World of Warcraft's finally pulled the trigger on its combat-based UI mods, also called addons—something that's had such a large impact on the game that I (as a writer duty-bound to provide context) am having a hard time laying out the situation without simply repeating myself.
But it's a tectonic shift in how the game is designed and played. Players have been used to comprehensive and game-warpingly powerful combat addons for over 20 years at this point, so of course it's kicking up a fuss. Game director Ion Hazzikostas, who talked to PCG contributor Heather Newman recently, has spent a lot of his time dutifully reassuring players, reiterating intentions, and trying to disarm panic.
