Hva fjerner Blizzard egentlig i den nye Warcraft-oppdateringen?

Blizzard just dropped a major announcement during a recent broadcast: World of Warcraft will soon remove support for combat add-ons that currently power some of the game’s most vital tools. That includes damage meters, boss mods like Deadly Boss Mods (DBM) and BigWigs, and virtually all WeakAuras related to combat.

These changes will happen in a future update—likely around Patch 11.1.7—and signal the end of an era. Add-ons that read real-time combat logs or aura changes will no longer be allowed. This includes anything that automates decisions or offers real-time info that Blizzard believes should come from the default UI instead.

"You look at the dungeon journal and you're scrolling and scrolling and scrolling, and maybe half of it doesn't even matter because add-ons are going to handle it for you. That's not a great place for things to land." – Ion Hazzikostas, Senior Game Director

Let that sink in. For years, WoW raids and high-end dungeons basically required third-party tools. Now Blizzard wants to design encounters without needing players to download 20 add-ons just to function.

Why is Blizzard doing this now?

It all boils down to design inflation. As players get better tools, designers are forced to make encounters harder to compensate, which leads to even more mod reliance. It's a feedback loop Blizzard finally wants to break.

Some WeakAuras can even auto-assign raid roles or give players near-perfect reaction timers. Blizzard sees this as a problem, not just for gameplay, but for the health of the game.

"It's an arms race, where mods cause designs to change which then pushes players to use more mods." – Hazzikostas

In other words, Blizzard is trying to reset expectations. Encounters will be redesigned with the assumption that players are using only the built-in UI and features. That means fewer layered mechanics that require pinpoint team coordination via third-party tools.

Are all damage meters and combat logs being removed?

Not entirely. Real-time combat meters like Recount or Details! will stop working, but Blizzard will introduce its own native damage tracking system.

You’ll still be able to access data through the combat log, just on a delay. Sites like Warcraftlogs will survive because they already work from delayed data, but in-the-moment number crunching will go away.

"In any world where we were going to limit some of the abilities of add-ons to do real-time combat event tracking, we need to provide a damage meter solution of our own." – Hazzikostas

Expect Blizzard’s built-in version to include stats like DPS, healing, interrupts, and avoidable damage, just like the third-party options. The key difference: it’s all processed through Blizzard’s official system, not user-created mods.

What will replace popular tools like WeakAuras and Hekili?

Blizzard’s plan is to offer a more complete user experience right out of the box. That includes:

• A Rotation Assist tool that highlights recommended abilities during combat.
• A One-Button Mode that executes the next best ability with a single button press (with a minor cooldown penalty).
• A better Cooldown Manager with customizable visual and audio cues.
• Timelines and simplified raid encounter mechanics within the game UI.
• Expanded nameplate functions to improve visibility of key events.

This is a huge shift, especially the one-button system, which Blizzard admits is intended for new or disabled players who may struggle with rapid key input. It won’t be optimal for top-tier players, but it’s another example of Blizzard building accessibility into the game itself.

How will raid design change moving forward?

Let’s be real: some encounters in recent expansions were straight-up chaotic. Bosses like Broodtwister in Nerub-ar Palace had mechanics so specific that WeakAuras were mandatory just to survive.

"We can probably remove a couple of mechanics, but still keep the same level of challenge… Our goal here is to preserve challenge, and we know we'd have to design encounters differently in some cases." – Hazzikostas

The new approach is to strip back the layers of unnecessary complexity. Mechanics that require real-time coordination will either be simplified or redesigned entirely. If players can’t rely on mods to coordinate instantly, then Blizzard has to give them more time, clearer cues, or fewer variables to manage.

It’s not about making the game easier—it’s about making it playable without requiring a PhD in LUA scripting.

Are non-combat add-ons safe?

Yes, for now. Mods that focus on display options, roleplaying, UI customization, or quest tracking won’t be affected.

However, any mod that relies on the combat log to make decisions or track abilities in real-time will likely be shut down.

"Those are not reasonable tests for us to be posing to our players without providing the information to do it correctly." – Hazzikostas

That means procs, aura trackers, and certain visual overlays are probably gone, but Blizzard plans to bring those features into the default UI where they’re actually useful to everyone.

What about mods that use sound cues, like GTFO?

Blizzard knows audio cues are incredibly helpful, and plans to integrate them into the Cooldown Manager and other systems. Mods like GTFO exist because the game doesn’t always clearly communicate danger zones.

"It should be obvious. We should fix that on our end." – Hazzikostas

Expect better sound design and more prominent alerts for dangerous abilities in dungeons and raids. That’s long overdue, especially for players with vision issues or for those who rely on audio to parse chaotic fights.

When will all of this go live?

Patch 11.1.7 is the target for the first wave of changes, and the PTR (Public Test Realm) will be launching “soon.” Blizzard will gather feedback before pulling the plug on add-ons completely.

"We need to ease into this… and hopefully get to the point where really the only difference between what we are offering and what powerful add-ons can do is that small subset of computational problem-solving stuff." – Hazzikostas

So don’t expect your DBM timers or WeakAura pings to vanish tomorrow. But the clock is ticking.

Is Blizzard totally set on doing this?

Not 100%. This is a conversation starter, not a final decree.

"Nothing here is locked in. My hope today is to begin a conversation about that direction… This game belongs to our millions of players." – Hazzikostas

That’s refreshing. Blizzard isn’t steamrolling these changes—they’re opening the door to community input. If something breaks the game or hurts accessibility, there’s still time to course-correct.

Why this Warcraft update might actually be good

Let’s be honest: WoW has been showing its age for a while now. If you’re a new player trying to get into dungeons or raids, you quickly realize you need a list of third-party add-ons just to play “correctly.” That’s a huge barrier.

By baking essential functions into the game, Blizzard lowers that barrier and makes the game more welcoming to everyone. The top 1% may complain, but for the other 99%, this could be a massive quality-of-life boost.

Summary

Will it work? Hard to say. But it’s probably better than the current arms race between developers and modders.

• Blizzard is removing access to real-time combat data for add-ons in a future update.
• Damage meters, WeakAuras, and boss mods will stop working, but Blizzard will replace key features with official tools.
• Rotation Assist, audio cues, and improved UI support are all on the way.
• Raid design will be simplified but will remain challenging.
• Patch 11.1.7 will be the first step, with full rollout TBD.
• Non-combat mods are mostly safe.
• This is the start of a long-term shift, not an overnight overhaul.

Got thoughts about the Warcraft update? Sound off. Blizzard is listening—and this might be your only chance to help shape the future of WoW’s UI.