Custom character creators are a fascinating way for players to either express themselves through their own likenesses or through a creative avatar of their making. Likewise, players can exploit a custom character creator’s sliders and palette gauges in order to replicate characters from other franchises, such as it has been done numerous times already in Elden Ring.
The latest hilarious fan creation to be produced is Elden Ring’s buff Gandalf custom character, and before it there have been renditions of characters such as He-Man and Spawn. FromSoftware games’ character creators do not have all the bells and whistles that other RPGs may have, though there are still many ways players can be inventive with them. However, many fans have rightfully argued that character creators should be more inclusively representative, which is also true in FromSoftware and Elden Ring’s case with a discernible lack of hairstyles.
Redditor u/Feeling_Orchid has stated that they wish for dreadlocks to be an available hairstyle option in Elden Ring’s customization. It is not stated explicitly whether this fan wishes for dreadlocks to be added in order for Elden Ring’s character creator to be more inclusive, or whether they simply like the look and are disappointed it is not an option. But either way, it raises another concern with how few options most character creators have in games, particularly for Black individuals or people with textured hair.
Feeling_Orchid also notes that dreadlocks could be worn on Elden Ring's white characters, similarly to how many Vikings are commonly depicted as wearing their hair in such a fashion. The point is that inclusion and representation is incredibly important to being able to customize a character, and many fans will surely be disappointed seeing that options that express themselves are not available.
Other options for customization that fans desire include myriad beard styles, while other intricate and minute details for facial features and other personalization would also be preferred. FromSoftware does not have a history of changing its formula drastically enough to include such alterations, but Elden Ring at least showed that it was willing to allow players to tailor garments and change their appearance at will in Fia’s bedroom in the Roundtable Hold.
That said, some fans argue that because the player-character in many FromSoftware games become ghoulish once deceased, and is also usually wearing head-to-toe armor most of the time, FromSoftware has not needed to put too much attention into its custom creators. Elden Ring does not have this issue, though, and as games continue to become more technologically advanced and accessible, so too should custom character creators become wholly inclusive.
Elden Ring is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
