New gearsets preview is a disappointment

[Hallarem]

The Devs said DT was inspired by rl South America so don't tell people to "get over it" when they use conquistadore-inspired outfits too.

Inspiration is not a 1 for 1 copy. A lot of fantasy is INSPIRED by real world places and cultures, that does not mean that the culture within the game represents the real culture. Or does South America have lizardmen in the jungle and cat people? Heck, they barely even touched upon any of the historical subjects and shyed away from tribes vs progress, pussyfooting around it by solving the train issue in 15 minutes by a magical whistle. It's so neutered that there is ZERO ways to even draw a conclusion this is somehow a South-American equivalent

[ritualgoth]

I am one of the many latinos upset by the newest gear presented for patch 7.3. The inspiration of Spanish and French armor used by people who perpetrated violent colonization against North and South American peoples is incredibly disappointing.

It is correct that it is not an exact 1:1 of either Spanish or French armor, and more a blend of the two, but the fact that this many people can look at it and immediately know where the inspiration comes from is enough.

As stated in one of the Encyclopaedia Eorzeas:

"Secondly, we can’t use anything that has real-world religious or cultural connotations. If we want to make something that draws from religious imagery, ethnic clothing, and so on, it needs to be significantly altered. FINAL FANTASY XIV is played all around the world, and just because something is allowed in Japan doesn’t necessarily mean it can be used in other countries, so we pay close attention to this."

Why, then, does this gear include a clear inspiration to armor used during a period of violent colonization towards those native to the Americas?

The FFXIV team had the wherewithal to be so immensely careful about the visual portrayal of the Garleans; knowing where to take influence without being offensive. Realizing which military uniforms to not use as a stepping point for the portrayal of an oppressive imperial force. How did we go from that careful nature to this blatant disregard for the history of the Americas?

This is incredibly disappointing to me, who has been playing this game since 1.0. I urge the dev team to rethink their inclusion of materials like this and to return to your own design mission statement.

[aethervox]

baffling beyond belief; tasteless & tone-deaf.

[hydralus]

People really do need to pick up a history book and look up what conquistadors actually wore. And no a feathered hat isn't 'conquistador clothing', that's just regular upper-crust attire.

[Mawlzy]

Then how did they all happen to show up within an hour of the thread being posted?

It's either bots or someone rage baiting on social media.

I have no idea if this has blown up elsewhere, but I'd suggest you're vastly underestimating how problematic this gear set is to many people.

We are talking about one of the most disgraceful, extended episodes in European colonialism, the echoes of which continue to have a profound impact on millions of people.

[Meoshi]

In a vacuum these sets wouldn't be a problem, but because this expansion is explicitly about the Americas and South East Asia they are horrifyingly offensive. I don't believe the design team did it maliciously but it shows serious lack of care to add sets of the literal colonisers and imperial oppressors of the lands represented in Dawntrail. It would have been much better to have either more FF9 themed sets or native inspired ones. Save the Spanish/Portuguese conquistador stuff for back in Limsa, maybe a PVP set.

[Altina_Orion]

I have no idea if this has blown up elsewhere, but I'd suggest you're vastly underestimating how problematic this gear set is to many people.

We are talking about one of the most disgraceful, extended episodes in European colonialism, the echoes of which continue to have a profound impact on millions of people.

This has absolutely blown up on r/shitpostxiv https://www.reddit.com/r/ShitpostXIV...alf_of_others/

[Mawlzy]

This has absolutely blown up on r/shitpostxiv https://www.reddit.com/r/ShitpostXIV...alf_of_others/

You don't see the irony in citing Shitpost when it's pushing back against the legitimate concerns raised in this thread?

[LegendWait]

I am one of the many latinos upset by the newest gear presented for patch 7.3. The inspiration of Spanish and French armor used by people who perpetrated violent colonization against North and South American peoples is incredibly disappointing.

It is correct that it is not an exact 1:1 of either Spanish or French armor, and more a blend of the two, but the fact that this many people can look at it and immediately know where the inspiration comes from is enough.

As stated in one of the Encyclopaedia Eorzeas:

"Secondly, we can’t use anything that has real-world religious or cultural connotations. If we want to make something that draws from religious imagery, ethnic clothing, and so on, it needs to be significantly altered. FINAL FANTASY XIV is played all around the world, and just because something is allowed in Japan doesn’t necessarily mean it can be used in other countries, so we pay close attention to this."

Why, then, does this gear include a clear inspiration to armor used during a period of violent colonization towards those native to the Americas?

The FFXIV team had the wherewithal to be so immensely careful about the visual portrayal of the Garleans; knowing where to take influence without being offensive. Realizing which military uniforms to not use as a stepping point for the portrayal of an oppressive imperial force. How did we go from that careful nature to this blatant disregard for the history of the Americas?

This is incredibly disappointing to me, who has been playing this game since 1.0. I urge the dev team to rethink their inclusion of materials like this and to return to your own design mission statement.

AND FRENCH?

Are you implying the FRENCH did a violent colonization? As a Québécois I take extreme prejudice to this.

[Astronis]

The FFXIV team had the wherewithal to be so immensely careful about the visual portrayal of the Garleans; knowing where to take influence without being offensive. Realizing which military uniforms to not use as a stepping point for the portrayal of an oppressive imperial force.

The Imperial set that can be obtained in the Tower of Babil is unmistakably inspired by a certain short-lived Germanic Hugo Boss aesthetic, but it was far enough away that all I gave them was a side-eye. Not to say people can't be offended by this new set, but it's not new for SE to take inspiration from such places while not making the gear look so close that it's blatant.