Gender reassignment and race reroll coming to Azeroth?
by Zach Yonzon 
Nov 13th 2008 at 1:00PM
WoW Insider's resident RP maestro David Bowers was thrilled at the possibility of more character customization than just hairstyles, but it seems that there might even be more than that. Eurogamer's interview with Blizzard's Paul Sams and Lee Sparks revealed that the technology to do such changes is taking some time and energy to put into place. They point out that the monetary barrier is merely in place to prevent players from abusively changing their characters' features constantly. Sams said that Blizzard "think(s) that it's important to have some consistency in the game, we don't want people changing their look and feel every day."
If this feature pushes through, it will add to an extensive menu of character customization options, from paid name changes to in-game barbershops, as well as realm transfers (even the once-unthinkable PvE-to-PvP transfers). The feature would allow players to undo some decisions they later grew to regret. According to Sams, "when you create your character, often times you wish you'd done things differently. You wish you were on a different realm, you wish you'd had a different name or you wish you'd chosen a different look and feel to your character." This hints at the possibility of race and even gender changes, which should pretty much open up every available customization option for players.
Via Massively
Filed under: Odds and ends, Blizzard, News items
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Xtian Nov 13th 2008 1:09PM
First?
Also, kudos to whoever did the Microsoft Paint job on Thrall there. Really brings out the dimensionisms. Ever think about a graphics career?
Hurode Nov 13th 2008 4:01PM
You put lipstick on an orc...
Dever Nov 13th 2008 1:09PM
Definantly going to be doing this with my scrub warrior whose a orc =/ go go Undead
Bat Nov 13th 2008 1:10PM
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha transsexual blizzard services.
Guilherme Nov 13th 2008 1:13PM
Lawl!!!!
Manatank Nov 13th 2008 1:10PM
Race changes across faction?
DaveG Nov 13th 2008 1:14PM
Could this also lead to the previously unthinkable way to get your toon from Alliance to Horde?
I mean how many of us saw the light and switched to Horde, but only after leveling their first character, only to see them stagnate on a distant realm, long untouched.
Helcular Nov 13th 2008 1:12PM
I'm guessing the race change is limited to faction meaning no Horde to Alliance and Vice Versa
Brady Nov 13th 2008 1:13PM
If this were true, I might actually be able to fulfil my dream of taking my NE Druid to a different server as a Tauren Druid (Probably never going to happen though...)
Kevin Nov 13th 2008 2:22PM
I don't have a source right now, but I do remember reading at one point that Blizzard will never allow Alliance to Horde transfers or vice versa.
bumble Nov 14th 2008 3:12AM
"Blizzard will never allow Alliance to Horde transfers"
I read the same thing about Pve to Pvp transfers at one point...
anon Nov 13th 2008 2:51PM
I don't have a source right now, but I do remember reading at one point that Blizzard will never allow PvE to PvP transfers or vice versa.
Metaphyzxx Nov 13th 2008 1:17PM
this'd be good, because I know I have a couple of characters that I threw together just to reserve a name, but HATED what they looked like.
Slarti Nov 13th 2008 1:20PM
Oh yeah, the "technology" to change some values in their character database truly must take ages to develop...
And of course the price tag isn't there because Blizzard wants to enjoy another high-margin money source (just like character transfers), but only for the good of the players. And of course there aren't any other possibilities to limit the use of such a feature besides making it expensive in terms of real-world money (like make it cost ingame-money instead, no, that is entirely impossible for some weird technical reason).
Do they truly expect me to believe all that (or, to be fair,even just the parts they've actually said, not the "conclusions" i've jumped to)???
Hebdap Nov 13th 2008 2:55PM
WTS 6-month cooldowns
Sech Nov 14th 2008 4:25PM
Slarti, I believe he meant the in-game charge when you get you hair cut, not the money you pay to switch realms.
Lumath Nov 13th 2008 1:48PM
I would really like to see this go farther and be able to pay for cross faction changes. I have been playing for going on two years and have met some great people. But the fact remains that you meet people that play other factions. I have 4-lvl 70's (all horde) spread across two realms (PvP and PvE). I would love to be able to take one of those and pay to transfer him over to alliance. Then I could also play with people that are only on alliance sides and I would not have to create another toon.
peagle Nov 13th 2008 1:20PM
I know some people are still going to chastise Blizzard by viewing this purely as a money-maker, however I absolutely agree with the sentiment:
"it's important to have some consistency in the game, we don't want people changing their look and feel every day.""
The world shouldn't be populated with the same characters who are different races, classes and looks every hour of the day, the game (imo) requires some consistency and restrictions to be immersive.
Dzarkhan Nov 13th 2008 1:22PM
I would be so freaking happy if I could get my two 70 Alliance toons over to Horde. So, so happy.
0bsolete Nov 13th 2008 1:23PM
Thank god. I originally rolled a male orc shaman. I was bound and determined to play an orc shaman, and I preferred male. About level 40 I was driven insane by my orc shoulders getting in the way of everything. Half my view was blocked and it seemed like the only way I could reliably click on an enemy and not accidentally click on myself was to tab target, unreliable at best. Then I rerolled a female orc shaman to get around it. About 4 days after I hit 70 the orc shoulders problem was fixed.