Unlikely, Please add Race Changes

[Aloykat.6754]

Hello all,

 

I have been playing for some time and I started my character with a Sylvari. Recently, when making my first alt I started to love the looks of the azura and how their dodge actions are. It would be a great addition to the game if they added race changes. I would change most of my characters immediately regardless of the cost. They could approach it like WoW does with paid changes, just like WvW changes are already implemented.

 

 

I hope this is the correct place to put this recommendation, but this would be an amazing addition to the game. Creation of a new character, getting the name that you enjoy and transferring/buying new gear is annoying for just a race change. The addition of this feature could continue the enjoyment of the character, but with a different character model. I hope that anet considers implementing something like this with the expansion!

 

[Linken.6345]

Good news you can buy a character slot for 800 gems and a name change contract for 800 gems so its already in the game.

Please use the search feature to find the many earlier threads about this and why it wont make it into the game as things stand.

[Aridon.8362]

I agree with this.

[Dante.1508]

I agree but i can't see Anet ever doing stuff for no monetary gain.. its not in their souls.

[DanAlcedo.3281]

If it would be possible, they already had done it. 

In WoW for example, your race is purely a cosmetic choice (outside of racial). 

But in GW2, it tracks alot more. 

Like the personal story. How would this work with a race change? 

So I'm 100% sure it's a technical problem. 

[Just a flesh wound.3589]

Not only is your personal story tied to your race but what cultural armor your char can wear is race dependent. Changes to your home instance are tied both to your race and the personal story. Some comments made by NPCs to your char are race dependent, and probably more. 
 

It’s something that’s at the bottom of the spaghetti code. Possible to untangle but probably expensive in dev time and effort and most likely would lead to a continuous bug fest where one fix exposes another bug. 

[Aaricia.9758]

Like @Just a flesh wound.3589 said, the largest issue would be the coding as the game wasn't designed with race changes in mind. That isn't to say that many people haven't wished for the ability to completely flip their race in the game nor will it stop players from wishing for such a feature.

I know next to nothing about coding, so everything I'm about to write---if you're a Dev or have knowledge on coding---don't come at me as it's all speculation. Speculation. Also, I started writing this at 4AM so I'm about to take you on a ride.

I wonder if it would be possible to transmute your main character to look like an alt character. For example, you have a human character as your Main. Your Main has completed every expansion storyline, has world completion, a reputation in the community and is easily recognized by their name when doing events (Map Metas, Commanding in PvE/WvW). It's been 10 years and you're looking to spice it up a bit. You create a Sylvari as your Alt, but OMgosh...you fall in love with that delicious salad's pronunciation of "All things have the right to grow".  You love your walking salad, but you miss everything your main has to offer. What if, at some point, you could switch the minds of your Main and your Alt.

Hear me out.

Blighting Pods, modified Blighting Pods. (Word vomit incoming, skip to the TL;DR if reading hurts you).

Taimi, while researching for a "cure" for her illness, has discovered something intriguing about the ol' Blighting Pods. It turns out that with the use of her training simulator technology, she can alter the Blighting Pods from creating exact copies to instead taking one soul (your Main) and entering it into the body of a simulated sentient being (an Alt).  The only snag is that your Alt cannot enter the Modified Blighting Pod until the personalized portion of their story has been completed. The Alt and Main would likely need to be members of the same Order, I'd guess that Chapter V - Helping Hands at level 50 would do as once you help your selected Tribal race the story becomes less linked to your race. Worst case would be you have to complete all of the original story with both your Main and Alt in order to enter the M.B.P.

So, your Main slips into the eerily warm ooze of the Modified Blighting Pod and then what? Taimi renders your new shell in the secondary pod and enthusiastically smacks a giant red button while laughing like the adorable lil' Mad Scientist she is. A new screen pops up and asks, "Commander, do you wish to enter a new body?"

> Yes

"Please select a new body."

> List of all currently available bodies that have met the M.B.P. criteria

"All [race] cultural armor will no longer be equipable."

> Okay

Your screen fades to black before entering into a short cutscene of memories being transferred between each body (think Sylvari introduction when your Sylvari is waking from The Dream). The Commander now steps out of the secondary pod, a bit dazed but happy to see that her meat body is now made of veggies. 

Now, my simple brain says this would basically be the equivalent of having a Total Makeover Kit that allows for race selection with the added distinction that it does require you to invest in the story of the race you're flipping to first. This way the work of ANet is still acknowledged by the player and the player still gets the option to switch races without it being too far-fetched from lore. Again, me smooth-brain, me don't know coding---but maybe there is a way to implement something.

I mean, I'm not going to hold my breath---but it's fun to consider.

Anyways, Modified Blighting Pods can save Taimi. She can just load herself into a generated version of herself that has been genetically modified to not have her disease.

TL;DR: Blighting Pods let you swap your main's brain into an alt after reaching certain criteria for both characters. It's fun to consider how a race-switch could be included in the lore of Tyria, but it's highly improbable that the ability to swap races will ever become a thing in GW2.

Edited April 13, 2022 by Aaricia.9758
My TL;DR game was weak. It's now 5:00AM.

[The Boz.2038]

Race or Profession change contract. 
Magical asura tech. 
Would accept the deletion, resetting, or disablement of Core storyline on a character if it allowed this to happen.

[Rendalmj.3152]

I 100 agree with maker of thread. I myself identify my big strong norn as genderless and sometimes he wants to look like a female human not a female norn because female humans are more feminine than female norn who is big and strong too..

 

 So i would like to be able to change race and i would give arenat my wallet or bank account 

[Aaricia.9758]

Sorry to necro a thread, but I've been thinking about this more and I think I've come to a good compromise.

In the world of Tyria there are missions and fractals that change one's appearance into a different race. Like Urban Battleground Fractal that changes everyone into a Charr or the Thaumanova Reactor Fractal that flips you to an Asuran. There are also storyline quests that will put users in a "disguise" of varying looks. With this in mind, it could be possible to have a "Mesmer Illusion" spell that would change your outward appearance, but all of your storyline would adhere to your original race choice. So, I would continue on my Human Story while looking like a Charr and vice versa.

Boom! It's lore friendly and solves the problem.

Also, it can be sold in the BLTC. So, more revenue for those ANet pockets.

It also let's people do the whole, "My character is a Charr who identifies as a Human" thing and I feel like that's all the rage these days (because they can look like a Charr while doing the Human Story).

 

Edited May 20, 2022 by Aaricia.9758

[Ryou.2398]

On 4/12/2022 at 8:31 PM, Linken.6345 said:

Good news you can buy a character slot for 800 gems and a name change contract for 800 gems so its already in the game.

Please use the search feature to find the many earlier threads about this and why it wont make it into the game as things stand.

That is not even remotely close to what he was talking about, many do not want to just reroll because of all the investment not sure why this needs to be explained to you either.

[DeanBB.4268]

54 minutes ago, Aaricia.9758 said:

...With this in mind, it could be possible to have a "Mesmer Illusion" spell that would change your outward appearance, but all of your storyline would adhere to your original race choice. So, I would continue on my Human Story while looking like a Charr and vice versa.

Boom! It's lore friendly and solves the problem...

Tonics say hello. Perhaps you should be requesting tonics that fit your desires?

[Zeusx.2906]

I am very much against race changing. Hell i don't even like that gender change is a thing but hey hopefully that's as far as it will ever go in GW2. 

[Aaricia.9758]

32 minutes ago, DeanBB.4268 said:

Tonics say hello. Perhaps you should be requesting tonics that fit your desires?

Unless it's going to be a one time use, forever applied tonic---like the Phial of Fantasia from FFXIV---then no thank you. 

[Ryou.2398]

1 hour ago, DeanBB.4268 said:

Tonics say hello. Perhaps you should be requesting tonics that fit your desires?

You cannot customize tonic races.

[DeanBB.4268]

It is the system that is currently offered, though. Race change has seen no hint of acceptance from Anet, while various tonics have been implemented. Working within the system may be more successful than requesting something doomed to never happen.

[Aaricia.9758]

1 hour ago, DeanBB.4268 said:

It is the system that is currently offered, though. Race change has seen no hint of acceptance from Anet, while various tonics have been implemented. Working within the system may be more successful than requesting something doomed to never happen.

How does asking for a permanent disguise go outside the system though? They already have the ability to flip your character to a randomized version of whichever race fits the gameplay---so one would think that having a customizable, but permanent option would be possible.

Editing tonics to do the same would also work, but if I'm choosing between a drink or getting hexed by a powerful Mesmer (like our Barefoot Queen), I want that hex.  

[Blacksarevok.8104]

On 4/13/2022 at 1:09 AM, DanAlcedo.3281 said:

If it would be possible, they already had done it. 

In WoW for example, your race is purely a cosmetic choice (outside of racial). 

But in GW2, it tracks alot more. 

Like the personal story. How would this work with a race change? 

So I'm 100% sure it's a technical problem. 

the only work around i can think of is if they only let you race change once you reached 80/finished your core story.

or maybe have it reset your personal story? 

[Dante.1508]

It could be easily implemented, all they have to do is ask a few questions about your life path and switch armor isn't a big deal. all you need to do is remove all armors/weapons before the race change tonic / contract is applied.

[Dawdler.8521]

54 minutes ago, Dante.1508 said:

It could be easily implemented, all they have to do is ask a few questions about your life path and switch armor isn't a big deal. all you need to do is remove all armors/weapons before the race change tonic / contract is applied.

The forbidden words! You cant say its simple even though its as basic as deleting the old character, making a new character with the same gemstore purchase, same name and same prepopulated story, you absolute heathen!!!

You're meant to rant on about how its impossible, hardcoded, you dont know programming, etc.

[Dante.1508]

10 hours ago, Dawdler.8521 said:

The forbidden words! You cant say its simple even though its as basic as deleting the old character, making a new character with the same gemstore purchase, same name and same prepopulated story, you absolute heathen!!!

You're meant to rant on about how its impossible, hardcoded, you dont know programming, etc.

The difference is a race change would keep the years the character has been made, deleting would reset the birthdays and progress applied to them. I have multiple Norn and Humans i made 9 years ago that are all my master crafters that i'd love to switch to Asura so i'd actually play on them. I only play Asura these days as they are my favorite, so deleting them is a no no..