I understand some of the complains. I too want to see more customization options (which I listed earlier here). But I think people exagerate a lot about the quality of the nightborne.
First, because the NPC models are actually of worse quality. Sure, their facial features are remarkable, but have you seen their facial animations? Also, their body animations are the same as the playable nightborne (both are based on night elf animations), so I don’t understand people who praise the NPC model as if it were of higher quality, because it isn’t. Sure, I’d love it Blizzard gave night elf (and by extension nightborne) animations a nice revamp.
Nightborne feel unfinished, but they are not bad. I love my nightborne mage, she looks very regal.
I feel like a lot of people who complain haven’t really tried to get used to their nightborne.
Here’s mine, BTW:
Get Griftah’s Authentic Troll Feet. It’s a cosmetic item that you can transmog into to have bare feet. There’s also a few other boot items that make you almost bare-feeted (like the Shadowmoon cloth gear set from WoD).
Really, aside from the face, it’s not that different. Same posture, body proportions and overall features. And the NPC faces are overated, they may look good when still, but if you close up on them as they move their eyes and lips, you’ll see all sorts of weird stuff.
The NPC model is just that, a NPC model. It’s full of little details that people would be complaining all the same if they were just converted to playable models.
Anyway, I’d like to see improvements to nightborne (and many other allied races as well). My suggestions for increased customization:
- 2 more skin colors: “white” (very light grey) and “black” (very dark grey), akin to Dark Irons’
- A few (2-3) face options with squinted eyes more like the NPCs’. (No need to change current options, just copy the best ones and make their eyes squinted)
- More hair styles. Including some flowing with arcane energy like some NPCs have.
- More hair colors: light blue and dark blue, akin to what blood elf DKs have
- Remove the chin plate from heritage set and add it as a customization option (double current jewelry customization, by copying/paste the current options and adding the chin plate to the new slots).
- Jewelry colors: Besides the standard silver, add gold a bronze recolors. This setting would affect jewelry, hair dressing (from some hair styles) and the chin plate.
- Give their heritage set an alternate skirtless chest piece.
- Add a way to get the datamined gold/red version of their heritage set.