What is BG Helper?

BG Helper (BGH) is a lightweight WoW retail addon designed for PvP battleground coordination. It adds a small floating HUD to your screen that tracks who is defending each base, how many enemies are incoming, who carries flags or orbs, and much more — all synchronized in real time with other BGH users in your instance.

Unlike addons that rely on chat parsing alone, BGH uses WoW's addon message API to broadcast and receive structured data across the entire battleground instance. Every action you take (defending a base, calling INC, picking up a flag) is instantly visible to all teammates who have BGH installed.

Key Features

Universal Base Defense Tracking

For every capture-point battleground, BGH tracks exactly who defends each base:

One defender per player: Clicking a base marks you as its defender. Clicking another base moves your assignment cleanly.
Unprotected warning: When a defender leaves a base, it turns orange in the UI to alert teammates that no one is there.
COMING system: If your base is attacked, you can go help another base and your original base stays marked orange until someone new takes it or you return.
Right-click to untag: Right-click your base button at any time to immediately leave and become a free agent.
Visual states: Green = defending, Blue = coming to help, Orange = INC + defender, Red = INC no defender.

Full Real-Time Sync

All BGH actions are broadcast via C_ChatInfo.SendAddonMessage to all players in the same BG instance with BGH installed:

Automatic channel selection: INSTANCE in BG, RAID in raid group, PARTY for testing — no configuration needed.
No chat required: Sync happens silently without cluttering your chat.
Works in any group size: 2 players or 15 — the more people use BGH, the better the coordination.

Smart Macro System (for non addon users)

BGH automatically updates two macros (BGH and BGH_INC) based on your current action:

BGH macro: Always contains your last movement announcement (e.g. 'I defend LM', 'Coming BS', 'Back at FARM').
BGH_INC macro: Pre-loaded with the most urgent contextual message ('INC LM!', 'HELP! Blue carrier DANGER!').
Combat-safe: Macro updates are queued during combat and applied when you leave combat.
One-click setup: Options panel has a 'Setup Macros' button that creates both macros and opens the WoW Macro window.

Supports All Retail Battlegrounds

BG	Type	Key Features
Arathi Basin	BASE (5 nodes)	Defender tracking, INC counter, COMING system, unprotected warning, event log
Deepwind Gorge	BASE (5 nodes)	Same as Arathi Basin, optimized for cart steal awareness
Battle for Gilneas	BASE (3 nodes)	Compact 10v10 rotation, fast INC alerts
Seething Shore	BASE (5 nodes)	Mobile node system: 'Going NORTH' announcements
Eye of the Storm	EOTS (4+flag)	Base defense + center flag tracking, FC CAP alerts, event log
Warsong Gulch	FLAG (CTF)	FC tracking, ATK/DEF team counters, tooltip with names, message log
Twin Peaks	FLAG (CTF)	Same as WSG, adapted for asymmetric map
Temple of Kotmogu	ORB (4 orbs)	Per-orb carrier, DANGER blink, GO! alert button, event log
Silvershard Mines	CART (3 zones)	Escort counter, INC/Safe/Leave per zone, event log
Deephaul Ravine	DHR (2 carts)	Team Cart / Enemy Cart, Crystal tracking, FC CAP, event log

How Sync Works

BGH uses the official WoW addon messaging API. Every click triggers a structured message sent to all players in the same BG instance:

You click [DEF] on LM

BGH sends: "DEF:LM:Yourname" via C_ChatInfo.SendAddonMessage

All allied BGH users receive the message

LM row turns green on their UI, your name appears in the count

Message format: TYPE:BASE:PLAYERNAME (max 255 chars, well within limit). No Blizzard-restricted channels are used — only INSTANCE, RAID, or PARTY depending on context.

Installation & Setup

Installation

Download BGH from CurseForge or install via CurseForge App
Enable the addon in the WoW character select screen
Log in — the BGH icon appears on your minimap

First-Time Macro Setup

Open Options (click 'Options' in the BGH title bar or minimap icon right-click)
Enable 'Announce in chat (via BGH macro)'
Click 'Setup Macros (Create + Open)' — this creates BGH and BGH_INC and opens the Macro window
Drag BGH and BGH_INC from your macro tab to your action bar
Press each macro once to activate it — the status line in Options turns green

In a Battleground

BGH auto-detects the BG and shows the correct UI
Left-click your base/role button to mark yourself as defender
Right-click to instantly leave a base
Press ! to signal incoming enemies — the BGH_INC macro is pre-loaded
Your teammates with BGH see your actions in real time

Slash Commands

Command	Description
/bgh	Show/hide the BGH frame
/bgh options	Open the options panel
/bgh macro	Create BGH and BGH_INC macros
/bgh sim	Open the team simulator window
/bgh test <mapID>	Load a BG UI in test mode (e.g. /bgh test 2107 for Arathi)
/bgh reset	Reset all base data for current BG
/bgh debug	Print current BG detection info to chat

FAQ

Does my whole team need BGH?

No. You still get value from BGH solo (macro system, personal tracking). Sync features work between however many players have it installed. The more people use it, the more useful it becomes.

Does it work in skirmishes / random BGs?

Yes — BGH detects any supported BG automatically. It works in random, epic, and rated battlegrounds.

Will it spam the chat?

Never. Sync uses the addon message channel (invisible in chat). The only chat messages are from the BGH and BGH_INC macros, which you control manually.

Is it allowed / Blizzard compliant?

Yes. BGH only uses official Blizzard APIs: C_ChatInfo.SendAddonMessage, CreateMacro, EditMacro. No exploit, no automation, no ToS violation.

The macro window says 'macro slots full'

WoW allows 120 general macros. Free a slot and click 'Setup Macros' again. BGH uses 2 slots total.

BGH - Battle Ground Helper