World of Warcraft game director Ion Hazzikostas explained that the use of add-ons that provided a competitive advantage was the main reason behind his decision to withdraw API access for several player-made mods. Despite these sweeping changes, World of Warcraft will continue to allow users to implement add-ons that customize specific elements of the user interface to their liking.
World of Warcraftis approaching Midnight The expansion has already proven controversial due to Blizzard's shift in policy regarding the use of add-ons in the game. While add-ons are still allowed, Blizzard has restricted access to certain APIs and information that mods can read and use during combat. However, some of WoWThe latest core features like Cooldown Manager and One-Button Rotation have been added to the game after taking inspiration from popular mods. Hazzikostas previously explained that the upcoming changes for World of Warcraft: Midnight prevent addons from offering a competitive advantage during combat, regardless of player skill level.
World of Warcraft remains committed to the midnight addon restriction
While MidnightWhile the changes forced addons like ElvUI and WeakAuras to pause development, Blizzard remained steadfast in its forward-thinking design philosophy. Hazzikostas said in a recent developer post that although the add-on restrictions will be annoying for some World of Warcraft players, admitted that the game needs to be tweaked accordingly and should provide players with the necessary tools needed to succeed as part of the core experience. Hazzikostas said that while some cosmetic accessories may break as a result Midnightchanges, the company is working on offering a new API feature that will allow players and add-on creators to continue customizing most parts of the user interface within Midnight.
Hazzikostas said they wanted to avoid another expansion where some of the encounters they designed could be downplayed by specific additions, but also acknowledged player doubts and concerns about how things would turn out. Midnight compared to the previous one WoW extension. Hazzikostas added that the recent change Midnight beta client will allow addons to change the way secondary class resources like the Paladin's Holy Power gauge are displayed in the UI. Plus feedback from ongoing Midnight the beta test will be used to tweak boss encounters and the core UI before the expansion launches in 2026.
However, World of Warcraft players will still have one last update to enjoy the addons in their current state when Patch 11.2.7 arrives on December 2nd. At the time of this writing, World of Warcraft: Midnight does not have an exact release date.
- Released
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2026
- Multiplayer
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Online multiplayer, online co-op
