I am not the target demographic for WoW or experienced in the game. I am brand new to computer gaming, with my newly found retired free time. Something that occurred to me today, June 20, 2014 [I have learned how important dates are to information about this game!] Everything is so big and bulky. Muscles, breasts, weapons. I was delighted to find the female dwarf character, short and a little on the dumpy side, that's my area of expertise! I admit that I'm as enamoured with the lithe female draenei, night and blood elves as I imagine most of the boys are. But, i digress... my thought.
I thought, it would be nice to have gear, armour, weapon, accessory choices that are under-stated and elegant. What would really entice me to learn about raiding as fast as my daughter would wish, would be the chance to kit up my Holy Paladin, Night Elf Priest and Dwarf Hunter in unassuming, but deadly, "stuff".
I would get the biggest giggle of being underestimated by an apparent "lack of e-peen-ness" style that would absolutely kill! I have developed quite a fondness for the 2-handed axe. I am just lovin' a good axe. But, to my way of thinking, a "good" axe has enough strength to be sturdy, but thin and razor edged to be deadly. Doesn't quite fit with the big 'n bulky look of the high level axes that I've been researching.
All these lovely ladies that go into battle with bare mid-riffs and spilling out of their tops, with stick thin arms but heaving around these oak logs with axe heads on scythe blades. Pfft! Give me some scaling stats on my Rage Reaver and I'll keep her 'til I'm done playing the game. She's got a nice PMS-y "get outta my way ogre" look and feel to her. I've got the leather wraps on the handle molded to my light blue draenei hands and I hate, hate, hate that I should have given her up 10 levels ago. sigh.
TL;DR - I'll take the level 10 artcraft examples with the level 100-activated stats please.
World of Artcraft: Class Accessories
WoW artists unveil some concept designs for class accessories.
The latest in a string of Artcraft blogs by World of Warcraft artists shows that new 'class accessories' are being worked on, which will allow players to greater customize the appearance of their characters. While still in the concept phase, the idea is a good one and the initial designs look promising.
Once upon a time, characters had an additional gear slot that allowed Paladins to equip Librams and Hunters a quiver for their bow. They contributed important stats for that class but never had a physical appearance. It would appear that now that those slots are gone, WoW artists are more able to come up with concept art for such class accessories.
“We always thought it would have been cool to show these Relics on your character, but aside from the generic quiver for Hunters wielding a bow, the artists just didn’t have time to do the concept justice,” Items and Rewards Designer Owen Landgren explains. “We were also faced with some unique design challenges, including questions about how much additional unique artwork would have been required for each new tier of raid and PvP gear. However, once the Relic slot was retired and the visuals could be divorced from gearing mechanics, the idea of bringing these back as a character customization feature became something we talked about more and more.
“Our goal with these class accessories is to offer players a whole new path to customizing the look of their character. While you might decide to wear the same armor as your friend, choosing different accessories allows you to communicate something extra about your character.”
You might be forgiven for thinking that these items may be intended for the Blizzard store, nestling comfortably next to the purchasable transmog helms, but these class accessories are currently intended to be rewards from in-game accomplishments. The question is, what would YOU like to see become available for your character's class?
Penny for your thoughts,
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