One of the coolest things about WoW is how customizable the user interface(UI) is. There are thousands of addons for you to download, from making the toolbars moveable to calculating how much DPS you are doing in a raid. What I will do with this Crash Course is talk about the most popular addons at Curse.com and which ones I use and why.

How To Install Addons

If you have never installed addons in WoW, there are two ways to do it:

• Manually download and extract the add-on to the WoW addons folder, which can vary depending on how you installed WoW. The default folder for me is C:\Users\Public\Games\World of Warcraft\Interface\Addons
• Download the Curse Client and watch it do the work for you.
• I highly recommend getting the Addon Control Panel addon to help you configure your new addons after you’ve installed them in-game.

So now you know how to install addons, here are some I recommend:

Deadly Boss Mods

Deadly Boss Mods, or DBM for short, has to be the most useful addon for World of Warcraft. However, its usefulness has also been under fire by the hardcore WoW community due to its function. DBM announces what a boss character in 5-man dungeons and raids is going to do or has done so you can react accordingly. In other words, DBM assists you in a boss battle by letting you know every move the boss is making. You can see why this is such a contraversial mod. However, with 18 million downloads and the number one add-on on Curse.com, you have to have DBM if you want to raid these days.

 

 

Recount

Recount calculates how much damage, healing, DPS and more during any battle situation. Recount also lets you know how much DPS you’ve done on a per fight basis as well as a per dungeon/raid basis. A must have if you want to know how well you are performing.

 

Omen Threat Meter

Omen Threat Meter is..well..a threat meter. It helps track how close you are from pulling aggro if you are DPS or healing, and how much aggro you have for tanks.

 

SpartanUI

SpartanUI completely changes the look of your WoW toolbars. The screenshot speaks for itself. Its biggest benefit is how much real estate it helps you save, especially on the sides of your screen. Plus it looks great.

 

GearScore

GearScore, also known as GS, is one of those hit or miss type addons. There are those whom have no issues with GearScore and others who are completely against it. GearScore gives each piece of gear you are wearing a point value and adds them all up to give you your personal GS. On its surface, GearScore lets you know how well you are geared and whether or not you will survive and be beneficial in end-game raids. This is also the curse of GS, because many raid leaders will want your GS to be a certain value no matter how skilled you are. For example, if my GS is 5000 but someone else’s GS is 6000, chances are the 6000 GS player will be chosen without any regard to whether or not this person can play or not. On the flipside, this lets me know that I need to get my gear up. You can see why GearScore is a very contraversial addon. However I still recommend it even if it’s just for your personal use to see where you stand gear-wise. In order to be considered in raids currently, your GearScore should be at least 5000, with 5500 being the sweet spot. Read my Crash Course on Gearing At 80 for more details about gear.

 

There are plenty more addons which can make this guide a million pages long. Browse through the many addons yourself over at Curse.com and see which ones you may like. Here are a few more I recommend:

• Questhelper
• Atlasloot Enhanced
• RatingBuster
• Mik Scrolling Battle Text
• X-Perl Unit Frames
• Titan Panel

Which addons do you use? Any addons you have a question about? Comment below!