Arcane Sanctum: Hallow’s End costumes for your Mage

By the time you’re reading this, it’s the best time of the year again: Hallow’s End! The game provides you with fun options for disguising yourself through masks and wands, but why stop there? Since transmogrification exists, putting on a costume is something that any Mage can do to ramp up their Hallow’s End celebration.

The following are some fun suggestions for what I think a Mage on Azeroth might be inclined to dress up as. Whether it’s a generic costume (a witch!) or a specific hero like Jaina Proudmoore, Mages from either faction and any race or gender can use these costumes. Don’t feel limited just because you don’t happen to play a Human! If you want to add a jokey touch to your costume, you can use masks, but you don’t even have to do that. If at all possible, go the extra mile and change your character’s hairstyle and color temporarily to suit your costume.

The costume shown in the picture is the first item listed in each case, with possible alternatives in brackets afterwards. I have also included battle pets and mounts that you can use alongside your costume. A few are difficult to obtain or faction specific, and in most cases it’s only my opinion as to what that character might choose. Feel free to substitute anything you like and have fun with it!

Witch

• Head: Skywitch Hat (Wicked Witch’s Hat)
• Shoulders: Crafted Dreadful Gladiator’s Silk Amice (Duskhallow Mantle)
• Chest: Robes of Rhonin (Arcane Flame Altar-Garb)
• Waist: Runed Stygian Belt (Girdle of Endemic Anger)
• Hands: Barbaric Cloth Gloves
• Feet: Black Mageweave Boots (any black boots)
• Back: Hidden (or Silver-Thread Cloak)
• Weapon (2H): Rosethorn Staff (Crystalfire Staff)
• Weapon (1H): Desolation Rod (Wand of Destructive Talent)
• Off-hand: Soulkeeper Ledger (Vicious Gladiator’s Endgame, Ledger of Revolting Rituals, Book of Binding Will)
• Pet: Feline Familiar, or any familiar of your choice (owl, cat, toad). You could also use an Enchanted Broom.
• Mount: Flying Broom

This witch costume will have you bubbling up trouble in a cauldron in no time. It’s not based on any particular character in the Warcraft universe, which gives us a bit more freedom to improvise. Depending on your personal taste, you could lean more towards a Harry Potter notion of “witches” by choosing sparkling, magical accents such as the Desolation Rod or any wand you’d like — the wand chooses the wizard, after all. Or if you’d like a darker, more traditional take, choose a wand with a skull such as the Wand of Destructive Talent or the fabulous Rosethorn Staff. It’s animated to slowly drop rose petals from the skull. Whatever you chose, the Skywitch Hat (or equivalent) is the most important element of the costume because it’s just perfect for any witch.

Kael’thas Sunstrider

• Head: Replica Magister’s Crown (Crown of the Hallowed)
• Shoulders: Embersilk Mantle (Shoulderpads of Knowledge’s Pursuit, Flarecore Mantle)
• Chest: Scarlet Sin’dorei Robes (Sunfire Robe, Silvermoon Robes)
• Shirt: Stylish Red Shirt (only for hiding midriff for female characters, it blends fairly seamlessly)
• Waist: Ivycloth Sash (Agonal Sash, Girdle of Ruination)
• Hands: Gloves of Tyri’s Power
• Feet: Einhorn’s Galoshes (any red/gold)
• Back: Crimson Silk Cloak (Cindercloth Cloak, Cloak of Impulsiveness)
• Weapon (2H): Golden Staff of the Sin’dorei
• Weapon (1H): Fireguard (Mindbender’s Flameblade)
• Offhand: Sunsworn Transcription (Ruthless Gladiator’s Reprieve, Goblet of Anger)
• Pet: Phoenix Hatchling
• Mount: Swift White Hawkstrider, any Dragonhawk

Although Kael’thas’ actual gear isn’t available in-game, you can make a pretty fair approximation by keeping in mind the overall palette: Bright red, gold, with hits of green. The other key to a Kael’thas costume is the silhouette. He has a “helm” that rises up above his head, and fairly broad, pointy shoulders. A big red cloak is also important — try for something longer than your average cloak or cape, edged in gold if possible. Kael’thas himself doesn’t use a weapon, but of course you want a weapon for your transmog, so find something as elfy as possible. Golden Staff of the Sin’dorei will do the trick if you’re able to get it, otherwise a delicate one-handed blade will also be appropriate. Mindbender’s Flameblade would look really nice, but it’s from current content and only available on Mythic difficulty in that fel color.

Jaina Proudmoore

• Head: (Hidden)
• Shoulders: Mystical Mantle
• Chest: Gossamer Robe (White Linen Robe)
• Waist: Orbital Belt (Belt of Divine Inspiration, Detonation Cord)
• Hands: Mountainsage Handwraps (Gloves of Volatile Ice, Prismatic Mittens of Mending)
• Feet: Dessicated Soulrender Slippers (Boots of the Incorrupt, Netherwind Boots, Vicious Fireweave Boots)
• Back: Darkmist Cape
• Weapon: Quel’dorei Channeling Rod (Staff of the Royal Wizard, Ironbark Staff)
• Pet: Water Waveling
• Mount: Swift White Steed, Amored Snowy Gryphon, Silver Covenant Hippogryph, Azure Drake

Unfortunately for us, Jaina’s actual outfit isn’t available in-game, especially since her model update. But we can make an outfit based around similar items and a similar color scheme. This set uses the Gossamer Robe, which is actually the same as Jaina’s original in-game robe except that it’s all white and gold rather than having purple. The costume brings in additional purple elements in the hands, cloak, and belt to compensate for its lack in the main robe. The Quel’dorei Channeling Rod will complete the set — it’s exactly like Jaina’s!

Chromie

• Head: (Hidden)
• Shoulders: Gossamer Shoulderpads (Nightsky Mantle)
• Chest: Runecloth Robe
• Waist: Girdle of Nullified Infiltration
• Hands: Gossamer Gloves (or any gold fingerless gloves)
• Feet: Quicksand Waders (Phasing Boots)
• Back: (Hidden)
• Weapon: Greatstaff of Righteousness (Key to the Planes)
• Pet: Bronze Whelpling
• Mount: Bronze Drake

An homage to Azeroth’s cutest time-bending Gnome/Bronze Dragon should actually be fairly easy to pull together. Bonus points if you’re able to change your hair color to blonde and/or sport a cinnamon bun hairdo, but as you can see it works just as well on races without access to the exact hairstyle. You’ll need the Runecloth Robe or one of the lookalike models for sure. It’s not exactly the same as Chromie’s but it’s very close. The exact weapon model should also be easy to get your hands on, it drops from Scarlet Monastery on normal difficulty.

Archmage Vargoth

• Head: Regal Wizard Hat (Darkmist Wizard Hat, Violet Hat)
• Shoulders: Replica Sorcerer’s Mantle (Sorcerer’s Mantle)
• Chest: Replica Sorcerer’s Robes (Sorcerer’s Robes)
• Waist: Replica Sorcerer’s Belt (Sorcerer’s Belt)
• Hands: Starfire Gloves (Mystical Gloves)
• Feet: Netherwind Boots (any purple boots)
• Back: (Hidden)
• Weapon: Grand Scepter of the Nexus-Kings
• Pet: Kirin Tor Familiar, Lofty Libram, Nethaera’s Light
• Mount: Violet Netherwing Drake, Magnificent Flying Carpet, Swift Violet Ram

Archmage Vargoth has been a recurring side character since the Burning Crusade. Trapped in his tower in Netherstorm, he’s traveled Azeroth by projecting his image into various places. In Warlords of Draenor, he could even join the ranks of your followers (in spirit, anyway). Pay your respects to this great Archmage by dressing up as him for Hallow’s End.

This is a transmog that mostly will only work if you have hung onto an old Sorcerer’s Regalia dungeon set, or have more recently obtained the lookalike Replica Sorcerer gear from the Darkmoon Faire. These three pieces form the cornerstone of Archmage Vargoth’s fashion concept, and it’d be hard to do without them. He really likes purple. You can also venture into Heroic Mana-Tombs and retrieve Vargoth’s exact weapon from Nexus-Prince Shaffar. Be sure to bring Archmage Vargoth’s Spare Staff along to complete your costume and give it an authentic touch. Also, Vargoth doesn’t get to attend many Hallow’s End parties so he’ll definitely appreciate it!