Ten Ton Hammer - Taking MMO Gamers to the Next Level!

AddOns can be a tough nut to crack for many MMOGs. Not only are there typically numerous iterations on the same concept to choose from, but it can also be a lengthy process to figure out whether or not one version is necessarily better than the other without a fair amount of trial and error. So much of the addon world is based on personal playstyle that picking one as the best is nearly impossible.

Now certainly there are some addons that are generally considered to be better than others based on things such as having an author or team that's dedicated to updating their creation. Other factors to consider are things like how customizable the addon is by the end user, or if it's bundled into a package full of non-essentials that you'll never end up wanting or needing.

Some players might prefer addons that allow you to customize everything from the look and feel of the UI right down to altering its base functionality. Others just want a few simple options and would rather not get overwhelmed by installing a complicated beast of UI elements that each need to be updated or tweaked with every minor patch to hit the live servers. Still others just want to add in pictures of their My Little Pony collection, but those people tend to need the kind of help that falls a bit beyond the functionality that addons typically provide.

Considering that Runes of Magic is less than a year old it's impressive that there are already some 300 plus addons available for the game. To help save you some of the trouble of weeding through so many options to pick out the handful of gems, Ten Ton Hammer has done some of the legwork for you. We've put together a list of our top picks to get you started on your way towards UI nirvana in RoM.

While each of the projects listed below are functional and current with the most recent build of the game at the time of this writing, be aware that addon projects are often abandoned with little or no warning. Also, be sure to follow the author's installation instructions for the best results, and always check for updates whenever a sizable patch hits the live servers to keep the game running smoothly.

StatRating

The best addons will often make the life of the player easier while remaining somewhat transparent. In other words, they provide an excellent benefit without adding tons of crazy charts, graphs and pictures of unicorns all over the screen so that you can focus on actually playing the game rather than looking at a custom Excel spreadsheet that so many of the larger addon packages devolve into.

Case in point: StatRating. This little gem essentially takes the core stats shown on an item's tooltip and adds details on the attribute benefits you gain from it. You can also opt to compare attribute gains (or losses) between new items and those you currently have equipped. This may sound somewhat familiar for those of you who have grown accustomed to the same type of functionality in World of Warcraft, though StatRating one-ups the WoW UI by automatically showing you the added info such as the gains to Magical Damage or Mana Points by increasing your Intelligence by X amount.

• Pros: Easy to set up and use, players can pick and choose which stats they want to have appear on tooltips.


• Cons: While StatRating has an English version, many of the update notes can be a bit difficult to understand due to the sometimes wonky translations.


• Where to Get it: Details and downloads for StatRating can be found here.

Inventory Viewer

If you're anything like me, you horde giant piles of stuff on each of your characters and eventually hit a point where you have a hard time keeping track of which character has which stuff. What follows is the joyous process of logging each character in and out until you discover which one has that awesome +10 Dirty Hair Monster Basher of Doom you're looking for.

Along comes Inventory Viewer to save the day and give you an excellent tool which allows you to see what each of your characters has stuffed into their inventories and even their storage space, and all in one handy interface. A must have for all of you nutty players out there that like to keep track of all of your in-game spoils before they reach their expiration date and become spoiled. Download it, install it, love it. Trust me, your House Fairy will thank you for it.

• Pros: Easy instillation, can display information across multiple characters or accounts.


• Cons: As an organizational tool, don't expect Inventory Viewer to radically alter the way you interact with the game during combat. While the latest build is generally stable, some users have reported bugs in certain instances such as owning two of the exact same container within a single character's house.


• Where to get it: Details and downloads for Inventory Viewer can be found here.

Healbot

Let's face it, people who enjoy playing healers in MMOGs have an unnatural obsession with seeing little colored bars move back and forth. Their goal: keep the colored bars pushed towards the right side while the game's AI does its best to shove them to the left as quickly as possible. But don't let my inability to comprehend the inner workings of the healer's psyche fool you. Healing is an intense job and more often than not requires more skill and coordination to do properly than just about any other role in groups.

Healbot attempts to make the life of a healer a little bit easier. By adding in some more details on party member's health bars and providing you with a set of hotkeys that will cast heals on specific party members, this simple addon can take the daunting task of healing and make it much more manageable.

• Pros: Slick at-a-glace interface elements and handy hotkey additions


• Cons: Stops short of adding any auto-cast features, but then again, if you need an addon to go that far for you then why are you playing a healer in an MMOG in the first place?


• Where to get it: Details and downloads for Healbot can be found here.

pbInfo

Last but certainly not least we have an addon that takes things in the opposite direction of those listed above by bundling a number of different functions into a single package. Some of the main features of pbInfo include: ThreatMeter, QuestTracker, BloodBars, ChatLog, ChatFrame and CastingBar, with additional tooltip info thrown into the mix as well. Many of the included tools will build upon or improve the base functionality of specific UI elements. For example BloodBars (have to love that name) will add in actual HP amounts on health bars. Other elements such as ThreatMeter will provide the ever essential threat ranking in groups by listing threat levels from highest to lowest.

• Pros: Seamlessly integrates with the native UI, windows can be moved and set to allow click through, allows the end user a high degree of control over which elements to make active


• Cons: Bundled addon packages tend to be the most difficult to maintain by both the author and end user as each major patch can require a fair amount of updating to resolve new bugs that crop up.


• Where to get it: Details and downloads for pbInfo can be found here.

Stay tuned for the next episode of Ten Ton Hammer's magical Runes of Magic UI extravaganza, in which we'll be diving headfirst into the wacky world of macros. Because really, playing an MMOG with its native hotkey configuration is so 2008.

If you're new to Runes of Magic and looking to get a handle on the basics, then be sure to check out our class guides portal which provides an introductory look at each of the 8 available classes as well as some excellent guides to help you get started on the process of picking which secondary class is best for you!