The Unofficial High Elf Discussion Megathread

[Thiluro-illidan]

All elves matter!

/moo

[Bourbonboxer-lightbringer (Bourbonboxer)]

That’s where I say that Blizz changed the Pandaren to fits the Horde,

But the only time in recent WoW history is with Chen being part of the Rexxar group to found Durotar and bring down Daelin Proudmoore.

Let’s also not forget this was in TFT, a widely regarded fan favorite game.

It’s why I am doubting a story where the Pandaren would join the Alliance, especially with Voljin, Thrall, Rexxar, and the Outland Mag’har being in TBC. It seems like they needed an iconic race to give Alliance, since they were giving Horde Blood elves.

most of them are peaceful and have core values that fits more the Alliance

I wouldnt say that. I’d say the Mainland come off with the issues of being…bland.

not the warmongering Horde

This would be the Horde under Thrall, not Garrosh or Syl.

[Fliktarg-thrall (Fliktarg)]

I think a large reason many people don’t see pandaren as fitting in with the factions especially the horde is because blizzard never uses them in regards to the factions. I love assaults because finally we see tushui and huojin out there fighting. It is made even better when they are not all monks but incorporate more classes.

[Bourbonboxer-lightbringer (Bourbonboxer)]

I agree. I love to see them finally in action.

Why I dont like the playable Pandaren is a few reasons.

1. The two different ideologies are very weak story telling, and arent really shown off more outside the starting zone
2. Mists came off as this tale of the horrors of the faction war…making it kind of weird why the Pandarens would stay aligned.
3. Making them a neutral race ruined their potential at story telling on both factions

[Nicodemùs-argent-dawn (Nicodemùs)]

… so all the lore presented that continues to tell us that High Elves have been intermingling with humans and diluting their blood lines is not “lore evidence” that they might have physiological differences from Blood Elves (pure bloodlines)?

And wtf “doesn’t look elf-like”??? Its the friggin Night Elf body model! How much more “elf-like” can you get???

We already have a faction imbalance at the moment. Why would adding High Elves suddenly cause a faction imbalance in the other direction? The Horde have their Blood Elves. People aren’t going to just jump ship to Alliance because of High Elves. Especially not with the Horde racials and superior raiding community.

[Archmage-azralon (Archmage)]

Not to mention the story problems I already mentioned, and the faction imbalance introducing them it could cause.

I dont think High Elves would cause any imbalance seeing how things are going, people are playing Horde right now just because it has the largest population pool, their looks and racials are just a plus.

Even with High Elves, things will probably stay the same, since Horde has Blood Elves anyway, and more skilled people and a larger population overall.

To make any kind of imbalance in favor of the Alliance, Blizz will need to push harder than that, High Elves alone wouldn’t change anything.

[Vexander-moon-guard]

To make any kind of imbalance in favor of the Alliance, Blizz will need to push harder than that, High Elves alone wouldn’t change anything.

I mean, they could.

Add High Elves as a core race rather than an Allied Race so they’re available at level 1. Give them classes suggested here that players are looking for more options for the in the Alliance (Druids and Shamans). Give them strong racials. Like, ridiculously strong. Something that makes the old Arcane Torrent look weak.

Balance raid encounters around being brain-dead easy on any difficult if you have that racial.

That faction imbalance would tilt FAST in the Alliance’s favor.

Of course, that’s why the above will never happen. If/when High Elves are added, they’ll be an Allied Race behind a rep grind (possibly achievements as well), and probably not have fantastic racials.

[Starlagosa-dentarg (Starlagosa)]

They could be Wretched High Elves…I’d be ok with that.

[Sigurd-boulderfist]

Back when I was a wee lad, I played WC2 a lot. Whenever I played ally, it was rangers rangers rangers. I 'd like to play a high elf. I feel as though the lore is flexible enough that the for and against arguments have validity. But if put to a vote, I personally would check the box next to “include high elves in the alliance.” I don’t think the game would suffer for it, and it would make me happy. I hear it might make some other people happy too.

[Vaelian-silver-hand (Vaelian)]

Still there’s no lore evidence that High Elves should be different from blood elves/Void Elves based on their physical structure,

In addition to the mentioned lineage of breeding with humans, it could also be explained with their dropping of the reliance on magic. So they had to rely on the physical/material more. So their frames reflect that. They’re considerably more nature oriented compared to the Sin’dorei.

[Gulrum-area-52 (Gulrum)]

Which is exactly why them having shamans would be perfect!

[Vaelian-silver-hand (Vaelian)]

Yup, I wouldn’t even mind druids, but that might be a bit much. Although if Wildhammer were made druids, they could learn it from them?

[Gulrum-area-52 (Gulrum)]

High Elf druids would be cool if they got the Zandalari treatment and their forms didn’t look like Night Elf ones. It would also make sense for them to treat it as just another frost, fire, or arcane type of deal, and not the more religious version of druidism that the Night Elves have.

[Talendrion-wyrmrest-accord (Talendrion)]

The problem with Pandaren being a neutral race is that their approach to neutrality was at odds with the context of a faction war were lines are drawn violently.

It’s not the same to gravitate to a faction because of philosopy than join one in the midst of a bloody war.

Hozen and Jinyu made sense in the context of an all out faction war, because they hated each other, but for pandaren it was just a stretch they would get so entrenched in either side, without development.

Cause that’s the thing, Pandaren could have easily made more sense in the context of the faction war, if they were actually developed through it, if we saw Huojin and Tushui get radicalized to the point they’d willingly fight each other. But beyond the Wandering Isle, there is just no choice for Huojin or Tushui, they just tag along, no development.

And that’s why Pandaren are just such a waste of a system with so much potential, because nothing was done about them choosing different factions.

[Talendrion-wyrmrest-accord (Talendrion)]

Still there’s no lore evidence that High Elves should be different from blood elves/Void Elves based on their physical structure, at least not in this era if there is any i’m not seeing it… and I doubt it is mentioned in any books how they would be. (aside from a few now non-canon sources)

To say there is no lore evidence predicates nothing can be reframed. There was no lore evidence that Suramar didn’t sink, or that some Blood Elves had gotten deep into the Void studies of dathremar, or that there was a Tribe of Highmountain tauren in the Broken Isles, or that the army of the light was composed of Light infused draenei. This is all lore that was introduced in Legion.

We already have been hinted in universe that High Elves are known for “mingling with lesser races that dilute their bloodline” If next expansion we were told this was enough of a thing that the Dalarani population of High Elves has human blood in it, would it be any different from any of the Allied races introduced in legion?

I’ve looked at the model edits from the other poster, look at the male character his shape doesn’t look elf-like at all, I can’t see them being related to the current High/Void Elves in any way.

I do find this very interesting. Like of course this is just fanart I made, and certainly not veery pro-high elf want to use a different model, but many people have liked these edits -or just the concept they represent, cause at the end of the day these are just proofs of concept of a Thalassian Elf proportioned model with a human stance- and if not so, the idea that HE’s could use a different model.

So here’s my question, what does it perhaps holds more value? That people that want high elves being okay with the idea of a different model, or someone that does not want High Elves dismissing the idea altogether? Who is it for at the end of the day, who is the audience for it?

Not to mention the story problems I already mentioned, and the faction imbalance introducing them it could cause.

Considering the deep faction imbalanced skewed towards the horde, and the complex variables that have led to it through many years, to still believe that because the Alliance get’s High Elves the tables will turn seems risible to me.

Like, why would so many Horde players that play BE’s leave the Horde and the advantages in gameplay and experience they have there to look relatively the same, but loosing that and their communities? Like people really overestimate the impact RP’er concerns have.

People don’t predominantly play Blood Elves because they are the best looking race, they choose them because they are the best looking Horde race. I feel people are really dismissive of the myriad reasons why people prefer to play Horde and reduce it solely to the BE model.

[Talendrion-wyrmrest-accord (Talendrion)]

As for something interesting someone sent to me.

https://i.ibb.co/7tGj4X4/femaleglow.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/NWLTGK2/femalenoglow.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/3F1Khk5/maleglow.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/XC5qBHh/malenoglow.jpg

There are simple edits of the VE's model with Thalassian Elves coloring, so this is the sort of thing we could be seeing if VE's were give High Elf coloring. As I have said before, I think I'd be okay with this compromise if the backstory for it as that High Elves join the Void Elves in some capacity -I mean, I already have my human paladin as a "Kul Tiran Human" on her XRP-

[Vexander-moon-guard]

Those don’t look so bad. Not fantastic, but not bad. Wouldn’t mind seeing some Void Elf hairstyles used for playable High Elves, but some of the hairstyles definitely need more work.

[Anastrillan-moon-guard]

I literally read nothing of your thread OP, but Holy Sweet Mother of Uther your mog is absolutely on point

[Vexander-moon-guard]

You realize the OP’s profile is Hidden so you can’t see their mog, right?

[Anastrillan-moon-guard]

armory

/10char