Honestly I think it would be way easier if, instead of being allied races, hybrid races were added as further customization options to all races. Half Elves could then be an option for Humans and Elves, for example.
It’d be nice to get creative and make something like Med’an: Half Human, Quarter Draenei and Quarter Orc
I would love Half-Elf customization, either for Humans, Blood Elves, or both. Give them the best of both races, that are mixed. For example, a Half-Elf could use a modified Human model, and give them Elven features, such as their pointed ears, and many of the Elven hairstyles. Blood Elves should get many of the Human hairstyles, which would add to the fantasy on the Horde side, for Half-Elves.
I’m a huge fan for Half Elves as an allied race, you just have to check most posting history lol, i really hope we get em, mostly cuz i’m pretty sure we’ll never get High Elves, Half elves are the closest we’ll ever get to the old pure Alliance elves.
Also there’s the narrative potential of Half Elves being the “successors” of the High Elves in terms of culture; they don’t have to create a culture of their own if they simply have the culture of their parents.
And this can be either manufactured -High Elves “passing down the baton” facing their own extinction- or organically -That a city such as Dalaran has created a place for a viable population of Half Elves as Humans and Elves keep intermingling-
Half Elves don’t need to create a new culture out of whole cloth, both Gilnean and Kul Tiran are derivatives of previous human culture, why wouldn’t Half Elves be a derivative of human and high elven, specially dalarani, which is already another culture just like Gilnean and Kul Tiran are?
I like it in concept, as it kinda removes the necessity of a unique culture for hybrids, but effort-wise they would take as much if not more than any other Allied Race.
The only issue I would have against it for being just a cosmetic item for an existing race is that it does not have as much content in terms of fleshing out the RP. If it is just cosmetic option you don’t get the in game dialogue that makes the world recognize who and what you are.
An important part of playing a race for me is to have the world react and validate the role you are stepping into and I kinda feel the Allied race system does cover this even if it has imperfections.
I like Half-Elves and other hybrid races because they offer a unique story perspective of following a legacy or linage that may not accept you entirely while also providing the opportunity to show a story of growth and about creating your own legacy.
For instance what if their was community of Half-Elves making settlements in the recovering plague lands and they begin to fall into conflict with the remnants of Lorderon and the recovering Blood Elves? Would either side accept them or would they just see them as illegitimate mongrel half-breeds squatting on land that from their perceptive they have no birth right too. Yet for the Half-Elves it could be story of building something new in place long abandon by both of their bloodlines yet with opportunity for making it a place of their own. This idea could play on how original proto-Half-Elves in Warcraft III were reclusive outcasts and they could very well be making a home for themselves in this part of Azeroth.
For a more positive spin look at Dalaran, it is a metro politician city that been home for both Elves living outside Silvermoon’s influence and human magi. What if this was expanded further showing the blending of these two cultures?
That would be story and RP I would like to play as.
the hut elves and the few elves left in the SC dying out affects nothing. it would barely affect high elf population numbers
only the adjective will go extinct, the blood elves are the high elf race and its future. lore and development have made that quite clear
then why did their prince fancy jaina?
why are lor’themar and jaina getting all chummy?
perhaps a horde half elf AR being accepted into quel’thalas could be the first step to reuniting the high elf people
just look at the current status quo seen in the above cinematic; the horde IS the elf faction. they have 2 grand elven cities. the alliance is the human faction with zero elf hub cities
I am a little skeptical of seeing half-elves with human descent in the hour, because blood elves generally have dislike for humans at best and contempt among the most entrenched!
Void belves are too short a time in Alliance, to have any contact with humans to bear children and void belves came from the horde
All the blood elf hates humans
I don’t believe void belves look at humans with more respect than cockroaches!
Arator was a member of the Paladin Squad in Legion. I had him as a follower, although I no longer remember his order in the sequence. (That’s more a damning indictment on my memory than on his role in the story.)
I do get the concern, but to be honest I feel that there is enough “story real state” during the leveling experience to flesh out either more AR or more customization options; Like Darkshore itself works as an introduction to the NW customization.
And if we put ourselves in the case of a revamp, there are just so many possibilities for AR or Hybrids to be woven into the leveling story (As most AR have been)
So while I do think some AR/custmizations don’t need further introduction, I do think the space is there. And while a world revamp would be the ideal (Like imagine Half Elves in a Dalaran that re-settles on Hillsbrad, imagine that leveling experience!) it can be part of the expansions leveling process.
People have their expectations. When they watch a Sci-Fi movie, they expect it to be ‘sciency’, even though fictions can’t be science. If as a producer, you use too much of your artistic freedom, stray too far from people’s expectations… tell them too many times that they are playing your game wrong, what do you think is going to happen? Either they’ll give up or you will.
Take GOT for exemple, they had the chance to disappoint a lot of people, at that point they could choose that outcome. For art, I presume. But is WarCraft in that position? I imagine a lot of people are already quite disappointed.
I understand WarCraft is a different universe than LOTR, but not all of your players are die-hard fan of the lore. I myself think the lore is filled with whatevers. I imagine quite a lot of players try to fullfill their (not so compatible with the lore) fantasies in this game. Are they going to be asked to go play some, I don’t know LOTR online?
It’s pointless replying here, I believe they’re secretly waiting for a more opportune occasion to release an alliance elf race. High Elf because it came out on top from the polls.
About this, I’ve been thinking for some time. I’m writing it down:
High Elf captain: General, my people’s prince is calling back all elf descendants to fight the Undead Scourge, I ask your permission to leave the army.
Human general: I can’t allow it, we need every man and woman to defend the kingdom, what if the Undead march south? You and your men are irreplaceable.
High Elf captain: But I’m honourbound to help my people and reclaim my ancestral home!
Human general: You’re also honourbound to protect the King and the people! You swore an oath when you joined the military. Are you going to abandon your comrades in arms during a time of war?
High Elf captain: I ugh…
Human general: This people here you can help make a difference, the people back home, you don’t know for sure at all. For all we know, they’re already lost, every army that went against the undead got destroyed, every city razed. Your prince has no guarantee of success, I doubt he can even control all those routes leading into Silvermoon, yet he made such a desperate decision——to send potential manpower bits by bits into that deathtrap! You’re a commander yourself, what’s the rational call?
High Elf captain: I understand, my men and I will remain. But what about the civilians? Some of them are packing whole families.
Human general: What, caravan train? They’ll get killed by the undead, bandits, monsters, deserting soilders… the order and civilization don’t exist anymore in the quarantine zone. They’ll also die from diease, animal attack, food poisoning, accidents… and if by miracle, they reached Silvermoon, who’s going to feed them? Here they have a not so good, but stable life, they can be shop keepers, artisans, entertainers, bakers… there they’ll all be farmers. And who’s going to defend their interests? It’s not like the prince will prioritize them over his own people——no way he’s not consolidating his power base, afterall he himself is from Dalaran. So, our civilians will eat worse food, go on more dangerous missions… and when the war’s over, who knows how many years from now on, who’s to say the situation is going to change? They don’t like you to begin with, now they need your help, but after they regained their pride?
High Elf captain: It’s too much to ask of our civilians, I’ll persuade them not to go.
Human general: Good, I know I can count on you. And remember, they will blame you for not coming to their aid, never considering how much of a deal it means for you to go. And those of you that went anyway, they’ll be forgotten.