Lords of the Fallen 2’s female armor sparks major controversy over its revealing design

CI Games has revealed five new female armor sets for Lords of the Fallen 2, and the backlash was immediate. Push Square and the wider player community quickly zeroed in on one issue: these designs show far more skin than the first game.

In the action RPG space, the problem is not just whether the armor looks good. It is whether the visual design fits the world it belongs to. Lords of the Fallen 2 is built around dark fantasy, and armor in that kind of setting should carry part of the storytelling load. A character’s origins, beliefs, and fighting style can all be expressed through their gear. With large sections of the chest and abdomen left exposed, it makes sense that some players feel the game’s oppressive, severe tone is being diluted.

Push Square editor Liam Croft made the criticism plain. He argued that the old “less armor, more defense” idea is outdated and out of step, and that these female armor sets offer almost no meaningful protection at all. In his view, leaving the chest and stomach fully exposed undercuts the serious dark fantasy mood the game should be aiming for. That complaint has resonated not because players suddenly reject sexy character designs, but because more of them now expect internal logic from a game’s art direction. In titles that rely on immersion, gear that feels more like marketing bait than combat equipment can break the illusion fast.

The other side of the argument is still worth taking seriously. Some community members point out that revealing armor has long been a standard, successful template in Korean MMORPGs, and it still has a stable audience today. CI Games founder and CEO Marek Tyminski previously said that attractive female character designs in Lords of the Fallen 2 are meant to answer player expectations, and that the team is happy to keep moving in that direction. So the issue is not that the studio missed the controversy. It is that this style clearly has a market, and the real question is whether it suits Lords of the Fallen 2 specifically.

The bigger issue for me is consistency. If female characters are pushed toward high-exposure designs while male characters remain in heavy, imposing, function-first armor, the debate stops being just about taste and becomes a question of design fairness. Players are already calling for equal treatment in how male and female outfits are handled, and that may be the most important point in the whole discussion. If the game wants exaggerated style, it should apply that approach across the board. If it wants serious dark fantasy, the restraint should be shared too.

For players still undecided on Lords of the Fallen 2, this controversy does not yet determine whether the game is worth buying, because the current debate is focused on art direction rather than gameplay systems. It will, however, shape a lot of first impressions about the game’s identity, especially for players who prefer Soulslikes and care about a cohesive world. If combat, level design, and build depth matter most to you, it still makes sense to wait for more gameplay footage. If character aesthetics and immersion are a major part of your purchase decision, this shift in armor design is absolutely something to factor in early.