Skada

Overview

Skada is a World of Warcraft damage meter for players who want live combat readouts alongside a record of individual fight segments. Its configurable windows and plugin support reward players who like tailoring their interface, while the edition split makes version matching essential.

It combines live measurement with session history, letting players revisit saved encounters and inspect combat data at different levels of detail. Multiple window formats make it possible to keep distinct views on screen, and Skada aims to use memory and CPU efficiently. It is a strong fit for WoW players who want a free, adaptable meter; it is not a general-purpose combat tracker for other games.

Key features

• Flexible windows: Bar, Inline, and Data Text displays can be used across multiple windows. This suits players who want different kinds of readouts available at once, though configuring several views is most useful to people who care about shaping their interface.
• Fight segments: Saved segments and adjustable detail let players inspect a particular encounter rather than relying only on the live display. That makes Skada useful for reviewing combat, not just watching a running total.
• Theme controls: Windows are customizable, and themes can be imported or exported with theme strings. The Midnight edition adds UI presets, animated visual elements, and a built-in theme engine, giving that edition more interface options.
• Integrations and plugins: Data Text works with LDB display addons such as Titan Panel, ChocolateBar, and ElvUI. Third-party plugins add displays or metrics including graphs, tank performance, and friendly-fire damage; the API also lets developers build plugins. Those additions broaden the meter, but the extra metrics depend on plugins rather than the core feature set alone.

Pricing

Skada is free: the plan costs nothing and covers the World of Warcraft addon in Retail, MoP Classic, and Classic versions. There is no paid tier described, so players do not have to trade away core functionality for a cheaper plan. The project suggests supporting development through GitHub Sponsors.

The key limitation is compatibility, not a subscription cap: the Midnight edition targets WoW 12.0+ and uses Blizzard’s session-based combat systems, while a classic version serves older releases. Choose the edition for the WoW version you play.

Platforms

Skada is for World of Warcraft on macOS and Windows. It provides a live overlay and session history, with full combat metrics. The addon is available for Retail, Mists of Pandaria Classic, and Classic flavors.

Who it's for

Skada suits WoW players who want configurable combat displays, encounter-by-encounter history, or optional tank-performance and other added metrics. Its multiple window styles and LDB compatibility are particularly useful for players already organizing their interface around addon displays. Players who want a standalone tool outside World of Warcraft should choose another product.

Pros and cons

• Pro: Bar, Inline, and Data Text windows plus multiple-window support give players meaningful control over how combat data appears.
• Pro: Saved segments and variable detail support reviewing individual fights after the live readout.
• Pro: The free plan covers multiple WoW flavors, and plugins can extend the metrics with graphs, tank performance, and friendly-fire damage.
• Con: Players need to select the edition that matches their game version, with Midnight aimed at WoW 12.0+ and a classic version for older releases.
• Con: Some added displays and metrics depend on third-party plugins, so the core meter alone may not cover every specialized need.

Alternatives

For a broader comparison, browse Game Damage Meters.

Choose Elite Insights instead if Linux support or self-hosting matters; it is free MIT-licensed software available on Linux, macOS, Windows, and self-hosted setups.

Advanced Combat Tracker is another free option for Windows desktop users.

EQ Zera is a free alternative for web or Windows, with no purchase, account, or sign-in required and no features locked.

Consider eqdps if Linux support matters; it is free on Linux and Windows, with optional EQLDB uploads.

AwowLab Overlay is a free Windows alternative with no paid tier required for its core job.

Combat Metrics is a free ESO addon, though its required libraries must be downloaded separately.

EQL Meter is a free MIT-licensed macOS and Windows app with no account or cloud backend.

STOOP is a free option for Windows 10/11 that requires no account and has no paid tiers.

Verdict

Choose Skada if you play World of Warcraft and want free live combat measurement, saved fight segments, and room to tailor displays or add metrics. Its main advantage is the combination of flexible windows and reviewable history; look elsewhere if you need a tool for another game or do not want to match an addon edition to your WoW release.