The Healing Frames
Many raid frames are designed specifically with the healer in mind. For example, those that have libcomm communication share information between players so you can see whether a heal is incoming on a party member. They generally also provide debuff status information, and can also provide missing buff information on demand. I usually suggest healing frames for raid leaders as well.
Grid
I personally use Grid across all my characters and have found it to be the one I keep running back to. I can do exactly what I want, every time, but it is not for everyone, and can be difficult to configure.
Pros
- Can show…. everything. Buffs /
Debuffs / Libcomm / Aggro
- Compact design
- Minimal design for information (boxes in the corner), with priority
notifications able to be centered and
huge.
- Numerous 3rd party plug-ins can provide additional information
without you having to build it
yourself.
- Does not have built in click 2 cast. Good for those who already use
click 2 cast add-on (such as Clique)
for functions other than raid frame
casting.
Cons
- Not user friendly. It is actually possible to “break” the add-on so it
provides no useful information.
- Lots, and I mean lots, of option & option menus.
- Numerous 3rd party plug-in options can be daunting.
- Can be beautified, but takes a LOT of fiddling.
- Does not have click 2 cast. You will require another add-on to
provide this functionality.
Resources
Healbot / Vuhdo
Ok, I’m cheating here, but really, Healbot and Vuhdo provide the same services with different menus. A choice between Healbot and Vuhdo comes down to personal preference — which menu makes more sense to you, how the frames fit into your user interface, and the “look” of the frames. I personally prefer Vuhdo over Healbot, based on aesthetics and flexibility of the options. Those who like things to just work would probably prefer Healbot.
Pros
- Usable immediately out of the box
- Can show everything you need (buffs/debuffs/aggro)
- Click 2 cast packaged with the addon (no 3rd party needed)
- Will accept macros
- Vuhdo: Can arrange your raid groups separately (i.e. you don’t
have to have a square/rectangular
format if you want tanks on your
right and the rest of your raid on
the left)
Cons
- With everything active, it can be
possible to have a hard time seeing
your health frames
- Healbot: Pre-configured frame options are clunky. It took me 1/2
hour on my last test of Healbot to
get the size of the health frames to
something that could conceivably fit
in my UI. I was still unhappy at the
result of the appearance with my
“flat/matte” look.
- Vuhdo: On my last testing, I found the menu was becoming bloated.
(From a Grid user, this is bad
right). Vuhdo is excellent an addon
and would be my choice if I didn’t
have this grid compulsion; however,
as it has been tweaked and loved, so
has its options menu — it takes me
longer to do a full Vuhdo setup than
a Grid setup.**
Resources
It Came With My Player Frames
Almost every unit frame package comes with raid frames standard. These options can be as good as healing specific raid frames and in some cases superior; however, they generally take quite a bit of fiddling to get just right since they tend to be mini versions of the player/target frames in terms of appearance and information layout. On the flip side, you can end up with raid frames that are immune to tampering — so you better like the default! As a healer, you will need a 3rd party click 2 cast or mouse-over macros for all of these options.
Pitbull 3
Pitbull is a great option for many players because they already have tweaked their player/target frames to perfection, and want their raid frames to match… exactly. Can provide all the information anyone can need!
Pros
- See whatever you want — health / mana / buffs/ debuffs / aggro.
- Easy to make a seamless match between your standard unit frames and
raid frames
- Possible to configure the size / shape of your raid frame to your
liking.
- Pitbull 4: streamlined menu process for easier setup
Cons
- Many users have complained about the memory drain Pitbull 3 is on
their systems. Pitbull 4 is supposed
to be improved in this area.
- Daunting menus for a first time user. With the power to tweak every
option also comes the multiple menus
to make it happen.
- If you don’t know dogtags (PB3) or lua text (pb4), or don’t want to
learn, this probably will not be the
greatest option for you.
Resources
X-Perl
For a great out of the box, just work experience, X-perl is one of the best set of player/raid frames I’ve ever seen.
Pros
- Minimal setup! You don’t even HAVE to setup if you don’t to.
- Provides aggro / debuff coloring — perfect for decursers and
raid leaders.
- Raid groups can be manually placed by group anywhere you want
them
Cons
- My personal opinion: they’re just butt ugly.
- Minimal tweaking available. Debuff coloring can be VERY annoying
on bosses’ where you don’t want to
cleanse — and you can’t do anything
about it.
Stuf
Stuf is becoming a heavy hitter for unit frames because it’s just so darn lightweight while being highly, highly configurable.
Pros
- Lightweight — you won’t notice a system bog because you’re in a 25-man
raid.
- Stuf Raid is a separate addon — if you don’t want it, or want to turn
it off because you’re not raiding
today, you can do that.
- Highly configurable.
- Configurable by lua or text pattern.
Cons
- Sizing is an issue. If you don’t like the size of the out-of the box
raid frames (and they are huge for a
smaller monitor/laptop) then you
should probably just skip this one.
- If looks matter (and you know they do) it can be hard to achieve
the end result you want because you
can’t see what’s happening with your
raid frames in configuration mode.
AG_Unit Frames
I only mention ag_uf raid frames because they supposedly exist. However, I’ve never had them actually work — they sometimes show up, sometimes not. Why AG_UF player/target frames are great, I would never suggest their raid frames.
Standing Alone — From All Purpose to Single Job
Decursive
My absolute favorite mage addon of all time. If you only want raid frames because you decurse this is the raid frame addon for you.
Pros
- Tiny!
- Lights up only when a raid member has a condition YOU can cure.
- Built in click 2 cast (right click: cure spell 1; left click: cure
spell 2)
Cons
- There is absolutely no player information whatsoever. If you do
anything OTHER than decurse, please,
pick another raid frame.
sRaidFrames
If you liked CT Raid Frames you’ll love these.
Pros
- Familiar changeover from default raid frames to an addon.
- Allows for buff / debuff monitoring
- Lightweight
- Whitelist / blacklist to show only the buffs / debuffs you want to
see
- Small number of plug-ins available
Cons
- Look is set in stone — you either like it or you don’t.
- Limited area for buff / debuff monitoring
- 3rd party add-on required for predicted health.
SmartDebuff
Like Decursive, primarily for non-healing classes that have decursing abilities, while providing a bit more information.
Pros
- Standard unit frame “look”. Name / health / mana.
- Class spells automatically assigned for debuff management.
(click 2 cast)
Cons
- Not for healers. The raid frames / click 2 cast options are not
configurable, so you cannot heal with
these frames.
- No aggro monitoring, so limited versatility for tanking classes.
Original Post 9-26-09
