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Welcome to Jar's World of Warcraft User Interface Repository!

In this comprehensive guide, I will walk you through every step, from a fresh World of Warcraft installation to setting up your entire UI for optimal gameplay. Whether you're a new player or a seasoned veteran, this guide is designed to help you understand the most crucial aspects of WoW UI customization. Here's what we'll cover:

-- 0. -- The WoW install process

- 0.0 -- IMPORTANT WoW UI BACKUP!

DISCLAIMER: If you already have customizations inside WoW, these are the folders you need to backup:

  • D:\Battlenet\World of Warcraft\_retail_\Fonts -- global font replacements live here
  • D:\Battlenet\World of Warcraft\_retail_\Interface -- ALL the WoW Interface data resources live here, e.g. addon installs, extra media, AND these texture replacements (icons, panels, etc.)
  • D:\Battlenet\World of Warcraft\_retail_\Screenshots -- all YOUR screenshots you have taken over the years!!! These do NOT get cloud-backup through Blizzard!!!
  • D:\Battlenet\World of Warcraft\_retail_\WTF -- HERE is where all your customizations live. ALL the config files for ALL the addons AND account data...

- 0.1 -- WoW installation

To start off the WoW install, go to: https://www.blizzard.com/en-us/apps/battle.net/desktop Within Battle.net install World of Warcraft. This will result in creating an install folder structure like

  • D:\Battlenet\World of Warcraft
  • The most recent WoW expansion Dragonflight is called the "Retail" version of the game - ther are older versions, like WoW Classic or Wrath Classic for past expansions.
  • So for Dragonflight, the WoW install folder lives in: D:\Battlenet\World of Warcraft\_retail_
  • Within Battle.net, click on "Play" having "World of Warcraft" selected.

- 0.2 -- Ingame default System settings (audio, graphics settings, network)

At character select, we can already make first customizations - go to bottom-left Menu > System:

  • Audio: Master Volume 10%, Music+Effects+Dialog 20%, Ambience 0%. Everything ticked, except Error Speech!
  • Graphics: Vertical Sync: Disabled, Low Latency Mode: Built-in, -- Graphics Quality: Base: Shadow Quality: Fair, Liquid: Good, Particle Density: Fair, rest use High, Spell Density: Most, Projected Textures: Enabled!, View Distance + Environment Detail + Ground Clutter: 7, -- Graphics Quality: Tick Raid Graphics Quality: Shadow Quality: Fair, Liquid: Good, Particle Density: Fair, SSAO: Disabled, Depth Effects: Disabled, Compute Effects: Disabled, Spell Density: Most, Projected Textures: Enabled!, View Distance: 7, Environment Detail + Ground Clutter: 1,
  • Graphics, Advanced: Triple Buffering: Untick, Texture Filtering: 8x, Ray Traced Shadows: Disabled, VRS Mode: Stamdard, Target FPS: Untick, Gamma: 1.2
  • Network: Advanced Combat Logging: Tick / Enable!

Now login with a character! This will create first files in your D:\Battlenet\World of Warcraft\_retail_\WTF

- 0.3 -- Ingame default menu options (Gameplay settings)

  • Controls: Mouse: Mouse Look Speed: 1

Now restart the game to make all the graphics settings changes go live.

--- ingame default menu options -> will live on a video. maybe youtube. maybe a twitch clip. (interface settings, graphics settings, Advanced Combat Logging enabled!)

-- 1. -- UI Modification through Local Files: Unleashing Customization Potential

This section may seem a little intimidating, but bear with me—it holds the key to unlocking the true potential of UI customization without sacrificing performance. We'll delve into some technical aspects involving precise modifications in the local folder structure, but trust me, the rewards are worth it.

Why is this section crucial, you might ask? Well, by making careful adjustments to your local files, you'll be able to achieve UI customizations that deliver unparalleled value. Unlike relying solely on ElvUI, which often skins numerous textures in the 3D engine, resulting in a performance penalty, our approach bypasses this drawback entirely.

Yes, I understand that tinkering with local files might not sound like the most thrilling topic, but remember, it's precisely here where we uncover the hidden gems of UI customization. So, let's dive in and discover how to maximize your UI's potential while maintaining optimal performance.

- 1.1 Global Fonts

TODO: share the default font replacements - note: I use Expressway

  • Inside D:\Battlenet\World of Warcraft\_retail_\Fonts we want to place .tff font files that will replace that named font globally inside WoW.
  • I like to use Expressway for my global font for everything. So get my Fonts folder zipped up at https://github.com/247jar/JarUI/blob/main/Fonts.zip
  • Unzip this Fonts.zip into D:\Battlenet\World of Warcraft\_retail_ - this will then result in having D:\Battlenet\World of Warcraft\_retail_\Fonts.

- 1.2 INTERFACE folder - VERY PERFORMANT because it's only texture replacements!

Texture replacement packs (BIG topic, lots of work here)

  • https://www.tukui.org/addons.php?id=202 for login screen & ingame Blizzard panels!!! (I use Grey > Transparent) -- unzip this elvui_login_screen_and_character_select.zip in your Downloads folder for now. This will unpack folders, we use: Retail > Grey > Transparent. Place ALL contents (folders) from here into D:\Battlenet\World of Warcraft\_retail_\Interface -- NOT into that AddOns folder!!!

  • https://www.tukui.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=45464#p45464 use No border with low background for chat bubbles specifically. -- unzip https://github.com/247jar/JarUI/blob/main/no%20border%20-%20low%20background.zip and copy these 2x .BLP files ChatBubble.BLP and ChatBubbleVertical.BLP into D:\Battlenet\World of Warcraft\_retail_\Interface\Tooltips -- but now delete/move the existing chatbubble mods from D:\Battlenet\World of Warcraft\_retail_\Interface\Tooltips called ChatBubbleVertical.tga and ChatBubble.tga

  • Default Icon replacement packs for 1px border squared icons everywhere (no more skinning!) -- Go to: https://github.com/AcidWeb/Clean-Icons-Mechagnome-Edition -- On the right side, download latest Release .zip - around 1GB file size! -- extract that CleanIcons-MechagnomeEdition-10.1.0.49407-V4-1.zip and copy all contents into D:\Battlenet\World of Warcraft\_retail_\Interface

- 1.3 chat tabs / channels +++ Edit Mode scaling (maybe mention my UI Scale WA) note: start referring to JarUI

-- TODO: FOR every character go to WTF\Account\%ACCOUNT_ID%\SavedVariables and PASTE INSIDE THE FILE, DO NOT REPLACE EXISTING FILE BECAUE OF HASHING from: https://github.com/247jar/JarUI/blob/main/chat-cache.txt -- for example: D:\Battlenet\World of Warcraft\_retail_\WTF\Account\137037127#1\Tarren Mill\Jarpd\chat-cache.txt

-- 2. -- Managing ALL addons & simple update process

- 2.1 I recommend WowUp.io with CurseForge to keep all addons updated with just 1 click - yes, including ElvUI: https://wowup.io/

- 2.2 ALL the addons that I currently use and are well maintained in Dragonflight:

  • AdiBags (is my bag addon of choice because C A T E G O R I E S) -- Position & size: Scale 90%, Max bag height 42%
  • AdvancedInterfaceOptions (offers a nice ingame CVAR browser + lowlevel interface options) -- CameraDistanceMaxZoomFactor 2.6
  • Angry Keystones (for displaying weekly affix schedule in the M+ panel)
  • BetterCharacterPanel (for character panel: to display Item Level and Enchant, Socket info per equipped item and on Inspect frame too!) -- TODO: not sure if I made adjustments or in DejaCharacterStats !!
  • BigWigs Bossmods (the boss timer addon with the fastest updates) + BigWigs_Voice + LittleWigs (TODO: SHARE PROFILES) -- download https://github.com/247jar/JarUI/blob/main/BigWigs.lua into WTF\Account\%ACCOUNT_ID%\SavedVariables -- TODO BEFORE RESET: test out making a new BigWigs profile on different Account.... to make sure we got ALL of the settings!!!!!!!!!
  • BlizzMove (to actually be allowed to move all Blizzard panels, yes even the Exit Game menu) -- Global Config: 2x Remember permanently
  • BtWQuests (TODO: maybe if u wanna complete all the questlines)
  • BugGrabber and BugSack (as LUA debug tools for all WoW addons)
  • Can I Mog It? (to keep track of transmogs)
  • DejaCharacterStats (for character panel: to see Equipped Item Level / Max Item Level for LFG) -- download https://github.com/247jar/JarUI/blob/main/DejaCharacterStats.lua into WTF\Account\%ACCOUNT_ID%\SavedVariables
  • Details! Damage Meter (TODO: SHARE PROFILE) -- 1. ingame in Details! "Options", go to "Profiles" and "Import Profile" by pasting this String: https://github.com/247jar/JarUI/blob/main/Details_profile.txt -- 2. ON EVERY CHARACTER SWAP TO JarUI profile within Details!'s profile select
  • Echo Raid Tools (adds a icon for guild Echo's WeakAuras to import ingame in the adventure guide)
  • ElvUI (THE complete UI overhaul, well-maintained, huge community, tons of profiles to test out on https://wago.io/) -- for JarUI import ALL profiles from this collection: https://wago.io/lw05cBLC4
  • FPS-MS-Tracker (to display a tiny, class-colored fps and ms counter on the bottom left-hand corner)
  • HandyNotes (adds icons to the map, can be expanded through lots of plugins / other HandyNotes - Addons) -- uses character specific settings by default !!! careful about committing to profile changes
  • LS: Glass (to have nice chat message animations and tab glow)
  • Method Raid Tools (for raid CD tracking TODO: SHARE PROFILE) -- ingame in Method Raid Tools got to "Profiles" and "Import profile" by pasting this String: https://github.com/247jar/JarUI/blob/main/Method_Raid_Tools.txt
  • Mythic Dungeon Tools (to edit, import & share M+ dungeon routes TODO: EXPLAIN M+ LIFE - keystone.guru, raider.io weekly route, getting MDT strings from streamers, big pushers.... all that fun)
  • Narcissus (to have a very modern, gorgeous character display)
  • OPie (for a selection ring around your mouse cursor) -- set up Alt-Q for Target Markers ++ and Alt-E for World Markers
  • OmniCD - Party Cooldown Tracker (for party cooldown + interrupts tracking -- TODO: SHARE PROFILE) -- download https://github.com/247jar/JarUI/blob/main/OmniCD.lua into WTF\Account\%ACCOUNT_ID%\SavedVariables
  • Outfitter (Equipment Manager - Nulian's Fixed) (the new Dragonflight version - to click on equipped item and immediately see replacement options inside character panel!) -- ingame open up the charactger panel, on the top right hand corner click on the gray cloth chest icon (this open Outfitter settings) - go to bottom tab "Options" - and untick all of the 4 default ticks.
  • Paragon Reputation (for old Legion reputation paragon chests)
  • Pawn (simplistic item upgrade hints in the tooltip)
  • Plater Nameplates (THE addon for WoW nameplates. EXPLAIN: go to wago.io to import Plater profiles - mention Jundies, Naowh Twitch sub, etc.) -- I use Jundies' well-maintained and free profile: https://wago.io/ak3iS95aa -- for every character swap to the desirec profile in the settings.
  • Prat 3.0 (to modify chat text) -- go to "/prat" > tab "Chat Formatting" > select "Timestamps" and use the HH:MM (24-hour) formatting
  • Premade Groups Filter (to have more functionality in filtering through the LFG queue)
  • Project Azilroka (only use Enhanced Friends List... disable all other modules!) -- go to ElvUI settings with "/ec" > bottom tab "ProjectAzilroka": DISABLE every module, except Enhanced Friends List
  • RCLootCouncil (to ingame manage loot distribution... maybeeee explain Droptimizer, WoWaudit, blekfjbnsejikf bnsikjf nsuikdf b)
  • Raider.IO (to display https://raider.io/ scores, past keys in tooltip in LFG)
  • RareScanner (to get alerts of rares and more map options like more map icons, dungeon/raid entrances) -- in order to get some quiet from rare alerts, just go to AddOns> RareScanner > Zone filtesr > and just "Toggle filters" for Dragon Isles - so when you're chilling in Valdrakken, there won't be alerts. You can re-Toggle filters, or just actually join a rare farm group for that purpose. Who even needs those alerts max-lvl?
  • SavedInstances (to get an overview list of all relevant alts with their info, like lockout, weeklies, M+ keys etc.)
  • SharedMedia (offers a framework to share addon resources, like textures, sounds, etc.)
  • SharedMedia_Causese (most https://wago.io imports rely on this SharedMedia by Causese for alerts etc.)
  • Simulationcraft (to type "/simc" ingame for a quick character data sheet to paste into https://www.raidbots.com/simbot/droptimizer )
  • Talent Loadout Ex (to save many more talent tree Strings) -- download https://github.com/247jar/JarUI/blob/main/TalentLoadoutsEx.lua into WTF\Account\%ACCOUNT_ID%\SavedVariables
  • Talent Tree Tweaks | Dragonflight (to make the talents panel smaller, transparent etc. - and more by Numedain) -- download https://github.com/247jar/JarUI/blob/main/TalentTreeTweaks.lua into WTF\Account\%ACCOUNT_ID%\SavedVariables
  • Talent Tree Viewer (calculator) | Dragonflight (to see other classes' talent trees, by Numedain)
  • TeleportCloak (reliably & automatically re-equipps previous cloak after using any Teleport Cloak in the game)
  • TomTom (THE addon for questing, offers an arrow, coordinates, /-commands)
  • WarpDeplete (THE most complete Mythic+ dungeon timer) -- download https://github.com/247jar/JarUI/blob/main/WarpDeplete.lua into WTF\Account\%ACCOUNT_ID%\SavedVariables to get the Default profile
  • WeakAuras (THE framework to add UI work shared on https://wago.io ) -- See section about Recommended WeakAuras
  • World Quests List (THE best world quest addon, displays listing of ALL available WQs next to the world map)

- 2.3 quickly import global Account settings:

  • inside D:\Battlenet\World of Warcraft\_retail_\WTF\Account\%ACCOUNT_ID%\SavedVariables\ are all the global config files, usually %ADDON_NAME%.lua.

These addons we will copy+paste straight from my git into their accountwide/global .lua config files:

-- 3. -- Getting & sharing addon profiles

  • https://wago.io/ biggest platform to share String / text based profiles for most popular addons (WeakAuras, Plater, ElvUI, Blizzard Edit Mode)

- 3.1 -- all the addon profiles TODO: complete list of addons and share their profiles on github

share each individual addon profile.... THAT CANNOT BE SHARED THROUGH https://wago.io ON https://github.com/247jar/JarUI

- 3.2 -- ElvUI wago.io collection: https://wago.io/lw05cBLC4

  • we use Prat 3.0 for chat customization.
  • we use Plater for nameplates.

JarUI ElvUI approach:

  • save performance and reduce dependencies by disabling many ElvUI modules.
  • using ActionBars to mimic center WeakAura groups (because 1. snappiness of ElvUI actionbars and 2. rectangular icons and 3. bigger stack count text!)
  • designed to be pixel-perfect compatible with https://wago.io/NaowhUI-ClassWA (using Group Scale 1.1)
  • https://wago.io/SJNeRkn47 - must import ElvUI Private (Character Settings) for each character as well! (I have a lot of ElvUI modules disabled to get better performance, like default Blizzard UI skinning, map/minimap, chat, databars/texts, buffs/debuffs and more...)

Short list of ElvUI modules that are being used (no other plugins!):

  • General
  • ActionBars
  • Tooltip
  • Unitframes

To make this approach work, I instead use:

  • Icon texture replacements: https://github.com/AcidWeb/Clean-Icons-Mechagnome-Edition
  • WoW login screen and ingame panel texture replacements: https://www.tukui.org/addons.php?id=202 (Grey > Transparent)
  • Chat bubble minimalist reskin: https://www.tukui.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=30&start=50 (use No border with low background for chat bubble)

- 3.3 -- Plater from wago.io

I recommend Jundies Plater profile: https://wago.io/ak3iS95aa

- 3.4 -- Recommended WeakAuras

-- 4. -- Popular Discords for fancy WoW UIs

naowh, atrocity, tukui, etc........... TODO collect all of them explain subbing to their https://www.twitch.tv/ or patreon as a way to monetize WoW UI development

-- 5. -- External software

- 5.1 -- Warcraft Logs Uploader

- 5.2 --

-- 6. -- More about Jar

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