In this article I am going to discuss World of Warcraft Addons, what do they do, where you can get them and some NEED to have suggestions…   I know there are many people out there that have no idea what an Addon is, or may have heard of an Addon, but not sure how to get them or what they do exactly. I hope that this article helps to clarify any questions about Addons you may have had, and convinces you to give them a shot!

What is an Addon?  An Addon is a .lua code pack or small “program” that gives the player full control/customization of their User Interface.   It is (in most cases) approved by Blizzard, and allows the player to create their own version of World of Warcraft.  There are literally thousands of World of Warcraft Addons to choose from.  Think of something you would like to change on your game screen. Don’t like how the bags operate?   Want someone to tell you to move out of the fire? How about an Addon that will make wow gold farm healing easier? The answer to those questions all yes?  Then don’t fear, Addons are here to help!

The first thing you want to do is find a site that is well reputable.  There are 100’s of Addon websites, and sadly, some of them store Addons that can be harmful to your game play.  Some Addons from second-hand sites can contain code that will try to steal your World of Warcraft account name and password.  This doesn’t mean ALL Addons do this, just remember, be smart in picking out an Addon site, and use a World of Warcraft Authenticator to help deflect any hacking attempts!!!

My personal favorite and I feel most trusted site for World of Warcraft Addons.  The site is easy to navigate, has the Addons separated in to different categories, and has a search function that will allow you to search for keywords.  The other benefit to Curse is the Curse Client Program.  What the program does is allow the user to download Addons automatically so that you don’t have to install the Addon manually, as well as allows the user to update any out of date Addons.  The initial program is free and obviously has a few limitations, for example, you can only download 2 updates at the same time.  The paid for upgrade is nice, but not necessary.

Another fan favorite for world of warcraft addons is WoWinterface. Again, this site is easy to navigate, has separate categories, and a search function.  The biggest glaring difference is the lack of a client program. You will more than likely find the same list of Addons on both sites, however, some of the Addon authors release their Addon to one or the other first. What this means is the newest and most up to date Addon might not be available on the opposing site for a few days.  If you are having an issue with your Addon, look for an update on the opposing website to see if there has been an update that your site hasn’t uploaded just yet!

Finally my third and final choice for Addon retrieval is wowmatrix.  This site is a bit more difficult to navigate as it doesn’t have categories. All the Addons are listed alphabetically, so unless you KNOW what Addon you are looking for, it is a bit more difficult to find.  It does contain an Addon Client for easy download and updating. It will allow you to download multiple updates at once, but I found that a lot of the Addons don’t get updated as quickly as they do on the other sites.

Once you find an Addon you like, read the instructions about how to set it up in game.  Generally an Addon comes with full customization options and allows you to move it around on the screen, change the size or font, or even the colors.  Learn everything you can about it while on the website, read the comments for answers, and always read any patch notes to keep up to date on what changed with your favorite Addon!  Once you find an Addon you like, you will want to download it and then if you choose to manually install, you will want to make sure you place the file in the correct folder.  If you have a NORMAL installation of World of Warcraft, you will want to place the downloaded Addon in the C:Program FilesWorld of WarcraftInterfaceAddOns folder.  If you choose to go with a client program, this will all be done for you automatically.

Finally, here is a list of some of my personal favorite World of Warcraft Addons.  I have included some for full customization of your user interface, as well as some fun ones to make the game a little easier to navigate!

ARKINVENTORY – This is by far my favorite.  It gives the user full control of their bag, bank, and guild bank look and feel.  You can create your own categories and sections, so when you open your bag, you know exactly where everything is.  You want it to only do that for you bags and leave the guild bank alone? No problem, you can set it up so it only organizes whatever you want. You can create labels for each category you create, you can search your other toons bags to see if that missing item is in their inventory, or even look at the guild bank while you are out questing.  It is amazing! Much better than any other bag Addon out.  Available through all the above websites.

Carbonite – Carbonite is an Addon that will help with your questing.  It has a lot of other abilities as well, but it is by far the best questing Addon out there. It will give you an additional “minimap” that puts colored markers of where specific mobs migrate as well as specific points for quest endings. It also places a tom tom arrow at the top of the screen to help direct you where to go.  In order to get the newest version of this Addon, go to World of Warcraft addons.

Deadly Boss Mods – DBM is an Addon that will help the Raider/Dungeon player. It creates audible and visual alerts during fights to help the player stay out of fire, move when needed, start or stop casting, or any other mechanic that should be done during a fight.  This Addon is available through all the sites as well.

Dominoes – Dominoes will allow the user to move the cast bars anywhere on the screen that they want. You can resize, add more or less buttons, and create key binds with any of them. If you don’t like where the standard user interface buttons are, then feel free to move them around! This addon is available through all the websites listed.

I hope this guide helps clarify some Addon questions. Don’t be afraid to take a look at the Addons, you can always uninstall them, or turn them off if you don’t like them. On the character login screen in the bottom right corner you will see a button that says Addons. If you click that you will be able to select what World of Warcraft Addons work for what character, turn on or off specific Addons, as well as load out of date Addons. Sometimes this is necessary on patch days to allow yourself the ability to use an Addon until it is updated for that patch. If you have problems with an Addon, leave a comment for the editor of the Addon on the website you get it from, or talk to a guildie or someone from trade chat! Good luck and see you on the next tips article!

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