Who’s responsible for making boots fit characters?
Because like 90% boots for female Night Elves (and some other races) look plain ridiculous, with their GIGANTIC kneecap protectors being MID-SHIN instead (they look wrong on most races - ending not AT the knee, but JUST BELOW the knee on just about any race bar gnomes and dwarves). It’s about as functional as a knuckle too short gauntlets, and it looks absurd.
It affects mostly plate boots as a lot of the other armor type boots don’t have any kneecap protectors. But trying to find boots that wouldn’t look ridiculous on a night elf female is really hard.
Seriously, what’s the use of modeling a nice kneecap protector, if it doesn’t actually protect said kneecap. That’s like hanging your helmet on your belt.
Not how Blizzard models them, they’re not. Ornaments at best.
And no, they’re not ‘shin’ protectors. Shin is a pretty long bone and protecting it with a piece in a shape of kneecap is really stupid (do you wear helmet-shaped armor on your elbows?) - especially as plate boots are already made of metal plates everywhere.
My Nelf DK is stuck using Steadfast Purifier’s Warboots because they’re likely one of the very few plate boots that protect the knee as well. Too bad that set is originally a paladin one, so the you cannot get the leggings and bracers for other classes. Hard to mix-match anything else with Purple/Silver color theme, but I try lol.
I’ve only got one lowbie leather wearing nelf but I’m now going to have to go around and look closely at all the nelfs in game to see how bad their boots look!
yeah, well, the boundless fantasy universe was miraculous enough so that one shoe fits all sizes, but not clever enough to make it fit all SHAPES as well. Arguably, you shouldn’t need to cover a hoof with boot, you need a HORSESHOE lol
The industrialisation of the boots production in the human kingdoms led to a standardisation of the models, which are primarily conceived for Humans. As time passed the old artisans had to retire, unable to face the competition of these new production methods.
Lack of decent craftsmen and gear made in Tel’drasil, the Nelves had to accept sub par quality products, ill adapted to their bodies.
And this is why you can’t have fitting boots and knee caps on Nelves characters.
Even for humans, those kneecap protectors usually end JUST BELOW the kneecap lol. But for Night Elf females it looks ridiculous with those kneecap protectors in precisely the middle of shin.
