Here’s a closer look at how Javelin customisation works in Anthem

You look at a Javelin in Anthem, and you don’t just see several tons of awesome being used to pepper a battlefield with micro-rockets and exotic techno-magic. I see a lethal expression of individuality, suits which can be tailored to provide a unique and glorious final image before an enemy finds their face rearranged by a mechanised metal fist of frontier justice.

Probably some microtransactions as well, but hey I’ll leave that for the launch day blues. What you will get in Anthem, is what Bioware calls the Forge. A location that allows you to cosmetically alter your Javelins, players will be able to tinker with various parts on each suit. The Ranger suit gives you eight options as an example, focusing on the helmet, arms, chest, legs, paint, wear state and vinyls, with animations forming the eighth.

“We’ve got elements that can change the silhouette of your suit, and then elements that are going to be able to change how they look,” Associate Producer Leah Shinkewski explained during a recent stream.

Helmet, chest, arm, and leg cosmetics affect the silhouette of each suit – changing the shape of your javelin’s head, for instance. “And then, of course, your paint, your vinyls, and your wear state will all adjust the physical appearance of the suit.

Players will be able to unlock more flair as they progress through Anthem, their time spent in the field reflecting their experience and battles. To further drive home the unique look of a Javelin, players will also have access to an artist’s selection of paint. Materials range from metallic sheen to leathery exteriors, with colour combinations adding to the options available. “Once you’ve picked out your materials, you can choose your suit’s colour combo,” EA says.

You can assign a different colour to each material category, either from a list of presets or from a colour wheel that gives you an entire rainbow to work with. Looking for some lime-green cloth paired with fiery red canvas print? You can make that happen. Plus, all your work can be saved and updated later.

A selection of vinyls finishes off the lookof a Javelin, but if you’re a fan of seeing wear and tear on your armour, then you can easily scuff up your suit and give it a weathered look. “Players can choose how they want their exosuit to look,” Character Director Francis Lacuna added.

Do they want it to look all beat up? Do we want it to look dirty? Do we want it to have chipped paint? Players can go ahead and do that.

I think we all want to stand out from the pack, and Anthem looks like it’ll have plenty of tools in its artistic arsenal to allow players to do just that. How those tools are influenced by the ever-present state of microtransactions in the industry today, remains to be seen when Anthem launches next year February.

Last Updated: November 27, 2018