Norn Don’t Shop
Actually, like all the various races in Guild Wars 2, Norn make their own garb and armor. I choose to be a Norn because the whole giant Viking Nordic race seemed to fit my Amazon attitude and spirit.
For the most part, I love the Norn look and style – especially being a Warrior. Male and Female armor does tend to be practical, but admittedly it can be dull if one is just upscaling for defense and abilities. The other careers tend to show a little more flash and… well, skin.
But, that’s not to say that some outfits can’t lean themselves toward the useless.
Gladiatorial’s Secret
This little number is actually called the Assassin’s Gladiator Plate. Not exactly sure this is what Spartacus had in mind.
Now, in Guild Wars 2, you don’t buy an entire suit at a time. You can mix and match pieces from various outfits. But, the bottoms felt a good combination in the area of non-protection. They are fishnet leggings for crying out loud.
Keep in mind that the shoulder pauldrons are actually another item, so I could have removed them if I opted to.
So, how much protection does this ‘plate’ offer? Pretty good by Guild Wars standards –
Defense: 321
+64 Power
+89 Precision
+5% Critical Damage
Superior Rune of the Sunless
The Rune stone adds additional Power and Critical Damage.
As you can see, it offers no protection for the upper arms, back, my abs and it really doesn’t cover ‘the girls’ terribly well. The add-on skirt only protects my hips and upper thighs.
Now, I do have a helmet but chose not to wear it for this example. But, I wanted to compare the Assassin’s Gladiator Plate to this –
This set was pretty standard for me. The chest piece covers completely and the skirt completely encircles. The long sleeves and leggings would likely add some padded protection as well. As much as I’ve talked about choices in games, the range of choices and the ability to mix and match as well as alter or craft garb in Guild Wars is one of the things I enjoy so much about it.
Dress For Success
There is some conceit that occasionally I will dress my virtual self up a little bit to get her noticed or just to try something new. But, for the most part I’m all about more armor and more goodies, even if they are a little confining and a little drab. I tend to keep an earth tone color scheme (browns, reds and blacks), too.
Sometimes though, an Amazon has to let out her wilder side. As long as I can keep all of my sides covered.
