The Unofficial High Elf Discussion Megathread

[Fyrebusche-kiljaeden]

We have no idea where Kael’thas could have ended up had the Alliance treated his people as respectable members of the Alliance, but we do know that Garithos and his band DID guide Kael’thas towards his betrayal.

thats a good point. garithos caused kael and his entourage to flee to Outland and ultimately Kiljaeden. theres a good chance the SC elves never would have left quel’thalas if they knew the alliance humans betrayed their prince

[Xerash-emerald-dream (Xerash)]

night elves lean into the wild elves territory.

Imagine wood elves are on a dial of 1-10

WoW high elves would be a solid 5-6 on it

Night elves are a 11-12 which goes into the wild elf territory(defends nature savagely and is rather beastial)

elder scrolls wood elves are a 13

warhammer wood elves are a solid 15+

Ugh, I know, I know lol.

I guess we don’t really need another hardcore, nature-defending type of Elf…

… unless we finish off the Night Elves for good this time.

[Bladinas-scarlet-crusade]

Just flag this guy already. He’s being nothing but toxic.

[Talendrion-wyrmrest-accord (Talendrion)]

1% didn’t rename. And now renaming your race makes you a new race.

10% of the remaining population (Not counting the survivors of the Alliance Expedition BTW!) Don’t be disingenous about the numbers now booboo.

Um guys, I’m no longer a Tauren. I am a High Tauren . Make High Tauren playable.

Your argument is dumb because now your arguing for a playable sub faction . And blizzard adds new races not new political groups of already established races

WoW, you finally got it, in a game about the constant fight between the political factions of the Horde Versus the Alliance, we want to play as a everpresent political faction, yes! Like you do get that a lot of this relates to how arbitrary silly is diving by race in a game about politics? Yet even so many here think that we should keep some faction exclusivity model wise, but that differentiation doesn’t have to be biology.

Because basing possible playable groups on a game about politics according to some biological litmus test, is just kinda silly. Light and Void don’t change your race, they just change your appearance, that’s not “biology” is “aesthetic”

[Lahilahi-wyrmrest-accord (Lahilahi)]

Are there really people in this thread against more character customization in the MMO with the least customization on the market? lol wow do I even have to explain this?

Put High elves in the game by either having Void Elves have normal skin option like there leader or Blood Elves have a normal eye option. Anyone against that for any reason seriously needs to get out.

[Fyrebusche-kiljaeden]

Light and Void don’t change your race, they just change your appearance, that’s not “biology” is “aesthetic”

tal come on bro. becoming lightforged and void doesnt change your race true, but it does change your “biology.” its not just “aesthetic” youre basically a light/void being now

[Talendrion-wyrmrest-accord (Talendrion)]

I see the problem as well, but to be quiet about our position is to kill the possibility we seek. Void elves are one humongous lore train wreck that have yet to show any reason to exist. I can’t fathom why Blizzard made these elves that no one asked for. To give up on what we really wanted now is to be okay with Blizzard making shoddily developed replacements.

Yeah, and to be more of a downer… The existence of Void Elves DOES High Elves less likely, we can’t deny that.

[Talendrion-wyrmrest-accord (Talendrion)]

Overall that’s a good point: ALL races should have more customization, ALL players should simply have more customization options. Like personally? Let Blood Elf players have blue eyes if they want.

[Lydon-emerald-dream (Lydon)]

…did you just…make your own arbitrary dial with your own upper and lower limit and then add entries you knew would be outside that range?

[Repodude-illidan]

It’s 1%. 10% survived and 10% of that didn’t rename. But think how pathetic this sounds:

You want to play the same race that is in the game… but renamed. Lol

[Drede-cairne (Drede)]

Quit feeding the trolls people!

[Mowachassa-dalaran (Mowachassa)]

What Ion said in that Q&A was just a bad excuse in his long list of bad excuses that’s throwing this game into the abyss. Those Q&A’s are making more harm than good to the community, maybe they should stop communicating after all. Most Q&A’s are causing more rage and riot than the opposite, Blizz is literally throwing more fuel into the fire, and I’m not talking about High Elves here.

The High Elf discussions are the only place where people defend Ion, and all of this just because he is on their side, and his wrong as usual. I have nothing against him i just think that placing a Encounter Designer into the position of Game Director didn’t went well, he don’t know how to communicate with the playerbase, lack knowledge in many aspects and clearly have no idea how to address problems with the community.
BfA Raids and Dungeons are awesome, put the man to design them again, replace him with someone with general knowledge of the game.

[Xerash-emerald-dream (Xerash)]

Also, the beginning of the Thalassian division IS relevant. No, the Thalassian Elves that retained their name as the High Elves were likely not enduring what Kael’thas and his people were enduring, but the Lordaeron remnants were responsible for cultivating the division between Thalassians, in part. We have no idea where Kael’thas could have ended up had the Alliance treated his people as respectable members of the Alliance, but we do know that Garithos and his band DID guide Kael’thas towards his betrayal.

Even though Kael’thas was labelled as a traitor when the Blood Elves of Silvermoon found out about what had been going on in Outland, it doesn’t erase how the Alliance treated Kael’thas and his band of Blood Elves when they were still loyal to the Alliance. Sure, Kael’thas made his own decisions, but the Alliance absolutely helped guide him along the way.

I don’t think we know exactly how the Blood Elves feel about Lordaeron treating Kael’thas and his group of Blood Elves, but it wouldn’t seem out of the question to assume that they harbor some sort of resentment towards the Alliance because of it, considering that the poor treatment happened prior to Kael’thas becoming corrupt.

But it’s important to know their experiences weren’t the experiences of all the remaining High Elves at the point, and no matter the reason of the schism, it created the divergence that worsened more and more with every different choice both groups made.

Absolutely, and these are the remaining Thalassian Elves that some of you folks want to focus on if and when High Elves are finally brought to the table as an Allied Race. I completely understand.

High Elves SHOULD have happened, no question about it, but Blizzard choosing to add Void Elves would make adding the High Elves leave a bit of a bad taste in the mouths of some – at least, if it were to be so soon after the Void Elves.

I don’t consider the Pandaren to be a strong counterpoint to adding the High Elves because of the way they were implemented as a neutral faction that gets to choose either Alliance or Horde, but the appearances for the High Elves seem to be a problem for Blizzard even though they SHOULDN’T be a problem at all. This is why I believe Blizzard gave us the Void Elves instead of the High Elves. True High Elf appreciators know and accept that the Blood Elves and High Elves look visually similar and are SUPPOSED to look visually similar. What’s important for the High Elves is their division from the Blood Elves and decision to maintain their relationship with the Alliance, among a few other differences here and there.

[Lydon-emerald-dream (Lydon)]

White, Blue, Gold, Cyan, Violet for High Elves.

White, Blue, Gold, Green, Red, and Violet for Blood Elves.

All are canon eye colors in one form or another. Honestly the last Q&A has me itching to know about new customizations and loosening transmog restrictions, even if they didn’t ever get to addressing Nightborne despite it showing up like 6 or 7 times.

[Callistus-wyrmrest-accord]

Flag the trolls. Don’t feed them.

[Alamara-goldrinn (Alamara)]

During the TFT timeline, a “blood elf” was just a name in homage of the dead. Blood elves and high elves weren’t that different, and I bet most high elves would have renamed themselves gladly at that point.

However, once Kael went to Outland (Garithos’ fault) and started getting desperate and corrupt, things went south. Until then, the elves in Silvermoon were probably waiting their princes’ glorious return, and maybe even considered themselves part of the Alliance again. Rommath’s return changed everything.

Rommath brought with him Kael’s new path. He spreaded the news of the Alliance’s betrayal, gave M’uru to be drained as a power source, taugh the elves how to forcefully drain mana off living beings and used fel as power to rebuild Quel’thalas.

At this point, many elves started to be afraid of the direction their society was going. Loud dissenters were mind-controlled (like Lyria and Ennas) or exiled (like the Quel’lithien elves). Families broke apart (like Vyrin Swiftwind’s) as some were too appalled by the new practices to remain in Quel’thalas. These elves, now equating the name “blood elves” to this new path, called themselves again high elves. Some, like Renthar Hawkspear, were not even aware that it was a path set by Kael, and instead blamed the Magisters. They expected their prince to return one day and set things right against the blood elf “traitors”.

Meanwhile, the high elves living far from Silvermoon would get news of their society changing and welcome the exiles. Apalled by the dark path Quel’thalas was setting into, they cut themselves from their former people. Those living in the wilderness would seek the safety of Alliance lands. Others were always part of the Alliance and decided to never abandon it. Meanwhile, the blood elves joined the Horde.

As time went on, the Sin’dorei and Quel’dorei paths would only get further apart. Even the reignition of the Sunwell was not enough to mend the wounds. The high elves would always remember that the blood elves exiled and shunned them in their darkest hour.

They are now effectively two different cultures. And, while still the same biological race, their appearance still bears the marks of their respective paths.

[Lydon-emerald-dream (Lydon)]

I was with you until the last two paragraphs, which are a bit colored by your bias and desire for High Elves and Blood Elves to be super separate culturally.

The reignition of the Sunwell did mend at least a bit of the relations, as we saw High Elf pilgramages begin at that point. While some who were exiled under thr Magister’s order like Hawkspear were rightfully still angry, many were able to at least be that neutral to allow such pilgramages and unserstand who the Blood Elves were, outside Varessa’s Silver Covenant of course, who seemed hellbent on keeping Blood Elved out of Dalaran.

[Talendrion-wyrmrest-accord (Talendrion)]

Absolutely, and these are the remaining Thalassian Elves that some of you folks want to focus on if and when High Elves are finally brought to the table as an Allied Race. I completely understand.

Thank you.

High Elves SHOULD have happened, no question about it, but Blizzard choosing to add Void Elves would make adding the High Elves leave a bit of a bad taste in the mouths of some – at least, if it were to be so soon after the Void Elves.

Agreed, and I do think most people would be accommodating if the answer WAS “we can make High Elves happen so soon” If we KNEW that High Elves would be the, like 8th Alliance Allied Race, I think we would wait. If the answer was a vague, “Yes, but not yet” I don’t think many a folk would be angry about that.

I don’t consider the Pandaren to be a strong counterpoint to adding the High Elves because of the way they were implemented as a neutral faction that gets to choose either Alliance or Horde, but the appearances for the High Elves seem to be a problem for Blizzard even though they SHOULDN’T be a problem at all. This is why I believe Blizzard gave us the Void Elves instead of the High Elves. True High Elf appreciators know and accept that the Blood Elves and High Elves look visually similar and are SUPPOSED to look visually similar. What’s important for the High Elves is their division from the Blood Elves and decision to maintain their relationship with the Alliance, among a few other differences here and there.

Agreed. The reason High Elves are appealing is because of their history and how that has branched away from Blood Elven history, their different ideology and politics. They are different narratives.

And here’s the thing, if aesthetics were the issue, why didn’t they just make the Void Elves have a High Elf origin on the first place? Same customization sure, but at least e would have the backstory we actually wanted. The issue is that Void Elves give almost nothing HE people wanted; just pointy ears.

If playable High Elves HAVE to be different enough to be playable, just give them the Nightborne treatment: Change the posture and the shades of the skin tones -High Elves could have pastier/ashier appearances- and hair color -duller hair colors- give them tattoos. They would look as different from Blood Elves as Nightborne do from NE. The reason of a different model doesn’t have to be biological.

[Alamara-goldrinn (Alamara)]

I was with you until the last two paragraphs, which are a bit colored by your bias and desire for High Elves and Blood Elves to be super separate culturally.

I am writing it from a high elf’s point of view, of course.
If I were writing from a blood elf’s point of view, I’d call the high elves fools or lost siblings.

The reignition of the Sunwell did mend at least a bit of the relations, as we saw High Elf pilgramages begin at that point.

The blood elves are trying to mend some wounds, no doubt, but that’s a far cry from the high elves returning home. Sure, some may choose to stay, but most high elves still live in Alliance lands and consider the Horde their enemies.

[Fyrebusche-kiljaeden]

I was with you until the last two paragraphs, which are a bit colored by your bias and desire for High Elves and Blood Elves to be super separate culturally.

i was ok with everything before the beginning of the fourth paragraph