Despite having Dunland cosmetics for over nearly years, I didn't start exploring the outfitting possibilities until recent months. Since May 2014, I've been relentlessly using them in my creations. If only I had done that back in late 2011. Not going to lie here, but there are days where I feel cosmetically behind the times! Sure, I've used a piece here and there (or one pair of bracers shamelessly) but I ignored too many landscape rewards in of lieu hard-earned raiding gear from Dar Narbugud, Barad Guldur, and Orthanc. Funny how I've begun to appreciate the very pieces that have virtually fallen off the radar. All of my characters that I've actively played are well past Dunland, falling somewhere between the Westemnet and Western Gondor, which makes whatever I've collected from the Isengard expansion more valuable.
It wasn't until reaching the Gap of Rohan that we were truly introduced to the Rohirric people. Here, Dunlendings and the Rohirrim freely roam and sortie along the border. Those clashes between the two people became the inspiration for this pseudo-Rohirric uniform with an interestingly strong Dunlending base. It's an unusual concept for sure, but it makes for some unique and culturally diverse accoutrement that recaptures an earlier time and place.
So why use mostly gear obtained from the Isengard expansion and not rely on the Riders of Rohan gear? I do have a couple of reasons. First of all, there's very little diversity between the heavy armor obtained by questing and bartering. Each heavy armor class uses the same exact skins. Second, there's a crest prominently featured on each piece noting the specific region of Rohan. I didn't want those attachments. I wanted to maintain a more generic appearance, an overall representation of a soldier. I used this cloak because I interpreted the insignia on the cloak as a helmet of the Horse-lords instead of something endemic to the Norcrofts. The crafted gear, however, looked wonderful...but it didn't feel particularly Rohirric to me.
In the end, it just boils down to personal preference!
Shoulders: Rider's Steel Pauldrons (Umber, Rohirrim Quartermaster in Galtrev)
Back: Heavy Norcrofts Cloak (Grey, Eastemnet Armor Quartermaster)
Chest: Forged-iron Dunlending Hauberk (Dark green, Dunland quest reward)**
Hands: Dunlending's Plated War Gauntlets (Umber, Dunlending Quartermaster in Galtrev)
Boots: Dunbog Watcher's Studded Boots (Umber, Dunland quest reward)
**On males, this robe is actually ankle-length.
This outfit certainly captures the feeling of Dunland and the Gap of Rohan. Makaia is just now finishing up that region, and the cosmetics there are my absolute favorites.
ReplyDeleteIt also amazes me how you never fail to produce beautiful, well rounded outfits. The greens and browns in this outfit flow together so nicely.
It's a shame there haven't been many good cosmetics since Rise of Isengard, at least ones that don't deform the body or clip heavily. Dunland had an extraordinarily diverse collection of skins and it's a shame that the same effort wasn't made for future expansions.
DeleteMy secret to outfits is actually a simple one. Try not to have more than three or four colors and then try to balance the colors as equally as possible :)