This is both a question and a sort of idea.
Why arent the Night Elves and the Highborne more different?
We know that elves in wow change due to the magic they are using or whatever, so why are Highborne the same as Nigh Elf just with some different skin tones or eyes etc?
Shouldnt they be more different, the years and years of Druidic society of Night Elves shouldnt it have made them more animalistic? I understand that Shan’do has antlers and wings bc hes THE druid but shouldnt other Night Elves have some other features while Highborne remained mostly the same as the “original” Kaldorei??
I this just a “Lore vs Game representation” thing like how in Vanilla High and Blood elves looked just like Night Elves bc thats the models that was available??
at this point i doubt Blizzard would make new models for the Night Elves but at least make the Highborne more different maybe??
Edit to add: Maybe the idea to make them more in connection to druidism was the vines on their hair but idk i dont think it feels like enough like those could just be “jewelry” rather than a physiological change.
i understand that this response doesn’t really address the meat of your question, but you might like to know that in one copy of the old warcraft magazine, brann bronzebeard says that highborne are somewhat paler than night elves, and consider themselves ‘different enough’ (though this probably is also a classist thing on their part)
Also I think fel green eyes would have been a cool addition to the nelf palette options after warlocks were added - it could represent some of the Shen’drelar who were more directly in contact with the prince.
(and if that trade had to have a balance, I’m sure belf mains could have used some facial paints)
It’s not as though the Well of Eternity would have selectively affected a Night Elf based on their social status. It wasn’t until the Highborne of Suramar created the Nightwell that a physiological change was imposed on them.
Even comparing the body types of playable Nightborne and Night Elves, the Nightborne tend toward being lithe, while the Night Elves have more developed musculature. Those are the sort of physiological differences you could expect from a population that embraces academic and magical studies vs. embracing nature and living in the wilderness.
But the Nightborne are Highborne. One could argue that the Nightborne are even more Highborne than those that claim the title living among current day Kaldorei.
Highborne are just the nobility of the Kaldorei, All night elves were that way because of the well of eternity, without any other “well” they didn’t change, neither night elves nor the shen’dralar, that were feeding off a demon.
Right i understand that, but after the Well of Eternity got recked most Kaldorei turned to druidism and their font of magic was the World Tree, while former Highborne didnt and kept doing arcane magic in secret, like the Shen’drelar that used demons as their fuel.
I would assuming the change from Well of Eternity to World Tree, and demon, would change the Elves’ physiology just how the Nightwell did.
Similarly now that the Nightborne are feeding off the new tree and not the Nightwell i would expect them in a few years to change too, would make sense if the logic that “different source of magic changes them physically” is to be consistent.
Yes sorry i shouldve been more specific.
Are you saying that a “well” is required for elves to change?
Because I would assume any font of magic could change them.
I would argue there is two Elf variants that didnt change due to a “well”
Without counting the Void Elves who are a case on themselves.
The Felblood grew wings and horns for feeding off of demons
The Fal’dorei became spider likes for that tree that got crystallized
I would assume if the Sin’dorei continued to used fel energy rather then rebuild the Sunwell they would also eventually either became Felblood like or smth else entirely
Not to talk of Satyrs and Naga who I would argue are still elves feeding off some energies that arent a “well” otherwise they would go wretched/withered