Fashion is an important metric with which I use to measure the quality of a modern RPG. I enjoyed my 160 hours with the Switch-exclusive Xenoblade Chronicles 2, for instance, but will never be able to forgive it for making me stomp around the world dressed like this walking nightmare.
JRPGs in particular seem to be largely opposed to letting us play dress-up, but western RPGs tend to give us a few more options—both cosmetic and practical. And then there are those that let you completely override the appearance of your gear, so you can pick whatever fit tickles your fancy.
I’m drawn to games with good transmog systems. MMOs especially. Would I still be playing Star Wars: The Old Republic if I wasn’t able to design 10 different outfits for my Agent, ensuring that he’d be appropriately attired for any situation, whether it’s an official meeting with a high ranking Sith or a stealth mission in Tatooine’s Dune Sea?
Before I finally kicked my World of Warcraft habit, I was spending hours every single day running old raids so I could complete the perfect look for my Death Knight and Warlock. Was I having fun? No, not really. That’s why I quit. But did I look good? You know it!
But I’m just as focused on my clothing in offline RPGs where nobody else can admire my great fashion sense. In Fallout and The Elder Scrolls, I will gladly spend days looking for mods with the best clobber so I can get out of Bethesda’s ugly togs before I even hop into the game.
When Cyberpunk 2077 finally detached stats from clothes, turning them into purely cosmetic items, I returned for a whole other playthrough. This is a game that’s played almost entirely in first-person, but it didn’t matter. I had a clear picture in my head how my version of V would dress, and I scoured Night City for the right pieces.
Surprisingly, Assassin’s Creed now sports one of the best transmog systems, letting you stamp your heroes with whatever bits of gear you already own, including weapons. Assassin’s Creed Shadows has taken it one step further, so you can even choose the style of your sword hilt, or specific blades.
If I’m going to invest hundreds of hours into an adventure, into a character, I refuse to traipse around looking like a twat. And if I am going to look like a twat, I want that to be my choice, not something the game’s thrust upon me because a pair of leopard-print hot pants blesses me with more critical damage.
But there’s a strong argument against this. When I’m playing The Outer Worlds 2 (well, not anymore, since I gave up on it pretty quickly) and see that my character is wearing an ugly, bulky suit of steampunk armour and a top hat with holograms on it, I feel like an idiot. But for others, it’s a reflection of their choices. The way they’ve built their character, the quests they’ve completed, the deals they’ve made with overly-eager capitalist middle men. What they wear emphasises their character’s progression.
In MMOs, meanwhile, it might be a flex. Sure, you look incredibly stupid in that oversized purple helmet, but wearing it tells people you defeated a boss in 2011 that no longer even exists in the game now. You are a veteran with many corpses left behind you.
And maybe there’s something pure about that transmogless life. Maybe when you’re trying to kill a god, topple an empire or stop the end of the world, it shouldn’t matter how you look, only what stats the gear provides. If those gaudy goggles that don’t match anything else you’re wearing raise your damage potential, who cares if they’re ugly?
Me. I care. But what about you lot? Should transmog or cosmetic gear be standard in RPGs and MMOs? Or should we all embrace the lifestyle of a pragmatist, making decisions only based on stats?
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