Artifact Sets are Uninspired

Album of the AF sets if you haven't seen them: https://imgur.com/a/YmSQhC0

I'll give them props for the Reaper set, but pretty much everything else is more of the same that we've gotten from the previous 5 expansions. The SAM set looks like they copy pasted the 90 set and added some armor bits onto it. Summoner looks like they copy pasted gear out of Qitana Ravel. If there are differences between the Sage 90 and 100 sets then they are so mundane as to not be worth mentioning. The WHM isn't shown but it's just more white robes with red trim. Holy moly. Paladin looks like a texture update of the level 50 set.

I just think since we're on our 6th round of AF sets, the art team should be allowed or encouraged to take more risks.

I think they’re some of the best AF Sets they’ve done tbh.

Like yeah you can cherry pick a few meh ones but that’s just how it goes for every expansion. Looks and fashion are extremely subjective.

Dancer and scholar and summoner in particular look 10/10.

I agree they look very bland and safe
Also the female viper set just looks like they just stretched it to the female form and didn't bother to change anything, despite the concept art. Pretty disappointing compared to some AF armor sets from previous expansions :(

https://media.discordapp.net/attachm...501&height=616

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Originally Posted by Domina

I agree they look very bland and safe
Also the female viper set just looks like they just stretched it to the female form and didn't bother to change anything, despite the concept art. Pretty disappointing compared to some AF armor sets from previous expansions :(

https://media.discordapp.net/attachm...501&height=616

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No boobs allowed :( sad

I quite like them. Some of them aren't too out there, but other ones definitely stick out. I like DRK, DRG, MNK, SMN, RPR, (somehow??), even SAM.

On one hand the DRK sword is very clearly a slightly modified Shadowbringer, on the other that is probably the best sword they've ever released in the game so....

That red mage set though, I'm hype af for that one. I just hope they don't ruin its coolness with the female version.

I think it's just how they are being described. Artifact and Relic armor in XI represented something different than it does here. It's just another set of gear here. I don't care that it's uninspired because well, we get the new 'artifact' next xpac anyway. Meh.

I wish it was different, but I wish a lot of things were different that unfortunately will never be viewed through the lens we used to view games through.

That DRK set is hella sick, now I get to make my Au Ra even more edgy

I mostly agree (although I think smn is one of the best this expansion). I get that the developers want to play it safe and keep it to the identity of the jobs, but I think a lot of people would appreciate some innovation. I'm a main white mage, and my main character is also male, so while I don't mind some of the sets being the classic white robe with red trim/ribbons, I'd also like something that deviates, even if it's a just a little bit, from that. Give us a hood that doesn't make us look like nuns at least, or maybe something less cloth-y and more armour-y.

Also, the astrologian set is... not good. I mention it specifically because I really think that it's not only very uninspired but also not up to standard; it looks like a night gown and it's almost ridiculous.

I like a lot of them.

The point of AF sets is to look like the classic job outfits, they aren't meant to be inspired. WHM is always going to be white robes with red trim.

They are always adding new jobs so it'd be weird to have the new jobs get a weird adventurous design for their first AF, or for them to get regular designs while all the older jobs get something crazy.

Really like Monk and Reaper. Top tier for me.

Paladin, Sage, White Mage all look pretty good to me too.

Curious what the Male Dancer will look like. Only saw the female model.

I havent cared about AF sets after HW

I forget if they said if they are/are not supposed to be back to basics AF gear.

Since some AF gears are designed around the Expansion Locations.

Some of them look like if you tried to draw the old sets from memory and got a few details wrong. But I like the new dragon design for monk.

I do love the look of the Dancer and glad that is my main, I do not really like Summoner I wish they would give us something nicer. I am wondering if the dancer's AF is a top and they are shorts?

Idk i like them? Rdm and smn are fun plays on the setting and premise, dnc and rpr look PHENOMINAL. The new jobs have nice looking sets,, if a bit basic.. The tanks all do a good job at representing their jobs. I will give you that the healers' sets are about as inspired as their current gameplay tho.

I honestly can barely tell all the red mage sets apart.
When it comes to the other sets, primarily the WHM one. I understand that they have to be white and red, I really wish they would stop making ROBES or LONG DRESSES and instead made a set of a top and a skirt so it would be a bit mor varied how we use them. Im guessing with the 2-dye option coming it wont matter that it is white and red so my only focus is really on build of the pieces.

I think these look great! I don't think relic sets are the place to get super outlandish since they are primarily meant to be specific to the job so it's important for them to share similar elements with what came before.

I especially like botanist. I didn't see it here but I liked what I saw of white mage in the benchmark itself.

Also being daramined, it's important to realize these might get another look and minor updates before release.

I can't speak on most of these, especially because the data-mined images you linked don't always show headgear, which is so important for many of these classes. I feel like I really can't judge these sets without that.

But I will say that this Summoner set is a home-run. It keeps some basic colors and shapes that are recognizably Summoner while using materials and a style that seems to draw from Tural's culture. That's absolutely fantastic and I love it. Fresh yet familiar.

Other than that, I see some flourishes that I find neat here and there. Chesty Red Mage, chesty Reaper, tribal tattoo mid-riff Warrior, a "Kung-Fu" aesthetic Monk...these are pieces I look forward to trying on and seeing out in the wild.

In addition, it will be interesting to see how these work with 2 dye channels...that's another way they may distinguish themselves from the existing AF we have, if different sets use those channels in different ways.

Without the hats its a little hard to judge but I like a few of these quite a bit (Summoner especially)
That said, a few look a little wonky (as others have pointed out with Viper on females).
Reaper has had some good variation as a new job, has a theme it sticks to but you can tell the sets apart, but Sage keeps getting the same boring setup.
I would like a warrior or paladin set to not look awful for once though

Some of them are fine, but it really does feel like they're not trying much with AF sets a lot. Especially as a RDM main uh... Yep. That's a RDM alright. Again.

Let's be real a lot of the AF gears peaked at 70
Out of these I think like RDM RPR and the new class VPR ( Edward Kenway ♥ )
RDM hasn't had a good AF gear in 2 expansions imo, so it's all very subjective.
At least these will be dyable presumably without much grinding.

Hmmm yeah I must agree, some of these look like previous sets a bit too much.

Personaly, I like them, the only one that I dont like is the Red Mage, but Red Mage without hat looks odd.

I love all of them, especially AST. I like the pretty mage look & I like how it looks soft. Like Merlin almost- I do wish it had gold embroidery on the collar.
the ones I don't care for are viper and scholar

I think they look pretty good! Monk, Picto, Gunbreaker and Summoner especially.

From what they showed previously the AST one is this really lovely velvet material that doesn't come across at all in the screenshots posted. That doesn't help if you just don't like the design of course, but in-game it will come alive a bit more.

But for me the star of the show is the Dancer one. The gradient colours, the material, that translucent sleeve and loose hanging bits of cloth, just gorgeous. It even beats the lvl 80 set for me. I hope it dyes well!

edit: wrong lvl.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Domina

I agree they look very bland and safe
Also the female viper set just looks like they just stretched it to the female form and didn't bother to change anything, despite the concept art. Pretty disappointing compared to some AF armor sets from previous expansions :(

https://media.discordapp.net/attachm...501&height=616

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I haven't got the benchmark uploaded yet but I kinda wished they let the viper's hood be visible to vieras

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Originally Posted by Ryok95

I haven't got the benchmark uploaded yet but I kinda wished they let the viper's hood be visible to vieras

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Looking at the Viper trailer, the hood looks pretty form fitting and it appears to completely remove the hairstyle (and inexplicably his ears) on the Miqo'te, so there's a decent chance Viera can actually wear it when it's out.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ryok95

I haven't got the benchmark uploaded yet but I kinda wished they let the viper's hood be visible to vieras

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I don't think we've been shown whether it works or not.

The preset job gear costume for the benchmark does not include the hood for characters who would definitely be able to wear it, so its absence on Viera tells us nothing.

a lot feel very samey. but Rpr and Rdm are at least a little more visually interesting.

Of course it looks like a texture update, they're transparently deliberate riffs on each job's first iconic set to match the idea of the clean slate of the 'new adventure'. I'd wager they'll be replacing the old job armor previews so new sets with new textures can be on display while preserving the silhouettes and themes expected.

Mmm, a lot look like more of the same. SMN, RPR, DNC and MNK look great, though.

I like that there is a general aesthetic that they stick to,only one i dont like is bard.