The short answer: which built-in tool replaces which addon
WoW Forever ships built-in tools for part of what three popular addons did.
Edit Mode moves and resizes the interface, in place of Bartender4.
The damage meter covers part of what Details! did.
The Cooldown Manager covers part of what WeakAuras did.
Blizzard confirmed the damage meter and Cooldown Manager in a Q&A on September 17, 2026.
Its beta notes updated September 24 mention Edit Mode layouts.
None of them is a full copy of the addon it replaces.
Blizzard has not announced a built-in threat meter.
| Classic Era addon | Forever built-in tool | How far it goes |
|---|---|---|
| WeakAuras | Cooldown Manager | Partly: cooldown and buff iconsRogue now included, trigger options not announced |
| Details! | Damage meter | Confirmed for ForeverForever feature list not published |
| Bartender4 | Edit Mode | Moves and resizes interface elementslayouts confirmed in the beta notes |
| Threat meter | None announced | Nameplate aggro display unconfirmedsee the threat section |
Status checked on October 4, 2026, against Blizzard posts and each addon's release page.
When we checked on October 4, 2026, Bartender4 and Details! had releases listing Forever.
We could not confirm a Forever release of WeakAuras.
Much of what Blizzard has published about these tools comes from modern WoW.
Forever uses the modern game's addon API, and we mark where Forever may differ.
This guide is built from Blizzard's posts and the addons' own release pages.
It is not based on our own play sessions.
Why addons are limited: Forever uses the modern addon API
In a developer Q&A on September 17, 2026, Blizzard was asked which addon API Forever uses.
The options raised were Midnight's addon restrictions, the Classic API or something else.
The answer was that the team chose the modern API approach.
The developer added that boss fights in Forever are much simpler than in the modern game.
So the developer does not expect the combat restrictions to hurt players much.
One API shared with the modern game should make addons easier to update and build.
Blizzard also said it does not want players to feel they need addons to play.
It named the damage meter and the Cooldown Manager as tools Forever offers.
It also said a swing timer may come soon.
Blizzard explained the modern rules in Midnight articles in October and November 2025.
Addons should not be able to automate combat decisions for the player.
Information about the current combat state becomes a secret value.
Addons can display a secret value but cannot read it to drive their own logic.
Addons can still restyle almost everything you see.
That includes raid frames, nameplates, action bars, panels, fonts and art.
Blizzard has not published a Forever list of API functions that differ from modern WoW.
We checked each addon's own release page again on October 4, 2026.
WeakAuras' latest release is 5.22.0 from September 5, 2026, and it does not list Forever.
Bartender4 4.18.0, released on September 28, 2026, lists Forever in its file metadata.
That entry uses Forever's interface number 16001.
Its latest release, 4.18.3.1 from October 2, lists Forever as well.
Details!' latest CurseForge release is from September 29, 2026.
Its CurseForge file page lists Forever among the supported flavors.
Its source repository shows Forever work from September 24 to October 2.
We have not tested how well these addons work in the beta.
| Addon | Latest release | Forever |
|---|---|---|
| WeakAuras | 5.22.0September 5 | Not listed |
| Bartender4 | 4.18.3.1October 2 | Listedsince 4.18.0, September 28 |
| Details! | CurseForge releaseSeptember 29 | Listedon its CurseForge file page |
Checked on October 4, 2026, on each addon's GitHub or CurseForge page.
Any Forever release of these addons has to work within the same combat restrictions.
Edit Mode: set up your layout instead of Bartender4
Edit Mode is the built-in layout editor, and Forever has it.
Blizzard's beta notes updated September 24 fixed a bug with Edit Mode layouts.
Before the fix, layouts did not apply while the gamepad UI was enabled.
Blizzard introduced Edit Mode in the modern game in 2022.
It described a way to move almost anything anywhere, with options for each element.
Layouts can be named, saved, copied and shared.
In July 2026, Blizzard said patch 1.15.9 would bring Edit Mode to the WoW Classic games.
The steps below are how Blizzard described Edit Mode for the modern game.
Blizzard has not published Forever's own menus, so check each step in the beta.
① Press Esc and select Edit Mode, the route Blizzard gave for the modern game.
② Pick a layout, or copy one under a new name so the default stays untouched.
③ Click an element to drag it and open its options, such as size or visibility.
④ Save the layout before you close Edit Mode.
Edit Mode in the modern game
- Esc → Edit Mode
- Pick or copy a layoutlayout dropdown
- Drag elementseach has its own options
- Savecheck the same menus in the Forever beta
In 2022, a bug in the modern game erased saved layouts.
Blizzard then recommended exporting a layout as text: Share, then Copy To Clipboard.
You restore a layout from that text with Import.
Blizzard has not confirmed that Share and Import exist in Forever's Edit Mode.
Treat them as something to look for in the beta, not as a guaranteed backup.
Blizzard has not listed which Forever interface elements Edit Mode can move.
Check the bar or frame you used Bartender4 for in the beta.
Blizzard's known issues of October 1 add a new Edit Mode problem.
Switching to or from the gamepad UI resets the active layout to the default preset.
If you switch modes, check which layout is active afterwards.
The known issues of September 18 say the minimap may be partially off the screen.
That is a game issue, not a problem with your layout.
The damage meter instead of Details!
Blizzard confirmed in the September 17 Q&A that Forever offers the damage meter.
Blizzard has not published a Forever-specific description of it.
The details below come from the modern game's Midnight pre-expansion notes.
Those notes are from January 2026.
In the modern game you switch it on under Options > Gameplay Enhancements > Damage Meter.
| Modern-game feature | Blizzard's description |
|---|---|
| Switch | Options > Gameplay Enhancements > Damage Meter |
| Categories |
|
| Windows | Up to 3, main window set in Edit Mode |
| History | Each encounter plus up to the last 30 |
| Breakdown | Click an entry for per-spell detail |
From Blizzard's Midnight pre-expansion notes for the modern game; not confirmed feature by feature for Forever.
Its categories are damage done, damage per second (DPS) and damage taken.
It also tracks avoidable damage taken, healing done and healing per second (HPS).
Interrupts and dispels are categories too.
It can show up to 3 windows at once.
The main window is moved, resized and styled in Edit Mode.
It keeps each encounter plus a summary of up to the last 30 encounters.
Clicking an entry opens a per-spell breakdown.
Blizzard says the modern meter is tracked server-side.
That can make it more accurate than addons in some situations.
Threat is not one of the modern categories.
Blizzard has not confirmed that Forever's meter has the same switch or categories.
The same goes for the number of windows, so check these points in the beta yourself.
The Cooldown Manager: a partial WeakAuras replacement
Forever's Cooldown Manager pulls key information from the buff bar or action bar.
It then shows that information in a place you choose.
It is off by default.
Turn it on in Options under the Gameplay Enhancement settings.
Turn on the Cooldown Manager
- Open Options
- Gameplay Enhancementthe Cooldown Manager is off by default
- Enable it and testDruid, Mage, Priest, Rogue, Warrior or Warlock in the beta
Blizzard's beta notes updated September 24 opened it to 5 classes for testing.
Those classes were Druid, Mage, Priest, Warrior and Warlock.
The beta update of October 1 added Rogue.
That makes 6 testable classes by our count; Blizzard has not stated a total.
Neither update names Hunter, Paladin or Shaman yet.
Blizzard says more classes will become testable in future updates.
The October 1 update also added support for racial abilities.
On September 24, Blizzard said the Cooldown Manager did not yet support spell ranks.
On October 1, it said duplicate entries for each spell rank should no longer appear.
Blizzard says that fix applies to the classes that were already supported.
Blizzard's known issues still call the Cooldown Manager a work in progress.
They also say its implementation varies from class to class.
The known issues added on September 24 list gaps that are still not marked as fixed.
| Item | Status | Blizzard note |
|---|---|---|
| Classes |
| September 24Rogue added October 1 |
| Racial abilities | Supported | October 1 |
| Spell ranks | Duplicate entries per rank should no longer appear | October 1already supported classes |
| Pet cooldowns | Cannot be tracked | September 24 known issue |
| Item enhancements | Cannot be trackede.g. Windfury, rogue poisons | September 24 known issue |
| Arcane Blast, Healthstone | Cannot be tracked | September 24 known issue |
| Priest | Tracks all spells by default | September 24 known issue |
From Blizzard's beta notes and known issues as of October 1; none of the known issues is marked fixed.
Pet cooldowns cannot be tracked.
Item enhancements such as Windfury or rogue poisons cannot be tracked.
Arcane Blast and the Healthstone cooldown cannot be tracked.
Priest tracks all spells by default.
Blizzard's known issues post, linked in our sources, has the complete list.
The feedback Blizzard wants most is which spells you wish were tracked by default.
In the modern game, Blizzard has since added sound and visual alerts to it.
It also added target debuffs and shareable layouts there.
Blizzard has not said which of these exist in Forever.
Blizzard has not announced what trigger or condition options Forever's version has.
The modern rules restrict logic that reads combat data to make decisions.
So no addon, including a future WeakAuras release, can rebuild such auras in Forever.
Threat without a threat meter
Threat still matters in Forever, according to Blizzard's Deep Dive recap.
Damage dealers still need to respect threat and focus targets carefully.
They should use area damage only when it is safe.
As of October 4, 2026, Blizzard has not announced a built-in threat meter for Forever.
The modern damage meter's categories do not include threat either.
Players have asked for one on Blizzard's Forever forums.
The request in our September 28 daily report had no Blizzard reply.
Blizzard's known issues of October 1 add a threat bug.
Several debuffs, such as Faerie Fire and Demoralizing Shout, do not cause threat.
Until Blizzard fixes it, tanks should not count on those debuffs for threat.
In the modern game, January 2026 notes added threat and aggro indicators to nameplates.
They also added an Aggro display option in the nameplate settings under Gameplay.
Blizzard has not said whether Forever's nameplate options include it.
Its beta notes of September 24 only say the nameplate selection display was updated.
If your Forever client has a nameplate aggro option, turn it on.
If not, fall back on what Blizzard itself asks of damage dealers.
① Respect threat: watch how much you generate.
② Choose your focus target carefully.
③ Use area damage only when it is safe.
④ If there are too many enemies for the tank to hold, use crowd control.
Blizzard names Polymorph, Banish, Fear and Root as examples.
One more habit is our own general advice, not a Blizzard statement.
Let the tank pull and build threat before you attack.
Blizzard has not said whether threat data counts as restricted combat data in Forever.
Not announced yet, and a checklist before launch
As of October 4, 2026, Blizzard has not published several Forever details.
These include a Forever list of Edit Mode elements and the damage meter's details.
They also include when every class gets the Cooldown Manager.
There is no date for the swing timer either.
Our daily report collected on September 28, 2026 included an r/classicwow thread.
It asked which Forever addons players use and had 43 comments.
① Build an Edit Mode layout in the beta, and keep a text copy if Share exists.
② If the damage meter appears in your client, turn it on and note its categories.
③ Test the Cooldown Manager on a supported class and tell Blizzard what to track.
④ Before launch, recheck the addons' release pages.
Install only a file that lists Forever.
How to install addons is in our best addons and addon status guides.
So we do not repeat it here.