The idea for this add-on originated from a rumor about another add-on that alerts the group when someone pulls aggro from another group (commonly referred to as a „Ballgroup“) by displaying a big red „BLOCK“ message.

As it turns out, the rumor was true. There is now an officially available add-on that provides similar functionality: Agony Warning.

I later made BlockPooky compatible with it. This means that if one add-on sends a block warning, the other can receive and interpret it.

However, BlockPooky offers more advanced logic for triggering the block message. Over time, many additional features have also been added.

The features can be configured through the in-game settings menu. You can also open the configuration directly using the slash command: `/blockpooky`

The main and original feature: It tells *Pooky* (you) to BLOCK!

It displays the big red „BLOCK“ message shown above, along with a white CSA message and a sound alert. Optionally, a chat message can also be sent. You can even send a „They pulled me“ message to your group members, which triggers a block warning for them — similar to the functionality of the Agony Warning add-on.

If this feels overwhelming, don’t worry — everything is configurable in the BlockPooky menu:

CSA enables the *Center Screen Announcement* message, similar to those used in BAs. This shows a white “BLOCK POOKY!” text in the usual BA message area, accompanied by a sound (Duel Start Sound).

UI Frame refers to the red movable message. If CSA is disabled, you can choose to play the sound independently.

Send msg only on ROA/DC pulls means that only specific triggers (like ROA pulls) will send messages to group members. This mimics Agony Warning’s behavior, which only sends messages for ROA pulls.

So, what actually triggers the BLOCK message? This is also configurable in the menu:

If something is missing or the game evolves faster than the add-on, you can define your own custom triggers:

Just enter the ability ID:

You can also customize how long the BLOCK message stays visible:

Nice — now you know when to block, Pooky! But… sometimes you *think* you're blocking, when you're actually not. It's a common issue — and yes, there are even specialized add-ons for it: AmIBlocking

Fortunately, BlockPooky also tells you when you are actively blocking:

Of course, BlockPooky gives you even more (or sometimes less 😄) useful hints.

We’ve already covered the „Blocking“ hint. In addition, there are two „Ready“ hints shown as CSA messages:

• DC is ready to cast
• ROA is ready to cast

The Recast Echoing Vigor hint helps you optimize your Vigor uptime and usage.

After ~8 seconds, „Vigor!“ appears for 4 seconds. If you cast Vigor, it disappears. If not, it reappears around 16 seconds and starts blinking. The blinking stops after 4 seconds. Reminder: In a group of 12, you should cast it every 8 seconds.

Now, Pooky… you're standing in a Negate. Did you notice? But is it friendly or enemy? The Negate Warning hint tells you:

Note: When you leave the negate, the message disappears. When you re-enter, it reappears.

Another hint — shown as a cooldown bar. If you roll dodge or use an immunity potion, you gain CC immunity. This bar shows its duration.

😮 Actually the potion thingy doesn’t work since Update 46… seems the script event is bugged

You can also define your own cooldown bars!

You can create cooldown bars for effects and abilities. Here’s an example for setting one up:

→ A cooldown bar for Major Resolve

You’ll need the Effect ID. If you don’t know it, open the BlockPooky menu:

Then activate Investigate Effects under Debug Tools:

Now cast *Frost Cloak* (for example), and you’ll see:

“Größere Entschlossenheit” is Major Resolve (in German, of course). You’ll see the ID, start time, and end time of the effect. Just remember the ID: 61694.

Now go back to the BlockPooky menu and turn off Investigate Effects to avoid chat spam.

Next, go to Custom Cooldown Bars and enter a name for your bar:

Then choose Effect, enter the ID, and pick a nice color 😉

You don’t need to set a cooldown time for effects, because the event already includes start and end times (BT = Begin Time, ET = End Time).

Exception: If BT and ET are the same (some effects behave this way), you can manually set the cooldown time.

For abilities, always set the cooldown time based on the skill description.

Once done, activate the bar:

Then test it:

There are some possibilities to customize the UI:

Set Colors and font size, …

and move the frames:

As seen before, there is a litte tool to investigate the ability and effect ids: