Addon Spotlight: LuckyCharms2
by Sean Forsgren 
Mar 9th 2008 at 5:30PM
During my days as a Protection Paladin, I started out using the somewhat clunky, default raid-marking interface. A druid friend eventually clued me into the concept of binding the aptly named lucky charm markers to keys, which made my marking endeavors much easier. However, being an addon junky, and a confessed clicker, I knew there had to be something better for me. Enter, LuckyCharms2, a nice little addon which allows you to assign raid icons by using a small frame displaying the different lucky charms.LuckyCharms2 is an addon that will more than likely appeal to the addon-addicted masses, as the job can just as easily be done with keybindings. It's a simple idea and a simple addon. Like many addons, it takes something that already exists as part of the default interface and makes it easier to access or more appealing to some users.
It is an Ace addon, which should please many of you who swear by the Ace system. It can be downloaded from the Ace files page as well.
The basic commands for LuckyCharms2 are:
/luckycharms
/lc2
/lc2 help - brings up the in-game help
/lc2 config - opens the configuration interface
/lc2 reset - resets Lucky Charms2 to default configuration
The configuration interface is simple, it allows you to scale the bars, change the opacity and toggle the display of various features. Its about as simple as it gets, which is perfectly appropriate for this type of addon.
One additional feature that I enjoy is the Ready Check button. It sits just above your box of lucky charms, but can be hidden by selecting the option to do so in the configuration interface. Perhaps some of you don't make regular use of the ready check option, but I find it tremendously useful. Its easy enough to type /readycheck, but if you're using LuckyCharms2, this function fits right in with your play style.
LuckyCharms2 isn't going down in history as one of the great powerhouse addons, but it can certainly make raid marking an easier task. Take it out for a test drive and let me know your thoughts!
Filed under: Druid, Paladin, Warrior, Analysis / Opinion, Add-Ons, Instances, Raiding, AddOn Spotlight, Bosses
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Slayblaze Mar 9th 2008 5:33PM
Yep, been using this one forever - nice little addon.
Ozain Mar 9th 2008 5:52PM
Very nice addon, I would recommend it to anyone who does instances regularly, makes marking a lot easier and less time-consuming!
Scene Mar 9th 2008 6:41PM
CharmsFu is also a good one. Same basic concept but it puts the charm bar in your fubar menu where its nice and tucked away.
Modran Mar 9th 2008 6:43PM
This looks pretty nifty
AJ Mar 9th 2008 7:26PM
can it be used to target the different mobs during combat or only to assign the symbols to a target? I've heard my guild master say Tank Boxes can be used to switch targets but have never tried one of these add ons.
Farrell Mar 9th 2008 7:37PM
The version on wowace is not the same as this one - if you go to the LuckyCharms page on files.wowace, you'll see it's not been updated since february last year.
I wish it was ace'd though - I hate needing to check curse/etc for updates to the the few mods that I use that aren't on the WAU
Dipstick Mar 9th 2008 7:59PM
I'm using IconHelper, which is very similar to this. In fact it's appearance is identical.
I configured its scale and position so it sits just above my target frame (which on my ui happens to be near the bottom of my screen rather than at the top).
I'm a prot paladin, so just tend to mark a 'skull' and 'x', and leave it at that on instance runs :P
However sometimes you need to do more, and quickly, and these kind of addons are great for this.
Jack Spicer Mar 10th 2008 12:06AM
I agree that the target marking in the default interface is definitely something that needs to be worked on.
To that effect, I use Simple Raid Target Icons. Unlike Lucky Charms it doesn't add anything to the basic UI (so no extra clutter) but when you right click on a mob it brings up a radial menu that you use to select the icons.
Jack Spicer Mar 10th 2008 12:07AM
Oh, you can also use it to keybind the icons as well.
S?hrtogg Mar 10th 2008 4:42AM
As a tank, I've been using the icons bound with the default UI keybind interface to numpad numbers. Left hand + mouse to quickly set some marks.
Now I'm thinking of it: a laptop separate numpad placed left of my regular keyboard would be even nicer.
JJK Mar 10th 2008 5:03AM
TargetCharms blows this way with it's customization and options. The icons have a clear background and frame and only appear when you target something. It makes for less clunky look, but I wish they would add a readycheck button.
Jereth Mar 10th 2008 12:48PM
I'm a prot pally, and marking is a job I've always done. Agreed that the normal interface is very clunky, and was a pain to use until I started just binding keys to a place close to my movement ones (WASD). Just rebound Ctrl-S,X,C & Z to common marks for Skull, Cross, Star (kill order) & Moon for sheep (rarely used :P). After that I don't really need many others unless we're in a raid environment and maybe a trap is required (Square) which I would do individually.
Having the key bindings combined with selecting the mobs with the mouse allows me to mark a pack in seconds, then once engaged as the skull goes down I'm right next to my key bindings to be able to mark another skull if necessary by just quickly tabbing through remaining mobs in the pack.
Works great for me as a combination of keys and mouse.
tiamazzo Mar 10th 2008 10:20PM
GnomeCharmer is a little better. It adds the function two double click a target, bringing up a radial menu to choose an Icon.
Elroir Mar 11th 2008 5:46PM
Nice addon, thx
jbodar Mar 18th 2008 7:18PM
I use Baud Mark. A bound hotkey brings up a charm menu around your mouse pointer. Click a charm to mark whatever mob is currently targeted.