There has been a lot of coverage of Wildstar lately. Yet the Social community (Role Play), which is a big of the Wildstar design has had very little press. So I thought I would give you a run down to how the Fashion conscious will make their mark on Nexus. Wildstar has an interesting way that you apply costumes and dyes, so let’s go over the basics.
Costumes
I typical Wildstar fashion (pun intended), costumes are done just a little different than I have seen in other games. In the simplest terms, items are scanned and put in a memory slot. Then when you choose to display the item that everyone sees. As long as you do not overwrite the memory slot, you have the look forever. As you level you open up, Level 7 for Costume 1, Level 14 for Costume 2 and so on for more allowing you to have multiple looks. You can also use the Costume Interface to turn off your regular gear, such as not show your helm. Sounds simple right.
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So now let’s take a look at the interface and go over the specifics. Here you can see on the left, no Costume is selected at the bottom of the character panel. On the Right you see the same, but with a costume with all items turned on.
You can use Costume Items found and earned in the world or you can imprint the Current armor you are wearing into a costume slot. The beauty of the syste is you do not have to retain the item that was imprinted. You can sell it, destroy it or throw it in the bank. As I said, if you don't overwrite the memory block, you keep it forever.
To edit the current Costume, you would use the Costume selection drop down at the bottom of your Character Panel, hit the Button for the Costume you wish to edit, and the hit the Edit Button to the right of the Costume Selection Drop Down (not shown).?
In edit Mode you get a Window that opens on the left that lets you add an Item that is listed as a Costume to the Head, Shoulders, Chest Glove, Legs and Boots Slots. Currently weapons cannot be costumed or dyed.
In the Picture you can see that I have added Costume Items to 4 slots and chose to not display my helm but to show my current Shoulders.
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Show of hide this armor slot (eye symbol), Imprint the currently equipped item onto this costume slot (rounded arrows symbol) and Remove the costume Piece in this slot (trash can symbol).
Make sure you hit Done to save your Costume. Now everywhere you go, people see your costume of choice, not your currently equipped armor.
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Simply use the drop-down to quickly switch between multiple Fashion Statements. You are ready to show off your favorite battle attire or lounge-wear as you see fit.
Dyeing
Dyeing your armor or costume allows you to use three colors to color code your armor to your personal taste. Dye 1 is Primary areas, Dye 2 for Secondary areas and Dye 3 is for Trim. You can dye your Head, Shoulders, Chest, Gloves, Pants and Boots. Notice these correspond to the same slots as Costumes. You can display one or the other, but not both. Only putting costumes in certain slots and dyeing the others is a way to tie them together.
Visit a Dye Vendor to change up your colors.
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You start with some base colors once you hit Level 14 and learn how to use Dye. More colors are purchased or found in the world, making it so not everyone can have the same look without a bit of luck and work.
The process of Dyeing armor can get pretty costly however (cost scales with item level), so keep that in mind before delving into High Fashion. Also you are actually dyeing the specific item. Unlike costumes, you are changing the specific item (gear or costume) you are wearing, if you change out any of the items, you will not retain the color choices on the new items. You will have to return to the Dye Vendor and Dye the new piece.
Let's see it in practice. This picture shows you the Dyeing Interface with no Dye selected, you are seeing the Armor as it is colored on my character. You can select either a single piece to color or all of them. You can chose to use a single color or up to three per piece. A list of know colors are along the bottom.
In this picture I have selected to dye every piece of armor with the same color choices and the pending results if I purchase the change. You can play around with the choices as long as you like and even if you don't have the money to actually purchase the change. It will let you know how much the change will cost when you are done.
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You can use the /dye command to access the Dye Interface a preview the color combinations and cost, however currently they will not be applied. You must go to the Dye Vendor to make them permanent.
So there you have, a quick look into to how you can be a Fashionista in Wildstar. Look how you want to look when you want to look it, at least as far as your outfits are concerned.
I look forward to discovering many different types of outfits and colors available in the Wildstar Universe. Who knows where we may find them: Race, Class, Path, Storyline, Achievements? These are just some of the possibilities.
While the source of costumes may remain a mystery, the purpose is to allow the player to find the look and style that suits them. In WildStar, you can play the way you want to play AND look the way you want to look!
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Chief Sarcan is a Retired Navy Chief who plays and discusses MMO's regularly on his YouTube and Twitch Channels. He also frequently streams for MMORPG.com and is an active and positive supporter of the WildStar community. You can find Chief Sarcan on Twitter @Chief_Sarcan.
