The EverQuest II official site has been updated with a look at some of the new features that will be added to the game with Game Update 38, including the ability to equip gear separately for function and appearance.

Game Update 38 is slated to the live servers on September 12th, so it's time to get a peek at some of the content headed your way! The additions below are just a few of the changes headed toward EverQuest II on the 12th, you can learn more by reading the Game Update 38 Preview, and watching for the Update Notes when the patch goes live!

Function, Fashion - You Can't Lose!

Gone are the days in which you have to store, transmute, or sell that piece of armor that looked great but no longer provides the protection your character needs. An "Appearance" tab is being introduced to your inventory window in Game Update 38 which will allow you to equip your character for function on the "Equipment" tab, and for fashion on the "Appearance" tab. This new feature will be activated on the PvP servers as well as the non-PvP servers. The benefits conveyed by wearing equipment will only apply to items worn in the Equipment tab. Appearance tab items will only alter your look.

Read more about Game Update 38 here.

They make nice updates to the game but the bad foundation is still there.

The whole appearance function looks like it will be awesome. They are definitely taking the game in the right direction.

woohoo! i've always kept my favorite looking noob-robe: will throw that one in the appearance slot

nice update

GAH i knew i should have kept my ebon plate armor for my SK.

that stuff was awesome looking.

Kudos to EQ2, it really seems like it's heading the right way :) might reactivate at some point.

And the Equip / apperance function is awesome, something new as far as i know, and i know alot of people who would love to see that function in other mmos aswell.

About freaking time.....this is probably THE best idea i've seen SoE put out for EQ II in like forever.  This one has me seriously thinking about chunking down the $14.99 to give it a go again.  Now if only they would add WAY more character slots and I would be sold for good and back to EQ II.  I always loved the way that shiny silver set you got from the status merchant looked on my dark elf pally, and now she can wear it all the time and have the stats of her banana armor lol. 

One other question, does this allow you to like put nothing in the appearance slots and you see skin?  So if you didn't want to show your shoulders and gloves, you would see bare arms and hands with only the wrist item there?  Anyone that was on test server that might know please say so?  Thanks

I really REALLY want a new computer. Its just too painful to play EQ2 on my rig anymore...I can see PvPers complaining about this, however. No way to judge their relative power without seeing what gear they have. But then, PvP was never EQ2s strongest suite anyway.

This is SO SOE-like: good idea, bad implementation. I would have preferred them to add more different models with the same stats or some more straightforward solution. If I look at a character, I like to see his accomplishments! Are we now going to see everyone running around in christmas dress? Well, better than nothing, I guess.

Originally posted by Elikal

This is SO SOE-like: good idea, bad implementation. I would have preferred them to add more different models with the same stats or some more straightforward solution. If I look at a character, I like to see his accomplishments! Are we now going to see everyone running around in christmas dress? Well, better than nothing, I guess.

I can see where you're coming from, but I'm not sure your solution would do much to help. In fact, more different models and colors may just make it worse. Look at WoW - they have much more armor model and color variation and I see a truckload more of the fashion disaster clowns running around in that game than EQ2.

Armor dying is probably what you're looking for and if implemented right, would be awesome. Unfortunately, the devs have already said that this would require redoing all the armor from scratch. It would be a long while before we would see it implemented then and would have the drawback that even in your favorite color, you may not like the actual design of what you're wearing.

I much prefer having the solution they're implementing in GU38 over having to wait eons for armor dying. As I see it, it's all about choice. You may like to see someone's accomplishments, but that someone may prefer to look good in a mastercrafted suit rather than showing off a patchwork of various raid drops. Those who like to show off their uber leet raid drops can still do so.

I suppose the ultimate solution would be a client side option to enable/disable this feature kinda like the way the SOGA models work. Then each person could decide if he or she prefers to see other people with their stat based gear or with their appearance based gear.

Inronman2000 wrote: "One other question, does this allow you to like put nothing in the appearance slots and you see skin?"

hmm... i think if you put nothing in the appearance slot, the one in the normal inv slot will show

unless you don't equip anything in the normal inv slot ofc