I Am All About MMORPG Addons, But I Can Understand If You're More Of A "Purist"

Addons tend to be a bit of a divisive topic in the world of MMORPGs sometimes. One side loves them and maybe uses way too many of them, and the other side likes their MMO experience to be more "pure." Even on the development side of things, there's a few schools of thought when it comes to addons. Games like World of Warcraft (WoW) have allowed them for years. UI modifications, tools to assist in boss fights, timer reminders, and more are all fair game and the team just limits what players can pull from the API when things go too far. On the other hand, teams like the one behind Final Fantasy XIV (FFXIV) take a more "we don't allow their use, but don't scan your PC for them" approach...which occasionally leads to controversy from time to time.

Even among the more "purist" types of players, there seems to be multiple camps. UI modifications are viewed as more of a "cosmetic" thing and may be ok, while things like Deadly Boss Mods assisting with callouts during a boss fight aren't as acceptable. The argument seems to be that the MMO itself should have everything you need to be able to play, and you shouldn't need to get something from somewhere else to play.

On the surface, I actually agree with this argument. If the game is unplayable or I cannot possibly succeed without third-party tools, then something is critically wrong with the design. However, I've had MANY addons installed throughout the years, and I've never viewed any of them as a "must have to play" feature. Well, with one possible exception which I'll talk about in a bit.

When I look at things like Deadly Boss Mods calling out incoming boss mechanics and giving me advice for how to handle the attack the boss is getting ready to unleash, I really don't see this as very different from watching a video guide to a fight ahead of time.

Sure, I like to learn MMO fights cold when possible. However, sometimes the "social pressure" of teaming up with random players for harder raid content doesn't allow that without pissing a bunch of people off. I could go watch a guide and come back hoping I remember everything, or I could get a little callout that still requires I actually personally execute the mechanic. Certainly not exactly the same, but in the same ballpark to me.

Obviously there's a line here. If an addon is taking away the need for me to do anything, then that's a cheat, not an addon. I don't see anything wrong with an addon letting me know a large attack is coming, though. Hell, I have died MANY times while using the damn addon in WoW anyway, so it certainly doesn't just trivialize content in the way some people like to say it does.

On the cosmetic side of things, yes, I mess with a LOT of these. Final Fantasy XI (FFXI) is a game that I have many addons enabled simply for the cosmetic appeal. It is an MMO that's a few decades old at this point and it can use all the help that the original PS2-designed UI can get. Hell, I'm doing a ton with the graphics as a whole just to make the game look more "current." If you're curious, here's a great video on just SOME of the FFXI stuff I have running. That's also where we get to the game where I feel they're required.

I love The Elder Scrolls Online (TESO). I hate the UI and every single option that game gives you for the UI. Now look, don't get me wrong. I don't expect a dev team to give me every single option or overlay I could ever want in an MMO. However, I do expect the UI to communicate basic information in an easy fashion. I get that TESO wants to be the first-person Elder Scrolls experience in an MMO and use a minimalistic UI to go with that, but no thanks. I have a myriad of UI addons enabled when I play TESO. I just feel like I have to so I get every piece of basic info I need. Hell, even basic things like health bars suck by default. Your available options aren't all that great, either.

That's where I hope the devs are actually like me. I will spend hours just experimenting with addons, even if they aren't ones I intend to ever personally use. I just love to see what the game's community comes up with and check if it helps. I hope devs do the same. FFXIV actually does do this and you can see it in their development. Often, new features come to the game because they were widely-used addons. The team may pretend they don't acknowledge the addon, but clearly they do when popular addons quickly get worked into the default version of the game.

That's the way it should be in my book.

Are you with me or are you more of a purist? If you're with me, what's the coolest MMO addon you've ever seen? I'd love to check it out.