Shadowlands Preview: Character Customization
Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)
With the Shadowlands pre-expansion patch, you’ll have hundreds of new character customization options available at your fingertips to make characters uniquely yours. Carve your human’s face with battle scars, adorn your blood elves in delicate armlets and wristbands skillfully forged by Silvermoon’s metalsmiths, and give your worgen glowing eyes or vertical-slit pupils to reflect the beast within.

New Character Selection Screen

One of the first things you’ll notice is the character creation screen has been completely remade, with race portraits on either side of the screen and class icons displayed along the bottom. When you select a class, the character displayed springs into action with a flashy animation that captures the essence of the class—Rogues Shadowstep across the screen and unleash a Fan of Knives, Shaman make the ground around them erupt with the fury of the elements, and Priests levitate toward the heavens to embrace the Light.

Across the board, races will have access to new character customization options including skin tones, hairstyles, and eye colors. Certain races will be able to enhance their look beyond the basics with unique options such as tattoos, jewelry, beards, scars, or flowers to ornament their hair.

On the character creation screen, you’ll be able to more intuitively navigate between different looks with new drop-down menus. Swatches displaying color choices for eye and skin tones will appear alongside the option number, so instead of needing to scroll between different appearances you’ll be able to quickly click between specific eye and skin tone options. All other cosmetic choices are tied to a name in the drop-down menu to give you a better idea of the selection before you preview it, and will make it easier for you to remember your favorite choices.


Your Name, Your Purpose
When you’re ready to finalize your character, you’ll need to pick out a name. Now you can see if a name is available as soon as you type it into the field at the top of the screen; a green checkmark means you’re good to go, while a red cross means it’s unavailable and you’ll need to try a new variation or new name.

Tip: Running into trouble finding an available name? Try adding an additional vowel or swapping a consonant for a similar-sounding one, or try your luck clicking the randomize button.

Many customization options are no longer dependent on other selections. Previously, a selected hair color would affect the color of facial tattoos or a hair color would determine eye color. Now, you can choose these independently of one another. Additionally, worgen will now be able to change the appearance of their worgen and human forms independently. Simply click on the portrait options at the top right of the screen to access your other half’s customization options.

Cut and Color Change

You can freshen up your look during your adventures at any time with the new customizations by visiting any Barber. In addition to customizing your appearance, you can also change the gender of your character at the barber.


Druids can change their shapeshift appearances at the Barber as well. Now you can choose between forms previously tied to cosmetic glyphs (now called Marks in Shadowlands) and forms previously were restricted due to your characters’ hair or fur color. You’ll also be able to choose between your unlocked account-wide Legion Artifact appearances and the fiery Cat Form from Fandral’s Flamescythe if you have collected the weapon from Firelands on Normal, Heroic, or Timewalking difficulties.


The new customization changes in the character creation screen and Barber will become available once the Shadowlands pre-expansion patch goes live. Which customization changes are you most looking forward to use to freshen up your current character or to make a new one?
This article was originally published in forum thread: Shadowlands Preview: Character Customization started by Lumy View original post
Comments 87 Comments
  1. glowpipe's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by ryjkur View Post
    Your customers are already moving slowly to Classic, too little too late to keep subs.
    you have seen the server stats yeah ? Classic is bleeding players like a MF and the absoulute vast majority of players are playing retail, now when retail is litteraly dead. Sl in a month and that is the final nail in the coffin for classic

    If you honestly think what you just wrote you are actually delusional
    https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/ga...tus/classic-us
    Classic full servers Eu: 0 US: 0
    Retail full servers Eu: 13 Us: 33
    Classic High pop servers Eu:18 Us:18
    Retail High pop servers Eu:89 Us: 66

    So please tell me how everyone is going slowly towards classic. Classic is not in any way shape or form doing good. When SL comes out, Classic will be even worse of
    More then likely there won't be a tbc classic since the player retention in classic is way to low
  1. Olololo2r5's Avatar
    yeah retail is doing better because of SL hype. I hope SL is good, but I predict most people will be unsatisfied and go back to Classic for TBC hype which will be announced this year
  1. Xilurm's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by paragraphgorilla View Post
    https://us.forums.blizzard.com/en/wo...ronouns/571239
    That's why they had to make a blogpost about it
    They're literally saying that he died and was reincarnated as a man. He would've been trans if in his past life as a woman he identified as a man. But that ain't his past life anymore.
  1. Kyriani's Avatar
    I'm excited for the new options. I just hope allied races get a focused customization pass during Shadowlands as well. I NEED black hair for my Void Elf mage D:
  1. Heladys's Avatar
    I love that this stuff has been decoupled from paid services and specific gear mogs.
  1. Alayea's Avatar
    I had to chuckle upon seeing the first barber shop image in the official preview post. Guess the bad lighting is going to be here to stay, after all.

    Quote Originally Posted by dunkl View Post
    <snip>
    Well said. I'm not opposed to adjustments being made to the character creation UI, but completely dumping their branding style for something utterly generic? I don't get it.
  1. Sentynel's Avatar
    Now if they could only revamp the character select screen...
  1. Darknessvamp's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Frozenbeef View Post
    Really should say change sexuality, not gender.
    I didn't know the Barber moonlighted as a therapist.
  1. Cosmic Janitor's Avatar
    I wish there was a belf beard option that combines the "full" beard with the full chin option, an actual full beard. Wouldn't even cost them much, just overlay both options.
  1. ognomad's Avatar
    I would like to say all races customization options are not equal across all races some have had quite a few added and others not so much, with that being said it's still a move in the right direction and long overdue for an 18-year-old game.
  1. SniperCT's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Sentynel View Post
    Now if they could only revamp the character select screen...
    I really wish I could separate my characters onto different pages instead of just scrolling down forever.
  1. Cosmic Janitor's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Frozenbeef View Post
    Really should say change sexuality, not gender.
    The word you are looking for is sex, which used to be synonymous with gender before some people in ivory towers forced a redefinition on everyone.
  1. JacobusRex's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Haidaes View Post
    The word you are looking for is sex, which used to be synonymous with gender before some people in ivory towers forced a redefinition on everyone.
    Here's a sensible man.

    It's despicable that we live in a day and age that people actually still make posts like the one he made isn't it Haidaes?

    - - - Updated - - -

    Quote Originally Posted by Frozenbeef View Post
    Really should say change sexuality, not gender.
    I guess when you were born the doctors asked your mother what you'd prefer to be. lol

    Do you have a primary color for your hair color btw? And/or wear a beanie or fedora? You smoke a lot of weed and constantly smell like a skunk?
  1. THEORACLE64's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Cæli View Post
    he's totally right I think...it just doesn't feel like wow. maybe the round icons. wise opinion, this kind of opinion is what lacks in modern wow, therefore driving players out and referring to wow as "it was better before". they just are careless about past work and why it worked. or they're newly hired and they just don't get it.
    Things chance though - nothing new is going to feel like the game instantly. I’m sure they’ll make additions and improve to it in time, but from using it on the Beta it really is a much needed change. Everything is cleaner and organised so much better.
  1. Soeroah's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Xilurm View Post
    They're literally saying that he died and was reincarnated as a man. He would've been trans if in his past life as a woman he identified as a man. But that ain't his past life anymore.
    It's perhaps a touch more literal than metaphorical, but that's just a fantasy version of the trans experience.

    There's a reason trans people refer to their birth name as their "dead name". And that character's dialogue states he never felt comfortable with his body while alive and it was only once he was able to change form in the Shadowlands he knew why. He's still the same soul, and despite losing all other memories, he remembers what he used to be.
  1. Kazlehoff's Avatar
    fiery cat form from fandral’s flamescythe
    firekitty.
  1. orsraunia's Avatar
    Nice, game finally fixed then.
  1. Niegol86's Avatar
    So when does the Pre-Patch go live? Next week?
  1. Lastgope's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by ryjkur View Post
    Your customers are already moving slowly to Classic, too little too late to keep subs.
    Its the same sub for both classic and retail.
  1. Trumpcat's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Kyriani View Post
    I'm excited for the new options. I just hope allied races get a focused customization pass during Shadowlands as well. I NEED black hair for my Void Elf mage D:
    Yes, would love black and white but so far nothing datamined shows we are getting these customizations. Hair colors and styles are limited, also fewer beards for the males. Funny considering the Velf male were first with facial hair before Belf.

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