Why can't my caster be cool looking too?

Factions has brought with it an amazing number of new skins and armor types. It's like digging through a graphics goody bag, everything is awesome. I have just one complaint. Why can't any of the cool skins be for casters?

I beat Shiro the other day and was excited to get a green for my ele. Lo and behold, warriors, rangers and assassins can get distinctive skins with useful items, all of them unique skins. My ele can get... drumroll please... a little stick and a voodoo doll. The exact same stick and discount barbie that all the other caster professions can get. Not only that, but wand/foci combinations are generally a bit weaker then staves IMO thanks to mods like 20% enchantments. If we're going to get the crappy skins, couldn't we at least get useful items?

I've been equally dissappointed with the new armors. Warriors, rangers and assassins get some awesome looking armors. My ele's luxon armor resembles a sweater from the Gap. Don't get me wrong, it's a nice sweater, and I wear it all the time while trekking through the Shiverpeaks, I just feel a little twinge of jealously when I see warriors running around looking like batman or somekind of giant crab.

It even extends to the everyday drops, with the exception of necros. Pretty much all the skins are indistinguishable rocks and sticks. I feel a little inadequate standing next to a warrior with a glowing axe and a shield with lava coming out the mouth while I carry around a big stick.

Anyone else feeling a bit of, well, skin envy?

You know, I completely agree. Then again, we do have access to those +5 energy weapons at the endgame, which could be moderately good for a caster (slap on a 20% enchant and you're good to go). Oh and Ritualists have some pretty sweet staff, rod and focus skins.

All the endgame stuff being the Straw Effigy and sticks kinda bothers me. I think when I get the Amulet with my Necro, I'm passing it onto my Warrior, so I can get a sword and shield. Sounds good to me.

Your taste in armor is questionable.

It's all a matter of opinion. Personally I think they are about even. There have been some really cool items for warriors with Factions, but the only armor I actually liked was Kurzick. The rest I thought was either lacking in quality or just bored me. But for casters, especially ritualist and elementalist, they got some really awesome armors. Even mesmer armor, a profession I don't play, looks very cool.

I love the Wayward Wand for the end caster weapon, but I admit the Straw Effigy didn't appeal to me. I was mostly disappointed that there were no staves to choose from as I prefer my elementalist to use them instead of a wand and foci.


I think it's that they seem to take more risks with warrior and ranger armor. They use "harder" materials so there's more diversity than just cloth appearance. Of course, whether or not this makes them more desired is debatable, but it just provides a different type of range in appearance that drapery and ruffles can't always compete with.

All I can say is hope chapter 3 has stuff that appeals to you instead.

I think the eles got nerfed again....the mesmers have the best new armor and the necro stuff looks awsome....even the rangers have a few new choices.........but the eles...uhm, well, at least I wont have to buy new armor for her since she doesnt like any of the new ones (except the shorter shingjing boots).....saves me money at the checkout! (wish my necro didnt like the new stuff, between her and the mesmer....I will be a poor lady soon).
Only other class I didnt see anything good in the armor area was monks tatoos...NONE are new this time.....so another character who wont be changing armor.

you do know you dont HAVE to trade in the amulet for an item if u dunt like it......

like arcane said +5 energy weapons are good for casters and you can get good looking skins like the zodiac axe and oni blade etc...

One thing that i do like about the Elementalist's new armor is the Aura it beats a flaming rock on my forhead :P

Actually, I'm very satisfied with the 15K Canthan Monk armor, so I guess it's just a matter of preference. I also like the doll off-hand, though, the stats don't fit any build I'm currently using, so I'm not going to use it for now. And I love the +5 and -5 Katanas from Factions for my Monk as well, and those are great for casters as well.

And really, do you expect casters to walk around in giant metal armors? I doubt my Monk, with less muscles then my grandma, can ever carry a metal armor.

I really like the Kurzick monk armor, but I'll second the motion with regards to the end of game items.

I am a staff guy, most of my casters only use a focus for gimmicky energy switches. While the strawman is kind of cute, having 15 of them kind of kills it for me. Furthermore, I like a good recurve or horn bow over long and flat (Did I miss the trader with my ranger-spike max vamp hornbow of fortitude?). Warriors seem to be the only winners, which is not suprising given that Shiro is an assassin/warrior type.

If Anet had made a staff, it would have been the obvious choice since a focus or wand is about half the usefulness. As it currently stands, most everyone I know is getting warrior/assassin gear anyhow so why not just make me a green staff.

Oh please, have you seen MALE mesmer's 15k Canthan's yet?

Luxon's and Kurzick's sets aren't any better either...

And those masks....THOSE MASKS!

ffs!!

I agree 100% on the wand/staff green. If they cant get ones for each class, we should at least get a staff for people like me, who think their character looks rather stupid with a rock-on-a-stick and a piece of old parchment. As for the armor, I must say I am rather satisfied with it. Not blown away, but satisfied.

I gotta agree with the ones that are saying the casters didn't get nearly as cool stuff as the "fighters". Warriors and Assassins seem to have gotten the vast majority of the "cool" armor and skins, while the casters didn't get much in comparison (the same skin on all the Straw Effigies, etc). I brought my Warrior over to Cantha ASAP to get ahold of some of the awesome new stuff...but my poor Ele has no desire to even bother.



LOL

agree with OP. I dont see anything for my ele that would come close fow set and Rago's staff. New armors are okeish, but nothing like warrior ones (15k kurzik female anyone?). New auras are ok to, but i like my old "flaming rock" better.

I really agree with you here.

For a while I thought being an "asian" themed chapter perhaps we can see more mage like armor for the eles, but what the hell is with all these short skirt rubbish?

Agreed. And for some reason, people actually seem to like that Mr. Roboto look. And personally, I also hate the 15K FEMALE Canthan mesmer outfit. It screams plastic furniture, shag carpet and bad 1970s disco, and no one seems to realize just how godawful tacky it is.

I'm quite happy with my 1.5K male Kurzick set though. Thank Anet for small favors, and I still have 100K in the bank because I didn't blow it all on armor.

I think the male elementalists are gravitating towards the male mesmers of the world. You two have a nice trek (just make sure that you don't get your sweaters dirty)...

I like the Canthan 15K female Mesmer. Agree with the greens though, all the same skin, they aren't unique just for the profession but for all.

Another poster above mentioned the +5 energy items and putting a mod on them. I am not sure if he was refering to the endgame ones or not, but if I recall correctly, those are also green and thus can't be modded.

I like that there are now options that are different from the original greens and have max energy, but imo the only one that really stands out as better than the previous greens is the curses wand. +5^50 >>>>>>> +5 while hexed. The others only gain you +2 energy over what you already have and give some stats that others may not care as much about (I'll still take 20/20 over 20/+30 health for my ele and not get the other 2 energy)

But we have options on choices, which is good, lack of unique skins is bad.

As for armor, Eles and Male mesmers have always had blah armor. All throughout the progression of the game they bascially all look the same, and were pretty basic. So it is more of the same.

I think us casters lucked out in Prophecies and got kick ass armor. Grotto's Aeromancer for female elementalists FTW.

I personally think the Rangers are kind of poor. They all look so plain to me. I think I'll stick to my Druid's.

At least you're not the monk class. So few choices there although the 15k Kurzick for female monks doesn't look too shabby to me

Well I LOVE my monk's new 1.5k Kurzick (somehow its prettier than the 15k version), and will also be getting her the 15k Luxon as I think it looks amazing. I like both these armors better than her fissure set.

Not sure about necro armors yet, I still think necro (female) fissure is the hottest armor for necros. But eles have some pretty sweet looking armors as well.

I also love the Wayward wand skin (endgame wand), my necro looks awesome with it.

The only new warrior armor that I find really really good looking is the male 15k Kurzick set - way better than male war fissure, and doesnt make them look fat unlike allllll other warrior armors. So I don't know why you're jealous at warrior stuff ...

Of course I'd love some more impressive looking staves, still haven't seen anything I like better than Ghostly staff skin, although plagueborn looks nice on a necro too.

i would agree with the op. elementals always seem to get the short end of the stick. However I am happy to see there is better armor for elementals.

I also think the vodoo doll should have went to the nac's lol that is one green I don't want. I have all the greens fo far.

My mesmer wants an Inspiration Focus (20% recharge, +30hp) and the only one i've seen is the ugly Straw Effigy. Does anybody know where I can find such an item? For all those who are interested, you can buy +5 energy (>50)wands from a crafter outside the Kaineng Center that are identical, in terms of stats, as the greens.