Why are Wow characters so Goofy Looking?

[Aî-maladath]

@Gaege-baelgun

Yes, obviously most players like the stylized aesthetic of the game. Those who don’t… probably play FFXIV…

Oh dear me. You said a mouthful there…hehehe. Um…Did I read somewhere that FFXIV
Is the number one mmorpg now?

[Grumbles-hellscream (Grumbles)]

OMG that is terrifying…

(giggle)

[Dojacàt-moon-guard]

@Aî-maladath

My guess is that mmorpg players would like their characters to look handsome, beautiful,
elegant and heroic. But Wow characters look like some goofy cartoon character you might find in a 1940s Disney animated cartoon. Wow has a few nice looking characters that come across as cool looking and dignified. Such as Jaina Proudmore, Khadgar, and Greaymaine.
But all the player characters look awful. The humanoid animal characters are just silly looking and the living dead are just plain ugly. The only redeeming race are the Vulpera
those are cute.

This is coming from a long time sci-fi, fantasy, rpg fan. And even I see this weirdness in Wow’s character designs. After years of playing I tend to just ignore it / overlook it as a sacrifice to playing a great game. But sometimes I just stop in my tracks and think good
grief those characters I see are just plain goofy looking! Half the time I expect Mickey Mouse or Elmer Fud to come around the corner holding hands with Daffy Duck.

So, does anybody have a clue as to why the Wow development team decided to originally
go with these ugly weird looking character models? And why they haven’t tried to rework
the character models to look better?

My characters all look amazin, sounds like a you problem.

[Dojacàt-moon-guard]

@Aî-maladath

FFXIV
Is the number one mmorpg now?

Dis is tru.

[Aî-maladath]

@Dojacàt-moon-guard

My characters all look amazin, sounds like a you problem.

Oh is that right? Well Lets get a second opinion. Lets listen to what the Fox says:

Ylvis - The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?) Game Tera

[Greatbobbo-zuljin (Greatbobbo)]

Wouldn’t a high definition, realistic art style World of Warcraft just be ESO with a different plotline?

[Tymberlea-moon-guard (Tymberlea)]

@Aî-maladath

So, does anybody have a clue as to why the Wow development team decided to originallygo with these ugly weird looking character models? And why they haven’t tried to reworkthe character models to look better?

The style is deeply grounded in the visual style of the orignal RTS games - chunky shoulder armor and all. They were building onto a ten year franchise (which was venerable, by standards of the time) and wanted to resonate with those players. No one expected its freakish explosion out of its niche and into the mainstream. By then, no one wanted to mess with success. The rest is inertia.

[Crushty-runetotem]

Wow looks really old. And it is.
“Quaint”
I dont hate it, been that way since day one.

But damn, visually (though top marks on “old and quaint” is boring as hell.

[Arwuld-moon-guard]

@Aî-maladath

But Wow characters look like some goofy cartoon character you might find in a 1940s Disney animated cartoon.

You’re giving Blizzard too much credit here… Disney looks better.

[Greatbobbo-zuljin (Greatbobbo)]

I sometimes wish the Sistine Chapel Ceiling was painted by Looney Toons cartoonists.

WoW isn’t Renaissance art, but it has it’s own style.

[Rosenivy-area-52 (Rosenivy)]

I have no idea what city of heroes is

[Kitten-anubarak]

YOUR goofy looking.

Just you.

[Gaege-baelgun]

@Aî-maladath

Oh dear me. You said a mouthful there…hehehe. Um…Did I read somewhere that FFXIV
Is the number one mmorpg now?

Not sure why you’re acting like that’s some kind of gotcha. I’m not disputing the huge player base of FFXIV or it’s appeal. Also, lets see how it’s population is doing in 9 years.

But people who like WoW obviously like the aesthetic. The declining player base has more to do with the convoluted game systems and story than the aesthetic if you’re paying attention at all.

That being said, you clearly prefer to play as an adolescent girl with kitty ears and a tail… and no one is judging you for that. Knock yourself out.

[Aî-maladath]

@Gaege-baelgun

That being said, you clearly prefer to play as an adolescent girl with kitty ears and a tail… and no one is judging you for that. Knock yourself out.

And I’m not judging anyone for preferring to play as a big talking dog with a back problem. And no tail.

[Gaege-baelgun]

@Aî-maladath

But all the player characters look awful. The humanoid animal characters are just silly looking and the living dead are just plain ugly

@Aî-maladath

coming from a long time sci-fi, fantasy, rpg fan. And even I see this weirdness in Wow’s character designs.

@Aî-maladath

why the Wow development team decided to originally
go with these ugly weird looking character models?

@Aî-maladath

most players want their characters to look like Looney Tunes wannabes.

No… not judging at all…

[Aî-maladath]

@Gaege-baelgun

not judging at all…

Well thanks for admitting I’m not judgemental.

[Pharazon-thorium-brotherhood (Pharazon)]

I like to think my character looks more Gooby than Goofy.

[Nikkal-illidan]

I personally enjoy WoW’s goofy charm. The world doesn’t beg me to take it seriously or whatever. I feel at home here more than I ever could in some anime-styled MMO.

[Baridorielor-malfurion (Baridorielor)]

@Aî-maladath

But all the player characters look awful.

Yet you’re still subbed to the game.

/thread

@Boredumb-alexstrasza

Right? I don’t want this game to be made on some ultra photographic Unreal engine.

Ikr. Infact, i think it would make WoW look ugly on an ultra photorealistic unreal engine game.

[Aî-maladath]

@Baridorielor-malfurion

Yet you’re still subbed to the game.

Yes I’m still subbed to Wow. I was just commenting on the look of the characters. In an overall sense Wow is the best mmorpg game we have left now. The game itself is great.
I have played other games over the years. But I always come back to Wow.

Having said that my question asks; Is there no room for improvement? Has Wow gotten to a stage in it’s life that it can’t improve beyond where it is now? In my opinion I would love to see better more sophisticated character models and skins. Everything else about the game is pretty good.

Playing Wow is like driving a 20 year old Toyota Camry. Yeah it still kinda works. But man,
I would love to drive a 2023 Lamborghini.