Greetings!
I know, from the magnitude of content being published by creators within the community, that there’s going to be much needed QoL updates for the transmogrification collection coming in the War Within (these aren’t spoilers, quieten those pitchforks, please), including the capability to view the entire collection from a single alt via newly added or updated drop down menus.
What still perplexes me is that there still seems to be an unfortunate habit of the game developers doing a faerie dance around the topic of relinquishing the limitations upon who or what can use which appearances, allowing a full access to use our hard earned collectibles across characters regardless of armor type.
This is, honestly, frustrating to many, both for collectors and roleplayers alike because, for our general day to day shenanigans in-game, our inventories and banks are cluttered with items that our class normally wouldn’t have access to via the collection system so that we may wear them.
It’s equally frustrating that throughout discussions about representation and alt friendliness, there doesn’t seem to be any consideration towards the enforcement of “class fantasy” upon the player base, which I’d make the argument is highly subjective and is up to personal intrepretation.
This, in my opinion, hurts the experience, not enhances it.
Let’s take, for example, the fact that it’s been commonly accepted amongst a good portion of the WoW community that those who play hunters generally receive atrocious tier sets each expansion, with limited options provided through sharing the mail armor type with shamans and, since Dragonflight, the Dracthyr.
Normally, if the option existed, this wouldn’t be an issue since the ability to play mix and match to dress up your own characters’ would allow such freedom in customization, meaning that players’ wouldn’t feel like they’re being subjected to the items that they don’t feel any attachment towards collecting.
It eliminates that feeling of resentment associated with maining a mail class, since you could simply use the appearances from anywhere else that you like, rather than feel stuck with whatever the game developers have enforced upon you.
Which moves me into my last point - class fantasy.
I don’t see how, in any shape or form, why appearances need to be restricted this way, especially when there’s a magnitude of fiction across multiple genres that are consistently rewriting what “class fantasies” are suppose to be. It makes less sense, too, when you consider that, through being allowed to mix and match, many players’ could design amazing outfits that perfectly fits the class fantasies’ just fine.
To give an example from my own personal experience with mixing and matching, I think the pieces given to Evokers’ in their tier sets could make amazing use in a variety of outfits for, say, monks, yet because it’s restricted based on armor type, a monk can neither wear it nor transmogify it.
Going forward, I’d like to see the development team take transmogrification (and its currently repressive restrictions) into consideration when discussing the ideals of representation for its community.
Not only do I want this for myself and my own experience in WoW, but I know, without a doubt, that its’ been talked about at great length across discord servers, social media and amongst my own guildies. This, and the ability to see our hair when wearing helms, are highly requested and long awaited.
Thanking you!
Let’s hope for a response, either soon or eventually.