How to Guide:
Building the UI to Suit You (World of Warcraft)

User Interface elements are a really important part of MMORPG gaming and especially important for high-end gameplay. In World of Warcraft, add-ons that allow you to customize and build an interface are even more important as the game's basic UI is rigid and lacks freedom of movement for your action bars, health bars, combat text, etc.

While it is not necessary to have a design in mind, it helps you build a UI that will suit your wants and needs. If it is your first time building a UI then you should skim over some images of other player's custom builds and see what elements you like, then use them in your own. As a healer and a raider, my add-ons are focused on having a clean interface (See above image) so I can see what is happening on the battle field, whilst providing me with good playability.

To start, you will need to download some software that has an entire add-on library for you to choose the right modifications. Two of the best out there are the WoW-Ace Client and Curse Client. I have always been a fan of the Curse Client and the most recent version offers excellent functionality. In Curse Client you are able to filter what add-ons you want to find by their categories, it also lists all your currently installed add-ons on a separate page and will automatically tell you when an update is available. Curse Client does have it's downsides, you are unable to view screen shots of each add-on within the client, instead you are redirected to a web page to view any images or additional information.

You'll have to consider the size of your monitor, and the resolution available to you, as it has a direct impact on how expansive and clean your interface looks. I currently play on a wide screen monitor using a 1680 x 1050 resolution, this allows me to spread my user interface elements out across the screen and gain the maximum amount of visually free space. However, if you do not have a wide screen monitor, you may have to squeeze elements tighter together which can make things looked cramped. To combat this, you'll likely have to reduce the size of interface elements to retain a clean look.