Hi, everyone!
We’ve recently seen a number of people asking if there will be gender-related bonuses or penalties. The answer is no, they are functionally identical (i.e. male and female Assassins will be equally lethal. Their differences are merely cosmetic, with the genders having armor and equipment that suits their body types and combat functions.
In my previous write-up on gender variants, we showed the Knight and the Legionnaire gender counterparts and their equipment concepts. I’m here today to talk to you about our newest gender variants; the female Champion and the male Ranger. They turned out great and I think you will agree that we’ve really found our stride with these new designs.
First up is the male Ranger. The original direction behind the character and personality of this class was inspired by the Night’s Watch from Game of Thrones. The Rangers are our dark protectors of the light in Crowfall®. In the case of the male variant, Todd and I wanted to try and push that idea a little further in their concepts.
The equipment is very reminiscent of the female, but the small details were reduced in favor of the larger shapes that make up the silhouette. We wanted them to look cool and geared up, but we didn’t want them to come across as opulent or overly ornate. We’ve shown them here in a darker palette to help convey the tone of this archetype. As a player, you’ll be able to choose your own colors to create a unique tone for your character, and you are not restricted to a particular armor class based on archetype.
Next up is the female Champion. She has one of the coolest armor sets I’ve ever seen, if I do say so myself. She’s our barbarian, our gladiator, our Red Sonja, and I wanted her to retain that pit-fighting brutish quality in her gear like we see on the male.
We drew reference from the male Champion designs like we’ve done with the others. We kept the gloves and other elements in her equipment over-sized like the male’s, but we sharpened the shapes to add a touch of feminine quality.
Another important aspect that we are trying to maintain across the genders within an archetype is a similar silhouette read in their equipment. We want the male and female genders to have their own unique qualities but the archetype should also be recognizable at first glance. Although the designs are unique, you’ll notice here that the asymmetry in her equipment follows suit with the male and you know right away that this is a Champion!
It's important to mention that, beyond equipment, the character(s) are completely customizable: face, hair, hair color and skin tone. Just because these equipment line-ups only show one variant doesn't mean players will be restricted to that particular look or ethnicity. We'll talk more about these customization options in future updates.
I hope you like these new sets of gear as much as I do. As always, if you have any specific questions or feedback, we’d love to hear from you on the forums!
Melissa Preston
Art Director, ACE