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Blizzard Moves to Retire WoW Combat Add-Ons With Midnight, Starting in Alpha

The studio says the change will level the playing field by baking essential combat cues into the default interface.

Overview

  • The Midnight alpha now restricts long-used combat mods as Blizzard accelerates their phase-out for the expansion expected in early 2026.
  • Game director Ion Hazzikostas says encounters that rely on mods are a design failure and that the reset must occur with a full expansion tier.
  • Blizzard has introduced built-in tools such as a cooldown manager and damage meters, which currently lack popular features like customizable sound alerts.
  • The alpha includes sweeping class adjustments and planned encounter redesigns intended to keep content playable without third-party add-ons.
  • Add-on authors and high-end players report concern over the pace and accessibility impacts, with Blizzard pledging to iterate on feedback in the coming weeks.