The Spy addon scans for enemy players and announces their presence when they are detected. By warning you about nearby enemy players you can prepare for possible PvP combat.

About Spy

This addon scans the combat log for actions performed by enemy players. If an enemy player is detected the addon will attempt to determine their class, race and level based on the ability that was used. The addon will then sound an alert and add the enemy player to its list. Spy can be configured to announce enemy player encounters and share data with other Spy users in your party, raid or guild.

The Spy window

The Spy window will initially appear under your character portrait, but can be moved by dragging the title bar. The title bar contains the following buttons:

• Stats: Opens the Statistics window which shows a list of all enemies encountered, the win/loss records (if a killing blow was recorded) and the last location and time the enemy was detected.
• Clear: Manually clears all enemy players that have currently been detected. Holding the Control key down while clicking this button will enable/disable Spy while leaving it displayed.
• Left/Right: Navigates between the Nearby, Last Hour, Ignore and Kill On Sight lists. Spy is configured by default to switch back to the Nearby list when the next enemy player is detected.
• Close: Hides the Spy window. Spy is configured by default to show itself again when the next enemy player is detected. Alternatively you can type /spy show to manually show the addon.

The Nearby list

As enemy players are detected they will be added to the Nearby list. Hovering over entries in the list will display a tooltip with the enemy player's details, including the last seen time and location. Right-clicking on them will displays a drop down menu which will allow you to manually:

•  - Remove the enemy player from the Nearby list.
•  - Add/remove the enemy player to/from your Ignore or Kill On Sight list.
•  - Announce the enemy player's details to a chat channel of your choice.
•  - Set multiple Kill On Sight reasons, if the player is on your Kill On Sight list.

If enemy players remain undetected they will be removed from the Nearby list after a configurable amount of time. The Nearby list will always sort by the time each enemy player was initially detected, with enemy players who are on the Kill On Sight list or actively performing actions being placed at the top of the list.

The Last Hour list

The Last Hour list displays enemy players that have been detected in the last hour. It will always be sorted by the time each enemy player was initially detected, with those most recently detected appearing at the top of the list.

The Ignore list

The Ignore list is where you can place enemy players you have deemed harmless. Spy will not generate any alerts for enemy players on your Ignore list. You can use the drop down menu to add/remove enemy players to/from the Ignore list, or alternatively hold the Control key down while clicking on an entry in the list to add/remove enemy players.

The Kill On Sight list

The Kill On Sight list is for enemy players you especially want to know about. When enemy players on your Kill On Sight list are detected a warning will be displayed and an alarm will sound. You can use the drop down menu to add/remove enemy players to/from the Kill On Sight list, or alternatively hold the Shift key down while clicking an entry in the list to add/remove enemy players.

Minimap detection

If you can track humanoids then you will be able to detect known enemies by hovering over their position on the minimap. This does not work in battlegrounds and arenas. The level and class of known enemy players is displayed in the minimap's tooltip.

Slash command list

/spy : shows the list of slash commands.
/spy enable : enables and displays the Spy window.
/spy show : displays the Spy window.
/spy reset : resets the Spy window to the default position below the character portrait.
/spy clear : clears the list of players that have been detected.
/spy config : opens the Interface Addons window where the Spy configuration options are located.
/spy ignore : Add/remove a player to/from the Ignore List.
/spy stats : shows a list of enemy players encountered, win/loss records and where they were last seen.

How can Spy help you?

Not wanting to be ganked

Spy will alert you whenever an enemy player is detected, it will be harder for them to attack you by surprise but you should quickly decide whether to fight or run.

Want to be the one to do the ganking

Spy will alert you whenever an enemy player is detected, however depend on range you will still need to find them to initiate combat.

Know when your enemies are nearby

Spy will sound an alarm when a Kill On Sight enemy player is detected. Usually you would add an enemy player to your Kill On Sight list when you are certain they will attack you. Spy will remember who your enemies are and will make sure you know when they are around.

Know when enemy players use stealth capabilities

Spy will warn and sound a specific alert when it detects that an enemy player is using stealth. You should no longer be surprised by rogues or druids in the area but attacks from stealth could still be deadly.

Looking for enemy players

Enemy players will automatically be added to the Nearby list whenever they attempt any combat action. You can use the addon to locate them as you move around a zone and they come within range.

Getting help when you encounter enemy players

Spy can be used to announce encounters to your party, raid and guild. Other Spy users in your party, raid or guild who are also in the same zone will have your encounters added to their Nearby lists. This is a great way for a guild to track down their enemies.

Getting revenge on an enemy player's guild

Spy is also capable of displaying a warning when a player in the same guild as someone on your Kill On Sight list is detected. This option can be enabled or disabled via the Interface Addons window.

Knowing how many times you've won/lost against an enemy player

Spy will record when you get a killing blow against an enemy player. Likewise, it will also record when an enemy player gets a killing blow against you. These statistics can be seen in the tooltip that appears when you hover over the enemy player's entry in the lists and is shown in the statistics window..

FAQs

Why doesn't Spy work while I am in combat?

The game has restrictions on what addons can do during combat. Clicking on enemy players in the lists will not work during combat. Spy also does not display newly detected players while you are in combat. However, Spy will still give visual and audio alerts both in and out of combat.

Why does Spy show only a maximum of fifteen enemy players?

While the fifteen enemy player limit at any one time could easily be changed, I believe that displaying any more than fifteen enemy players will make it more difficult to use the information Spy reports. Long lists of enemy players will either take up too much real-estate on screen, or require the introduction of list paging which would make the addon more cumbersome. The limit may be an issue for some users, but it is alleviated by the fact that the most active enemy players or those on your Kill On Sight list will always appear first.

I was just attacked by an enemy player from stealth. Why didn't Spy warn me?

If an enemy player doesn't perform any actions recorded in your combat log then Spy will not know they are there. In this case, the enemy player may have gone into stealth far enough away from you that it isn't reported in your combat log. Or the enemy player could have already been in stealth before you arrived in the area.

Why can't I target an enemy player Spy has just reported?

The most likely explanation for this - if you aren't in combat - is that while they are near, they are not within targeting range.

Why doesn't Spy work in sanctuaries?

Spy doesn't work in sanctuary locations such as Dalaran or Shattrath City because PvP combat is disabled for all players.

How can I turn off Spy temporarily?

This can quickly be done by holding the Control key while clicking the Clear button in the title bar, or alternatively by enabling/disabling Spy via the Interface Addons window. You may want to do this when there are a lot of players around and you don't want the list to fill up or to continuously alert you.

I don't want a warning to be displayed or any alerts to sound. How can I turn them off?

The Spy's options for Alerts in the Interface Addons window give you the capability to turn off and on audio and visual alerts.

Localizations

Currently enUS, deDE, ptBR and zhTW. Please contact me on this site if you are able to provide translations for other languages.

Author

Written by Immolation from Cho'gall (US).

Updated by Slipjack.