An opinion, and of a very minor group at that. From what is seen the majority of the players clearly do not agree with the idea that “making them neutral and presenting a political conflict” would be a good step for the game.
Blizzard could have easily implemented such concepts yet stopped after Pandarens and never touched it again. The only opinions we’ve ever heard from them on the subject is that of regret, and for good reason.
I personally stand with the idea that a “political conflict” is not enough justification nor healthy for the development of WoW.
Hey now, don’t make it personal. Keep it on topic rather than lashing out at people who disagree with you.
High Elves don’t make sense lorewise, there isn’t enough to represent enough for a playable race. Most of the elves that lived in Alliance cities were nobles or ambassadors, in other words people that players shouldn’t be. To be fair Void Elves barely make enough sense lorewise if it wasn’t for the fact that they are a developing small group of traitors.
The Kirin Tor isn’t part of the Alliance.
The Kirin Tor (aka Magus Senate or Magus Senate of Dalaran is a lawful neutral collection of the most powerful mages on Azeroth. Source - Wikia.
In reality it was considered one of the seven kingdoms of humanity, but was allied with Silvermoon. The during WotLK:
The Kirin Tor proclaimed themselves neutral in the conflict between the Horde and the Alliance, and instead sought to help bridge the gaps between the two factions—starting with reaching out to Quel’Thalas for magical support against Malygos, the crazed Aspect of Magic. - Source: Wowpedia
As you can see at least two good lore authorities have mentioned that the Kirin Tor is nuetral, meaning no longer part of the Alliance. That’s lore people, not even all humans are Alliance.
Returning back to the topic of High Elves though:
… according to the ‘Excerpts from the Journal of Archmage Vargoth’, it follows that the total high elf population is currently at least 1,481 … Source Wikia and Wowpedia
That is a high estimate for the potential non-Sin’dorei based on very fuzzy math. Unfortunately, the Quel’dorei don’t have a racial leader, though one of the Windrunners would work. They also don’t have a home to concentrate in because their former home was Quel’Thalas which is now run by the Sin’dorei which is a Horde faction. If you originate from Silvermoon post WC3 then you are a Horde member unless you betray your race and become Ren’dorei (Void Elf).
To really solve the problem of how to make a playable faction of High Elves you would need to do the following:
Concentrate enough elves in a starting zone for it to be considered a racial hub.
Have some lore reason for the around 1,000 elves who were merchants, ambassadors, and mages to leave their former homes to join the Alliance officially.
Have a racial leader that isn’t already a part of the Kirin Tor since they have been positioned as nuetral between Horde and Alliance.
Indeed the opinion on what consists an interesting development is entirely subjective, yet is also a fact of storytellling that what pushes forward a narrative is conflict.
Pandaren were a complete waste of race/faction conflict, it was barely used, so to say they were a failure of the concept itself is remarkably disingenuous. You cannot say they failed at something they didn’t even approach really.
I am not saying that Blood Elves should go neutral BTW, cause this opinion goes beyond that; I believe that the notion any race could go neutral or cross-faction has immense potential narrative, even more so than Pandaren ever had as starting neutral.
That you cannot see any potential on a race existing between two factions only divided by their politics and ideology is actually baffling to me. It’s like saying that a narrative about Civil War is wholly uninteresting, a notion in such contrast to a large swath of popular narratives in media.
So people want Blood Elves to leave because of Garrosh still? Those days are over, Sylvannas still has a chance in the eyes of Lor’themar Theron to be worth sticking with. He is still loyal to her for being the reason for what remains of the Blood Elves.
Also the Blood Elves have a hate for the Night Elves and for good reason.
They hate the humans because of WC3.
Being asked to ignore some of the things that Garrosh did pales in comparison to the hate Blood Elves have for human atrocities to them during WC3. Which wasn’t all that long ago. Most adults were already adults or children, so they all remember how their race was personally attacked. This wasn’t just some bad thing done to some race they may have had some sympathy for, the humans were horrible to the Blood Elves directly.
The best any splintering the entire race could do is go back to be isolationist, but it was stated that wasn’t an option because they need the help of other races to survive.
Therefore Blood Elves stuck with the Horde through some rough times with Garrosh because they needed to. They don’t wholly agree with Sylvannas’ actions, but they aren’t as repulsed by her as much as Garrosh. Finally allying with the Night Elves or the Alliance Humans in any number won’t work for Blood Elves.
Alleria became a Blood Elf? Her Rangers with the Sons of Lothar in Outland, in the Allerian Stronghold, became Blood Elves?
News to me.
I mean, Auric Sunchaser, one of those very elves you say became a Blood Elf, is seen in the Quel’Delar Questchain in the Sunwell Plateau as the, ‘High Elf Representative.’ Strange for a Blood Elf to represent High Elves…
Actually this isn’t entirely correct. After the Second War, there were High Elves who refused Anasterian’s Command to return to Quel’Thalas and remained part of the Alliance. Most of these were Priests who had altruistic interests due to their faith, Mages who lived in Dalaran, and Rangers who were interested in keeping tabs on the threat posed by Orcs outside of the Internment Camps.
Dalaran has always had a healthy population of High Elves, since it’s founding. They’re not the majority in Dalaran, but they’re certain the second most populous race there. There were also High Elves elsewhere in the lands of the Alliance, even as far south as Stormwind, aiding in it’s reconstruction. A large number of High Elves joined Jaina in her expedition to Kalimdor in WC3, and would comprise many of those same aforementioned units; Mages, Priests, Rangers.
To suggest the High Elves have a small population made up only of ambassadors, nobles, or civilians, is a fallacy, one easily refused by the fact that many High Elf settlements we see in game are made up of Rangers, Mages, etc…
As of Mists of Pandaria, Dalaran fully rejoined the Alliance, and there has been no source since to say Dalaran left the Alliance. Khadgar is keeping Dalaran out of the War, so we assume, but there is no indication that Dalaran withdrew from the Alliance during Legion or following it’s end.
Dalaran, second larger population center for Thalassian elves for the last 3,000 years, seems a very good home for them.
Dalaran.
They’re already part of the Alliance, so… nothing really to do here other than unite them under a single banner. Either expand the Silver Covenant or create something new.
Vereesa Windrunner, Auric Sunchaser, etc… Again, Dalaran is not neutral, and is part of the Alliance. Considering the Horde now has 2 magical kingdoms to the Alliance’s none, it’s not a stretch to imagine the High Elves being a playable race would include an Alliance-only Dalaran. All the assets exist, so it’s not hard to add. Plop it down over the ocean somewhere. Easy.
The most debunked thing ever. Try reading the beginning of the thread. There are more named Alliance High Elf NPCs in the game than Worgens, Gnomes, Tushui Pandaren, Lightforged Draenei and Void Elves COMBINED. In the lore there are more surviving High Elves just from the destruction of Quel’thalas (not counting Outland, Stormwind, Theramore or Dalaran) than Bilgewater Goblins (1 ship that escaped the Cataclysm destruction of Kezan - most died on the ship btw), Darkspear trolls (1 town tribe almost overrun by murlocs that Thrall saved in STV in WC3 - 1 ship again), less than 1 ship of Lightforged Draenei (Xenedar) where most lightforged died on Argus and the less than 2 dozen Void Elves that exist in the lore. Sure sure, buddy. Like it or not, even if they don’t make sense (playing Devils Advocate here) they will happen. Why? $$$$$.
No. you don’t get to decide what is referenced when we tell you what we want which is high elves.
Furthermore you are wrong about those rangers from wc2 returning to quel’thelas. Most didn’t. Most that went to the human lands to fight the horde decided to stay there and within the alliance because they had made friends and families there. There is also the fact many were part of the alliance expedition to draenor. Then there are also the citizens of the human kingdoms that have lived there for thousands of years, been born there, and never been to quel’thelas nor consider themselves a part of it.
exactly. even if we go with the anti’s viewpoint of there only being a few thousand high elves that is still more than many of the existing player races.
Though realistically taking in all the lore there are probably tens of thousands of high elves. There would have to be given the numbers we have from various sources referencing army sizes and troop numbers.
I agree with this. I would love high elves updated to be similar to this. Essentially take the night elf model and shrink it down to about human height then add all the necessary adjustments to the model.
Then they get to add all the ideas presented for customization such as tattoos, war paint, wooden, feathered, gold, and silver jewelry, braided hair, half elf options such as shorter ears, facial hair that includes full beards, and the various eye colors they have in lore such as brown, blue, violet, grey, silver, ect.
“Oh I know what I’ll do. I’ll take the example that represents the majority of the race…but focus it on the scad few and what those outliers did while claiming it was the whole group! Har har”
You’re attempting to take the outliers of the entire organization…and use them as an example of what the entire or majority race did. That is plain and simple fraud, something common for the Helfers.
If you think the Highelven armies of Quel’thalas that joined the Second war were just Alleria’s loyals…then I suggest you go read the lore again…as well as use some common sense.
No. You dont get to use a reference then CHANGE what it is about, just to fit your delusions.
You reference the army of the highelves sent by quel’thalas during the second war. The majority returned after the Highelf King renounced any and all membership to the Alliance and claimed the debt paid. You cant then try to use that same claim as the highelves being a core element of the Alliance and supporting them since then…when it is only Alleria’s loyalists.
Wrong once again:
The elves, who had been reluctant members of the Alliance in the first place, retained little interest or investment in its affairs, such as upkeeping the internment camps and Nethergarde.
Following the war, some high elves blamed the humans’ poor leadership for the burning of their forests. King Terenas of Lordaeron reminded them that nothing of Quel’Thalas would have remained if not for the hundreds of humans that gave their lives to defend it, but nevertheless, the high elves largely abandoned the Alliance, and retreated to their kingdom.
notice how that does not mention the rangers whatsoever.
Please don’t use your personal headcanon as fact. It isn’t going to help your cause.
Quel’thelas did not send many rangers to human lands in the first place. the majority of them were either with alleria and the alliance expedition or remained in dalaran and formed the silver covenant under vereesa.
I always find this odd.
The addition of an allied race that would further highlight a race that is divided due to the faction divide somehow robs the faction divide?
The Alliance was already given exiled blood elves that they didn’t want. So why not a race that’s been part of the Alliance for ages?
It makes sense to add High Elves for the Alliance and then San’layn for the horde in contrast to the Void Elves.
Risk? People would love it. They’d be popular.
Part of the storyline yes, but not all of it.
Even the leader at the time they became Blood Elves specifically states they are no longer High Elves.
As well as the Suramar Insurrection.
Well…there is that pesky unending hunger you endure. Which is why San’layn would be a nice opposite =D
Void vampires vs Blood vampires.
It’s almost like it’d make no sense if the humans who enslaved the orcs in prison camps joined the Horde…except they did after they died and were raised as undead and broke away. =D by that point it does make sense as it fits Thralls ideas of former enslaved race looking for a home.
Umm…I’ve got bad news for you.
Easy…Dalaran.
They don’t have to leave, they’re already there.
Veressa makes sense. Others can be whipped up.
The Kirin Tor is no longer neutral. It’s devoid of any horde representation after the Purge. They’re also flying their banners all over the upcoming Stormwind portal room. I didn’t see any in the horde version in the video I saw.
With the events of Legion done with, it could easily be explained as having removed the Sunreavers once again and repositioning the City to a more Alliance defensible location…the portals in the portal rooms don’t even go to Dalaran.
Yup, even Star Wars has a bunch of the same races on each side.
No one wants Blood Elves.
It’s already splintered.
Plus with the events of the last few expansions it makes even more sense for the High Elves to be angry with the horde.
You’ve got the nuking of Theramore that had a bunch of High Elves living there, then the events of the Purge of Dalaran.
Events with the NIghtborne backing the horde could also be another reason for the HIgh Elves to step up.
Kind of like Talendrion’s mock up? =D
Actually with the mock up mentioned above, it doesn’t have to be the Blood Elf model. There’s plenty of reasons for it to be a bit different.
This is just not true. Sure there might be a couple of people who are like that but they’re just human beings and there are Helfers who are are like this too. You should see the hate from them on anyone asking for blue eye option for Blood Elves.
3/5 of the playerbase (2/3 in Europe) and you’ll be “kneecapped” by an option with all the onerous AR requirements against one that comes with the base game. Right.
“Please don’t raise the capital gains tax, I’ll only make nine million this year instead of ten!”
The big problem with high elves isn’t with the lore or aesthetics, it’s with population balance. Blood elves make up like 50% of Horde characters last time I checked, if there was an identical race available to the Alliance that could absolutely destroy the Horde population.
The only fair thing to give the Horde in exchange would be like Arathi humans or something.
