Farming in World of Warcraft can feel like a chore when you do it blind. A few addons turn it into a tidy loop: they remember where things are, plan the route and tell you whether the hour was worth it. These are the ones I keep installed, with a note on what each does best.
GatherMate2
Best for: herbs, ore, fishing spots and treasure chests.
It records every node you gather and shows the spots on the world map and minimap, so the next visit starts with a plan rather than a guess. Over a few weeks it becomes a personal atlas of your favourite zones.
Routes
Best for: turning scattered nodes into a loop.
Routes reads what GatherMate2 has stored and draws an efficient path between the nodes. You can edit the route by hand if you prefer to pass a certain landmark.
HandyNotes
Best for: rare creatures, treasures and collectible spots.
HandyNotes puts small icons on your map, and its add-on modules cover rares, treasures and achievements for different expansions. It is the quickest way to find out what an unfamiliar zone is hiding.
KillTrack
Best for: grinding for a single drop.
It counts how many creatures you have defeated and how often the item you want has appeared, so you can see whether a long session is simply unlucky or the drop is truly rare.
LootAppraiser
Best for: measuring a farming run.
It totals the value of what you pick up and shows the rate per hour, which is handy when you are comparing two zones. Pair it with a market addon for more accurate numbers.
TradeSkillMaster
Best for: managing crafting and the auction house.
TradeSkillMaster is the heavyweight of the group. It tracks market data, helps you post and cancel auctions and breaks down crafting costs. It has a learning curve, so start with a single feature and add more later.
A tip before you install anything
Add one addon at a time and play a session with it before adding the next. It is the easiest way to learn what each one does, and to find out which one is causing trouble if the interface ever misbehaves.