Addons
WoW Forever Addons: WeakAuras, DBM & Restrictions
See what Blizzard has said about WoW Forever addons, Mainline UI APIs, Midnight combat restrictions, WeakAuras, DBM and beta compatibility.
WoW Forever supports an addon environment, but Blizzard plans to restrict the kinds of in-combat computational addons that can automate calculations, marking, or player communication. Blizzard's UI team has also clarified that Forever uses Mainline WoW's UI architecture, including the vast majority of APIs available in 12.1.5, rather than simply reusing the current Classic addon environment.
That distinction matters for searches around WeakAuras, DBM, Classic addons, damage meters, UI addons, healing tools, and quest addons: compatibility should be tested by feature, not assumed from the addon name alone.
What Blizzard has actually said about WoW Forever addons
In a post-BlizzCon interview with Kotaku, lead Classic designer Tim Jones and lead encounter designer Mike Nuthals discussed Forever's addon direction. Nuthals said the team is bringing over the in-combat "addon disarmament" approach used by modern WoW so players do not have access to computational addons that automate marking or communication during encounters.
The confirmed point is therefore restricted in-combat computation, not a blanket removal of the addon system.
Blizzard's UI team later provided a more technical clarification: Forever shares the Mainline WoW UI architecture, uses the vast majority of APIs available in 12.1.5, and will also use the addon-disarmament changes introduced in Midnight.
The September 17 live Q&A reinforced this direction: Blizzard said Forever uses the Modern client API and that unifying the API with modern WoW should make addon support easier to maintain.
What addon API does WoW Forever use?
Blizzard's UI team says Forever and modern WoW are both part of the Mainline code family from a UI-loading perspective. The currently confirmed pieces include:
- the vast majority of Mainline WoW 12.1.5 APIs;
- Midnight's addon disarmament rules;
- secret values / secrets used to protect combat information from automation;
- the AuraContainer / AuraButton changes introduced in 12.1.0;
- similar future UI changes being introduced to both modern WoW and Forever when appropriate.
This means a current Classic addon should not be assumed to work unchanged in Forever. Many Classic addons may need adaptation to the Mainline-style API, while some modern-WoW addons may have an easier technical path to a Forever-compatible version.
Blizzard has still not published a final public compatibility matrix for every API, event, or individual addon, so direct beta testing remains necessary.
Will WeakAuras work in WoW Forever?
Do not treat "WeakAuras is banned" as a confirmed blanket statement. WeakAuras can do many different things, from simple UI display to encounter logic that depends on protected combat information.
The safer current answer is:
- simple display or out-of-combat functionality may remain possible;
- computational or automated in-combat behavior can be restricted by the API and secret-value system;
- existing Classic auras cannot be assumed to work unchanged;
- individual auras may behave differently depending on which data they need;
- beta testing is required before publishing a reliable compatibility list.
This page will separate addon loads successfully from all of its combat features work, because those are not the same claim.
Will DBM work in WoW Forever?
Blizzard has not announced a simple yes/no rule for DBM by name. Encounter addons can contain both ordinary UI features and combat logic affected by protected APIs.
Until the beta client and addon authors document the actual behavior, the useful questions are more specific:
- Does the addon load without errors?
- Which boss timers can use available events?
- Can it mark targets automatically?
- Can it coordinate or calculate information during combat?
- Which features are disabled or degraded by the same restrictions used in modern WoW?
We will update this page with verified behavior rather than labeling an entire addon compatible or incompatible from an interview headline.
What types of addons need testing first?
The highest-value beta checks are:
| Addon category | What to verify |
|---|---|
| WeakAuras / combat alerts | Which combat data, secret values and automated calculations are protected |
| Boss mods such as DBM | Timers, automated marking, encounter communication, warnings |
| Damage meters | Combat-log access, pet attribution, interrupts, live calculations |
| Healing / raid-frame tools | Click-casting, mouseover behavior, protected unit information |
| UI / action-bar addons | Layout changes and any restrictions that appear only in combat |
| Quest / map addons | Map data, quest data, waypoint behavior and any protected APIs |
| Existing Classic addons | Whether they load under the Mainline-style Forever UI architecture and what must be updated |
A feature working in the launcher or character select screen does not prove it works unchanged during combat.
How to test addons during the beta
If you have beta access, use a controlled checklist instead of importing a full Classic addon folder and assuming parity:
- install one addon at a time;
- record its version and whether it explicitly supports Forever;
- test out-of-combat UI first;
- test the same feature after entering combat;
- note Lua errors, secret values, or unavailable APIs;
- separate cosmetic failures from gameplay-data restrictions;
- re-test after beta patches because API rules can change.
The WoW Forever Beta guide tracks the current test window and access routes.
What we are not claiming yet
We are not publishing a "best WoW Forever addons" list yet. A recommendation page would be premature until compatibility can be reproduced in the beta client.
We are also not creating separate WeakAuras, DBM, Questie, Details, or UI-addon pages at this stage. This URL remains the canonical page for the broad WoW Forever addons intent until search demand and verified technical differences justify narrower pages.
Beta note: addon restrictions can change during testing. This page distinguishes developer-confirmed policy and UI architecture from addon-specific behavior that still needs direct verification.