I don't use the term "false advertising" loosely, but when I first bought World of Warcraft back in 2004 I was transfixed by one of the characters featured on the back of the box: A nameless Demon Hunter sporting that trademark bandage over his eyes wielding two glaives and, well, not much else. I wanted to make a character just like that. So imagine my disappointment when, after waiting for all four CDs to install, I discovered that not only was there no Demon Hunter class, there weren't even glaives. And perhaps most criminally of all, there was no way to go topless.
All of those things have changed more recently. Legion added the Demon Hunter class back in 2017, which I've since made my main class. But the look was never complete, because World of Warcraft's transmogrification system (which lets you adopt the appearance of one set of armor while still benefiting from the stats of a different piece) didn't allow me to hide my chest armor and bare my sexy demon chest to the world. That drug-store-erotica Illidan aesthetic was just beyond my reach.
That changed yesterday with the 8.2 patch, and I don't think I'm the only one that is excited to go topless.
Now players have the freedom to hide any piece of armor they have equipped except their pants.
The new transmogrification options are almost a footnote in 8.2's massive patch notes, which include the addition of two new zones to explore, a ton of new story quests, and some really cool changes to the Heart of Azeroth system. But now players have the freedom to hide any piece of armor they have equipped except their leg armor (Azeroth must have some decency, I guess). Before, players could only hide their helmet.
It's an excellent change but it's also a bit baffling that it took Blizzard this long to implement it. Transmogging gear was first added back in Cataclysm nearly eight years ago. Since then, it's practically become a game in itself, with players adventuring through Azeroth's old expansions to collect some coveted piece of gear that would make their outfit really pop.
Over on the World of Warcraft subreddit, some of the most upvoted posts today are from players proudly showing off their bare-chested characters. "Starting today we have been freed from the tyranny of armor!" reads one post with a gif of a player's orc character doing a dance in his skivvies.
Redditor Onmius, a person after my own heart, even went so far as to recreate that look from the original World of Warcraft box art as best as they could despite those exact glaives not actually being available in the game (the ones they use are close enough, though).
On the World of Warcraft transmog subreddit fashion-minded players are also celebrating the change. Redditor tboydj posted their amazing Zandalari troll druid, who looks so much cooler than he would have if he had to put a shirt on.
I really dig Breokz's warrior transmog, which also features a Zandalari troll but one who is a Fury warrior and looks like a real menace in a fight.
Like I said, these new transmog options are one of the smallest changes in update 8.2, but they're important because they give players that much more control over their appearance in-game. And while removing the chest armor on your warrior is an obvious (if cliché) option, I'm excited to see what other looks players are able to create.
