Addons

I think I'm going to do as Ego and make a certain day(s) blogging days. Before was just general spew that came to my mind, now I'm looking towards planning out my posts.

So I'll make it a point to update at least every Wednesday, with a quip on Fridays/Saturdays if work allows.

I've had lots of work lately + parents = blog in the dust. Not a good thing. I like this blog. /pat


So what I'm going to talk about today is simple. The Blizzard UI for WoW is great, but I like having just a bit more versatility and customization with a game I spend butt tons of time on. Initially I was a CosmosUI type gal, but I was getting bored with the general look. I wanted something with a bit more shiny to it. Plus, since I was starting to heal, the basic crap I was supposed to have (What's DeCursive?) was hard to find updated for BC.

Ow.... sunburn. I haz one.

Anywho! A few experiments later, and we have this as my current healing set up. If you want some more action shots, then look no further than here and here.

But let me break them down for you.

Bartender3
This addon lets me put my actions bars where ever I want. This was cool because I was feeling all caged in with Blizz's default layout. It also gives me the chance to hide bars I don't feel the need to see, or make bars only visible on mouse over, etc. It's pretty nifty. It's what lets me have all my buttons in the middle.
I know, not really all that conducive to healing, but I like not having to click on my heals. My mouse is already clicking on my target, that's a precious second or two for a heal if I'm clicking all over the place.

FluidFrames
This is the addon I currently use to move things like my toon's picture/info around as well as other frames in the game. It's a bit buggy, so if you've got something better, then have at it.

SmartBuff/SmartDebuff

Welcome to the meat and potatoes of my healing!
I love this addon.
The little frame you see there is what I use to heal. It shows me who I need to heal when and it even clues me in to how much mana the mana users are down.
I don't need to click on anyone's toon, click once to target someone or just right click on someone's box and it casts Renew (if you're a druid, it's Rejuv). It Right Click casts whatever HoT your toon is capable of. Which is pretty sweet. If I don't want to stop targeting the tank, but the rogue/druid/whoever needs a quick HoT, right click and forget.
It's awesome.

The picture above is the SmartDebuff frame. When something Debuff's someone in the raid and it's either a Magic or a Disease, then SD lights up the persons box with either a red R (for Alt+Rightclick to Dispel) or a blue L(for Alt+Leftclick to Abolish Disease). Again, I don't need to stop targeting the tank to dispel another party member, which makes this very sweet. And you can also turn on/off the class colors. I think I took these pics at two different times Oo.

Smart Buff is kinda fun too. I like it because it gives me a sound and visual reminder that my Fort or DS or Inner Fire is almost up, time to rebuff. And it'll use my middle mouse button wheel to cast the buffs, on me and depending on the setting, anyone in my party too. So yea, pretty useful.

The only draw back I have with SB/SD is this: I don't know what the debuff is or how many different debuffs are on a target. So if your Lock friend Casts Unstable Affliction on the mob, who then reflects it back at them, they better HOLLAR! Because I'll dispel it right quick, and now they're silenced for however long it lasts. -.-

Yea, it's not game breaking, but it is annoying.

Also, keep in mind the examples I put up are custom to me. You can customize it for your own game play. Don't like clicking on someone's box to target them? Then you can turn it off. But that means a Left Click on a box is now your HoT.

Natur EnemyCastBar

Also a very useful addon. This lets me know exactly when I need to reapply my HoTs (and gives the added bonus of letting me know when Inspiration goes away ^.^). Not only does it show your spells, but also anyone near by. Yes, I said nearby. Sometimes, it can be annoying, but generally it isn't. (Middle of Shat and I see the creation bar for 50 million bandages... time to fly!)

In Kara, it's really nice to know when the trash mobs are going to respawn on your heads, so I'd say this is practically a must have. ^.^

MendWatch

This one is new and ZOMG I hearts! Finally something that lets me know where the Frisbee is! It's awesome. You must have as a lvl 70 priest.
No.
Don't argue.
:P
Get it. Seriously though, while I love the sound and the fact that it's visibly bouncing back and forth between people, sometimes you lose track of it, don't know if it's expired in the heat of battle. And it def helps in keeping you mana efficient! Why recast PoM on your tank if they just got it back?

Why haven't you DL'd it yet?!

KLH ThreatMeter

Kitty's Wowinsider article mentions why KLH is great for hunters. Here's why you should have it:
If you see red anywhere near the top of that list, please remember, FADE IS YOUR FRIEND! ^.^ Hell, Fade should be knockin' boots with your fingers every 30 seconds in a massive fight.
But it's always good to know where you are in threat and also it gives you an idea of who might need the next major heal if someone is shooting beyond the tanks.


So, that's what I use.

Sorry if this isn't way indepth, but I figured if you wanted that, you can read the Curse gaming schpeel. ^.^

Toodles for now!