Breakfast Topic: Do you enjoy using vanity items?
by Jake Evers 
Dec 5th 2011 at 8:00AM
People have been complaining about the lack of character customization in WoW for a long time now. I agree that the character creation screen in WoW does seem a bit limited when the customization options in other games can generate thousands of permutations, but for now, I'm content with the way things are. Why? Because a lot of the time, my character doesn't even look like himself.
I have some 30 vanity items that transform the appearance of my main character or the world around him, and I put them to good use. Whether it's clucking my way through city streets as an Arakkoa (via my Time-Lost Figurine), or popping my Iron Boot Flask and making everyone in the Auction House dance with me (via my Piccolo of the Flaming Fire, I love being able to change the way I look when I get sick of the same old character model. I've learned that dropping my Tol Barad Searchlight in a capital city almost always generates a party out of thin air as passersby use their Mylune's Call, throw down their Haunted War Drums, set out their Romantic Picnic Baskets, and decorate with their Guild Battle Standards.
But while I use them to escape the tedium of limited character customization, vanity items for some players serve loftier purposes. Back in Wrath, a guildie of mine would always use a Gordok Ogre Suit when he thought the next attempt would be the one in which we'd finally down the progression boss we had been working on all night. Whenever we saw that ogre, we knew things were getting serious and that a boss kill was imminent.
So how do you use vanity items? Which is your item of choice when transforming the appearance of your character?
Filed under: Breakfast Topics, Guest Posts
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
wow Dec 5th 2011 8:02AM
I only use vanity such items when I heavily RP. Otherwise I am either questing/dungeon crawling grinding for stuff. On occasion though, I'll RP lower level Dungeons and areas.
Shinanji
Revnah Dec 5th 2011 8:05AM
I don't use them much at all, but every now and again I'll pull out my "Stave of fur and claw" and turn into a Timbermaw in the middle of Orgrimmar. A lot of people don't realise how easy it is these days to get Timbermaw rep to exalted (if I think of the grind my first character did...!) and so I often get questions as to where it's from. I'll admit to enjoying that!
Besides, who doesn't want to be a furry, fluffy, cuddleable oversized teddybear? :-D
DragonFireKai Dec 5th 2011 8:07AM
Good old Kammy, that was the money maker on Algalon, well, than and the Hollow's End Candies.
Bellajtok Dec 5th 2011 8:15AM
I love my vanity items. It's so much fun to change things up a little. Vanity items are why I keep up with my archaeology.
Xanius Dec 5th 2011 8:17AM
I love the Vykrul Horn I got from Archeology... Increases my size for 10 minutes and I just love using it whenever I can.
facepalmer2 Dec 5th 2011 1:48PM
This may just be me, but do I detect a hint of innuendo in this.. o.O
WoWie Zowie Dec 5th 2011 8:20AM
I get every single vanity item in the game. The only one i ever use is orb of the sindorei. go fig!+
Paperpro Dec 5th 2011 8:28AM
Being on an RP server, pretty much everyone has vanity items. Our guild/raid team keeps them with us at all times. Nothing better than coming back from a break during a raid and someone whips out a foam sword rack, focusing crystals targeting random people from the roof tops, Orbs of Deception being popped during dungeons, turning into pirates and raiding during Hallow's End. Yeah, we have it all, and use them every chance we get.
When we're really bored, we break them all out in the large clearing in the trade district. It's fun to see how many people stop and dance with the disco ball, drop kegs and change their outfits and just hang.
Tili Dec 5th 2011 11:50AM
I'm a terrible in-game packrat. My void storage is already full of mismatched pieces of gear that are interesting, but I'll probably never actually build a transmog set for. My regular bank is full of archeology finds, holiday items, and toys, that I've collected but never really use. I really should rotate out one or two in my bags so I use them more often.
I love the new riding tiger from darkmoon faire. It's so fun to pull out in serious situations. Sometimes you find yourself just standing around waiting. That's the perfect time to make everyone smile with a vanity item :D
Naryn Dec 5th 2011 8:36AM
I use vanity items a fair amount, mainly the holiday ones, however now transmogrification is out I haven't been using ones that change my character model, damnit I want to look like a Blood Elf Pirate that I've spent 300g on transmogging, not an Iron Dward :)
MattKrotzer Dec 5th 2011 8:42AM
I still frequently pop my Boot Flask for the "extra protection" when things get hairy.
jtrack3d Dec 5th 2011 8:51AM
I love my vanity items and only wish I could carry more of them. I even have a bartender bar that's dedicated to just them... (it auto-hides on combat), but when I'm not doing anything else, I can use them.
My favorites... the old Datrol's rod, the bones that turn you into Naga, the Vrykul horn, my dalaran coin. my mini-zeplin.
Nina Katarina Dec 5th 2011 9:02AM
It' human nature that some of us take longer coming back from a raid break than others. Most of us will pull out vanity items for those times. I love combining an appearance changer with the Highborne Soul Mirror, to leave a ghostly image of my other self behind. "Who let that naga into the raid?".
Fun times.
Matt P Dec 5th 2011 9:15AM
I use my Timbermaw Defender (http://www.wowhead.com/item=21326) quite a bit. Since the character that has it is Horde, I was happy when I found out Blizzard introduced the Stave of Fur and Claw - Now I can play a Furbolg being chased by his own ghost!
Bloodfurnace Dalvengyr Dec 5th 2011 9:17AM
I used to really REALLY love that wizard hat you got from questing in Azshara that transformed you into something for an hour. But then blizz made it so you can' equip the hat, use it, then put on your regular helmet, you have to keep the hat on now.
It was fun while it lasted, I loved turning into a gnome hunter and what not just to see the different kind of animations that came along with it.
rockychristine Dec 5th 2011 9:22AM
I certainly enjoy silly-looking clothing items for vanity. Just to be funny, to throw people off-track, for my personal entertainment. And I adore the Hallow's End vanity items- killing the Lich King as a bunch of ninjas, skeletons, and the main tanks being pumpkinheaded? Priceless.
Dan Dec 5th 2011 9:35AM
I don't use vanity items that often (especially now with transmogging). However, I am partial to my pink dress from the Lunar Festival on my Tauren Warrior - because obviously there's nothing more manly than a big, muscular cow man in a pink dress.
poggg Dec 5th 2011 9:35AM
Setting aside the times when I use them for RP (which are actually relatively rare), I often break them out when I get bored in instances and such.
My favorite is the Time Lost Figurine that can drop from Terokk. I get it when I was farming Skyguard rep before Cataclysm dropped, I really wanted a Nether Ray. Arakkoa have a lot of animations and are really cool overall, so it's pretty fun running around as one, even if just for five minutes.
dk Dec 5th 2011 9:41AM
Many of my shape changing items keep me amused while I cycle through them and then Feign Death; they are so dramatic!
Bynde Dec 5th 2011 10:02AM
I've gotten a lot of vanity items from archeology. Do I like to use them? Well. Yeah, I mean they don't hurt anything except take up bag space.
They're kinda like Achievements. Not worth much, not worth working too hard for but mildly entertaining.
I'd rather have a vanity item then a sharp stick in my eye.