Philosophically - if you understand the history of the night elves as a whole - they are the chosen people of the gods who fell. Created in a source of pure power by a deity - a life titan - who took them as her children. Born with a supernaturally strong talent for arcane magic, high skill, great physical strength, high discipline, timelessness, yes, you can say as a culture…a monster or a god, it depends on the perspective. The case can be divided into three parts:
The first case, was the fall, the WOTA was this, the fall from the sin of arrogance, when the whole world had to bleed for it for the arrogance and blindness of a few, but first and directly the night elves themselves suffered from it the most. The world paid the price, but no culture was more affected from the wota, then the night elves themselv.
The second fall was the selflessness fall. The sacrifice of their immortality for the good of the world to atone for their original sin, and to banish the shadow with their own power, which they give up, knowing that it will harm them, for the good of all.
The third case is the case of weakness. BFA, the Night Elves have been gradually weakened by the many wars, a people that once dominated the world unchallenged, as no people before them or after them will ever do of mortal origin, have gone through so much suffering, loss and sacrifice that they have reached a point where they still had some strength, but their “possibilities” were so limited that they could only bring this strength to one point, and could no longer act as originally in the whole world.
Well, the question is now, does this case of weakness also still have a positive effect for the night elves? They now have all three cases, another case they could not survive as a species…so you have only one way…back up…but how?
To analyze this one would have to divide the entire Society then into three parts
Culture (Social&Religious)
Developement in the Future
Military
Culture
The old ways are failing, the old rules that applied for millennia are history. The Horde poses a challenge to the night elves that they cannot simply solve with a “we’ll destroy you”. But that should not stop them from trying, this is not a call for “the night elves should slaughter the Horde” but it is a cultural development, the young tasted the taste of ashes, this gift … they will return. I expect - even if Tyrande herself takes a different path - a devotion to the night warrior aspect, away from the classic symbol of Mother Moon, towards militarization out of fear that something like that could ever happen to one’s children or oneself again. Nature is less important than one’s own survival, nature failed one, one’s own deity failed one, but at least it gave the strength to strike back, this deep desire for retribution - embodied - by the Night Warrior aspect, should divide the Night Elf people, and yet also one. For this deep theme of loss, pain and grief…is also what unites the night elves.
Developement in the Future
Creating a clear difference between young and old. Justice or revenge? This is not a concept that applies here anymore, it is not about such simple concepts. It is about the concept of weakness, and its impact. The insecurity that is Teldrassil’s true poisoned gift. It is drive great ambition but also will be drive great suffering. I think the night elves should turn away from the path, they were the chosen of the goddess, but they were also guardians of the world, both they have lost somewhere and with it their true nature. Taking care of others has only cost them more and more, now they are in no position to continue it. Nature, arcane magic, Elune, all that is still a part of them, but their own role with regard to the world itself is no longer the same. They should return to their roots, kinda, but instead of living in extremes, as development, a pragmatic course between the very old, the old and the new life.
Simply taking back ashenvale will not solve the issue here. insecurity will grow.
Military
Where military used to be the night elves’ last resort, it now acts more as their first resort, or at least that should be the evolution.