So.

Astrologian is going through what appears to be a shift in visual identity from its first showing in HW. Noticable with the SB and ShB sets having more in common thematically than the HW version.

1. We have the Witch like and celestial body (stars, moons and planets) theme from HW.
2. We then have the more middle eastern/Gypsy vibe that compliments the areas of Gyr Abania.
3. And then most recently the ShB set, which seems to be continuing the Gypsy theme, albeit in a more diluted way. The star globe however does favour the celestial body theme again.

My question to you all is this:
Do you like the shift from the original themes to the latest ones? Or do you feel like the earlier themes are stronger in identity?



My opinion:
At the point of the ShB set being revealed my heart sunk for multiple reasons.
  • It's been simplified to a point where I feel it now has very little identity, and does not personify the AST class nearly as well as what I expect from artifact gear.
  • The model resource issue the Devs have (mentioned in the art pannel at FanFest Paris) feels like it has notably slipped into the Artifact Gear space. The outfit feels like an edited version of the SB gear and also appears to share a similar headress with the ShB WHM. Not to mention this style of head piece is available on the Market Board. Which means it's class exclusivity is completely missing and whilst I can sympathise to some degree, I can't help but feel like the AF gear should always remain a unique looking set per Class.
  • I absolutely adored the Western Witch vibe from HW. It's covered from head to to in elements that scream "Star Reader" and it has one of the best Magical hats in the game (it's my most glammed to head piece). And so I think it's a crying shame that the Dev's have moved away from this interpretation of an AST.

Ultimately, ignoring the fact that I prefer the HW version, I can at least applaud the devs for maintaining a unique Class outfit with SB, but I feel the the ShB AST gear is below average.
It lacks strong Astrologian identifiers and it is ridiculously plain. Whilst it could be argued that, that a plain look in itself is unique I would point out that plain is not what I typically think of when someone mentions artifact gear.
I rambled on a bit, but I wanted a platform to express my frustration with the latest AST gear and my dismay at the departure from the HW Astro themes.

Let me know your thoughts, are the devs pushing the AST look in a direction you like? Are they pleasing the majority of AST players with this push?