Guild Wars 2

Please provide us with an option/toggle to NOT see other character’s back pieces.
Anet staff, please review the recent support ticket related to my account if you desire to know my reason for this suggestion.

leaving us with just mere curiosity

Then I want an option to see everyone with their adam’s armor (or eve’s). Saves loading time of armors and dyes.
[/ irony ]

the endgame content relies on visuals. Allowing others to disable YOUR visuals wouldn’t fit.

Nretep has a good point that toggling off some of these things on an individual basis will help with loading times, some new back items have some higher graphical demands, and will allow each person to enjoy the game as he or she desires.

first thought about this was – tentacles, tentacles everywhere
we will hate to see them for months to come

Precisely.
For that particular item, it may even be worthwhile to allow players to trade in the tentacle back piece for an exotic version of the flower one so that either 2 characters on their account can possibly have that skin or they at least have access to an ascendable flower instead of only an ascendable tentacle… likewise for those inclined to use the tentacle one, allow them to trade in the flower for a second rare version of the tentacle back piece. Either way it would be appreciated to have an option to toggle off the display of back items.

Please Anet, it may be a request from a small portion of the player base but it is really important to consider how certain visual items will affect various kinds of persons in your customer base. While waiting to hear a response to this request from you, I have been trying to ask players in game to turn off the tentacle back items while I am in a party with them but mostly I get laughed at and my requests ignored – and there is absolutely nothing I can do about seeing them while exploring the general game world. I for one cannot comfortably play the game with tentacles filling my screen, it is disturbing. Please at the very least implement an option to not render back items on our individual graphics settings. I still think it would be good to allow players the option to trade in the back items for a second copy of the skin they prefer should they desire it, however that is not as important if it is not feasible with your current manpower.