The Women FFXIV Needs

[aveyond-dreams]

That doesn't make any sense.

FFXIV is full of "attractive" characters. In reality, no Scion is really ugly (edit : no character, PNJ included, is ugly). We're in an MMO-JRPG, where what's missing are the more atypical, less smooth characters.

I also disagree with the fact that people prefer to see attractive people on screen. On the contrary, I feel there's a general fed-up with flawless actors/actresses; with Geralt having undergone plastic surgery between the book and the video game; and in general with the lack of realism that comes from any content where the participants are too smooth.

So no, on the contrary: give us rougher men. Women who are not feminine. People who look "real", which makes a lot of sense in a game where immersion is central.

Please re-read the OP to gain further insight as to the current issues in the visual designs of the main cast. My post focuses more on hairstyles and color palettes more than any other aspect of their design.

[Merrigan]

Please re-read the OP to gain further insight as to the current issues in the visual designs of the main cast. My post focuses more on hairstyles and color palettes more than any other aspect of their design.

I have already read it. And for me, the problem is really not only the "colour" of the main cast. It's a concern that actually seems quite secondary to me, in the sense that it can be justified by the lore (and by the cultural tendency, in Japan, to distinguish a main character by his or her hair colour).

If you want to introduce diversity, you might as well go all the way and kill two birds with one stone: change the colour AND go beyond the "wax figure" aspect.

[aveyond-dreams]

I have already read it. And for me, the problem is really not only the "colour" of the main cast. It's a concern that actually seems quite secondary to me, in the sense that it can be justified by the lore (and by the cultural tendency, in Japan, to distinguish a main character by his or her hair colour).

Ok so why are all the women in this game blond and nearly all with short or tied up hair? Fire Emblem 3 Houses is also a japanese game and they do not suffer from these sort of issues with visual design in terms of its women. There is sufficient variety in their cast. Naturally, as I have said before, the majority of players want to play attractive or idealized body types rather than some of the alternative options that have been suggested in this thread. Changing things up on the hair and color side of things would be an excellent starting point, along with a pivot back towards more fantastical and feminine clothes for them.