September 20, 2026: three days into the beta, the addon picture is legible. wowforeverclassic's addons guide (checked Sep 19) plus Warcraft Tavern's ClassicUI report give the first census.
The rules: Midnight API, built-ins included
Forever runs the retail-era interface code with the Midnight expansion's restrictions: enemy health, damage numbers and threat are hidden from addons, so combat-decision automation cannot exist. Blizzard's answer is bundling: a built-in damage meter, cooldown manager and swing timer ship with the game, encounters are designed to be playable without warning addons, and only advantage-granting functions were removed. The Q&A said addons should not be required; the beta tests that claim.
Status board (all reported unless noted)
- Questie: has a Forever release.
- Details: listed as compatible, within the API's combat-value limits.
- Deadly Boss Mods: being ported.
- WeakAuras: does not work, and its authors have stopped porting it. The biggest casualty so far.
- Classic-era addons generally: need updates for the changed API; many load but break on combat data or saved settings.
- Built-in cooldown manager: official, but incomplete for some classes in beta (on the Known Issues list).
One shared beta bug hits everything: saved settings are written but never loaded on a fresh start, so layouts and keybinds reset. No workaround; not yet on the official list.
ClassicUI: the first restoration addon
Tavern's Val Hull reports that justawower's ClassicUI Forever (CurseForge) is already live: gryphon action bars, old unit frames, round minimap, 1.x bags/loot/merchant/social windows, fully modular per element and integrated into Edit Mode rather than replacing the UI. Beta caveats are what you would expect: settings revert on relog, stealth and druid-form issues, occasional LUA errors. The speed matters more than the polish: a usable Classic restoration on day three signals the addon scene is moving at beta pace, not launch pace.
SOURCES: wowforeverclassic addons guide (Sep 19); Warcraft Tavern ClassicUI report (Val Hull, Sep 19); Blizzard Q&A broadcast (Sep 17).