(Observation): Or more likely players will kvetch and moan until Blizzard changes it.
(Commentary): Also, I don’t imagine Blizzard develops any playable race in such a way with the idea of, ‘keeping their numbers down.’ They’d want races that’ll generate profit by paid race/faction changes or level boosts, after all. From that perspective, if there was some kind of increased reward as a trade-off, maybe that would work? If Half-Elves and Mok’Nathal were neutral, and suffered an experience as far as questing, rep with the factions, and narrative went, but were able to do something like cross-faction grouping, I suppose that might be considered fair, but I still think you’d just have Blizzard eventually caving in, removing the downside, and with having opened that can of worms, just let everyone enjoy cross-faction content on any race.
No. I could care less about silhouettes. I do care about one faction’s playable race being demanded for the other faction. One faction’s most popular playable race, by far.
If you want to play a High Elf, you can. On the Horde.
Given Ion has a track record of sayin’ one thing and then bein’ contradicted in later Alpha/Beta builds, I would take anythin’ he says with a grain of salt as well.
I reserve all judgments until I see the finished product at launch.
I would say the Sin’dorei as a distinct movement died way back in TBC when the Sunwell was reignited. When the tap to unlimited arcane (and now holy!) power cut back on the need to do drastic morally questionable things for survival died out all at once, and people went back to their traditional ways of life as they rebuilt.
In fact if you want the actual inheritors of the Sin’dorei Legacy? Go look at the Ren’dorei. The Sin’dorei 100% acted like the Quel’dorei of old and kicked Umbric and his followers out for doing research deemed too risky.
Are you mental? The Nightborne and Highmountain had entire zones, quest hubs, and dozens of notable characters that we interacted with over the course of an entire expansion. Suramar particularly was noted for having one of the best storylines and characterization arcs in the entire game.
Void Elves didn’t even exist until the last patch of Legion. No zones, no characters, no lore. Nothing. Same with the Lightforged. You either didn’t play Legion or you’re being deliberately obtuse for the sake of your narrative. Alliance has been undeniably shafted with allied races since their inception.
They said that blue eyes “do not make sense for blood elves as they have evolved.” I see nothing contradicting their statement that “Blood Elves are High Elves.” Blood Elves are literally High Elves given another name to commemorate their dead. They didn’t, like, become a new race when Kael’thas decided on some rebranding.
(Paraphrasing_: “That eye color makes no sense for Blood Elves, as they have evolved.”
(Commentary): He literally said they have evolved. I don’t know what to tell you. Typically when something evolves, we don’t consider it to be the same race. Nightborne are, ‘evolved,’ Night Elves. Void Elves are, ‘evolved,’ Blood Elves. Well, Blood Elves are, ‘evolved,’ High Elves. Ergo, no longer High Elves, same as Nightborne are no longer Night Elves.
