One of the things that strikes you when going straight from GW2 to a bit of Tera, because Tera has shinies, is that in all due fairness the two games mostly keep an even scale where skimpiness is concerned. The eternal cringe that is the Elin aside, Tera’s nekidness is mostly visible in its High Elves and Castanics (I love my gender neutral Popori!). Many NPCs wear the type of badass armor that makes you question why oh why they couldn’t just stick to that overall aesthetic?
Depending on race and armor choices, you can mostly avoid the sexy armor if you so choose, which similarly to GW2 gets frustrating at times but is still doable. A great range of class and cultural armor in GW2 adds bare midriffs, split skirts and high heels for its female heroes, and yet the audience at large seems to be okay with that arrangement. Depending on time and chance, you’ll have a very hard time spotting serious looking apparel (and not another iteration of the masquerade set) standing around the mystical forge in Lion’s Arch. Yet, some games clearly get more beef, especially pre-hyped beef, for their armor design than others. I do wonder a little why that is.
This brings me to a long-made promise concerning my Elementalist in GW2 whom I love to outfit. I managed to create three overall sets/looks for max level that I’m incredibly happy with, so without further ado, let me share my favorite srs bzns styles for GW2 light armor classes (all items come without class/race requirements):
1) The Berserker
The first seriously awesome exotic set I ever got in GW2, Berserker Acolyte items become available from lvl62 upwards. This set is best known for its heavy skirt and blindfold mask, creating the original Illidan look. I love what different color palettes can do here and I prefer a random drop called Doric Helm of the Valkyrie (pics 2 and 3) over the default headpiece. This style is cheap and easy to come by in the market place!
2) The “Queen’s Guard”
Named for its royal baroque look, I named this mix’n match between the Berserker set and several more items the Queen’s Guard. The extra pieces to look for here are Mending Epaulets (of something), (Valykrie’s )Exalted Pants and very common Apprentice Shoes. The more delicate Masquerade gloves will also fit in beautifully (pic 3).
3) Conqueror of Arah
By far my proudest accomplishment, nothing radiates rite of passage the way the Orrian set from Arah does. I sweat blood and tears acquiring this look! All pieces are awesome and unique, not to mention versatile – letting you go from demon spawn (especially with the default head piece) to my favorite angel healer depending on coloration. Since I love the steampunk vibe of the Inquest Cowl from Crucible of Eternity, I substituted that one with the rather ugly Orrian mask.
I gotta admit, the very last look in blue/white is a big favorite although I clearly should’ve remembered to switch my gloves back before taking that screenshot.
These pictures should prove beyond a doubt that GW2 features some wonderful armor that treats the ladies right – so dear ArenaNet, you have my approval to create more of these and less of those, thank you!
For more light armor inspiration, check my old overview of non-skimpy low level styles and also this formidable skins overview on the GW2 Guru forums. Choices, choices!
I’m rocking the Shadow Armor on my Necro, my first female character since I already have a male of each race. It was the only armor I could wear on my low level character that I felt had the right look for a necro, and didn’t make her look like a stripper. Still a little bit of skin there, but still classy 🙂
You can see her and my other characters on the following image. I’ll probably keep this armor even when I get her to lvl 80.
http://i.imgur.com/FSuQJ2T.jpg
(Human mesmer, Sylvary Elementalist, Norn Guardian, Charr Ranger, Asura Engineer, Norn Necromancer)
Only one that I since changed the look is my human Mesmer, now also wearing an exotic Berserker armor set in pretty similar color scheme to that third picture of yours.
I do love GW2’s armors, specially dye system. 🙂
I do like the tribal looking set a lot, it was one of my first favorites when leveling up. when logging in yesterday I realized that they added some details to it; I do not remember that the skirt had such white fringes (like on a carpet border)? it does now.
You got some nice sets there. and I agree, the dye system in GW2 is the most formidable out there by far. I love the fact that they weren’t greedy with dyes either – there are so many and it’s easy to collect a ton of them, with plenty of alternative shades if you can’t afford a certain color.
Hmmm, thanks for the ideas! My elementalist is levelling up pretty rapidly at the moment (just passed level 60 at the weekend) and is one of my female characters, as I tend to pretty much a 50/50 gender split amongst my alts.
As a reasonably red-blooded but slightly more mature straight male, I don’t mind some elements of scantiness in my female characters’ outfits but I’m not really fond of the full-on cheap hooker look… the chainmail fishnet stockings on some of the so-called “heavy” armour in GW2 is a bit much, for example. That “Queen’s Guard” set would look pretty good on y strapping Norn lass – mind you, I’m also quite fond of the Dry Bones set, bare midriff, split skirt and all…
Hmm…dry bones set = shadow armor? 🙂 that one is nice indeed although I would substitute the chest piece (as you can see on my lowlevel styles pic too). bare midriffs aren’t the end of the world if the rest of the set is great, I agree – I’m just so over them ever since WoW. one set that I would really still like but am too lazy to farm is the one from Sorrow’s Embrace, minus the helm. for some reason most of the dungeon head pieces are just oogly.
oh and I will be eternally grumpy that I won’t ever be able to acquire the Priory armor just because early on into the game, I had no clue that my faction choice also meant restricted access to (very different looking) sets. :((
Agh, all so gorgeous. I like! Hope I get my Mesmer levelled soon. I loves her a little bit too much. 🙂
Ah, Mesmer. 🙂 one of the classes that sound amazing on paper but for some reason I couldn’t stick with. that doesn’t mean much coming from me though – I am horrible with alts. the whole Mesmer thematic sure has lots of potential for great armor set assembly.
It isn’t so much the skimpy armor that makes Tera all but unplayable for me, although it comes close. It’s the combination of the pornstar clothing and the bent-double running posture.
I played Tera once back when they did that weird streaming trial experiment. I made the kind of character I often make and on logging her in found that I was expected to play her from the perspective of a midget following her from behind and staring up her skirt. I had to delete her and re-roll a male character just to get through the tutorial, something I have never had to do in any other MMO ever.
The skimpy female costumes in GW2 are certainly cheesy but at least the characters can walk upright!
All too true. Tera is suggestive in ways GW2 isn’t. it’s sad really since the game has so much to offer in terms of world and setting.
I always struggle with finding non-skimpy armor as well. I got the TA set on my necro (http://i.imgur.com/CTNC7rf.jpg) but when I got my legendary scepter, the big skirt was obscuring it. :/ So I’ve gone with something a bit more skimpy but it’s not too horrible for GW2 standards I suppose. 😛 http://i.imgur.com/ua5N97Q.jpg She’s mostly covered up, but not totally. Even heavy armor proved difficult as well, but lucikly the CoE armor came to the rescue! http://i.imgur.com/hLjcPsT.jpg (best photo I have uploaded atm.. I should make another armor post on my blog.. always the procrastinator!)
That second pic looks pretty okay in my book – I’ll let that pass. 😉 TA is a pretty great set depending on coloration and it’s interesting how they flow over in that one. what I really don’t care for is the head piece, but that goes for almost all dungeon sets.
I had to do a double take on Berzerker pic 3. T’was not what I was expecting, to say the least.
As I’ve alluded to in the past, the skimpiness of the costumes isn’t the real issue for me in GW2, it’s the impracticality of it all. I know that sounds silly coming from a (veteran) MMO player, but the “formal dance” nature of the GW2 clothing throws me off.
Either you’re talking about onion boobs or I’m not sure I understand that first statement. 😀
I agree there’s lots of moulin rouge flamboyance going on in GW2, although I’d like to think my armor choices (and a few more sets I do not own….yet) deviate from that. as for practicality, well…I have pretty much given up on that. the only MMO I’ve played that has ‘sensible’ armor is LOTRO (not always but often) and I’m hopeful we’ll see the same in TESO. the Elder Scrolls have always been awesome in that respect and also same armor for both genders.
I was more thinking “lemons” at first glance myself… 😀
Onions? Lemons? At least they weren’t cantaloupes.
Or were they?
I do agree that LOTRO’s armor seems the most practical, but on the sliding scale I just feel that some other MMOs just look more lived in, like an adventurer should look.
It’s funny – that’s the feeling I get in LOTRO. my hooded outfit with the fur and leather stitches, the belt and dangling satchels feel so real and adequate to me, that vagabonding adventurer that I am! 😀
It us funny how one gets more scorn compared to the other, like Bhagpuss says it is the postures that make it a little worse. However I do have to give props to tera fir making both the male and female garments of certain sets equally as revealing.
That first set is what I was wearing most times in gw2…just, did they have to make the boob portion so prominant.
Annnnnd Popori for life!
Agreed – the onion boobs on Berserker are a bit bleh, especially when you highlight the color. you can go all dark though, then it’s slightly better. unfortunately most games still insist on boob plate, no matter how heavy the armor.
I don’t like the male Castanics in Tera either to be honest, but if I have to settle for skimpy gender equivalence (I would still prefer none at all but oh well), then FFXIV does a lot of things right in my book. there’s lots of handsome ‘pretty boys’ in the FF Onlines and some seriously silly underwear etc….but overall the game isn’t nearly as ludicrous as most other asian titles.
I found GW2 to be a little better about the high level armor’s level of revealy-ness but I never got that far in Tera, something about it felt TOO pandering to me (that and Elin…everywhere, and the 2 character/server cap). Though GW2 has a few that are REALLY bad. I like the outfits you came up with though; I just wish they would let you choose more of the colors (and WHERE) on certain outfits in GW2 so you could synchronize better.
I am honestly very happy with GW2’s dye system. what I would like to have is different templates I can save, so I don’t have to redo my favorite styles all the time when switching.