[Customization - Race] High Elf Race, Customization & In-Game Architecture

Bal’a dash! To my fellow Council members who know me, my passion resides in the Quel’dorei and RP realms. With that, my hope is that we can implement playable high elves as seen fit.

High Elves are a canon race in the Warcraft universe but have only been available to players as a Horde race via Sin’dorei, despite the ongoing demand to create an Alliance-aligned version. Discontent among the RP player base has been ongoing since then, and increasing with each new expansion.

The introduction of High Elves to the Alliance would give roleplayers and gamers overall who enjoyed high elves in other Warcraft campaigns the ability to experience the original Warcraft universe in its fullness. All while giving Alliance players access to a revitalized and lore-rich class and race option. High Elf-Alliance characters would also provide greater diversity to Alliance rosters, an important factor both in terms of the game’s balance and for roleplaying purposes.

On roleplay servers, the majority of the void elves are played as high elves from a quick peruse around Stormwind City and other major hubs with roleplay profiles. If they cannot be introduced as an Allied race, then I urge you to give us a way to override our race name such as Glyph of Elven Identity which gives us the [High Elf] when scrolled over - can do this for blood elves too if deemed lore appropriate.

I would like the same for Glyph of Dwarven Identity that gives a [Wildhammer Dwarf] race when scrolled over, as opposed to the Bronzebeard Dwarf. Such a minor change adds that layer of flair that is unique to RPGs and emboldens the concept of customization. The delineation got messy when Kul Tirans, who are humans, were added as a separate entity, compared to Wildhammer who were simply merged with Bronzebeard dwarves per their starting campaign. This can extend to humans and their respective kingdoms too.

Back to the Quel’dorei (high elves):
Not all high elves of the Alliance follow Umbric’s teachings or Alleria by far, and are aligned with Vereesa and the Silver Covenant who are very much Alliance. Let us have both flavors of Alliance Quel’dorei.

Ideas for the High Elves (Including Blood & Void Elves for Equality):

  • New Hairstyles for High Elves & Blood Elves & Share Hairstyles Between All - This has been requested for some time by Blood Elf players too with regards to Void Elves, whilst Void Elves have benefited from the Blood Elf hairstyles. This is very very low-hanging fruit to add and I have done it myself via Blender. It’s silly for it not to be in-game with the low effort it takes, even for a novice like me.

  • Option to remove the receded hairline in hairstyles that plague Void Elves; they can be enjoyed either way by Void Elves, High Elves & Blood Elves. Variety is the spice of life!

  • Eye Color - Iris (eye color behind the glow) & Eye Glow (Divine - Yellow shades, Arcane - Blue shades, Fel - Green shades, Darkfallen - red shades, Void - the eyes fully encompassed in the Void Elf original colors, so on and so forth)

  • Extra Note: These eye colors behind the glow depict Quel’dorei in Tides of Darkness: IE Cinematic with Sylvanas from Shadowlands that showcase her eye color without a glow and instead are a pretty blue-gray. Seeing this cinematic made me happy as players are often unaware of how the eye glow works on high elves. This should apply to all Quel’dorei (Ren’dorei & Sin’dorei) as well.

  • Rework eyes to represent Tides of Darkness given that the cinematic pays homage to this story, where Vereesa has blue eyes, Alleria has green eyes and Lor’themar has brown eyes as written in the material.

  • Warpaint/Tattoos: Just like you did with the Wildhammer - give warpaint to depict Alleria’s aesthetic. We love this so much and many put such warpaint in their art. I think blood elves would enjoy this too and it makes sense for them.

  • Revamp Quel’Danil Lodge: With the many talks regarding a revamp of Azeroth, please give the Quel’Danil Lodge its high-elven architecture as depicted in other forms of media for the Lodge. There’s zero reason why it has Kaldorei architecture. This is low-hanging fruit considering the Blood Elf/Sin’dorei assets already in the game that need to be turned blue instead of red.

  • Additional items via the Trading Post to celebrate the High Elves that are prominent on roleplay servers. Even established races are getting Trading Post items as seen with June 2023’s selection via the Sentinel shield.

Oftentimes, the argument is “There aren’t enough high elves in the world to justify a race!!” What about void elves (Ren’dorei)? These are specifically blood elf researchers who followed Professor Umbric and were exiled. I would say the population issue goes out the window with how niche this is.

Humans, dwarves and high elves have been a staple of the Warcraft universe. 20 years following the game’s initial launch, it feels like it’s time to bring our high-elven brethren home to the World of Warcraft properly as much-beloved, playable characters.


Thank you for your consideration. I realize not everyone is a fan because of ownership of Quel’dorei via the Horde but realize it is more nuanced than simply Sin’dorei as a political faction.

Do not forget the roots of high elves and the number of high elves who still stalwartly stay by the Alliance and their Ranger-General Vereesa Windrunner.

They have been part of the MMORPG since Vanilla, and played an even larger role with Wrath of the Lich King and beyond, from appearing in Dalaran and the Argent Tournament to continuing to have representatives (Vereesa & Alleria pre-Ren’dorei) who are properly part of storylines, with Vereesa Windrunner leading the high-elven military.

With talks of Azeroth revamps and new races, I feel this would be a wonderful reward for the community’s unwavering love for high elves throughout the many years for players wanting to properly play them, myself and my large-scale Silver Covenant guild included. And a homage to some of the original heroes of Warcraft within the Alliance.

Posting a thread below that I found useful for the conversation. I was happy to see my guild member Traycor’s art in one of them. (Hi!)

Megathread
High Elf Allied Race Megathread (Continuation) - Visuals & text for: Aesthetic, Heritage Armor, Mount, High Elven Points of Interest, and the most important component - the “Why High Elves?”

Comments I’d like to see are further options and scenarios to breathe life into making this idea for Blizzard seamless, all while making each party happy from all walks of life in the game. Customization is crucial so players can align with their character, beyond high elves despite their massive love for this particular race. This sort of connection transcends any of our own specific or indulgent desires not to have the high elves appear as a race.

I appreciate you all reading again. May Belore guide you and bless both the Alliance and Horde with its rays of light in the future! :sun_behind_small_cloud: :dove:

Shorel’aran, fellow community council members! :woman_elf:


EDIT 07/07: I appreciate the enthusiasm via the :heart: icon. Please only show your support with one character so Blizzard can see the genuine want for this ask. Thank you!

144 Likes

Eye Irises Following the Sylvanas Cinematic & Tides of Darkness:

https://legacyofqt.tumblr.com/post/173578622614/high-elven-eye-personalization-options-made - This blog is wonderful overall for ideas and concepts, but this is the massive standout as not just an idea, but ‘how’ the Quel’dorei are with their enigmatic eyes behind the glow showcasing their magical affinity (or lack of glow).





Shattered Legacies Cinematic:

38 Likes

Quel’Danil Lodge as depicted in the Warcraft comic. Whether or not the comic is canon, this still makes sense because why would the architecture of the Kaldorei be utilized for a Quel’dorei (High Elven) settlement?

Should be able to click to rescale or look up ‘Quel’Danil Lodge manga’ per the below pictures - apologies in advance for the wonky scaling!

The winged architecture unique to the Quel’dorei is clearly here and again, low-hanging fruit with a simple recolor to existing assets. This would provide an excellent and robust RP hub while remaining true architecturally to the Quel’dorei in this neglected piece that has stayed incorrect since the game’s launch.

There are no Kaldorei (Night Elves) in the Lodge or written in Hinterlands lore regarding the Lodge. This is supposed to be Quel’dorei (High Elven) architecture and would do well to be revitalized into accuracy.

33 Likes

Bumping due to the traction. It is evident that some folks aren’t happy with void elves, and this would be something simple to add as an extension of the race and expand upon the version the game released.

The more customization, the better. You have an entire Quel’dorei roleplay community that would like to be acknowledged, as well as non-RP individuals who would like an extension on this (Tides of Darkness fans unite! :fist:), or simply see it as the right thing to do, based off the feedback acquired.

Not to mention with the supposed world revamp, the Quel’Danil Lodge ought to reflect Quel’dorei architecture, not random and inaccurate Kaldorei architecture.

30 Likes

Albeit not having updated or bumped the post in 16 days, traction still continues.

Is there any hope of addressing some much-desired customization? With talks of an Azeroth revamp being the content creators’ current video supply this week, I hope that Quel’Danil Lodge will be part of it.

As a member of a premiere Quel’dorei RP guild on Moon Guard (NA), we must look into Wintergarde Keep in Dragonflight as an option from an RP POV because the game lacks proper Quel’dorei architecture. One measly Quel’dorei building is there (Wintergarde Keep), and we are clinging to it to switch it up from Allerian Stronghold. We have no other choice. Any other lore-accurate Quel’dorei architecture is not in the game in the places it should be.

Visual customization is the crux of this CC post that has gained traction, with a loyal fanbase for the Quel’dorei fantasy in the game. It stands out like a sore thumb; to me, it is like seeing Tauren architecture as a placeholder for Forsaken architecture in-game.

Ion most recently gave an interview where he stated with regards to warlock pet customization and expanded this line of thought further:

We are open to, really looking at all vectors of visual customization; both for players themselves, their pets and minions.

We would like new hairstyles, eye glows and eye irises, as most recently seen via Sylvanas in the Shattered Legacies cinematic with her gray-blue eyes per Tides of Darkness.

Blood elves should get this too, and both Alliance Quel’dorei/Ren’dorei and Horde Sin’dorei have access to warpaint as a homage to the historical high elf aesthetic presented in the franchise. It would be epic if these elves had nearly any of the customization options that Kaldorei do. We don’t even have access to eyebrow length (night elf/Kaldorei), face shape (human), eye size (nightborne/Shal’dorei) and this model (high elf/void elf/blood elf) is one of the most popular in the game.

Please hear us out here; this plea transcends my representation on the council and into the many other posts players have submitted out of conviction and love for this fantasy. :pray: :sparkling_heart:

33 Likes

With the amount of new customizations being rolled out, I hope that the Quel’dorei (& their architecture) also have their moment to shine. Many of these integrations are also for Sin’dorei and Ren’dorei as well per the original post so it is a win across many characters.

All of these customizations are being celebrated across multiple communities and social media. It is a reminder that character customization is a net positive to the entire community - not just a specific play style.

Lighthearted post as the post itself continues to gain traction.

25 Likes

Glory to the Quel’dorei!

A really interesting thread regarding potential angles that could be taken through Vereesa, who acts as our classic high elves representative, with a Windrunner reunion.

20 Likes

Happy Caturday, fellow elves!

Both Horde & Alliance Quel’dorei should have full access to each other’s hairstyles.

We are at the point of desperation that we use the Atomic Recalibrator to get hairstyles.

Any steps to bridge the gap between the two Thalassian elves on Alliance and Horde, respectively, would be a great step forward.

Edit: Thank you everyone for your support with regards to this post in general.

21 Likes

More and more void elves continue to utilize the Atomic Recalibrator to have blood elf hairstyles to better represent high elves. Not to mention have a sun glow to their eyes to represent the rare pilgrimage the Quel’dorei are allowed to take to the Sunwell per lore.

As one poster put it: “I wish we could use blood elf hair options on void elves. And vice versa. Same with nelf and nightborne.”

This wish is shared across multiple communities and would be a benefit for all to share such hairstyles.

It only takes a moment to make a Sin’dorei hairstyle in Blender work for a Ren’dorei and vice-versa. And it is not that trivial to adjust hairstyles in Blender to match other races in general. This seems like a low-hanging fruit that anyone using Blender could knock out and make the community very pleased with options.

Furthermore: https://www.wowhead.com/news/forsaken-guard-armor-update-on-patch-10-2-ptr-cape-polearm-and-pauldron-335256?webhook

I hope that the Alliance Quel’dorei and other races can get updated tabards. Thinking of the one high elf/Quel’dorei Alliance tabard for now: The Silver Covenant. The new versus old tabards are night and day, and they clash immensely in their low resolution compared to the gorgeous tabards Dragonflight has brought us.

Personal Thought: I feel both blood elves and void elves have ownership over Quel’dorei and a way to integrate them with shared customization would be to treat them like the Pandaren: Alliance High Elves & Horde High Elves. Glyph the name ‘blood elf’ and ‘void elf’ for customization or make it a check box in the character creator. Kael’thas Sunstrider dubbed the name ‘blood elves’ many suns ago in lore and betrayed his people, it would not be a stretch for them to utilize this name as well. Or leave it alone - just a suggestion to make everyone happy since technically ‘all’ are Quel’dorei/high elves and feel proud ownership over this.

Glory to the Alliance Quel’dorei! Our dream of becoming a recognized reality lives on. And shorel’aran. Thank you for reading. :pray:


Update: I was pinged on another post and this suggestion also plays into the glyphs too. There is so much an inscriptionist can do to add more flavor to the game via implementation.

To have the void elf racials that turn you a blue-purple into a more thematic high elf look, or to remove the racials that change your appearance altogether, would be amazing.

This has always been super non-immersive within the RP community when fighting mobs in the wild during a campaign as an Alliance high elf… Then you suddenly turn into a blueberry capable of competing with Wonka’s Violet Beauregard in a Chocolate Factory as a passable blueberry pie.

I believe if shadow priests can pretty much remove their ‘shadow’, this is not such a big ask and would be a popular glyph based off how many void elf players simply choose a high elven appearance.

Thank you again!

21 Likes

Personally for the second part, I would love a light blue or white/golden highlight. That grape purple doesn’t do anything for me. I wish we had better more appropriate hairstyles naturally. And titles. I also feel it’s somewhat immersion ruining when my voidelf/high elf turns grape in the middle of a dungeon. Even a lavender sheen would be an improvement off the grape paint feel, does feel a lot like shadow priest. The Silver Covenant tabard should absolutely get an update, it feels one of the most thematically high elf tabards out there. An inscription glyph would be an excellent option imho or a barber shop form perhaps.

17 Likes

At this point you have to wonder why Blizzard doesn’t jump to the oppertunity of this easy W.

We have a faction of High Elves in game, ready to join the Alliance.

20 Likes

We do! With high elven resources in the texture files. It would be lovely to put a cap on a race that individuals have been asking for since the beginning.

Thematically, Ren’dorei have not given us a racial armor or other assets we can use. We are also turned into voidy blueberries that cannot be glyphed out of.

Having these quality-of-life updates with a glyph identifying us as ‘high elf’ would be a major win, if not another allied race altogether. I am less concerned about execution, and more interested in finally having our Alliance high elves playable who have been in the game since the very beginning, friendly to Alliance.

17 Likes

I gasped at the Expansion Two announcement. On behalf of the large Quel’dorei community: We look forward to more clarity in the QnA. After so many forum posts and years, our dream may be as bright and clearly realized as Belore herself. :woman_elf: :sunny:

This has been the highlight of BlizzCon thus far. The amount of cheering in the Warcraft room when Chris made this announcement was unreal. It felt like the community was truly united in this excitement with the hint of uniting the elves at Quel’thalas.

Us high elven players cannot wait to finally be identified as what we play, and canonically united. The sudden electric energy in the room upon this announcement earlier today is indicative of the excitement not just for my community, but overall. :zap:

17 Likes

YES!!! I nerd screamed when the announcement came about the Nerubians, and then nerd screamed even louder when I heard about the return to Quel’thalas :sob: :sob: :sob: :sob: :sob: :blue_heart: :blue_heart: :blue_heart: :blue_heart: :blue_heart: :blue_heart:

17 Likes

I got nothing but love for you OP. More flavor is always wanted and you put a lot of time and love into your post, I hope they read it for sure.

13 Likes

Zeropulse - Thank you so much. Glory to the Quel’dorei of the Alliance! I cannot wait for Midnight and pray that the Alliance Quel’dorei dream becomes reality.

To the developers and art/designers who met with me at Blizzcon - Thank you for your time in reading this post from my phone. This is a consistent ask and is based on a love for the traditional high elf versus the direction the blood elves have gone in.

We yearn to play the steadfast souls who inhabit the Hinterlands in Quel’Danil next to their Aerie allies, stood with Jaina Proudmoore’s company at Theramore and beyond. I hope this post can be indicative of the love we harbor for the concept.

Both Alliance & Horde high elves are wonderful, but the Alliance would like its traditional high elves to be recognized as a playable race. Canonically, the current Alliance ‘high elves’ (void elves) are Horde outcasts who studied the void with Umbric and represent an even smaller minority than standard Alliance high elves.

Shorel’aran and may Belore shine upon the Blues to deliver us updated architecture indicative of high elves, updated Silver Covenant tabards and a way to delineate high elves with some thematic threads and hairstyles!

15 Likes

Did they say anything? Gave a certain look? We need details hello!? :stuck_out_tongue:

13 Likes

I definitely got a few winks and deferring to Midnight. :wink:

:pray: :woman_elf: :man_elf: :elf:

18 Likes

Void elves continue to utilize the Atomic Recalibrator toy to have hairstyles that lack the receded hairline, and better represent proper Alliance high elves that are not from Umbric’s sparse void group.

We are at the mercy of the Recalibrator working to properly configure our Alliance high elves to look passable. With the latest addition of hair colors to blood elves, we can no longer get certain hair colors OR eye colors anymore with that hair color combination. (Want X hair? Too bad, you get fel green eyes!)

On behalf of the Alliance Quel’dorei, please allow us to identify properly with hairstyles that are equivalent to the Horde Quel’dorei, and vice versa.

(Note the Atomic Recalibrator on our Ranger-Captain in the front row, our left.)

This is such an easy win and would not take any time given both share the same models. Allow all hairstyles to be shared as a precursor to the unification potential in Midnight.

22 Likes

With Pandaren, Dracthyr and the Stone Dwarves in the next expansion, their whole arguments for not having highelves in the Alliance is totally mute.

15 Likes