Chat Bubble Styles – Retail

How to Change Chat Bubble Styles in World of Warcraft (Retail Guide)

Chat bubbles in World of Warcraft are useful, but the default design can feel outdated. Did you know you can easily replace them with custom styles? In this guide, I’ll walk you through how to change your chat bubble styles in WoW Retail, using free textures from ElvUI.

These custom chat bubbles work everywhere, whether you’re questing in the open world, running dungeons, or progressing through raids.

Why Change Your Chat Bubble Style?

• Better visibility during group play.
• Cleaner design compared to the default look.
• More immersion if you prefer a specific aesthetic.

Step 1: Download the Chat Bubble Textures

Head over to the official ElvUI GitHub page

• Scroll to the bottom of the page.
• Download the ZIP file that contains the bubble texture pack.

Step 2: Extract the Files

1. Right-click the ZIP file and select Extract All.
2. Open the new folder, you’ll see multiple texture options you can choose from.
3. Right-click the ZIP file again and extract it one more time.
4. Inside, you’ll find a folder named Tooltips, this is the one you’ll need.

Step 3: Add the Textures to WoW Retail

1. Open your Battle.net launcher.
2. Next to the Play button for World of Warcraft, click the small cogwheel icon.
3. Select Show in Explorer.
4. Navigate to your Retail > Interface folder.
5. Copy the Tooltips folder into the Interface folder.

Once you log back into the game, your chat bubbles should now display the new style.

Step 4: Fixing Issues with ElvUI

If you’re using ElvUI and don’t see the changes immediately:

• Type /elvui in chat.
• Go to General > Cosmetic.
• Scroll down to the Chat Bubble dropdown.
• Set it to Disabled.
• Reload your UI.

Your custom chat bubbles should now appear correctly.

Customizing chat bubbles in World of Warcraft is a simple way to make your UI look better and more personal. With just a few steps, you can replace the standard style with something cleaner and more immersive.

If this guide helped you, feel free to share it with your guildmates, give the video a thumbs up, and subscribe for more World of Warcraft tips, addons, and UI customization guides.