Is playing without addons viable?

[Tuesdays]

No - Blizz has been designing the game with addons in mind for years. They officially allow them, so that's not cheating.

Lol, yeah I didn't mean 'cheating' like a hack, I mean most people are so dependent on add-ons they can't function with out a sound alerting them "you're standing in fire dipshit!"

Kind of sad really.

[ComputerNerd]

Lol, yeah I didn't mean 'cheating' like a hack, I mean most people are so dependent on add-ons they can't function with out a sound alerting them "you're standing in fire dipshit!"

Kind of sad really.

That is a player problem, not addons.
Addons are a recognition the default is not "one-size fits all".
In a game with less information it could perhaps have a default which serves the needs of its players better.
Such as the rather more limited number found in HoTS or Overwatch for example.

[Tuesdays]

That is a player problem, not addons.
Addons are a recognition the default is not "one-size fits all".
In a game with less information it could perhaps have a default which serves the needs of its players better.
Such as the rather more limited number found in HoTS or Overwatch for example.

It's a steady flow of design flaws, that makes it a player problem to rely so heavily on add-ons.

I think QoL add-ons are fine, I mean why isn't it an option to open all my mail? But dbm? Kind of takes the fun out if you ask me.

[Deleted]

depends on your definition for viable.

Competetive and/or in mythic (during a new raid not at the end like now) then no.

if you hve low standards sure why not :P

[Deleted]

Yes at every level. Mythic players do it so its possible for everyone.

[ComputerNerd]

It's a steady flow of design flaws, that makes it a player problem to rely so heavily on add-ons.

I think QoL add-ons are fine, I mean why isn't it an option to open all my mail? But dbm? Kind of takes the fun out if you ask me.

As I said DBM is simply an evolution of what players did manually before.
Though in some cases blizzard are introducing a more random element to some mechanics, so that their time cannot be predicted simply through some fixed interval of repetition.
Though you could argue that the popularity and effectiveness of boss mods for encounters says something about the encounters themselves.

Because something is possible, it doesn't mean you should.
Some people just have real trouble reading the information they need without customizing it.
As long as they are making their own decision, then why should that be a problem.
I do agree that rotation helpers making the decision for you are wrong.

[Stormspark]

Depends on what you're doing. Questing/levelling? Sure. Levelling dungens: Sure. High level dungeons/LFR: Maybe. Actual hard modes, and high end raiding: Not at all.

A lot of it has to do with Blizzard's design philosophy. Their philosophy is "provide a basic UI that works, but does not have excessive functionality not absolutely required for every single player regardless of what they do", and "allow players to expand the UI with addons".

[PragmaticGamer]

I heard (and this is just a rumor) that literally every action or event in the game has a sound and visual queue. If you are super uber at memorizing these queues, you can do everything anyone else can. The only thing an addon does is change the way these queues are displayed to the player.

Just kidding. Its not actually a rumor.

I'm sorry, but do you mean "cues" (as in, "psst, do your thing now"), instead of "queues" (as in, "form a line, form a line, you're # 237")?

[Felfaadaern Darkterror]

Lol, yeah I didn't mean 'cheating' like a hack, I mean most people are so dependent on add-ons they can't function with out a sound alerting them "you're standing in fire dipshit!"

Kind of sad really.

GTFO yells at me, so my healers don't have to. :P

[Fang7986]

Add-ons don't give you any information that isn't already there, you can easily play without them. What I find funny is people who complain WoW is soo easy then you find out they have 50 add-ons practically playing the game for them.

- - - Updated - - -

I dont even agree that cutting edge mythic raiding requires addons. Its QoL - and obviously guild/raid dependent - but the game could be completed without.

would be interesting to see Blizz introduce a no add-on mode and have world first guilds compete to see who can clear raids without a single add-on (or voice chat). IMO that would be something to really brag about.

[Dasani]

Addons are a crutch that people become dependent on to the point where they feel like they absolutely need them (as evidenced by people in this thread).

My guild has moved between US top 50 to US top 100 based on how much effort we really want to put into progression at any given time, as our members all work full time and have lives outside of the game we can't dedicate as much time to such pursuits as much as younger people.

Only addons I use are Skada and DBM. Skada just because its fun to keep track of everyone's numbers, and DBM to know exactly when certain mechanics are going to happen during a fight. However, neither aren't required at all. I usually use DBM during progression just because it helps reduce mistakes in the short term and I don't want to be responsible for wiping the raid, etc. But there have been numerous times during progression I played without addons and I also generally turn them off for bosses that are no longer progression. This may sound crazy to someone who absolutely needs DBM or bigwigs to survive, but the fact is after doing a boss enough times you can get a strong sort of internal timer and you just know when it's going to do things. There are usually cues whether audio or environmental that indicate either when something is about to happen or is happening and even the effects without such cues you can develop a sense to know when they are coming relative to one of the ot her cues. Bottom line is, you can know when every effect is going to happen just as accurately as one of those addons simply by turning them off and actually paying attention.

It's like blindfolding yourself and learning to walk around in the dark. Yeah you'll stumble and fall over shit when you're used to using your eyes, but you can hone that skill and improve those senses if you actually try to. Any boss that exists to date I can and have done without the use of any mods outside of skada. I can do any future bosses without them as well i'm sure. People just get too lazy and want the addons to do all the work for them, but by paying attention to the game environment it's self and actually developing your player skills instead of letting addons remove a lot of the skill needed, people become shit players.

It is understandable for a guild that is recruiting all these random guys in who are all mod addicts and mod dependent to want to require you to use certain mods because without them, at that point, you're going to suck balls and no guild wants to take the time wiping while you learn how to play the game properly. So it makes sense. But my guild has been together for 6 years with only small roster changes. Half of us don't use addons for various reasons and still dominate mythic bosses early on in progression.

When you use something like Exorsus raid tools and it tells you exactly where to stand for various mechanics, i mean yeah, its nice and organized and removes all thought component, but when you get through those fights without needing it because you assign positions for everyone manually relative to the other players, your group is going to be a thousand times better to adapting to changes in situation as well as handling new boss mechanics.

So no, addons aren't needed at all, but you need skilled players who are used to relying on their own ability. If you've always been dependent on addons to get by, you will probably always need them unless you take the time to get good at the game.

[Deleted]

The mark isn't even that bad, my guild did it without anything except the debuffed players being told where to go via marking.

That right there alone is impossible to be done easilly without addons. What you basically need is not just knowing who has a debuff, but also the durations. The addons do not just put random colors, they put colors based on the sequence of explosions which helps a lot.

A team that would wing that part, they would have to have their eyes immediately on their personal debuff, see the duration of it and then go to the appropriate location.

Of course, Blizzard could help there to not require addons, e.g. the debuffed players could have different colors on their head denoting sequence of explosions.

[Gdcotton]

No, Without Postal and I hear you whisper, the game is pretty much unplayable with the default UI. I really don't know how I was able to go months without the Hide bag clean up button mod. Auto repair and auto junk sell mods are also pretty much mandatory, Player XP Bar also required.

I'm going with No.

Wait whaaaat.? Ok postal makes life a lot faster and easier so I get that. But I'm using the default UI and never had a problem with it. Not sure how auto repair and sell junk are required. Takes me 10 seconds if that to sell all my stuff, and there already is a repair all buttons on vendors that can repair....

[Arborus]

Of course, Blizzard could help there to not require addons, e.g. the debuffed players could have different colors on their head denoting sequence of explosions.

Or the generic "bomb over the head" thing they've used quite a lot the last couple expansions.

[Deleted]

Viable for questing? Yes.
Viable for World Quests? Yes.
Viable for Normal Dungeons? Yes.
Viable for Heroic Dungeons? You are pushing it, but it can be done.
Viable for Mythic Dungeons? No.
Viable for LFR? It can be done.
Viable for Normal Raiding? No.
Viable for random Battlegrounds? It can be done.
Viable for Arena Skirmishes? Yes.
Viable for Arenas? No.

Arenas no? Blizzcon has always had the best players fight eachother and no addons were allowed.

[Mad_Murdock]

Wait whaaaat.? Ok postal makes life a lot faster and easier so I get that. But I'm using the default UI and never had a problem with it. Not sure how auto repair and sell junk are required. Takes me 10 seconds if that to sell all my stuff, and there already is a repair all buttons on vendors that can repair....

That was sarcasm you silly head. I thought the auto-repair and auto sell junk made it pretty obvious. Hide bag clean up and I hear you whisper should have slapped you two times that I was being silly.

Consider yourself getting a very disappointed look.

[RedGamer030]

Arenas no? Blizzcon has always had the best players fight eachother and no addons were allowed.

BlizzCon is a separate instance where Blizzard is prohibiting the use of addons - it is not the players' choice.

[Mirishka]

I've cleared Heroic HFC and BRF without the use of any mods, but that was due to familiarity with the fights/mechanics. I had just reinstalled the game and hadn't bothered with addons.

[Low Hanging Fruit]

You can play pure bare bones. You just have to learn to look in different places because all the information is really available.

The real question is why wouldn't you at least use 2-3 to just QoL things. I mean that is all I really use. I have the stock UI with I think 4 addons I use just to clean things up a little bit, move somethings around to better spots for me to see / change the size and shape a bit, and provide me information in a better way.

[Qlix]

I'm sorry, but do you mean "cues" (as in, "psst, do your thing now"), instead of "queues" (as in, "form a line, form a line, you're # 237")?

Of course. Thanks for bringing solid content to the conversation.