ANet likes making headgear, shoulder armor, gloves, and boots because they have lower clipping probabilities than torso and leg armor pieces. My complaint is that they give us too much oversized and over-crazy gear. Believe it or not, ANet, not every armor piece needs to be gigantic with huge spikes sticking out all over the place for people to like them. This post is a request for simple armor pieces.
Most of these suggestions would be far easier to implement than current Gem Store offerings. As such, I would expect to see a lot of them, and at reasonable prices.
HEAD
No headgear should ever remove the character’s hair!
- A simple eyes-only mask would go over well. Like Robin Hood is often pictured. Or Robin from the 1960’s “Batman” TV show. Very simple. Not a fancy-schmancy Marie Antionette French party mask.
- Harem-style veils could be cool. Something very much like the current medium weight Ranger masks, except translucent.
- Circlets are nice, but probably hard to make without removing the hair if designed to be visible all the way around the head (like the Laurels). I suggest making a selection primarily for the forehead, that disappear into the hair over the ears (like the many pairs of glasses we have). From simple leather bands, to fancy tiaras.
- Earrings are long overdue. Danglers, hoops, studs, cuffs, you name it.
SHOULDERS (Neck)
- The Winter Scarf would have sold much better if it were of reasonable size. The massive thing they released caused all sorts of hairstyle clipping, and buries some characters up to their nose. (The fourth Doctor Who had a 12-foot long scarf that left more of his face revealed!) We need more scarves. Smaller sized. More (dyable) patterns.
- Necklaces! Where are necklaces and chokers and neckerchiefs? (Charr and barbarian-types need a studded leather dog collar!) Dog tags! Primitive necklaces of beads and claws! Even if many went hidden underneath armor, I think people would still buy them just so they don’t have to hide their shoulder armor all the time.
ANet’s track record on shoulders is abysmal – giant ones that cover everything from ears to elbow and float in midair are commonplace. This has got to stop.
GLOVES
- Gloves keep getting overblown. All we see are bulky, full gauntlets going from fingertip to elbow. My thief can’t rob anyone while wearing Astronaut gloves. Give us small, simple metal and leather bracers covering just the forearm without all the spikes and protrusions.
- Bracelets! As with necklaces, bracelets and simple armbands are long overdue. One wrist or two. One bracelet or many. Handwraps like the GW1 Monks. These are a great solution for people who want to go gloveless, but don’t want to have to hide their hand armor all the time.
BOOTS
- Okay, I’m not really calling for boots here. We’re talking minimalist. No giant whomping-through-a-snowbank army boots. That means shoes. The men and ladies need some simple below-the-ankle offerings that don’t make them look like they have size twenty feet.
- Sandals. Simple flip-flops. Lace up the legs. Simple. Easy. Wanted.
- Leg bracers. Like the wrist bracers; a simple metal or leather shin guard that covers the shin only … not the foot or the knee. It can wrap clear around, or be open in back held on with straps or laced strings.
Long have the people called for a “Hide” checkbox on footwear. I think some of these offerings would alleviate much of that need.
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Check out the head, shoulder (neck), arm, and footwear collages below for ideas and examples!
Build a man a fire, and he’ll be warm all day.
Set a man on fire, and he’ll be warm the rest of his life.
– Unknown Fire Elementalist
