WoW - A fantasy themed dressing up simulator

Back in the day, my wow catchphrase used to be

"Paladin : It doesn't matter what you do, as long as you look good doing it!"

I was joking of course, it was a game and utility came first, but that didn't mean I wouldn't strive to gain upgrades that would both improve my stats and my look.

Then I was introduced to SL a 'game' where the objective is (for me at least, SL lets you pick your own) to look good.

Now I'm back in WoW, and (yes this is another transmog post) I can have my cake and eat it.

Even though I was very happy with both the looks I gave Raxiel, I can't look at the same set for too long and so of course I've changed them both.

The two new sets share a few items.

Protection

The protection set is basically the Tier 4 Justicar Armor. It was released at the beginning of the Burning crusade and was featured in the opening cinematic, worn by a Draeni retribution paladin.This set wasn't particularly well received when the first preview was released, partly because the helmet made you look like a rhino, and partly because it was probably designed to suit the new Draeni race first and then other races second.but after a little bit of tweaking it became what I think is a really nice set. It looks like proper plate armour*

 It's paired with the matching non-set boots and a belt that is a close match (I've not had much luck getting the 'proper' one. I'm still using Honors Call and I added the Aldori Legacy Defender as a shield. Originally I had it without a tabard, but after equipping the Argent Crusade tabard for the teleport I realised it looked quite good (although I'm now considering picking up this one).

Retribution.

The new DPS set is based on Tier 5 but with a twist. Rather than the original Crystalforge Armor which is a bit too... colourful for my liking (and to be honest the pastels seem to wash out the detail too), I got my hands on some non-set pieces that share the models of tier 5 but with the colours of tier 4. I kept the remaining Justicar pieces and replaced the sword and shield with the Hammer of the Naaru, a weapon that was also featured in the TBC cinematic.

I think both sets work really well, and they've even got me a few compliments from strangers. I know I'll change them eventually but for now I'm happy.

*Some may notice I use a mix of the American and British spelling of words like armour in this blog. That's because when I'm describing it by its function, I use what I consider to be the 'proper' spelling, but when its part of an items name I use the original american.

WoW Transmog - The Scarlet Crusader



This is Truesilver, my other paladin. Since Raxiel was my first character, and I made all sorts of newbie mistakes in the early game, I created True to re-play that part of the game with the benefit of experience. It wasn't as easy to change specialisation back then, and since Raxiel was already a healer I explored other options, levelling her as retribution, and then as protection (Yes, a protection paladin in vanilla WoW and then again in the Burning Crusade expansion). In the end I just enjoy playing paladins, and I've invested a lot of time into her, so I kept her.

Truesilver's first transmog outfit was a fairly simple one, it was basically Tier 9 with Warhelm of the Bold. It was the only complete 'set' I had at the end of wrath besides her PVP armour (Which isn't eligible unfortunately). But after a while I wanted something more unique.

Truesilver the Scarlet Crusader

The Scarlet Crusade are a player-hostile faction in the World of Warcraft. They are the living Survivors of the Kingdom of Lorderon, which fell to the undead scourge in Warcraft 3. They are primarily opposed by the (Playable) Forsaken, the now free-willed undead former inhabitants of the Kingdom. The SC managed to hold back both the Forsaken and the Scourge for the whole time between the end of WC3, vanilla WoW, and the Burning Crusade. Only with Wrath of the Lich King, when attacked by a flying fortress commanded by Arthas himself.

The SC are described as crazed zealots who will attack anyone who isn't one of them, but given their circumstances you could hardly blame them (although their leadership was infiltrated by a powerful demon leading to some pretty questionable decisions that ultimately weren't questioned).

Truesilver's RP background is that she was born and raised in Stratholme, second city of Lorderon, but was living in the city of Stormwind at the time of the third war. She affiliated with the Argent Crusade in Northrend - an organisation without the crazy and with a more open recruitment policy, but she can never forgive the Forsaken for their betrayal at the Wrathgate. And so, while she doesn't agree with all their methods, a part of her heart will always be Scarlet.

The Outfit

I knew from the start that I wanted to base the outfit around two pieces. The Tabard of the Scarlet Crusade was the most obvious piece, Second were the Blessed Spaulders of Undead Slaying. These appropriately named shoulders are a red version of the hugely popular Paladin tier 2 Judgement set, but were only available for a short period during the Wrath of the Lich King starting event. They are quite a pale red, so finding armour to match proved problematic. There is a set of armour called 'Bloodscale' but unfortunately it’s a random drop (which makes it quite difficult to find) and it's a bit of a 'plate bikini' set, so pieces that come up on the auction house tend to be expensive, and it can be quite popular (not great for a unique look) - Even if bare thighs are do work as part of a scarlet look.

After trawling through model viewer and wowhead, and finding lots of suggestions for 'scarlet set's'  that didn't quite fit with the shoulders I finally settled on the blacksmith crafted 'Redsteel' set with a red/black version of the Bold helmet (Thundering Greathelm) and the tailor crafted scarlet cloak and red shirt. I'm still deciding on weapons, I started out with the Lightforged Blade before switching to the greatsword of forlorn visions. If I make her a Tank/Healer I have both the Scarlet commander's shield and the royal crest of Lorderon. The former fits the scarlet theme better, while the latter fits the 'Never Forget' mentality of this daughter of Stratholme.

I even got her the Swift Red Gryphon

It's not perfect, but overall I'm pretty happy with how this outfit came out, and I feel like I did the best job I could with the items in the database.