Patch 5.4 patch notes
Virtual Realms feature revealed
The Proving Grounds are coming
The latest patch 5.4 newsUlduar items and why they look the same
by Zach Yonzon 
Mar 22nd 2009 at 4:00PM
It's a pretty tough argument, and players throughout the thread have weighed with their thoughts on the matter. This is an issue that has been apparent since the launch of Wrath of the Lich King, where many armor pieces have largely shared the same models. Take, for example, the Spaulders of the Giant Lords, a plate shoulder piece purchased from the Sons of Hodir at Revered reputation. It shares the same model as 22 other rare plate items, from drops to crafted pieces. That's a lot of similar-looking gear. This design direction ensures that players will find an easier time finding non-set pieces that match instead of looking like a clown. This was one of the criticisms hurled at the leveling items in The Burning Crusade, and Blizzard seems to avoided it in Wrath.
On the other hand, some players argue that Blizzard might have overdone it, with one poster diligently listing many items which share similar models. He laments the fact that he has had the same looking helm over half the time he was leveling up and for some time after hitting Level 80. As cool as the Death Knight armor looks coming out of the starting area, it was something of a surprise to find that the non-tier plate items in Naxxramas and Heroic dungeons shared the same model. If you took mostly non-tier plate epics at Level 80, you would look almost identical to a Death Knight coming out of the Eastern Plaguelands.
This time around, in Ulduar, there doesn't appear to be a non-tier "set" as many pieces (as data-mined by MMO Champion) appear to be recolored versions of Tier 8, which the original poster decries as "effectively draining every shred of fun and sense of accomplishment out of raiding as a whole." I'm not so sure about that, but melodrama aside, it prompts Blizzard Community Manager Crygil to respond, stating that it's a tough balancing act but by using this method Blizzard is able to "maintain a good solid well polished look."
To be fair, this isn't the first time they've done this. Many tier items in The Burning Crusade had recolored versions, allowing players to mix and match non-tier pieces with their sets. With some luck, it was possible to obtain a complete, yet differently colored Tier 5 look using various loose pieces. Unless most of the items revealed so far from Ulduar are mere placeholders, it looks like Blizzard has followed through with this design direction. Crygil admits as much, noting how Blizzard aimed to avoid mismatched gear, and that this is how they choose to address the problem "for the time being."
While I do think that the base models are quite sparse this time around, I'm quite certain that there would've been whining either way. I think Tier 8 is very well-designed, and the current itemization means players won't struggle too hard to maintain the same, cohesive look (color discrepancies notwithstanding). That's certainly a good thing. On the other hand, players can't put together a completely different look should they wish to. To a degree, the original poster has a point about how every other person in Dalaran looks the same.
Personally, I will appreciate the flexibility of being able to keep just two or four pieces of a tier set for the bonus yet be able to maintain a cohesive appearance throughout. Should Ulduar itemization make it to live in this state, I wouldn't be so worried. This is the first time any raid dungeon will contain completely visually cohesive pieces, it's an experiment I'm willing to participate in. Blizzard has been known to change item models through patches, anyway, so even though it's a remote possibility, it can still happen with non-set pieces.
Filed under: Items, Analysis / Opinion, Blizzard
Reader Comments (Page 5 of 5)
Lindsey Mar 23rd 2009 4:02PM
I definitely prefer the newer system where you don't have to have tier gear for it to match. I looked like a freaking hobo back in BC, but leveling in Northrend I could look at my character without feeling deep shame. In fact, I can't wait to get all of my alts through Outland and into Northrend so they can actually look like the handsome adventurers they are rather than clowns or mismatched freaks. Sure, the gear starts to look the same, but it looks good. If I showed some pictures I took of my mage at level 69 in her quest gear it would be obvious as to why they made this change.
I do agree that a better answer to the problem would be to use different armor models but make the colors uniform or allow us to dye them, but I still feel that this current approach is an improvement, albeit lazy. Hopefully all the time they're not spending making new gear models is going into new druid forms or something extra cool.
Woad Mar 24th 2009 6:47AM
Though I get why there is a more consistant look to armour in WotLK, I do feel it removes some of the sense of fun that makes WoW better than other MMOs that take themselves too seriously.
I personally liked walking around looking like I had fallen over in a clowns closet and then visiously abused by the bad taste bears!
Whisperswift Apr 14th 2009 8:15AM
What blizz needs to do is hire away some of the designers at NCSoft, case closed. The armor in Lineage II makes wow armor look like a 6 year old's creation. Yes I understand we're talking about different graphics, looks, and feel. However, when you take into account the infinite number of possible variations an armor set could appear and you simply use the same model with slight color variations over and over, I'm sorry but somebody is cutting corners. Blizz can give all kinds of excuses and you brown nosing monthly subscribers can buy into them all you like but what it really comes down to is money. Let's see if we can improve our profit margin more and more and give the customer less and less. It's a simple business maneuver performed by nearly every company under the sun. Whether it's right or wrong doesn't really matter, Blizz is going to do whatever they want regardless of any of our opinions. The only way they'll change is if the profit margin begins to fall.
So, what do we do? Well I can only hope that someday they'll get the message and improve the models and variations. I for one enjoy looking at unique and "different" armor sets. I think those people that raid the top dungeons should be rewarded with gear sets that look like no other. And I won't even begin to go into the PVP sets and how much Blizz has failed there.
Whisperswift Apr 14th 2009 8:34AM
"Not only is this another example of Blizzard’s continued bad trends with modeling but Ulduar is a seriously lost opportunity for cool looking armor. Blizzard has shown when they make armor themed with the theme of the raid it can have cool results. Look at Zul’Aman’s gear. It fit the theme of the raid and looked great. Imagine what they could have done with Titan-themed armor. Plate gear that looks like hard stone with lines of light running through them. Maybe some of those cool looking Titan faces or light projections coming off the shoulders. Cloth gear that looks like Greek and Roman tunics and robes. Could have had such cool looking armor but they decided to screw all that up. ~Clifton~"
Very well said Clifton, I completely agree.