The impact of AddOns on the PvE ecosystem, player perception

Community General Discussion
1

Hello,

It has been commented through the years and yes, it is a common topic. In this post we’ll analyse certain aspects that we as players should understand in order to see if we should or not use addOns at first glance.

Before we do start to discuss, I must note that every player will use every resource that exists and is at his reach to improve and/or make things easier, with the goal of performing better than others, in whatever case.

There are several questions that a player should ask to himself:

  • Am I a decent player?
  • Do I use third party websides to obtain info of how to play the game?
  • Can I understand boss mechanics once I see them without guide or just by reading the mechanic through the adventurer’s guide?
  • What’s my weakest/strongest attribute when it comes to gameplay. Is it possition? Is it anticipation? Is it reaction? Is it planning good strats and playing with a script to reduce risky situations?

If you, reader, have taken your time to read those and replied sincerely, you would say that yes, you are super good at it, and I’d say that 99% of the players that have at least 3+expacs on their back would know almost that every mechanic is not new and often is a rebranded one from a boss of the past.

Let’s talk now about the real problem that is happening to WoW regarding to that. We, as players, are getting better and better… Or wait, do we?

As years pass and technology progresses, there’s more manpower envolved on developing software that makes our life easier when it comes to WoW (and other aspects too ofc); which are AddOns or third patry websides that do the job of discovering the game for us.

Some players do think they know how to play the game, and they think they are really good at it, ignoring the fact that even if they aren’t aware, they relay too much in those kind of sources of information. The real problem comes when developers have to develop content according to that “player information power”, leading to mechanics with such level of complexity that a regular player would not be able to react on time, so those need and depend even more on those sources of information to keep the track.

This loop of “difficulty” vs “not self solutions” is as you see, a thing that will be growing and creating an enviroment where there’s a necessity of those third party sources of information for new players, and more important, hiding player’s weakness or lack of “intelligence” or “creativity” or “adaptation”, and making it default.

You see, we, as players, do have “player stats” too; some ones are better at problem solving, others to reacting, and so on. If the creativity and “iq” part is replaced from a third party side, people that are actualy smart lose vs people that aren’t so smart but are better at let’s say execution, whereas “less strategic” persons would see an increase in their overal performance.

Seeing as other perspective, it is as if in the opposite, we could use bots to do our rotation and just focus on possitioning and maybe deciding where to use certain CD or whatever.

All I want to say with this, is that addOns and third party sources of information (simulations too) make the game trivial and not challenging for the average player, that will never see a reason to learn the actual game or even improve; and they will depend on such sources of information to play the game.

It’s maybe just a reflexion, but I think it’s important to note.

Take care!

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Without addons blind/deaf/ other disabilities would not be able to take part.

Not many able players even got that , so it does take skill and an addon can not play for you.

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It’s not an honest discussion when you have an outcome concluded from the start and then make up a hypothesis in support of it.

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1.- My post is obviously biased, but ironicly, I think its the fairest point, no ego, tldr, depending (not the fact of using only) on addons will make us slackers and not have the need to improve and play the game properly, so players will complain for things that don’t comprehend, at some extent.

2.- Even if what you say is legit, couldn’t you think of a response that actualy fits the point of the discussion even if it feels dishonest to you?

About this, i’m not saying addons should be removed, they are great!; but some addons or more said, weak auras, do actualy play for you or make some mechanics that required problem solving a no brainer, which feels boring and not good for the health of the game.

Nice article tho, didn’t see it on the past :slight_smile:

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Look, some of us have disabilities, I have ADD for example. My mind races so fast I often lose train of thought and I have difficulty reading maps. Addons have made this game playable for me. The lack of addons would mean I don’t get to play anymore. Bad eyes too. I can’t read the small, standard text size of WoW and don’t like having my UI at 100%. I downloaded an addon for better interface.

It should be up to the player and their friends if addons are appropriate or not. You don’t have to add people who use addons to your groups.

Saying everyone is losing IQ because they use addons is insulting. They may be just learning the game. It’s a good way to learn rotation or learn a class you’ve never played before.

At the end of the day many come to WoW to relax and be immersed in the story or collect things. Not everyone needs to perform at the level of an Esports warrior. Not everything needs to be exclusive or hard. And if people need third party help, so be it.

At the end of the day it’s a leisurely activity.

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What’s good for the health of the game is having a player base even those who don’t play like you do. Arguing people get stupider with addons, which is essentially what you’re saying, is insulting and not pragmatic at all… and very biased.

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“U mad?”

Playing the game as in must be played is bad for the game? Are we in the same reality?

The game should be designed to be played, with all of its variables and requeriments. If I can skip whatever is developed with a let’s say, tool, and make it trivial, are we playing the same game?

More over, when bosses are literaly developed around those tools, is the game being pure to its essence?

A player should be able to play however the player wants to play, but the game should lead him to play it a certain way, with some limits.

If I play, let’s say, Dungeons and Dragons (im not a fan but just to make an example), I will not ask the game master to let me open a chatGPT stuff to know whatever decision is better or not, because it would erase the essence of such game.

About this, I’m not against addons, again, I’m just against the usage of them at such potential that kills the game essence. If someone has a disability, that person could be using certain addon to catch up with the regular player (understanding that a disability, in this debate, is something negative in therms of gameplay limitations). However, if there’s a thing that will pass that threshold of “helping people to catch up”, and reaching the point of “playing the game for you” as bots would be, or as, for instance, the MoTS puzzle weak aura would work; that’s where there should be a stop for such addons or information sources.

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There is no need to speak to them in that tone at all, they are expressing a view in a civil manner please do the same back.
No addon can play for you at all as that would be automated therefore bannable by blizzard hence why multi boxing was changed.

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At this point I’ve become the forum regular boogeyman and just have gotten used to it. Being a bit blunt and saying how I see something is apparently aggressive or mad while I’m stone faced behind the screen.

And the game is made with the way Blizzard meant it to play: with addons if we so wish because player choice is GOOD.

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Well i am a fan of you, i like how you post.

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The game infrastructure is developed to be played in certain way, and players exploit it to their benefit, addOns are not an exception.

While some addons feel “legit”, it is known (such as the old and infamous classic decursive version) that blizzard, more slow than fast, do restric their LUA functions in order to forbid addons to act certain way.

I don’t know where or why this post’s responses turned into a “disability addon” or whatever debate; the point was to reflex and rethink the usage of addons for the average player and how they impact to their gameplay. Where do the player play, and where do the addon play for the player.

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Addons are good.

Thats it, all that needs to be said, dont like them don’t use them, you have a choice.

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I also thought the same at the start, buf when you become better at the game, you start turning most addons off, because those only give you trivial information, and become annoying. The game is way deeper than the information you get from addons…

The only 3 addons I really need are plater, details, and Weakauras. For the weakauras I set them up myself to track exactly the buffs I want to see. I don’t copy weakaura profiles, because it’s information I already am aware of usually. My plater profile is copied tho, but it’s really just showing me, which mobs have aggro, and who they are targeting. That’s about it.

Also, M+ without plater would be unplayable in mythic+, because the default platers don’t give you information on Threat and Target of target. Those 2 are crucial information for stuff like Intervene.

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Have you been in MoTS m+ with pugs? It is funny to see groups with somebody with the addon or weak aura, and or see whenver the aura pops up and everything gets speeded up.

Same addon, weak auras, can auto mark mobs in certain pattern. I remember in DF s1 that it would even pair people with the m10+ affix, erasing the need of organisation and the spicy (even though toxic) mechanic.

Addons are great, sometimes overwhelming or redundant, but a world peak player would of course relay on them to make its peak gameplay easier.

The other problem is where an average player in casual dificulty do needs them, or if the player has get so used to them that ignores core gameplay; take hekili as an example, just to mention one.

Some addons should help to QoL things, but in therms of gameplay or resource information, they should only give info that doesen’t solve any cognitive test.

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I think a lot of players use at the start too many addons and don’t learn the game. I started with no addons, and I got one addon step by step, and I set them mostly up myself, because I want to control the information I want to see.

I think a lot of people download 5 addons at once, and then they just see Bars. That’s very bad, and that’s why OP has probably this issue.

If you only use Addons minimally, you understand more, and play better.

I especially recommend to set up your DPS weakauras yourself and do not copy a profile.

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Addons, macroses and combat logs are cheats and must be disabled. Game must be played as designed by developers, full stop. If something’s not well designed, developers should improve that instead of expecting players to use addons.

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They probably also support each other far more than the average WoW player because they come into the game already with a disadvantage.

A lot of the WoW community sees others as instruments to achieve their own goals in game rather than enjoying overcoming a challenge in game together.

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Well, if they let us move and resize every single buff, show timers for mechanics on the base UI, and let us customize nameplates, then sure, but if not, then the game would need to be extremely trivial for it to work. At this point, wow has an established playerbase, and I think you should adapt to it as a new player, or leave, instead of making demands on how everyone should play imo.

Also, have you seen a PvP UI?

I wish though, that every important addon’s information was also shown by the base game though.

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I’m not sure I follow you about game being trivial. If everyone’s on the same foot, why game would be trivial? Game should be challenging enough for most people.

About being able to move buffs - why not? Blizzard already allows plenty of customization. I certainly wouldn’t object to it and I actually think that’s the weakest side of current standard UI: buff management is terrible.

I’m not new player, I play since TBC and I actually wrote quite a few addons for myself, so I thought about it enough.

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So nobody should be caring about player choice and player difficulty levels? Or how current players have already been using these tools as a feature? If it was built that way from the ground up with what you say, like GW2, then it wouldn’t be a big deal. But we have had these tools forever and to expect people to get rid of them just to fulfill some elitist fantasy is ludicrous.

I swear WoW has a serious elitism issue. If you’re not dark souls level difficulty, apparently you don’t belong in the game.

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