With patch 8.2.5 came the updated models for Worgen and Goblins, long overdue. I think many players would agree that the Nightborne could get updated models or at least additional customization options as a first step in that direction.
When Allied Races were announced I was hyped. I really liked the Nightborne NPCs in Suramar and wanted to play as one of them. However, the playable race feels very different.
The main problems I see are:
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The faces, especially the males. They’re hideous. When my Nightborne is next to Oculeth I feel so bad. The NPCs look wise and powerful, the playable character looks dumb and constipated. The eyes of the NPCs are much more slanted.
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Their running animations appear to be in slow motion.
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The NPCs have additional effects like an arcane glow in the hands and hair, as well as an Egyptian-style beard. These effects could be added to the customization options.
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Originally Nightborne had additional racial abilities like Masquerade and Dispel Illusions. I don’t understand why they were removed.
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I can’t believe anyone plays a male Nightborne, tbh. lol
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They’re flavored NEs, of course the males are hideous.
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I want to be something manly like a Night Elf, but am to gentle to play a real Horde race or girly Blood Elves.
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I recently started my journey to unlock Nightborne, and upon using my illusion disguise, I did notice the run animation is rather slow.
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I created one and can’t continue playing with it lol.
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You Have to be crazy the play one of those.
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I like the lore and the armor is amazing but the faces… all the rest I can deal with but the faces suck and that’s a nice as I can word it.
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I agree it’s weird how the player models look quite a bit worse than the NPCs, just weird problems with them that shouldn’t have been a thing and yet they are.
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Nightborne always reminded me, not of Night Elves, of the old school Blood Elves. Classic players can still find them in Azshara. Retail players can find them by playing through Suramar. They’re ugly.
The NPC Nightborne look completely different compared to player NB.
The eyes are different, the skin tone is off and i feel like they could be a bit taller.
They also do not blink and have a variety of customization on NPCS that are not on player characters most noticeable is facial hair.
But Blizzard only releases content when it’s finished TM
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I’m in agreement on the faces. I dunno how we went from the NPC’s, which are fantastic, to the weird looking faces we have now. Needs fixed imo.
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while they are scowling, it is very similar to Night Elves. I just looked. Both are ugly, there has to be some ugliness in the world.
Yup. I won’t play mine. It’s terribad.
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people pretty much dont. they’re the least popular male race in the horde, but the third most popular female horde race. idk why blizzard makes stuff they know nobody wants. isn’t that kind of a waste of effort?
The NPCs have gear as part of their models, and aren’t set up to put on different gear. Blizzard could have created naked versions of the NPCs models and properly set them up in that regard, but that would take effort, so they just beat the night elf models with a baseball bat, replaced their jump with the belf jump(but lazily, because they don’t have a landing animation), and called it good.
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My only complaint is that there is no glow option which Nightborne have, and (at least the male) shoulders float still.
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That depends on if you call that model an actual effort. 
Say what you will.
I think the playable Nightborne look much better than the stiff and ‘NPC’ like unplayable models.
They are still Night Elves after all, and I think it’s better to have them look somewhat closer to their cousin race.
There’s also the matter of animation rigs. It’s far easier to use one universal model for both, which is the case for most Allied Races. You know they did get more than any of the Alliance ones at the time, indeed all except the Kul Tirans. Nightborne do have unique animations and the bodies do have modified shapes.
The face looks rather similar to the night elf so it can use the same rig. I don’t know, maybe they could just go in an change the eyes-- and really you’d be surprised how much difference just that alone would make.
It’s astonishing that the Kul Tirans are the only fully new models, and yet what a waste of effort that was considering they are rather predictably the least played.
Oh I didn’t see that coming.
I have to admit I’m not overly keen on the running animations, but again I’m not overly keen on running animations for quite a few of the models.
