We sing this at the Blood Elf Union Hall every morning before we go to work.
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It’s clear that the writers really wanted to make the Blood Elves on inception more in line with Horde conventions when they wrote them as being these self-serving, haughty, power-obsessed elves willing to do anything and everything to maintain said power.
Quel’thalas being one of the last major Horde-aligned strongholds in the Eastern Kingdoms definitely leaves room open for some future conflict that could see the Blood Elves dipping into their old bag of tricks. 
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It would depend on the situation, environment and culture they are part of. It’s all about the writing.
The blood elves easily could have had a continued story based on the Sunwell never being restored. Having to constantly balance their addiction alongside world threats. In each expansion we could have seen elements of them researching the new magics and energies discovered on these new continents. We could have seen how their ambition, at times cruelty, and will to survive would make them frightening foes on the battlefield. How they also gathered tools (like the blood golems) to reinforce their own strength.
But…the story shifted from that. It’s back to the original high elf concept. Them and the Nightborne are playing to a story of unity but also healing and building. It’s now all about cultivation, heroism and peace, no longer survival at all costs.
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That’s the thing; if the Blood Elves were isolated and on their own, it would make sense for them to be made to scrounge and survive. They’re not, they’re part of one of the two largest entities on the planet and can benefit from all of the logistics of said faction. Not only that, but the Alliance isn’t keen on simply watching entire people starve if they can offer aid and assistance, which they would.
‘Survive at all costs’ is a mentality you only adopt when absolutely necessary.
I never said they should have stagnated from there, or that edge is the be all end all. But what Blizzard decided to do was let them regress back to generic high elves and never move forward from that.
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They’ll never get what real High Elves have.
Respect and the better faction.
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There wasn’t anywhere else to go, however. The Undead had all of the edge at that point and even ignited another civil war within the Horde, and none of the other Horde member states were going to be particularly problematic (aside from the Goblins, but their society tends to value avarice over desperation). So either the BE calm down and become the ‘mages’ of the Horde or they devolve into nonsense ‘We NeEd To sUrViVe!’ lines of thought.
I think Blood Elves came along because Horde players didn’t have any attractive Night Elves to play. The cover of TBC is a Blood Elf who looks just like Renee Zellweger and that was on purpose. Horde players just wanted a “bouncy” toon.
Otherwise, Blood Elves and the Nightborn are all magic addicts… and it shows by their schizophrenic choices joining the Horde. 
If you think there was nowhere else to go with the blood elves as a race aside from turning them back into regular high elves, then maybe the issue is a lack of imagination.
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Again, without treading on the Undead’s toes and without making them outright villains, what were they supposed to do with Blood Elves in a world with bountiful resources and support?
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I don’t know…write a unique and compelling fantasy race?
It’s not my job to fix the story, and I doubt any solution I suggested would be palatable to you.
If you can’t find any nuance between the Blood Elve’s Metzan described and the Forsaken, then I don’t know what to tell you. Again, this seems like a problem of imagination.
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You’re the one saying, ‘here’s the problem’. I’m now saying ‘how would you fix it.’ I have zero issue with the fact the Blood Elves realized that they can calm down and not be homicidal addicts any longer, but then I’m not possessed by some ravenous need to constantly inject ‘edge’ into my characters.
Ion has literally said in an interview that the reason the Horde got the Blood Elves was to address the faction imbalance… In Vanilla, the factions were HEAVILY favoring the Alliance. So they gave the Horde pretty elves and the imbalance hasn’t been addressed since honestly… The Blood Elves were the downfall of the Alliance lol.
If it were up to me, shadowlands would not have happened and Sylvanas puts the helmet on.
With the expansion being a revamped northern eastern kingdoms/gilneas/blood elf zones and the undead breaking off as a third playable hostile faction (with undead versions of all races ressurrected from horde/alliance). Big war happens but undead are not defeated, armistace signed, etc.
The reason they gave was to give Horde a hot race as they were getting destroyed population-wise by the Alliance due to Humans and Night Elves.
It never made sense for them to join the Horde. They admitted the lore was weak and has to force it through.
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It made even less sense for them to be in the Alliance imo. But most of the lore behind that has gone out the window, it seems.
I still find Void Elves the ultimate irony for both the Blood Elves and the Alliance. The world has gone in some wild directions lately.
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They should have given the Alliance their darn High Elves.
They destroyed Kael’s character to justify the Blood Elves. By the end of Frozen Throne the Blood Elves were aiding Illidan and supported their Prince. Then all of a sudden they aren’t for TBC.
Well, there’s a rather key problem there; if the Blood Elves stood lockstep behind Kael… Then the Blood Elves never become playable at all.
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If I get bad food at a restaurant, am I not allowed to criticize it unless I can make it better? And every single person in the restaurant agrees its better?
Stop this nonsense.
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That’s the point. Blood Elves have nothing in common with the Horde and even less reasons to join them as the same Orcs that tried to genocide them in WC2 are in the current Horde. At least the racist human died in WC3 and his views were isolated.
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