AddOn Spotlight: ArcHUD
by Eliah Hecht 
Jan 23rd 2007 at 7:09AM
This is my HUD. There are many like it, but this one is mine. I've gotten a few questions from various people about how to make the rings show up around your character, and this is how I do it. ArcHUD, like other HUD mods, puts meters for your health, your mana/rage/energy, your target's health, and other things right by your character where the action is, so you don't always have to go looking up into the corner of the screen. In the screenshot, for instance, from left to right, the bars are: my mana, my HP, my casting bar, and target's HP. Near the bars, you can see text for various things: the name of the spell I'm casting (lol, Smite), my HP and MP in numerical form, the time left on my cast, and my target's percentage health remaining. Below all that is some extra info on my target, target of target, and target of target's target, along with a nice little 3D model of my target (this helps to quickly see who you're targeting when healing).
One of the nice things about ArcHUD in particular is that it plays well with other AddOns. If you have DruidBar, ArcHUD will show your mana bar when you're in shapeshift form. If you have MobInfo2, it'll show exactly how much HP the mob has left. And I'm sure there are other interactions I'm as yet unaware of. It works for all classes, too: if you've got a pet, for instance, it shows smaller rings for your pet's health and mana/focus inside the main rings. It can display an energy ticker for rogues and druids in cat form. It shows a breath bar when you're underwater. Verily, this HUD has it all (or at least all I've ever wanted).
I've tried various other HUDs, including MetaHud, Drathals HUD, and Moog HUD, but I keep coming back to Arc. I like the way it looks, I like its configurability (which is extensive), and overall it just gives me all the right info in all the right places. The days before it was updated for 2.0.1 were dark times indeed, but it's been working great for me ever since.
Download at ui.worldofwar.net
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Filed under: Add-Ons, Features, AddOn Spotlight
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
SASSYEVIL@SURUAMAR Jan 23rd 2007 7:47AM
I have found since I started using addons my game play tends to run a little more scrambled. What I mean by that is from time to time (and it seams that it always happens while in combat) I loose part of my interface. I have to log out log back in to get my screen to reset. I have increase the script memory to 200mb and still have issues. I have tried a couple of different mods to have the same affect. Anyone else run into the same problem?
Orin Jan 23rd 2007 8:01AM
@1 - There is a known issue from Blizzard with one of their recent patches. Check on the official forums, I know they had a sticky blue post about that recently.
As for HUD mods, I prefer metahud, which was built from drathel's hud. I've also tried icehud, which is build off of Ace2, but I just prefer the look of metahud.
Toddler Jan 23rd 2007 8:11AM
I prefer to use IceHud it is a mod that uses Ace libraries and its UI imprint is a little less "Wide". I know you can skin your huds, but the default config for Ice.
Döt Jan 23rd 2007 8:16AM
I agree with Orin...I prefer MetaHUD. I used Drathel's before 2.01 and I was very sad when I learned no one was working on it anymore.
My issue with ArcHUD is that it doesn't always show the correct HP and mana, i could never get it to use profiles correctly, and some times it would stop working altogether. I do like the 3D MOB/NCP at the bottom though.
A HUD like Meta or Arc should be a WoW built in.
Elüna Jan 23rd 2007 8:51AM
MetaHUD 4tw, the absolute best HUD made. Although it's based on DHUD, it's superior in every way.
jellywerker Jan 23rd 2007 9:38AM
I use the updated version of dhud and love it, and by the way, yes, someone has decided to continue it, after the original author quit due to the other huds coming out that at the time were mostly copy and pastes of his work, with no credit.
Using a hud I have cut down on my mods quite a bit, and it helps me make a clean looking interface, a big plus for a guy like me on a 15in screen. Plus I like how since my health is right next to the action, I don't forget about it and keep everyone elses bars green, while mine sits at just above red :D Now to organize my ag_unitframes to be close to the hud, yet not obtrusive!
Neroon Jan 23rd 2007 8:55PM
I have used most of the huds, and MetaHUD wins hands down. ArcHUD is nice and I used it for a while. Frankly using either one is better then none.
Qebui Jan 23rd 2007 10:06AM
I use ArcHUD 4tw. I've used several as well, but I like ArcHUD the most "right now".
Coanunn Jan 23rd 2007 10:04AM
Currently I'm running MetaHud on my wife's machine (my box died 2 days before TBC /cry) but I'll be going back to archud once I have my machine running again.
The biggest issue I have with Huds is that while they usually let you configure everything under the sun sometimes the configuration options are named rather incorrectly and you can't find the option you want to turn on or off. ArcHud is by far my favorite of the options out there.
Evan Jan 23rd 2007 10:46AM
i use DHUD, and im loving that a ton more than any other HUD. i like how close the bars are, doesnt seem out of the way at all, seems nice and compact. and the placement how it has casting combined with mana bar, i love that and cant live without it.
RogueJedi86 Jan 23rd 2007 12:40PM
I use several AddOns, but I haven't bothered with any of these major HUD changers like ArcHUD or MetaHUD. I'm just worried about being overly overwhelmed and confused. I used to have a problem monitoring my own health, but I've gotten a lot better at it. It seems like with all those swoopy curves around the middle, it would be too distracting, like if you're running around a town, or just sight-seeing.
Eliah Hecht Jan 24th 2007 12:59AM
Oh yeah, I forgot to talk about one of Arc's features that I like the best: fading. The way I have it set up, if you're out of combat, your bars become translucent. If you're out of combat and the bars are full, they disappear entirely. Out of the way, and yet they pop right back when you need them.
Elizabeth Wachowski Jan 23rd 2007 3:40PM
Hey Eliah, I'm looking for a good basic UI that will work well with ArcHUD. I've tried it and really like it, but it doesn't go well with the Blizz default, and I figure it's about time to upgrade. Can you think of any good UIs?
HDouglas Jan 23rd 2007 5:26PM
Hey guys.
Can someone tell me the HUD that allows you to move the action bars around and lets you increase the number of action buttons?
As a warlock i have heaps of buttons I use and the standard WoW ones arent enough.
Thanks in advance!
YoMammy Dec 3rd 2007 7:59PM
Hey HDouglas,
The mod is called Bongo(s)
Variblex Jan 23rd 2007 9:54PM
you should of got a better headpiece before you got out there in the marsh :P
Eliah Hecht Jan 24th 2007 12:59AM
What's wrong with Mirren's Drinking Hat?
http://www.wowhead.com/?item=23587
Joe Jan 24th 2007 1:21AM
@1, I dont know if anyone posted this yet (or if it's in the link above), but as soon as you get out of combat try typing "/console reloadgui" (w/o quotes, of course).
Xtal Jan 24th 2007 2:46PM
HHDouglas, I am a warlock as well and if you are looking for a ton of extra bars/ warlock add-ons I would suggest the UI Zvix. Zvix is actually a file that contains a lot of add-ons that were combined for a great lock UI.
As a bonus it also has moving profile images, BuffBar-Mod (which allows you to see all positive and negative buffs on yourself, their affects, and their countdown time/bar), Cooldown-Mod (which allows you to know exactly which DoTs you’ve put on each enemy and exactly how long until they will end), DPS meters for each person in your party, threat % for each member of your party, etc... A negative aspect of the Zvix UI is that it doesn’t work as well with other classes. Granted it CAN work but I found with my Shaman it didn’t work as nearly as well as it did with my lock.. For this reason and because I began to miss the traditional WoW UI I switched to CT_Mod instead.
CTMOD comes with a numerous amount of features such as 5 extra bars, a Buffbar-Mod (just like the one above), Raid-Assistant, etc...
To get Zvix http://wow.curse-gaming.com/en/files/details/5635/zvix-warlock-ui/
To get CT_MOD
http://www.CTMOD.net