Addon Spotlight: My other Top 5 addons

There is no way I could have made a Top 5 addons list without these other 5 addons. Many of you had awesome Top 5 lists of your own, and the comments on my last Top 5 column was filled with awesome recommendations. Thank you all for the excellent conversation.
This list is my other Top 5, a collection of addons that didn't make the cut the first time, not because they aren't deserving of the top spots but because they probably weren't the first addons to come to mind. Then, after reading the comments and my own addon list, I felt bad and couldn't leave these out. So let's do my other Top 5 addons.
5. Grid
I can tell you the first time I used Grid, because I remember it vividly. I was late to the Grid party, despite being a healer for the entirety of vanilla WoW and The Burning Crusade. (My transition to tanking only happened during Wrath, when I had scratched the tank itch in Warhammer and it followed me to WoW.) The first time I installed Grid was in the beginning of The Burning Crusade, setting up the addon during my first run of Hellfire Ramparts. Why do I remember this so vividly? Because I spent my entire run setting up the addon and not healing anyone, resulting in a longer than needed Hellfire Ramparts run.
Grid feels timeless to me. Hell, I might have been using Grid earlier than The Burning Crusade, but this is the first memory that I think I have about it. Suffice to say, what Grid did for the party and raid interface in WoW was monumental. In fact, I think Grid changed the way people think about group and raid interfaces in MMOs in general. The customizable squares, easy-to-notice health levels and corner-driven interface, plus putting buffs/debuffs front and center, make Grid a powerhouse that exists in the perfect small space.
Nowadays, for healers who use Grid, I recommend Bati's Grid layouts, since they are awesome. And check out my Addon Spotlight on Clique, the best companion to Grid ever.
4. Postal
The functionality of the in-game mail system is, for lack of a better word, lacking. It's a simple system still very much of the old generation of MMOs that WoW was born in. For everything that Blizzard has been doing to update WoW and bring it into the new generation, the mail system hasn't seen much improvement. To be fair, it's not an end all, be all game feature, but it is a small, mailbox-sized monument to days gone by.
Postal fixes the mail system in WoW to give it added functionality and useability. Much like how, in the past, Chatter and Prat would turn the default chat box into a more complete feature, Postal has been doing this for the mail system for a long time. The auction house would be unusable without it. So, Postal, you get the other number 4 spot.
Download Postal at [Curse] or [WoWInterface] (but you probably already have it installed).

Relatively new to my list of favorites, GupPet is everything I've ever wanted in a companion pet and mount addon. Easy to configure, with a separate keybinding for random mounts depending on location and a super-configurable system for mount preference, GupPet pulls all of my favorite features into one slick-looking addon.
There's not much else to say about GupPet. It does a fantastic job with its intended features. Here are a few tips. First, put the slider all the way down on the randomness of the Bronze Drake -- nobody wants to see that. Second, put the slider way down on your Ashes of Al'ar, Primrose -- nobody wants to see your stupid bird. I'm jealous.
Check out my Addon Spotlight featuring GupPet.
2. Dominos/Bartender
Action bars are one of those areas of customization I could not live without, period. My UI setups have always concentrated on separate special utility action bars that flank the traditional double-bar setup at the bottom of the screen. My personal favorite action bar mod, Dominos, hits everything out of the park. Bartender is good too, of course, but I was always a Dominos man.
The first thing I did when I loaded up WoW was add every single extra bar to my user interface that the default options let me add. Configuring my actions bars didn't happen until late into vanilla, when my needs and wants finally trumped my fear of customization. Since then, life has never been the same.
With variable setups for blocks of action bars, customizable sizes and number of slots, and a host of options for hiding bars in and out of combat, action bar mods can transform a cluttered and crazy UI into a thing of minimalist beauty. Combined with addons like ButtonFacade, you have the perfect picture.
Action bar mods, you get other spot 2 in my list because of how you turned my user interface into my own creation and not just some options in a settings menu.
Download Bartender at [Curse] or [WoWInterface].
Download Dominos at [Curse] or [WoWInterface].
1. OmniCC
Remember when I said simplicity is key to a great addon? OmniCC is simply one of the greatest addons ever because of its simplicity and for giving users a feature they might never had known they ever wanted or needed.
What does OmniCC do, for the uninitiated? The addon layers a countdown timer in big, bold numbers on top of your action bar abilities that counts down until the ability is usable again. Most everything is customizable, of course. I like OmniCC's basic purpose tag line: It turns your analogue cooldown timer into a digital timer. Simple, easy to see, and incredibly useful for those of us who like big numbers.
Simplicity makes OmniCC my other favorite top pick of addon. Check out this awesome guide on OmniCC. And check out my Addon Spotlight where I say very few words about OmniCC.
And the award goes to...
I hope you guys and gals enjoyed my double Top 5 lists. People seemed to get a kick out of them, so many next time we'll do something fun like the Addon Spotlight Awards. What types of categories could we have? Best Newcomer? Best Functionality? Best Interface? Actually, this is a great idea, and I'm stream-of-consciousing into something big. Let's do it! Suggest categories in the comments, and I'll put together something fun.
See you guys next week.
Filed under: Add-Ons, AddOn Spotlight






Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Sicadastra Feb 10th 2011 1:07PM
I sound like a broken record here, but every time OmniCC is mentioned I have to say it: Combine it with InlineAura!! These 2 addons work together so beautifully it makes me weep. Seriously, these 2 top my list of "cannot play effectively without"... which by the by should be a category for them awards...
Sicadastra Feb 10th 2011 1:08PM
And sorry, it's Inline Aura, 2 words. Here's the link: http://wow.curse.com/downloads/wow-addons/details/inline-aura.aspx
What OmniCC does for your cooldowns, Inline Aura does for your buffs, defuffs, and auras.
Chairman Kaga Feb 10th 2011 1:45PM
Seconded.
Inline Aura has allowed me to dispense with debuff monitoring tools for the most part.
ahsanali Feb 10th 2011 1:50PM
OmniCC and Inline Auras are win. Add in RangeColors to color your buttons for out of range, rage/energy/focus/mana situations and it makes life perfect. :)
llcjay2003 Feb 10th 2011 4:20PM
These 2 together = maximization of CDs
Devin Feb 10th 2011 1:13PM
Most aesthetically pleasing addon
Camo Feb 10th 2011 2:51PM
Well that's easy. The epeen plugin for tidy plates!
Oh.. you meant AESTHETICALLY.. well.. err crap...
moonangel0910 Feb 10th 2011 1:21PM
1.Easiest setup addon
2.Best Raid Frame
3.Best Functionality(meaning you get several things one addon can do that 3-4 would take to do)
4.Addon that is missed the most(this can only apply to addon's that author's have stopped updating and do not work anymore, can not have another person working on it)
5.Addon can not live w/o(can be any type of addon, but why you can't play WoW w/o it must be explained so everyone can understand)
6.Most frustrating addon to setup
That's all i can think of for now
jonas Feb 10th 2011 1:55PM
gonna skip 1)...
2) Grid!
3) Skada!
4) old-style decursive! (circa MC)
5) any unitframe addon!
6) Grid!
Neyssa Feb 11th 2011 7:19AM
1.Easiest setup addon: Healbot, especially compared to how awesome it is.
2.Best Raid Frame: Healbot. I use it on my not-healer characters as well.
3.Best Functionality: OPIE! who could say otherwise? Hidden beautiful rings for all the unused spells / outfitter / mounts / food / flasks / tradeskills / questitems?
4.Addon that is missed the most: Necrosis. Please give it back!
5.Addon can not live w/o: way too long list, but to advertise it even more: OPIE. It makes all kind of stuff easily accessible, aesthetically pleasing, fast and fun.
6.Most frustrating addon to setup: Pitbull. I love pitbull but the setup is horrid.
soultobleed Feb 11th 2011 3:36PM
1) Omen - It's's by default almost perfect
2) Grid - Self Explanatory
3) ClassTimer - I play a Bear druid and track lacerate ticks on the target along with the Pulverize and Berserk procs can be a pain, I've spent quite sometime looking for an addon that would let me see all my timers, targeted or not, in the same UI space, and that's for sure one of the easiest to set up and most complete.
4) Can't remember any atm.
5) Quartz and Dominos
6) Shadowed Unit Frames - I love this addon, but it's such a pain to configure and align everything the way I like it.
jfofla Feb 10th 2011 1:33PM
Dammit McCurley!
I have really been trying to use less and less AddOns, I even use the Blizzard Raid Frames to heal my 25 man raid now.
BUT...
You run these columns and convince me I need just ONE MORE AddOn (Imagine Steve Martin in The Jerk) and that is all I need.
Thanks....no really, thanks, I mean it.
Cetha Feb 10th 2011 2:51PM
Glad to hear that I am not the only one who has switched to the Blizzard raid frames. They don't do everything, but they do actually manage to do all the things that I really need. I'm happy Blizz finally added such a thing to their own UI, as I also like to keep the addons down to a minimum.
Dortamur Feb 10th 2011 9:09PM
Agreed. I switched from a custom unit frame mod (Pitbull) to the Blizzard Raid frames, and I have a hard time seeing what "must-have" functionality other raid frame addons give. Sure, if you want dramatic visual changes, get an add-on, but I've found the Blizz standard frames (with most of the extra options turned on) provide every bit of info I need, and the presentation & layout are clean.
jealouspirate Feb 10th 2011 1:45PM
"Second, put the slider way down on your Ashes of Al'ar, Primrose -- nobody wants to see your stupid bird. I'm jealous."
O.o
McCurley, do you play on Maelstrom?!
Mathew Feb 10th 2011 3:44PM
Now where would you get a crazy idea like that?
jealouspirate Feb 10th 2011 4:03PM
I'm going to go with my inner conspiracy theorist and call that a "yes".
Time to sound like a stalker, but I know from listening to the podcast that you play Horde and there aren't a ton of Horde characters in the US named Primrose at the level cap. One of them on my server has Ashes of Al'ar.
Could just be a coincidence, but the odds must be pretty low!
Mathew Feb 10th 2011 4:05PM
Yes, I play on Maelstrom.
jealouspirate Feb 10th 2011 4:15PM
Sweet! I'm a big fan of the podcast, you do a great job!
While still not trying to sound like a stalker, feel free to say hello or give me a /wave sometime in-game! Name is Fidjit, Horde-side Maelstrom as well.
Joseph Smith Feb 10th 2011 6:59PM
Quick! Everyone make toons on Maelstrom and /wave at Fidgit! Then he'll never know who the true McCurley is! :D