My Mods

A while back, I promised to go into a more in depth discussion about my mods. Here we go...

A few words on performance

When I first started using mods, my old PC gave me a lot of difficulty. The lesson there was about processor power & RAM. The more you try to do to your UI, the more resources used. Now that I have a better system, I have to be careful to not go mod-nuts.

The lesson here is to think carefully about your mods. There are even mods to help you examine your system performance. Frankly, that sounds like too much trouble. If you have an older system or slow bandwidth, try going as mod-lite as possible. Find the "essentials" that work for you. If you like a "heavy" mod you like, there may be a light-weight alternative from Ace.

Mod Resources

WoWAceUpdater

For simplicity, I really like to use mods available through the WoWAceUpdater. The Ace Mod system is a framework for Mod-writers. Most mods that come out of Ace are light weight & customizable. There can be a learning curve for the settings, but it's worth it. I run the updater every time there's a patch. For reference, mods that I talk about here that are available via Ace will have an asterisk.

Curse.com

If I can't get it from Ace, I turn to Curse. This is a great mod site. They carefully track mods, rank them and give a lot of details.

Interface Mods

Perl Classic Unit Frames - This is my old standby. Perl allows for customization of the Unit Frames. There are a lot of other unit frame mods out there, but none of them do it with the simplicity or quality I've gotten from Perl. In fact, Perl is one of the few non-Ace mods I still run. The Ace alternative, Pitbull was giving me some graphics issues. I switched back to Perl.

Bartender3* - Like the name implies, it tends to your bars. It allows for massive amounts of customization. It's become a must use for me.

Quartz* - If I was stranded on some "other" computer and could only take one mod with me, it would be Quartz. Quartz is the ultimate shot/swing timer.

FuBar* - For those "old school" TitanPanel fans out there, FuBar is the way to go. FuBar gives you an easy framework from which to hang all your other Ace mods.

Map Mod & Tips Mods - Rounding out my interface are three mods working together to give me the right look and feel: Squeenix*, FixTracker* & TinyTip.* Squeenix* allows for a square and movable map. FixTracker allows me to bring the tracker icon w/ the map. TinyTip* moves and customizes the default UI Tips.

Raiding Mods

My raiding mod list falls under three categories: guild required, boss specific or personal.

Guild Required

BigWigs* - QSS requires that we run with Deadly Boss Mods. I use BigWigs*, which is 100% compatible with DBM and updates through Ace.

Omen* - Like all raiding guilds, QSS requires a threat meter. Omen is our current meter de jur. I'm a fan of Omen, not just because it's Ace. It also does a good job of dealing with multiple tanks. Since most other guilds run with Omen & all my friends run with Omen, I can usually rely on it for instances & Pugs.

Boss Specific
Also Guild Required

Our guild currently requires Void Reaver Alarm & Solarian Alarm. If everyone in your guild has VRA, then Loot Reaver is easy mode. Frankly, it's a frustration for me. Void Reaver wasn't hard for me before we started using the Alarm. Then we switched and I started dying because of lazy people who didn't install it. The Alarm makes things so simple, that you forget to watch. Players without the alarm screw players who have it. SA is similar, but I believe that both DBM & BW have sufficient options installed that it really shouldn't be necessary.

My Raid Mod

oRA2* - Ora2 basically takes the place of the incredibly bloated CTRaid Assist. It's a simple mod that gives me tank targets. As a ranged DPS, I realized a while back that I don't need raid frames. I just need tank frames. For those who still need raid frames, (healers) Grid or XPerl does the job.

Even more Mods

Yes, you read correctly, there are more mods. I will simply list the rest of my mods here for now. I'll get into details on a few of them at a later time.

Recommended FuBar Addons:
AmmoFu, DurabilityFu, MoneyFu, LocationFu, PerformanceFu, MailFu

Other Great Ace Addons:
Recount, Cartographer, AtlasLoot, AutoProfitX, LittleWigs, ClosetGnome, Nudge

Auctioneer - OK, can't have a discussion about mods without mentioning Auctioneer. It's simply the best Auction House addon out there. It scans all the auctions and helps you determine the "best price" to buy or sell. The longer you use it, the better the info. I don't run this on my main because it's such a performance hog. Even now that I probably could, I've gotten so used to using it on my bank toon.