The Ongoing Issue with Xaela Scale Coloration

[Limitai]

Hello everyone,

I wanted to bring up something that has been discussed quite a bit in the community regarding Xaela Au Ra scales, especially on female characters.

I originally intended to submit this as direct in-game feedback, but since I could not find a clear category for general gameplay suggestions, I decided to raise the topic here in the forum instead.

Under many lighting conditions, Xaela scales often appear noticeably dark blue rather than neutral black. While the lore describes Xaela as having dark scales, the in-game presentation frequently gives them a cool, bluish tint. When comparing them side by side, the scales on male Xaela often appear deeper and closer to true black, whereas female Xaela tend to show the blue tone more clearly.

I am not alone in this perception. In various community spaces - including Discord servers, Facebook groups, and Reddit discussions - this topic comes up repeatedly. Many players have expressed similar concerns and have mentioned that they ultimately chose Raen instead, even though they preferred the Xaela concept and lore. Personally, this was also a deciding factor for me: although I favor Xaela thematically, the coloration of their scales influenced me to choose Raen.

One of the main reasons is glamour. The darker blue tone of Xaela scales can be more difficult to harmonize with certain color palettes, which can feel limiting when trying to create cohesive glamour designs. In contrast, Raen’s lighter scales appear more neutral and tend to integrate more easily with a wider variety of color concepts.

I mention glamour intentionally because visual customization is clearly an important part of Final Fantasy XIV. While some may argue that glamour is not the most important aspect of the game, the extensive variety of outfits, aesthetic options, and even the removal of the class glamour restrictions over time show that character appearance and personal expression are meaningful parts of the overall experience.

I understand that forum discussions do not always reflect the entire player base. However, given how frequently this topic appears in broader community conversations, I - and many others - would sincerely appreciate it if the coloration of Xaela scales could be reviewed in the future and potentially adjusted toward a more neutral black tone.

I uploaded two screenshots taken in the same location and lighting for comparison:
https://imgur.com/a/AhPNBdG

Thank you for reading.

[VeyaAkemi]

I vastly prefer the blue tone of fem Xaela scales and it was one of the deciding factors for me picking Xaela over Raen.

This is the issue you run into, while a small range of color options would be best, so long as we are sticking with one color, changing it after so long would be upsetting to established players such as myself, and personally, such a change would ruin a lot of visual appeal for me.

[Daralii]

I would much prefer it if both clans got a range of options for scale colors rather than outright replacing the current blue tint, especially if Yoshida's talk of an expanded character creator actually amounts to something.

Also, just for future reference, this is the board that the game directs people to for general feedback.

[Limitai]

I vastly prefer the blue tone of fem Xaela scales and it was one of the deciding factors for me picking Xaela over Raen.

This is the issue you run into, while a small range of color options would be best, so long as we are sticking with one color, changing it after so long would be upsetting to established players such as myself, and personally, such a change would ruin a lot of visual appeal for me.

That’s completely fair, and I understand that some players genuinely prefer the current blue tone. I wouldn’t want that removed or replaced for those who like it.

My suggestion is not about changing the existing look, but about potentially adding an additional neutral black option. When comparing the models side by side, male Xaela scales already appear much closer to a true black, while female Xaela scales show a more noticeable blue tone. Because of that visible difference, the desire for a more neutral black option becomes more apparent on female characters.

The intention wouldn’t be to take anything away from the current aesthetic, but rather to address that inconsistency and expand customization options. Ideally, this approach could apply more broadly as well — for example, offering Raen an additional neutral white option — so that any expansion of choice feels balanced rather than exclusive.

The goal is simply more flexibility for players who prefer different aesthetics, without removing what others already enjoy.

[CCheshire]

I would say it would be great to add a new color option for both xaela and raen clans, like a true black color and perhaps a bright white too.

Also, at first I was fine with the dark blue scales, but once I realized the M Aura had a true black, I realized that they were much luckier in a sense that they had more options to glam better too. I mean, blue is my fav color, but I realized it's much more annoying to match like 3-4 colors over like fewer options.

[SalamanderIX]

The male Xaela scales aren't black, but a darker unsaturated blue, or "blueish black".
I always took it to mean that perhaps, the darkness of the blue was due to scale thickness. It could stand to reason the females have thinner, lighter scales than the males, so the color is lighter. Scales seem to work a lot like body hair.
The effect is less appreciated in Raen, but the scales of the males have a darker shade to females, and even blacken around the tips on tips of the fins(ears).

Now as for the option of different scale colors, and gender swapping scales, facial scale patterns and maybe even fins(ears)? I'm not against it.

[Limitai]

That’s an interesting interpretation, and I can see how one could read it that way.

However, regardless of the possible in-lore reasoning, my point is mainly about the visual result in-game. Even if the male scales are technically a darker unsaturated blue, they visually read as black. The female scales, on the other hand, read much more clearly as blue.

Since both are Xaela of the same clan, I would personally expect their scales to appear closer in tone rather than noticeably different in saturation. Alternatively, if full color options are not being considered, perhaps there could at least be an option to slightly adjust the saturation or darkness. That way, players who prefer the current blue tone could keep it as it is, while those who would prefer a darker, more neutral black appearance could adjust it accordingly.
And now that it’s been mentioned, the same inconsistency exists the other way around with Raen - male and female Raen scales also appear different in tone. It’s essentially the same issue, just reversed. Since they belong to the same clan, the visual appearance of their scales ideally shouldn’t depend on gender. A solution that allows more flexibility would ensure that everyone can keep the look they like while also giving others the option to adjust it to their preference.

If the difference is intentional, that’s fine - but I still believe adjusting the saturation slightly on female Xaela would bring them visually closer without removing the current aesthetic entirely.

[lunartears]

As male Xaela have tints of red in their scales, I assumed that female Xaela having navy blue scales was a form of sexual dimorphism.