my research for this one, my default addon set for Battlegrounds was: REFlex gets top billing, since it's always on, all the time, for every character. It's a data gathering addon that tells you all your Battleground and Arena wins and losses ever. It's exportable as a CSV file for you data geeks out there, simply the best way to keep up with your stats. LoseControl is another great one that's always on for every character. Whenever you lose control of your character or their abilities via a silence, stun, or otherwise, it puts the icon for that ability in the centre of your screen with a pie-chart timer for the duration. SaySapped does exactly what it says on the tin. Always on, though not really needed in Arena when you're Skyping. If you get sapped, you say "sapped." Alerts people in the area of your sappy state. Healers Have to Die is mean, right? But if the healers aren't from your faction and you're in a BG, they do. Puts a mark on a healer's head that's extremely obvious. Default settings need to be told to chill, or they'll spam you to insanity and beyond! SmartTargeting makes your tab target your nearest enemy rather than your nearest enemy unit in PvP scenarios. What does that mean? Well, in a BG, you don't have to tab through a gang of venemous snakes to get to the hunter. Just click? Sure, but I like tab targeting, OK?
Reader UI of the Week: Vhei's Cataclysm 2.0 UI packed up for you
Each week, WoW Insider and Mathew McCurley bring you a fresh look at reader-submitted UIs as well as Addon Spotlight, which spotlights the latest user interface addons. Have a screenshot of your own UI that you'd like to submit? Send your screenshots along with info on what mods you're using to readerui@wowinsider.com, and follow Mathew on Twitter. When a beautiful user interface hits the site and people ask where to get it, I have the sad news that not everyone makes their user interfaces available online. The process done correctly, mind you, is a relatively complicated one -- there is a lot that goes into it, especially for a first-timer. So while it is not a requirement to make your user interface available when submitting to Reader UI of the Week, it's always a pleasure when one does come down the pike. Vhei's user inteface creations have always been fun to showcase because of his talent and attention to detail. Lots of user interfaces out there do what his does, as do all of ours for the most part, but the construction of the whole is where I am always impressed with his creations. I've just gotten an email from Vhei letting me know that his last UI, the Cataclysm 2.0 UI, has been released as a package that you can download and try out. He's even got a video on YouTube explaining the process. Let's find out more, shall we?
Addon Spotlight Alternatives: Boss mods
Each week, WoW Insider's Mathew McCurley brings you a fresh look at reader-submitted UIs as well as Addon Spotlight, which focuses on the backbone of the WoW gameplay experience: the user interface. Everything from bags to bars, buttons to DPS meters and beyond -- your addons folder will never be the same. Did you know that there are multiple addons out there that can competently handle boss timers, cooldowns, and announcements? Did you know that not every one of those is named Deadly Boss Mods? By far the most popular, DBM has set the standard in terms of features and relative ease of use for a category of addons that has a high potential to overcomplicate things. Instead, the addon community has created niches and fanbases around its labors of love, creating the juggernaut boss mods that we have today. Deadly Boss Mods sits proudly in the Addon Kingdom with BigWigs and Deus Vox Encounters (DXE) as champions of letting you know that you're about to wipe the raid because you're standing in the wrong stuff.
Reader UI of the Week: Vondak knows presentation is everything
Each week, WoW Insider and Mathew McCurley bring you a fresh look at reader-submitted UIs as well as Addon Spotlight, which spotlights the latest user interface addons. Have a screenshot of your own UI that you'd like to submit? Send your screenshots along with info on what mods you're using to readerui@wowinsider.com, and follow Mathew on Twitter. Welcome back to Reader UI of the Week, WoW Insider's showcase of the community's user interfaces. I'm looking for Mists of Pandaria beta UIs. Enough people are in the beta now playing around with monks and their kit, so let's see what people are doing with monk abilities. Whatever it is, I want you to show it off. Let's get a jump on the expansion while we talk about real-world examples from people's beta screenshots. That's not this week, however. A special treat is lined up for you today. Vondak, a survival hunter from the Nesingwary (US) realm, has decided to let his character speak for themselves about their user interface. In lieu of a reader email and submission this week, we have a reader gallery, as Vondak takes you through the intricate parts of the "high and tight" setup.
Addon Spotlight: Grind in style with Factionizer
Each week, WoW Insider's Mathew McCurley brings you a fresh look at reader-submitted UIs as well as Addon Spotlight, which focuses on the backbone of the WoW gameplay experience: the user interface. Everything from bags to bars, buttons to DPS meters and beyond -- your addons folder will never be the same. The pre-expansion stretch is a great time to work on those pesky achievements that have been sitting on your to-do list for some time. Now that your raid schedule is a little more relaxed or you are just out doing your own thing, it's time to try something new. One of those tasks that I've given myself is to finally finish up my 50 exalted reputations achievement. I'm close -- real close. Two reputations to go, in fact, and they aren't even that hard to do. It's all about the time put in and the motivation to do it. After I logged in and opened up my reputations tab, I was astonished at how little the interface had changed in seven years. The basic setup is still intact with a few minor changes. Factionizer was recommended to me by a reader whose email tersely consisted of just these words: "Factionizer is a great addon, put it on the spotlight." That was the entire message. After checking out the addon, I was suitably impressed not only because there is a definite need for a more robust faction window (if only for awesome in-game lore purposes) but because the addon got me thinking about completing reputation achievements once again.
Reader UI of the Week: Puddinpop adds on with a larger screen
Each week, WoW Insider and Mathew McCurley bring you a fresh look at reader-submitted UIs as well as Addon Spotlight, which spotlights the latest user interface addons. Have a screenshot of your own UI that you'd like to submit? Send your screenshots along with info on what mods you're using to readerui@wowinsider.com, and follow Mathew on Twitter. Adding to UI compilations is a fine art we talk about on occasion here at Reader UI of the Week. Some things are easy to fit into a preexisting setup, whereas others are much more difficult, unable to fit in a premade UI's rigorous framework. Puddinpop, a blood elf paladin from the Saurfang server, has submitted a UI that features many additions to a basic RealUI setup smashed together with some of the design elements of LUI. On top of the challenge of expanding on work already existing on the screen, Puddinpop takes the challege a step forward with a gigantic monitor. Sometimes it is just as difficult to design a UI around a much larger monitor as it is with a laptop or smaller screen. Many of the same concerns are present, just in a slightly different way. Fonts may be too small versus too large, UI elements might just never be noticed, and you could actually be straining your eyes to read too-small text. Big monitors can be a burden.
Addon Spotlight: QuestHubber is awesome for the next few months
Each week, WoW Insider's Mathew McCurley brings you a fresh look at reader-submitted UIs as well as Addon Spotlight, which focuses on the backbone of the WoW gameplay experience: the user interface. Everything from bags to bars, buttons to DPS meters and beyond -- your addons folder will never be the same. I've been looking for an addon as simple and straightforward as QuestHubber for years. A combination of Lightheaded and Everyquest was the go-to staple of your average Loremaster, deftly conveying the necessary information to make these questing achievements a breeze. Add Questhubber to your Loremaster toolbox, because it's pretty damn dynamo. Well, until Mists of Pandaria comes out, anyway. You see, QuestHubber has the both fortunate and unfortunate destiny of being such a good idea that Blizzard put the thing into the game. Yep, you can now see quest hubs on your map to better facilitate your questing experience. Don't get me wrong, I adore this feature. I just can't help but feel sad for little QuestHubber, which could potentially have more options than its official counterpart.
Reader UI of the Week: Navigator plots a course to UI satisfaction
Each week, WoW Insider and Mathew McCurley bring you a fresh look at reader-submitted UIs as well as Addon Spotlight, which spotlights the latest user interface addons. Have a screenshot of your own UI that you'd like to submit? Send your screenshots along with info on what mods you're using to readerui@wowinsider.com, and follow Mathew on Twitter. Navigator of the Exodar not only has one of the coolest name-plus-title combinations I've seen yet (don't be sad, all of you Professor Oaks out there) but a slick UI to match. It's a little crowded, to be sure, but sometimes things are crowded. Sometimes we like a little bit of a lot going on. Also, I'm going to assume that you're going with the Warhammer 40k-type Navigator in that you've just plotted the course and not actually piloted the ship, because the pilot has a lot of explaining to do. I think that I just strained a nerd muscle. As for the title today, again I am fooled by my own supposed cleverness at four in the morning when the title of this particular article came to mind. Navigator's UI works for all three specs to accommodate any and every alt, as well as a large enough healing array for competent raid healing. The double chat box is also a great idea that a lot of people don't necessarily take advantage of. Let's see if we can work something out.
Addon Spotlight: Mists of Pandaria Beta UI upgrades
Each week, WoW Insider's Mathew McCurley brings you a fresh look at reader-submitted UIs as well as Addon Spotlight, which focuses on the backbone of the WoW gameplay experience: the user interface. Everything from bags to bars, buttons to DPS meters and beyond -- your addons folder will never be the same. As one of the fortunate few with a Mists of Pandaria beta invite at this time, I have been excitedly snapping screenshots of some of the UI changes coming in the next expansion. While we still have not yet seen the Pet Battle system interface, arguably the biggest UI reveal this go-around, there are still a few tweaks to the game that are deserving of being pointed out. More quality of life improvements than anything, the changes to WoW so far in the Mists beta have been straightforward and welcome additions. I figured that since this is the beta process that we as a community can provide some feedback even if you haven't had a chance to see these tools in action. Since the tools are mostly quality-of-life improvements and not "boots on the ground," experience-dependent changes, these changes are something we can discuss and hopefully make better before the launch. Since this is the beta, things can and will change dramatically. This is only a quick look at some of the features and changes coming in Mists of Pandaria. As new features open up, like the aforementioned Pet Battles, I will be more than happy to show them to you. If you are in the Mists of Pandaria beta and want to help me out with some UI testing and screenshots or you're an addon developer looking to talk about your new Mists of Pandaria addons in the works, send me an email at mat@wowinsider.com.
Reader UI of the Week: Laar goes with a tri-spec setup
Each week, WoW Insider and Mathew McCurley bring you a fresh look at reader-submitted UIs as well as Addon Spotlight, which spotlights the latest user interface addons. Have a screenshot of your own UI that you'd like to submit? Send your screenshots along with info on what mods you're using to readerui@wowinsider.com, and follow Mathew on Twitter. Oh boy, do I have a treat for you all this week. Laar is our UI subject this week, and I was immediately impressed with not only Laar's courageousness to tri-spec for a heroic raiding guild but at the ease with which the World of Warcraft user interface turns on a dime. No other MMO UI out there can transform itself so quickly to become something utterly new from spec to spec. Going tri-spec is daunting. I don't know if that's the type of dedication my brain can handle these days. College, maybe. Back then, I could multitask. Now I'm an old, sad man. Don't let my shame and sadness get you down. Let's take a look at this awesome UI!
Addon Spotlight: A UI primer for returning WoW players
Each week, WoW Insider's Mathew McCurley brings you a fresh look at reader-submitted UIs as well as Addon Spotlight, which focuses on the backbone of the WoW gameplay experience: the user interface. Everything from bags to bars, buttons to DPS meters and beyond -- your addons folder will never be the same. World of Warcraft experienced numerous cataclysms over the last year and a half as Blizzard, the community, and everything in between had a weird hiccup moment. Mists of Pandaria seems to be shaping up to pull many lapsed players back into the World of Warcraft ranks, and the Scroll of Resurrection is a none-too-subtle way of facilitating that goal. Old players who thought WoW was down and out have been pulled back because of instant access to a lot of the features once reserved for the especially dedicated. Last week, I gave you some tips on what to install on your brand new player's game in order to facilitate a smoother first-game experience. This week, we're going to address old players from all past eras of WoW's lifespan and help them get back into the game without too many bumps along the way. It's a very different game, but the core components are exactly the same. Blizzard correctly pointed out that when WoW's got you and your character's boots on the ground, the game works the best. But first, before we begin with the article proper, I wanted to proclaim victory for the WoW community with regard to AoE looting. Blizzard has announced that AoE looting will be making the release of Mists of Pandaria, and I could not be happier. I've been championing AoE looting for some time now, and I want to send the happiest thoughts possible to the dev who got this feature on the launch list. You have no idea what types of quality of life changes that this will bring to everything from old raid farming to time spent waiting around in dungeons.
Addon and UI tips for new WoW players
Each week, WoW Insider's Mathew McCurley brings you a fresh look at reader-submitted UIs as well as Addon Spotlight, which focuses on the backbone of the WoW gameplay experience: the user interface. Everything from bags to bars, buttons to DPS meters and beyond -- your addons folder will never be the same. Can you believe there are people out there who have yet to play World of Warcraft? It's totally true. In an attempt to be investigative and thought-provoking, I've begun writing a few pieces on bringing brand new MMO players into World of Warcraft more than seven years after the game's initial release. For the purposes of experimentation and all that jazz, I turned off every single addon while my ... subjects ... toiled away. It was uncomfortable at first watching an addon-less screen, but bearings were gotten and life went on. However, there were a few points of the user interface that were not necessarily troubling to my brand new player, but moreso gave a feeling of being "lost" on the screen during moments of tense combat or heavy movement. I wrote down the observations that I believe new players can benefit the most from. With little to no customization needed, these addons and tips can greatly enhance a new player's starting experience while removing some of the tedium of certain tasks mixed with hard-to-explain concepts. Maybe we can even get some of these features in game as part of Blizzard's new player initiative.
Reader UI of the Week: Saintstryfe's healing UI learns from other worlds
Each week, WoW Insider and Mathew McCurley bring you a fresh look at reader-submitted UIs as well as Addon Spotlight, which spotlights the latest user interface addons. Have a screenshot of your own UI that you'd like to submit? Send your screenshots along with info on what mods you're using to readerui@wowinsider.com, and follow Mathew on Twitter. World of Warcraft has me spoiled in regards to MMO user interfaces. While I don't like bringing up other games in my columns, it is almost necessary at times when talking about the overarching themes of the genre, something I am passionate about. Take, for instance, the original Bioware stance on DPS meters ("there will be none") and the subsequent reversal of such a plan -- I would have preferred gun-stickage. Competition drives innovation in our marketplace, and other MMOs have been stepping up their games in recent years in regard to almost every aspect of the MMO experience. Yet WoW's UI is still leaps and bounds more customizable, flexible, and vibrant than a majority of the AAA titles on the shelf. What the heck is going wrong with the MMO industry and the UI? The Old Republic had to patch in basic UI features. RIFT, while capable in and of itself with UI customization, still suffers from constraints. The original EverQuest made you look at a book to regenerate mana faster. I realize it's not the same world as WoW, but it's still a part of the package. ... which brings me to today's interface and topic. Saintstryfe may have not intended this submission to spur the topic that it did, but I don't care. Saintstryfe, you're riding the Reader UI train now, and this train's conductor doesn't slow for no. One. No one. Except myself. I'm the conductor. Other games reveal aspects of World of Warcraft that otherwise would be left unnoticed due to repetition and routine -- a foil, if you will, to the idiosyncracies of World of Wacraft ... and maybe insight into how to fix them.
Submit your user interface to Reader UI of the Week
World of Warcraft's user interface is one of the most awesome features of the game. Where else in MMO-land can you find UIs as diverse, creative, and different than those of all of your peers and community pals? Here on WoW Insider, we have a little column where your work gets shown off and discussed amongst our own little community, and we want your submissions. With Mists of Pandaria on the way and some time to prepare for the coming storm, now is the best time to work out some of the kinks in your user interface. Always wanted to try a new spell timer? Thinking about ditching one DPS meter for another? Do it now, when you're just kind of hanging out. What about all those old-new players who are coming back because of the new Scroll of Resurrection? What types of user interface concerns do they have? At Reader UI of the Week, we love to help you with your UI design woes, discussing ways to change or adjust your UI to get it to look a little bit cleaner, a little bit smoother, or just plain nicer. If you're going to send in a call for help, please be as descriptive as possible. Submit your user interface to Reader UI of the Week by emailing, coincidentally, readerui@wowinsider.com. Here are some tips to remember and information to include when you are submitting your UI or call for help: Include "Reader UI of the Week" in the subject of your email. If it's not there, your email might not get through. Pictures are good, and the bigger, the better. You don't have to write a novel, but definitely write enough that readers get a sense of why you did what you did. What are your biggest priorities when putting together your UI? Did I mention that pictures are awesome? If you are submitting a user interface that is modified off of an existing UI compilation, tell me what you changed and what was important about those changes. Anyone can go and just pick up a premade compilation. Again, submit your user interfaces to readerui@wowinsider.com, and show off your work! Interested in getting the most out of your user interface? Come back once a week for more examples of reader UIs. For more details on individual addons, check out Addon Spotlight, or visit Addons 101 for help getting started.
Addon Spotlight: All aboard for Train Smashing station
Each week, WoW Insider's Mathew McCurley brings you a fresh look at reader-submitted UIs as well as Addon Spotlight, which focuses on the backbone of the WoW gameplay experience: the user interface. Everything from bags to bars, buttons to DPS meters and beyond -- your addons folder will never be the same. Useless flavor items have become an odd duck item in the MMO sphere. While we toil about in our virtual lives, amassing virtual goods in virtual storage, we also collect dumb trinkets and items that do nothing but look cool, make sounds, or annoy our friends. Why is it that we love virtual toys as much as our real life avatars do? I can deal with most of the fun vanity items out there and even proudly proclaim that the best item in the entire game of World of Warcraft is the Tol Barad Searchlight. However, I cannot stand the train emotes. Train sets sounded like a fantastic idea, complete with a funtastic toy shop in Dalaran. What we got instead, during raiding at least, was a nightmare. While combing through my emails a few days ago, I was in a particularly grumpy mood with no real pointed hatred or contempt for /train, but when my eyes finally rested on Edymnion's words, I was stirred to action. Trains need to be stopped. In his email, Edymnion recommended two addons that are designed to not only disable the /train emote completely but to find, capture, try, judge, and execute the perpetrators of train-on-ear violence.
Does gender matter when designing your user interface?
Each week, WoW Insider and Mathew McCurley bring you a fresh look at reader-submitted UIs as well as Addon Spotlight, which spotlights the latest user interface addons. Have a screenshot of your own UI that you'd like to submit? Send your screenshots along with info on what mods you're using to readerui@wowinsider.com, and follow Mathew on Twitter. Our interface today comes from lady gamer Rinjichan. I would not be so inclined to point out that Rinjichan is a woman if Rinjichan herself did not make it a subject of conversation. Why, you would ask, would a discussion of gender be relevant to a discussion about user interfaces? Plenty of reasons, actually. Do genders approach user interfaces differently? Do men and women identify different elements of the UI as important or relevant? Go beyond the stereotypical pink bottom bar and look at the placement of addons, the structure of the buttons, and the overall layout. These are the things that interest me, as well as whether or not a user interface can have gender ascribed to it.
Addon Spotlight: Despite its name, WeakAuras is anything but
Each week, WoW Insider's Mathew McCurley brings you a fresh look at reader-submitted UIs as well as Addon Spotlight, which focuses on the backbone of the WoW gameplay experience: the user interface. Everything from bags to bars, buttons to DPS meters and beyond -- your addons folder will never be the same. It's a shame that it has taken me this long to talk about WeakAuras, a fantastic addon that was originally designed as a less resource-intensive alternative to PowerAuras but has become something much more. With an easier-to-use interface, in my opinion, WeakAuras is an excellent way to add information, customization, and flare to your alerts, cooldowns, buffs, and timers. Everyone has heard of PowerAuras, right? Or have they? It's becoming quickly apparent that a lot of players are not being exposed to the grandaddy addons that we're so used to and that come up so fluidly when discussing our roles. But with Blizzard's own on-screen notification for important buffs as well as easy-to-use alternatives like NeedtoKnow and TellMeWhen, more complicated and tweakable addons are swept under the rug. Here's your chance to jump into something just a little more experienced and out of your comfort zone. I promise, it won't bite.
Reader UI of the Week: Magistrum's basic setup makes great addon starting place
Each week, WoW Insider and Mathew McCurley bring you a fresh look at reader-submitted UIs as well as Addon Spotlight, which spotlights the latest user interface addons. Have a screenshot of your own UI that you'd like to submit? Send your screenshots along with info on what mods you're using to readerui@wowinsider.com, and follow Mathew on Twitter. One of the most amazing things about World of Warcraft's addons is that you're always learning something new or adapting your interface to the new standards because you can build on top of what's already there. Sometimes you do the opposite -- take all of the information you've learned and processed but strip it all away and start from stratch. It's liberating to re-form your UI with years of potentially new and useful knowledge and expectations when going to build your legacy UI. Magistrum sent me a screenshot for his mage's new UI. I looked at the picture first as I usually do when picking out a UI for the column and saw a very basic design that didn't jump out at me while being far from offensive. After reading the short email, it dawned on me that I was looking at this UI all wrong. This wasn't a first attempt at cleanliness with a new player, hitting the game for the first time. No, this was years of learning and understanding what makes your own personal UI yours. The little pieces are all in place where you want them.
Addon Spotlight: AdvancedIconSelector adds cool features to macro creation
Each week, WoW Insider's Mathew McCurley brings you a fresh look at reader-submitted UIs as well as Addon Spotlight, which focuses on the backbone of the WoW gameplay experience: the user interface. Everything from bags to bars, buttons to DPS meters and beyond -- your addons folder will never be the same. I don't know about you, but I make decent use of macros. No, I'm not King Macro of Macropolis, but there are choice macros I keep at the ready in case of turmoil or danger. Most notable is a Start Attack macro for most of my heavy DPS abilities so that I'm not missing a second of precious swing time. Macros are a powerful tool in World of Warcraft, with many DPS specializations especially able to string together code and script to swap stances, time abilities, and maximize number output. It's a beautiful thing. The macro interface in WoW, however, isn't. Unlike most of WoW's interface, the macro UI is lacking. Cataclysm brought an updated macro UI that fixed a portion of the problems but not the real issues at hand. Learning macros is hard, and naming and selecting images for macros is clunky. I almost have a hard time making that argument because, frankly, I thought everyone just used the #showtooltip command in their macros to pick whichever ability they wanted to use, but then I quickly scolded myself. "Mathew, shame on you," I said. "Macros are not only used for combat abilities. Macros are used for everything! Look at all of those icons." You were right, me. I've got to give credit where credit is due.
Reader UI of the Week: Deadpool's multipurpose hunter UI
Each week, WoW Insider and Mathew McCurley bring you a fresh look at reader-submitted UIs as well as Addon Spotlight, which spotlights the latest user interface addons. Have a screenshot of your own UI that you'd like to submit? Send your screenshots along with info on what mods you're using to readerui@wowinsider.com, and follow Mathew on Twitter. While I was doing archaeology the other day (Is this seriously all I do anymore? What have I become?), pieces of my UI became apparently ... messy. I didn't like the feeling. Something felt off, weird, crazy, or ready to blow. While many people lauded archaeology addons, I only scoffed. Now, I feel like I might need one or two. This week's reader submission is from Deadpool, a worgen hunter with a knack for stylish looks and stylish UIs. His setup is simple and has a decent amount of empty space and buffer room, which puts me in a happy place. I like relaxed UIs. More isn't always better, especially in a game like WoW where the most complex the task usually has a super-simple answer.
