Guild Wars 2

Included or excluded?

With no more than a month left to decide whether or not to Pre-Purchase Guild Wars Heart of Thorns, the revealed contents could use supplementary convincing. Previously, Arenanet releases within the €50 (£35/$50) price range had always included novel appearances for character creation on top of everything else. Now be it that a need for a wider diversity in appearance has been brought up repeatedly during the 3 years since the initial release of Guild Wars 2, especially regarding human diversity which has all women straight-haired and all men Eurasian-faced. Will we learn in time, whether a non-Eurasian addition to appearances was secretly planned for inclusion with the expansion and therefore specifically omitted from Gem Store sales?
That aside, the question that mostly begs on behalf of anyone rolling new characters:

are there any options to appearance creation that would be missed out on, if buying HoT long after starting new games or if not at all?

What? Where have you been? Under a rock since launch? The character creation has all sorts of ethnic groups.

You have Krytans (traditionally darker skinned Mediterranean styled Caucasians) and now they mixed with so many different humans in Guild Wars, that they all appear Eastern European almost British in appearance except for the queen how is still native Krytan. Ascalonians who were you big nosed (yes they do have bigger noses/bridge of nose than other humans) classic Eastern European White looking humans.

You have your Asian-based Canthans which includes the Asian-greek mixed Luxons and the goth pale Kurzicks. Both of which can be reproduced faithfully in the character creator.

The you have your Elonians that have three subsets, each being based on parts of Africa and one of which being very middle-eastern in style.

The game is already 100% diverse for the humans. Its just the majority of a player base is either Asian or White/Hispanic and doesn’t make anything but.

I posted my two Canthan woman. And I have 4 Canthans as Its too easy to have a white guy or girl.

I’m quite curious where you’ve seen Elonians based on Africa rather than Asia? Heck, there is not even afro-textured hair for women or African faces for men. Furtherore, male East-Asian faces are only are available upon each spending of a Total Makeover Kit. And given that HoT is taking place where GW Utopia would have taken place, Native American appearances have been lacking from the franchise altogether, despite concept art thereof.

There is definitely more to be expected than this.

HoT is not taking place where Utopia was to be set, Utopia was to be set on a new continent all together, that said native american as well as mayan and aztec cultures were going to be the inspirational basis for the unnamed coninent that was to be used in Utopia.

as well, it was clearly stated by arenanet when Nightfall was launched that elona was inspired by africa and the middle east both for geographical styling and cultural inspiration, sure arena net threw a lot of their own twists on the cultures, just as they did with the norn being inspired by scandinavian culture, but not simply being a stereotype of the classic viking marauder that is often the first thing to pop into peoples heads

Perhaps the question whether Native Americans are ‘missing’ deserves a thread of its own then?

And yes, Elona relied on some imagery from Asia (Middle East or India is disputed), but mainly from Africa. Yet GW2 is remarkably devoid of African features, despite allusions to Elonian presence.