Blizzard has announced that addons will have a new API with Patch 12.1, allowing them to filter sets of auras, reducing the amount of combat-relevant information leaking to addons. These changes continue Blizzard’s efforts to reduce the amount of automation done by addons.
This new API will expose only limited information to limit the automation potential, while still allowing for better UI customization for users. The goal is to reduce the number of leaks that have been happening from auras, as addon creators have been exploiting those to bypass restrictions intended by Blizzard for fights like L’ura.
Addons and Auras in Curse of Ula’tek
Since the launch of Midnight, we’ve continued to iterate on the addon-related changes introduced in the Midnight pre-patch. In the 12.1 Curse of Ula’tek update, we are pleased to be taking the next major step in that work. This work reflects the insights and feedback shared by our community, with a focus on auras, commonly referred to by players as buffs and debuffs.
These changes focus on preventing auras (whether on the player, enemies, or party and raid members) from leaking important combat information that can be used for combat automation. At the same time, we want addons to continue being able to show auras in a variety of custom ways.
To support that goal, Curse of Ula’tek will introduce new APIs that allow addons to display filtered sets of auras in customized ways, without exposing the underlying aura information that could be used for automation. Addons that currently display auras will need to be updated to support these new APIs, and we’ll be working directly with addon authors throughout the Curse of Ula’tek PTR to help them adapt to these changes and gather feedback during testing.
