Thread: Highlander Eyebrows - 7.0 Graphics

Hmmm, I guess if you really were to really reach for a lore reason, you can look into Ala Mhigo which is where most Hyur Highlanders are concentrated in is a war torn region. I can imagine the Autumn War, a conflict between Gridania and Ala Mhigo. And the civil war that later led to the Garlean invasion. Most highlanders seem highly concentrated in that region, specifically in Ala Mhigo, so it is to say the highlanders we see in other areas of the game have fled the city after it fell according to [1].

"The Autumn War was a military conflict between Gridania and Ala Mhigo in the years 1468-1469 of the Sixth Astral Era, over 100 years before the events of Final Fantasy XIV. Little is revealed about the conflict in-game, but it had important implications for the realm, as it led to the formation of the first Eorzean Alliance, the creation of a balance of power, and the adoption of gil as a universal currency."

And I guess the Civil War turned Imperial invasion

"Twenty years prior to the start of Final Fantasy XIV, Ala Mhigo was embroiled in a civil war against the tyranny of Theodoric, the King of Ruin. The resulting instability led to invasion by Gaius van Baelsar and the XIVth Imperial Legion of Garlemald. Weakened by civil war, the largely Hyuran population of the city was defeated by Garlean invaders. Those who would not submit to imperial rule fled west and south, while those who remained either submitted to Garlean rule or formed the Ala Mhigan Resistance."

With a note

"The fall of Ala Mhigo took place 15 years before the beginning of 1.0, as per quest dialogue (information via an NPC named, Sundhimal, during the quest "Winds of Change"). This information, coupled with the separation of 5 years between 1.0 and Realm Reborn, would imply that Ala Mhigo had fallen 20 years prior the beginning of A Realm Reborn."

I guess it's plausible to say that the men of such an unstable region have decided to shave their eyebrows to look more....intimidating to their enemies???? I hope at least they can make the facepaint look convincing...

Originally Posted by Risough

The humes of the first not having eyebrows comes off to me as the developers being constrained by the character creator when making NPCs.

Yeah I feel like the Humes not having eyebrows isn't necessarily related to anything with lore or race. It's seem more like a convenience or restriction to just have them match pre-existing model guidelines.

I can understand that some highlanders may like the current, shaved eyebrow look. But I don't see how it would hurt anyone to have an extra option to add eyebrows. It could just be something as simple as when you choose to add your beard or facial scars, just also have visible eyebrows as an option. This way everyone is happy, no major overhaul needs to me made to a massive amount of NPC Highlander's appearance.

Yeah, I'm not sure it's actually as hard as they say since there are people out there that have shown it could work with what we have now. Not even to mention they added a whole new face for male middies, showing they have the ability to add new pieces. (otherwise, how would they make an entirely new race with entirely new options, it's obviously not some hard coded limit)

I feel like any lore explanation can be kind of handwaved since the WOL isn't a typical example of any race. They're an outsider who has no family or ties to their cultural heritage. They would absolutely grow out their eyebrows if they felt like it.

Yeah. I don’t see lore being the end all be all here. Please can we just use eyebrows as an option?

Originally Posted by Allegor

Just a reminder that in the 2020 Valentione event they gave Bert eyebrows in the promotional material because they knew exactly how he'd look without them.

Man, and he's wearing the heart face paint with his eyebrows too. That means this piece of concept art is impossible to recreate in game, at least within the limitations of the player's character creator

Originally Posted by Risough

That's why I thought it'd be worth digging up; the lack of eyebrows has been around since 1.0 if I remember right but this is the first time we got an explanation for it. Like Rueby mentioned, it feels like they had the design held over from the character creator in 1.0 and needed an explanation in lieu of having to adjust the customization options.

I like what you mentioned about the men being the only ones that had their brows yoinked for intimidation purposes. The way the tactic is described sounds like the practices are specific to each tribe too, so its odd for players to be locked to a specific tribe's traditions. We aren't forced to have scars or remove teeth. This also has to be a Gyr Abanian thing. I have a hard time imagining Dickon at The Last Stand trying to scare away all of his customers, for example. It really does feel like playing into the brute trope you described and that just doesn't fit every highlander guy.

It definitely feels like the flimsy lore was introduced to "explain" the odd design choice.