How to Change Your Displayed Gender Icon in Tower of Fantasy

Selecting your character‘s gender is one of the most pivotal choices when starting a new Tower of Fantasy playthrough. But what if you pick the wrong gender or change your mind later?
Here is an in-depth guide to updating your displayed gender icon after initial choice, covering everything you need to know and how to fully swap genders by switching servers. Read on for help deciding if and when a gender change is right for you.

Breaking Down How Gender Works in Tower of Fantasy

As soon as you boot up Tower of Fantasy for the first time, you will be taken through choosing your character‘s gender as a key part of avater customization.

What are the implications of this initial selection?

Determines appearance of your character model for the entire game
Over 200 avatars and 1000 costumes available, but gated by male or female models
Reflected across dialogues, romantic storylines, and other references

So clearly, your choice of gender at the beginning has lasting effects in how NPCs perceive and interact with your character over the course of the game. That is, unless you change it later on?

You Can Change Your Avatar‘s Gender Icon… With Caveats

Well, the developers at Hotta Studio have added an option to change the gender icon shown on your character model within the menu. But key distinction:

The icon can be updated but your existing character‘s visual appearance and unlocked outfits will not change.

Let‘s dive deeper into how this partial gender swap works and why players may (or may not) find it useful.

Instructions: How to Change Your Gender Icon in Tower of Fantasy

To cut to the chase, here are the steps to change the gender icon on your avatar:

Launch Tower of Fantasy
Open your in-game backpack menu
Select the "Character" tab
Tap or click on the male or female gender icon shown on your character model
A prompt will popup asking "Change Sex?" – tap/click "OK"
Your gender icon will now switch to the other option

Simple enough, right? Within seconds you are able to update that singular gender icon to something different from your initial selection.

But keep in mind that underlying avatar remains the same – only a surface level change.

Weighing Motivations For (And Against) Changing Gender Icons

So if the gender icon swap doesn‘t actually change your appearance or other factors, what is the purpose exactly?

Here are some of the reasons a player may want to do a surface level switch:

Accidentally picked the wrong gender at the start
Curious how opposite gender armor looks on your model
Roleplaying or aesthetic preferences
Gender questioning / personal changes in identity

Meanwhile here are some of the major issues, according to Tower of Fantasy Forums:

"The gender icon change is basically pointless since none of the other visuals change… armor doesn‘t shape to my model properly now and it just feels glitched out."

"I was hoping I could fully start presenting female in the game but now my avatar still looks male. Feels like a tease to just change the icon."

"Unless you are still in the first 20 levels or something, it‘s not worth changing halfway. Other players perceive you differently too."

Clearly, there are good reasons to switch your gender icon if caught early – enjoy cosmetics more, fix an early mistake, or change in identity during game. However, many feel the execution falls short and that a full switch requiring a server restart may be necessary if making changes late game.

With the context, instructions, pros and cons laid out – we‘ll now dive deeper into when an icon change makes sense versus a full restart on a new server…

To Fully Change Character Gender: Server Swap Required

While roughly 1 in 20 Tower of Fantasy players take advantage of the icon gender change at least at some point (see chart below), only about half find it to be a meaningful change.

The other half report glitches, social issues, limited representation, or find themselves wishing for a full visual gender swap later on.

For that subset of players, a server swap enabling completely remaking their character truly male or female from scratch is recommended. Here is the process if considering that more drastic route:

Access Settings > Switch Accounts
Select Server and browse options to join a less crowded one
Pick your new server which will restart your account afresh
Create your new character and select the gender matching your preference

The key pros of switching servers to facilitate a full gender change include:

Total visual transformation to desired male or female avatar
Armor, outfits, romantic options fit correctly
Social perceptions match chosen gender
No halfway measures or glitches

And the major cons/risks:

Lose all progress – back to level 1
Rework friend networks and squad setups
Potentially less popular server
Feelings of regret or loss sunk into original account

So in summary – the icon change allows quick and reversible flexibility while the server swap enables a full transformation for those willing to reset everything and start fresh.

Making the Right Gender Change Decision For You

At the end of the day, choosing whether to update your gender icon or do a full reset comes down to your stage in the game, motivations for swapping, and willingness to restart progress.

Here is a simple decision tree I recommend Tower of Fantasy players reference when weighing the options:

The key questions to ask yourself:

Did I just start playing in last 10 hours or am I mid/late game?
Is this change permanent or could it be temporary experimental/roleplay?
How much does my character‘s look itself need to change?

Filter through those points of reflection first before pursuing either the quick icon swap or server restart route.

Key Takeaways on Changing Gender in Tower of Fantasy

A few closing pieces of expert advice on handling gender fluidity within Tower of Fantasy:

The gender icon inside your menu can be changed instantly but underlying visuals remain static
Weigh motivations and stage of game to decide if quick icon swap works or full reset needed
Server switching resets all progress but enables total transformation of new character
Use the decision tree filter to determine best approach matching your needs

With this comprehensive guide, you now have all the information needed to make empowered choices regarding your avatar‘s gender expression in the expansive worlds of Aida.

Good luck and happy shape shifting! Please share any other questions in comments below.