Breakfast Topic: Not my rainbow gear!
by Nico Deyo 
Dec 8th 2010 at 8:00AM
Blizzard attempted to change the leveling process on many fronts -- easier XP, quests for dungeons at the beginning of said dungeon, and better quest flow. One of the more lively changes was quest loot being given more useful stats -- and more importantly, being made part of an overall more "matching" set. This meant that people who predominantly quest will find themselves looking put together, rather than wearing whatever scraps of material they roll over while trying to collect 20 bear bottoms. The sets may not always work with random "- of the X" drops, but overall, they look nicer and have a easily identifiable style and color scheme.
I'm quite impressed with this change. The strange mish-mash of leveling gear from questing was not only hideous to look at, it never matched and often had really terrible models with garish textures. The new questing gear looks regal and not prone to as much strange skin-baring, either. It looks like you're moving up the ranks of badassery as you are leveling up. This is a good feature! For those who are more inclined to roleplay, it gives you access to some easy outfits that you can wear around Stormwind or Ogrimmar and look trendy.
While I know this trend is going to stop dead in its tracks at Outland (which I will overcome by putting my heirloom gear back on), it is fun to see it present in the Azeroth leveling experience and further on in Cataclysm content. Are you happy about this change, or do you feel that the garish clown vomit outfits of years past were essential to people's game before the level cap?
| No, absolutely not. | |
|---|---|
| Yes, I liked the nutty factor. | |
| Yes, I liked having a progression into high-end sets. |
Filed under: Breakfast Topics, Guest Posts
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
RetPallyJil Dec 8th 2010 8:06AM
I will totally and absolutely miss the cheerful riot of color that was your Noob Flag. Not only was it fun seeing how your look would change with each random piece (Oh this looks great I'm keepin it!) but it was also a special moment when you'd move into Gear Sets.
They've taken everything away :C
Drakkenfyre Dec 8th 2010 9:23AM
As long as they don't touch Outland gear.
You could find matches very rarely, and it looked good. I don't want everything matching because it's all a shade of brown, grey, and blue. Purple, red, and solid blue looks good on casters. The Dungeon 1 Mage set was purple and gold. The Warlock black and red Tier 5. Not everything needs to be drab, and brown, grey, or blue.
Twill Dec 8th 2010 10:40AM
Can I just say that the stats on the sets aren't very good.
I am leveling a hunter since the shattering who is now 48. I quest, BG, and run dungeons. I am in all blues from dungeons, and the rainbow set is still in full swing! (Including the racial tabard + Heirloom gear.)
Evelinda Dec 9th 2010 10:10AM
Oh my, i'd be devastated if they messed with the look of outland... i play a lot of female chars, and i tell you, i'd be just crushed if I didnt get to look like some sort of clown prostitute for 10 levels...
Have to agree with Drakkenfyre though; we dont need earth tones for everything. Sure, give us an outfit for 10 levels if you must, but make it a colourful one from time to time!
Kyuuga Dec 8th 2010 8:07AM
No. Hell no. I'm a bear, not a clown. :(
Demeternoth Dec 8th 2010 8:39AM
As a bear we didn't see your clown suit. Quit whining start swiping!
Kyuuga Dec 8th 2010 8:41AM
I'd swipe, but it hits for 700, so I prefer to thrash. D:
eMaRDi Dec 8th 2010 8:08AM
Really, I have leveled a Tauren Paladin from 1 to 59 now and this guy looks like a clown. This character is almost only wearing quest rewards and one thing is apparent: as every 10 levels the gear color changes (in my example plate gear), a character usually has got half the gear when entering a new gear color. Especially as plate is colored green, blue or yellow I think the gear looks nice from material, but colors are way too different between the level stages.
However, maybe just my opinion.
Helston Dec 8th 2010 8:08AM
I'm loving the new gear. It looks absolutely fantastic. Sure, you see people running around in the same item models, which disappoints you a little when you find out that AWESOME looking head slot isn't as unique as you thought, but it feels great to be wearing some consistent gear. Where possible I'm making my alts take downgrades if it's part of their current/next set.
MusedMoose Dec 8th 2010 10:20AM
Seconded. I've been checking every reward I can get from a quest to see if it matches the set, and I'm always thrilled when it does. My draenei shadow priest - who's farming Stormwind rep to get a spec-appropriate black horse - is in Redridge right now, and the quest rewards there match her Stormwind tabard. I'm going to get all of this set, even if I have to quest in Redridge 'till 25, so I have a set to support my home city.
Thank you, Blizzard, for making quest rewards that much better.
zweitblom Dec 8th 2010 8:09AM
Hurray for leading poll questions, I guess...
Sleutel Dec 8th 2010 9:07AM
Are you:
a.) A god-fearing, right-thinking person;
b.) Insane; or
c.) A condescending elitist?
Goins2754 Dec 8th 2010 1:19PM
C. Condescending elitist:
And you'd be stupid if you disagreed with me.
SamLowry Dec 8th 2010 3:31PM
So you're suggesting that many of the pieces did actually match in some sort of way that was not at all clownlike?
That was not my experience at all, and I second the motion that putting a decent set together did make you look like a clown. Or a hobo. Or a middle-aged polyester-addicted golfer. Take your pick.
razion Dec 8th 2010 8:11AM
I did like the "challenge" of finding old green 'sets' on the AH. I found it more enjoyable than having the gear handed over to me while I was questing. On the other hand, I'm sort of glad I don't have to go through it every few levels on alts now, but I do miss scavenging the AH for matching pieces of armor.
StClair Dec 8th 2010 6:57PM
This, right here.
There are some really nice-looking "sets" from vanilla - drops and crafted - that most people will never bother to assemble now.
pancakes Dec 8th 2010 8:12AM
I'm just glad they found a compromise between "no two pieces of gear match" (BC) & "every piece of gear matches every other piece of gear because there's only one model for each slot. Also, it's brown."
pancakes Dec 8th 2010 8:12AM
I'm just glad they found a compromise between "no two pieces of gear match" (BC) & "every piece of gear matches every other piece of gear because there's only one model for each slot. Also, it's brown." (LK)
pancakes Dec 8th 2010 8:14AM
I like the way it managed to post twice, yet not post the same thing. The comment system never ceases to amaze.
Drakkenfyre Dec 8th 2010 9:22AM
Hope we don't get Joystiq's commenting system.
Yes, persistent log-in is nice, but it constantly logs you out. You log in, go to an article, it's logged you out. Log in, a day later, for no reason, it logs you out. I have even commented on an article, and in-between clicking Submit, and it going up, it logged me out, forcing me to log in, and rewrite what I said.