• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Arcane Intellect

Arcane Intellect

World of Warcraft guides, addons, and more

  • Home
  • Addon Guides
  • All Guides
  • Subscribe on YouTube

World of Warcraft (WoW) AddOns for Beginners

Last Reviewed: March 25, 2024 by Archdruid Andoris Leave a Comment

Learn what World of Warcraft addons are, why they are helpful, and which ones are the best for beginners.

Welcome to the 10th and final part of this ultimate guide for new World of Warcraft players. In this article, we are going to build off the basic UI and talk about how beginners can get started with World of Warcraft addons. Before we get too far, let’s first talk about what a WoW addon is.

An addon (or mod) is a piece of code that builds upon the functionality of World of Warcraft (WoW). Addons are most commonly used to enhance interface layout or add useful information on the screen. They are usually free and can be removed easily if you do not like the change in functionality.

While in-game, you can press ‘ESC’ and click on ‘AddOns’ to see a list of every addon you have installed. From here, you can enable or disable the addons in use.

World of Warcraft AddOns list
You can access your list of AddOns in-game by pressing ‘ESC’

Why would I want a WoW addon?

Great question!

As mentioned above, addons provide additional features or functionality. While some of the features are cosmetic, like changing the appearance of your UI or bags, others provide you with information and other tools that can make you a better player or make the game easier.

In short, addons generally serve one of two purposes:

  1. Improve experience while playing (quality of life enhancements)
  2. Provide you with information and tools to improve your gameplay

We will talk in a moment about some specific addons and the features they offer, but first, let’s talk about how to get an addon.

How do I get/add/install WoW addons?

There are two major approaches to installing addons.

First, you can install the addon by placing it in the folder where your game is installed. This approach is a little clunky and makes updating addons more difficult, so I do not recommend it for beginners. However, if you would like to install addons manually, you can check out my article on How to Install WoW Addons.

The second way to install addons is by using downloadable addon manager software. I will walk you through that in a moment.

If you are a visual person, you can also check out the YouTube video I made, which walks you through 3 different approaches you can use to get addons:

https://youtu.be/WrJTJeSbYv0

Getting addons through an addon manager

The main manager used for downloading addons is called Curseforge, but there are several competing open-source managers as well. In this article, we will only talk about Curseforge. If you want to learn more about open-source managers, I go over some popular ones in this article.

How does Curseforge work?

CurseForge is an online addon library. To use it, you will need to download the Overwolf/CurseForge app. Once installed, you will see a list of games that have addons available. Once you select WoW, you see two options: “My Addons” and “Get More Addons”. Popular and new addons appear in the window for getting more addons… or you can search for one in particular.

Once you find the one you want, you click on it and select the “Install” option. It will automatically place the addon in the correct folder.

Screenshot of the CurseForge app offered by Overwolf. The best route for beginners to setup their WoW addons
The CurseForge app through Overwolf is the current choice for WoW addon management

Is downloading WoW addons safe?

Yes! If you are downloading an addon using one of the approaches above, there is a good chance the file is safe. However, you should still take caution when downloading addons that have few downloads or are brand new.

If you are still concerned, you can check out my longer article that dives into the question: Are World of Warcraft (WoW) Addons Safe?

Will I get banned for using WoW addons?

No, you will not get banned for using addons.

However, if you download a program (especially one for “botting”) rather than an addon, you are likely to get banned. If you download addons from the sources mentioned and load them into your designated addons folder, you will be fine.

I also did a deep-dive article on whether World of Warcraft (WoW) are Addons Allowed if you are interested.

Best WoW Addons For Beginners

If you are just starting out, the idea of addons may be a little daunting. To get you started, I have a few recommended addons which will provide immediate value and will require little to no setup once installed. In future posts, we will look at other popular addons that are helpful but require a little more setup.

 As you start, I would recommend getting at least one addon from each of the following categories:

  • Navigation addons
  • Boss Encounter addons
  • Combat meter addons

Navigation AddOns

There are two helpful navigation AddOns:

TomTom

TomTom adds coordinates to your screen and map to help you navigate around the world. These coordinates can be shared with other players and many online guides use these coordinates to help you find things. If you want to learn how to use TomTom, check out my TomTom Guide!

Screenshot of TomTom wow addon arrows.
TomTom is useful for adding coordinates and navigation

HandyNotes (including HandyNotes: Dragonflight)

HandyNotes allows you to add markers on your map to indicate important locations. Additionally, there are many joint addons that you can download, which come prepackaged with points and notes on your map. These points make tasks like finding certain treasures or enemies much easier. Here is an example of HandyNotes: Dragonflight, which shows the location of rare mobs on the Dragon Isles!

Screenshot of Handynotes: Dragonflight addon in World of Warcraft Dragonflight

Boss Encounter AddOns

If you plan on giving dungeons or raiding a shot, you will definitely want a boss encounter addon. Effectively, these addons place timers and warnings on your screen to help you manage the difficult mechanics of boss encounters.

There are two primary addons in this category:

Deadly Boss Mods OR BigWigs (and LittleWigs)

You will only need one of these types of addons since their functionality is nearly identical. They are both easy to set up but also allow for a good amount of customization as you get more comfortable with their functionality.

If you are just starting out, I would recommend trying out Deadly Boss Mods first.

Combat Meter AddOns

The last major category of addon I recommend is a combat meter. In short, these addons keep track of a wide range of combat-related information. They can be used to see how much damage or healing was done over the course of a specific fight.

Additionally, they can be helpful to see the source and amount of damage your character took in a fight. This can be especially useful if you are fighting a tough foe and don’t know why you are dying. As with the boss encounters addon, you only need one of these.

The three largest options in this category are:

  • Details!
  • Recount
  • Skada
World of Warcraft Addon: Details!
Example of Details! combat meter

And there we have it, an overview of addons and some basic recommendations. In the future, we will look at specific addons and their functionality. Feel free to comment below if you have found other addons which helped you get started with World of Warcraft.

This marks the official end of this multi-part guide for new players, but there are plenty of other guides on the site to help you in your journey through Azeroth!

Thanks for reading!

RELATED ARTICLES

How to Backup World of Warcraft (WoW) Addons and Settings

How to find your WoW Addon Folder

How to Install World of Warcraft (WoW) Addons in 2024

Do WoW Addons Affect your FPS and Game Performance?

How to Install WoW Addons without Overwolf

Are World of Warcraft (WoW) Addons Allowed?

Filed Under: addon-basics, Addons, new-player-guide Tagged With: addons, guide, new player

Tags

addon addons addon spotlight allied race allied races battle for azeroth beginner bfa burning crusade classic dragonflight dungeon dungeons flying forbidden reach gear great vault guide guild legion leveling m+ mounts mythic+ mythic plus nameplates new player patch 9.1.5 patch 9.2 raids retail rotation shadowlands the war within timewalking torghast user interface warlords of draenor world of warcraft wotlk wotlk classic wow wow token wrath of the lich king zereth mortis
Avatar photo

About Archdruid Andoris

I'm glad you found me! I am a veteran World of Warcraft player who has played off-and-on since the game first released in 2004. I have been a guild master for several guilds with the focus of helping new players learn how to play the game and try new activities like dungeons and raids. I hope the guides and information on this site help you on your journey thorough Azeroth!

If you have any thoughts or questions on the article, feel free to leave a comment. An e-mail is not required (I just use it to catch spam bots).

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Search

More to See

How to Get to the Forbidden Reach in WoW Dragonflight

Dragonflight Gear Embellishments Guide

The Azure Vault Quick Dungeon Guide – Entrance & Bosses

Algeth’ar Academy Dungeon Guide – Entrance, Bosses & Tips

Ruby Life Pools Dungeon Guide – Entrance, Bosses & Tips

Court of Stars Dungeon Guide – Entrance, Bosses & FAQs

Temple of the Jade Serpent Dungeon Guide – Entrance, Bosses & FAQs

Halls of Valor Dungeon Guide – Entrance, Bosses & FAQs

Shadowmoon Burial Grounds Dungeon Guide – Entrance, Bosses & FAQs

Is the Zygor Addon Worth It? Zygor Guides vs. Azeroth Auto Pilot Test

Footer

World of Warcraft, Warcraft, and Blizzard Entertainment are trademarks or registered trademarks of Blizzard Entertainment.

Recent

  • How to Unlock Kul Tiran Humans Fast
  • How to Unlock Every Allied Race in World of Warcraft (WoW)
  • How to Unlock Void Elves Fast in World of Warcraft
  • How to Unlock the Earthen Allied Race in World of Warcraft
  • How to Unlock Lightforged Draenei in World of Warcraft

Search

OTHER LINKS

Privacy Policy

Contact Us

Copyright © 2025 · Magazine Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in