Most addon lists for Midnight are the same list from previous expansions with the dead entries quietly removed. That misses what actually happened.
Patch 12.0 introduced the Secret Values API, which removed addon access to real-time combat data inside instances. Health, debuffs, cooldowns, enemy actions — none of it is readable by addons during a boss encounter or a Mythic+ run anymore.
This wasn't a tuning pass. It ended several of the most-installed addons in the game permanently.
Here's what changed, what died, what Blizzard replaced it with, and what's genuinely worth installing now.
What Actually Changed
The Secret Values mechanism blocks addons from reading live combat state inside instances. The combat log event addons relied on for two decades no longer returns readable data during encounters.
Private addon communication channels are blocked in instances. Addons can no longer sync or share data with each other in real time during dungeons and raids. Every addon now operates independently using only what the base UI exposes.
The restriction is scoped, not universal. It applies during boss encounters and Mythic+ runs. Open-world combat is unaffected — which is why gathering, questing, and world content addons work exactly as they always did.
That scope is the key to understanding which addons survived. Anything that reads combat data inside an instance is broken or heavily reduced. Anything that operates outside instances, or works from information Blizzard still exposes, is fine.
What You Lost
WeakAuras. The development team announced they will not release a Midnight-compatible version. Their position is that the addon's core model — executing automated logic based on real-time combat state — is fundamentally incompatible with the new API. Whatever limited visual functionality persists, the logic-driven auras and private sync groups that made it essential are gone.
Hekili. The rotation helper project ended entirely with the Midnight prepatch. The developers stated the new API direction made it impossible to continue at their quality standard.
Details! Real-time damage meters can't read the combat log inside instances. Blizzard's built-in meter replaced it.
Cell and VuhDo AoE prediction. Both raid frame addons survived, but healers lost the AoE heal prediction features they'd relied on for years. Reduced functionality, not removal.
GTFO. Heavily affected — it depended on precise real-time combat data.
Raid assignment syncing. Any addon that distributed assignments through private channels during an encounter no longer works. Native raid markers replaced this workflow entirely.
What Blizzard Replaced Natively
Before installing anything, turn these on. Several people install addons to solve problems the base UI already handles now.
Native Feature | Where | Replaces |
|---|---|---|
Built-in Damage Meter | Interface → Combat Tools | Details! |
Integrated Boss Timeline | Interface → Combat Tools | Encounter timers |
Cooldown & Buff Tracker | Interface settings | Basic WeakAuras tracking |
Edit Mode | UI customisation | Layout addons |
Native Raid Marking | Base UI | WeakAuras raid assignments |
Pandemic Tracking | Base UI | DoT refresh auras |
Configure these before you install a single addon. The Midnight UI covers considerably more ground than previous versions, and the addons worth adding are the ones that improve on native features rather than duplicate them.
What Survived and Still Matters
Boss Timers — DBM or BigWigs
Both survived, but the architecture changed completely. Instead of computing their own timers from the combat log, they now pull timer data from Blizzard's native encounter timeline API.
Functionality is largely intact. If you raided with either before, you can keep using it. The difference is under the hood rather than in your experience.
Pick one, not both. Running both is redundant now that they're drawing from the same underlying data.
Nameplates — Platynator
The most valuable combat-adjacent addon still functioning. Fully compliant with the new restrictions, and it brings back limited buff, debuff, and cooldown tracking on nameplates.
With WeakAuras gone, nameplate customisation has become the primary way to surface combat information visually. This is the addon that fills the largest gap left behind.
Resource Tracking — SenseiClassResourceBar
The native UI made resource tracking harder to read for several classes. This addon returns a dedicated resource bar.
Effectively mandatory for Rogues, Death Knights, and any resource-dependent spec. If you play a class where mismanaging a resource costs you a rotation, install this first.
Cooldown Tracking — Arc UI
Builds on Blizzard's native Cooldown Tracker with resource bars, precise buff and debuff timings, and cooldown charge display.
Lightweight, and it addresses the specific gaps in the native tracker rather than replacing it wholesale.
Mythic+ Planning — Mythic Dungeon Tools
Still fully functional. Route planning happens outside combat, which puts it entirely outside the restricted API surface.
If your group plans pulls, skips, and affix handling before entering, nothing has changed for you.
UI Layout — TweaksUI
A complete UI solution updated for the current API: action bar placement, keybind visibility, and general layout control in one addon.
Requires Masque as a dependency — install both.
Non-Combat Addons — Unaffected
Everything below operates outside instanced combat and works exactly as before.
Baganator — bag, bank, and guild bank management with search by name, type, slot, expansion, and level. Customisable categories via the gear icon. If you prefer strict category separation, AdiBags does the same job with a different organisational philosophy.
HandyNotes — rares, treasures, and puzzle locations on your map. Install the base addon and the Midnight plugin — the base addon alone displays nothing.
Plumber — a collection of quality-of-life fixes: stackable item tracking in inventory, a looted items window, auto-loot bug fixes, subtitles for talking heads, and lockpicking directly from the inventory.
World Quest Tracker — sorts world quests by reward and faction, shows remaining time, and finds groups for shared objectives. More useful in Season 2 than usual given how much Coiled Isle reputation runs through world quests.
BlizzMove — move Blizzard windows by dragging their title bar, resize with Ctrl and the mouse wheel.
No Auto Close — keeps multiple windows open simultaneously. Profession window plus Auction House plus guild chat, all at once. Pairs naturally with BlizzMove, which you'll want for repositioning windows afterwards since No Auto Close disables Blizzard's panel management.
Map Pin Enhanced — extends map pin visibility range, saves presets, supports multiple pins via /way or /pin, and adds travel time estimates. Genuinely useful for the coordinate-heavy content in Patch 12.1 — Coiled Isle treasures, Netherwing egg routes, Delve entrances.
Recommended Setups
Minimal — everything you actually need:
Native UI configured properly, plus Platynator for nameplates and DBM or BigWigs for boss timers. That's a complete, competitive setup.
Mythic+ focused:
Add Mythic Dungeon Tools for route planning, Arc UI for cooldown precision, and SenseiClassResourceBar if your spec is resource-dependent.
Raiding:
BigWigs or DBM, Platynator, and Arc UI. Raid frame addons — Cell or VuhDo — if you heal, understanding that AoE prediction is gone and you're working from actual health bars again.
Collector and world content:
HandyNotes with the Midnight plugin, Map Pin Enhanced, World Quest Tracker, Baganator, and Plumber. None of these are affected by the API changes at all.
What This Means for Play
The practical effect of the Secret Values change is that execution matters more than it did.
Encounters that were previously solved by a well-configured aura pack now require you to watch what's happening. Mythic+ pulls that were managed by automated alerts now depend on your own awareness and your group's communication. Assignments that synced automatically now go on world markers before the pull.
This isn't a complaint — it's a description of the environment. Groups that adapted early by leaning on native raid markers, clear voice communication, and pre-pull planning are performing fine. Groups still waiting for someone to build a replacement aura pack are not.
The setup above is complete. There is no missing addon that would give you back what WeakAuras did. Build your routine around native tools and communication instead.
Common Questions
Are addons required in Midnight? No. Blizzard designs encounters to be completable on the base UI, and that's more true in Midnight than it has been in years. Addons are convenience and customisation.
Does WeakAuras work at all? The team has stated they will not develop a Midnight-compatible version. Whatever limited display functionality remains, the logic-based auras and sync groups that made it essential no longer function in instances.
Why does my gathering addon still work? The restriction applies during boss encounters and Mythic+ runs. Open-world combat and non-combat activity are unaffected.
Should I run both DBM and BigWigs? No. Both now pull from the same native timeline data. Pick whichever interface you prefer.
Can addons still share raid assignments? Not during instanced content. Private addon channels are blocked. Use native world markers and voice communication.
