Void Elf-High Elf Customization Thread

[Fenelon-wyrmrest-accord]

@Zurogrusel-darrowmere

https://i.imgur.com/Lm2IBME.png

[Zucchininee-emerald-dream]

@Sarallesta-sargeras

And what happens if they did give more High Elven customisations for the Void Elves?

They’ll continue playing this game, completely unafected by other people’s cosmetic choices, as usual.

[Leinadh-stormrage]

Coming in late, but these hairstyles and colors look wonderful!

Definitely seeing these as potential options for Void Elves.

Thanks so much for your contribution, I love your ideas

[Tarrok-thorium-brotherhood (Tarrok)]

Similarly, you can continue playing the game, completely unaffected by some cosmetic options remaining unique to one side.

[Leinadh-stormrage]

@Tarrok-thorium-brotherhood

Similarly, you can continue playing the game, completely unaffected by some cosmetic options remaining unique to one side

That’s not really accurate, considering that natural hair color options are not “cosmetic options unique to the Horde” - the Alliance races have access to those colors as well. But imagine you’re right and the Horde was the only faction with brown-haired elves, for instance.

That’s not a reasonable comparison, either, because in neither of both scenarios (whether Void Elves get or do not get natural hair colors) Blood Elf players are directly affected gameplaywise, whereas Void Elf players are directly affected, as they literally lose or gain more options to choose from within the game.

So yes, we Void Elf players are affected by (not) having access to natural hair colors, as we cannot portray our characters the way we want them, which is precisely the goal of SL and future expansions, according to the ipse dixit of all of the developers.

Blood Elf players on the other hand aren’t affected at all in neither of those scenarios. Racial “visual uniqueness” does not give or remove any tangible option within the game, it’s only an abstract concept that might make you feel good or bad, but it does not alter your gameplay experience whatsoever. Having or not having access to certain tangible customizations, on the other hand, does.

[Tarrok-thorium-brotherhood (Tarrok)]

It’s exactly the same. One of us gets their preference the other doesn’t. Same amount of effect no matter what excuses you come up with for why you are more important.

[Lore-herod]

How about both sides get the customization they want without gatekeeping things from the other side, it’s that simple.

Also, this is a very neutral post so I’m unsure why this was targeted for flagging.

[Tarrok-thorium-brotherhood (Tarrok)]

maybe you could stop with misusing serious terms to try to shame people over pixel elves?

[Muir-kelthuzad]

@Tarrok-thorium-brotherhood

It’s exactly the same. One of us gets their preference the other doesn’t. Same amount of effect no matter what excuses you come up with for why you are more important.

It’s not actually the same. Leinadh is absolutely correct when he says this portion.

@Leinadh-stormrage

Having or not having access to certain tangible customizations, on the other hand, does.

And here are Blizzard quotes on their entire goal of expanded customization to reinforce that point.

“Whenever possible, we’ll keep expanding on [customization],” Cannon said in an interview with Polygon. “We’re really, really happy with what we’ve achieved so far and super positive that the community is so positive about that.”

Source 1 https://www.polygon.com/2020/7/13/21318873/world-of-warcraft-shadowlands-summit-customization-updates-forest-trolls-void-elves

With the Shadowlands pre-expansion patch, you’ll have hundreds of new character customization options available at your fingertips to make characters uniquely yours. Carve your human’s face with battle scars, adorn your blood elves in delicate armlets and wristbands skillfully forged by Silvermoon’s metalsmiths, and give your worgen glowing eyes or vertical-slit pupils to reflect the beast within.

Source 2 https://news.blizzard.com/en-us/world-of-warcraft/23529005/shadowlands-preview-character-customization

With hundreds of new additions with thousands of new combinations, Shadowlands ’ new character customization options will help you better create the characters you envision in your mind.

Source 3 https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/news/23537372/tell-your-story-with-character-customization

Given that some of the new customization options in Shadowlands let us play as sub-races like Wildhammer Dwarves or Sandfury Trolls, will World of Warcraft: Shadowlands introduce any quests to explain their new presence among the Horde and Alliance?

There no specific plans around those lines in Shadowlands, though. I think we are planning on just broadly incorporating the range of character customization options for NPCs as well as players just across the world. I think in some ways, frankly, it’s a bit of a retcon. Like we’re not going to change existing named established characters and make them look different. But walking around Stormwind or around other parts of the world, you will see guards and random civilians that have these looks as if they’ve been there all along.

Frankly, I think we see this as correcting an oversight on our part over the years. And just trying to improve representation more broadly. And we are custodians of a fantasy universe and a world that we build. And we don’t want to, you know, not do the right thing because we feel shackled to a decision that was made creatively in a different era 15 plus years ago. Now, as for, you know, details of troll clans and dwarf clans, we have opportunities to do things like racial heritage lines or other race-focused questlines. That’s a fun opportunity to explore those areas, but we don’t have any specific thoughts for Shadowlands.

The way the new character customizations have been designed, it all feels very modular. Is that something you think you’ll continue to add more to?

Yes, I think that we see this initiative as an ongoing one. It’s a platform upon which we can continue to build and add. We’ve already heard tons of requests and feedback on existing customizations and things people would love to see. And while we, of course, can’t get to everything in the limited time we have, that doesn’t stop as soon as Shadowlands is out. It’s a process that will continue. There are other races you want to give attention to, and then continue to revisit just the general space of letting people express themselves as their avatars with the greatest diversity possible in the game world.

Source 4 https://www.windowscentral.com/world-warcraft-shadowlands-big-interview-game-director-ion-hazzikostas

Emphasis on the bolded and italicized parts.

Especially words like:

Expanding

New Options

New Additions

New Combinations

Improving Representation Broadly

Ongoing Initiative

Process That Will Continue

[Muir-kelthuzad]

I don’t see anything about keeping already existing combinations sacrosanct. Plus again, we’re talking about hair color already on 21/22 races.

[Muir-kelthuzad]

Oh wow, also just saw this from one of the articles I posted. How did this get missed?

https://www.polygon.com/2020/7/13/21318873/world-of-warcraft-shadowlands-summit-customization-updates-forest-trolls-void-elves

Why will these large-scale cosmetic drops keep coming? Because Shadowlands overhauled the way that cosmetics work; it’s no longer an exponential increase in effort to keep adding systems like the Night Warrior cosmetics. Now everything is on the table — including options like Forest Trolls or Blood Elf hair colors on Void Elves.

[Tarrok-thorium-brotherhood (Tarrok)]

@Muir-kelthuzad

It’s not actually the same. Leinadh is absolutely correct when he says this portion.

You have always had access to those options, and nothing has changed. On the other hand Blood elves keep being the one race that continually loses their uniqueness to the other faction. It’s a two way street, no matter what excuses you come up with for why the other side is less important than you.

And as to the rest, you can label your character whatever you want, no need for more.

And that last quote is Polygon not Blizzard

[Muir-kelthuzad]

@Tarrok-thorium-brotherhood

You have always had access to those options, and nothing has changed.

What options are you referencing that we’ve “always had access to”? Until Shadowlands the Alliance has never come as close as it has to playing High Elves.

[Tarrok-thorium-brotherhood (Tarrok)]

the option to play as a modern azerothian high elf of Silvermoon

[Muir-kelthuzad]

Not sure what that is, is it the Alliance High Elf people have been asking for? I didn’t see any options exist until Shadowlands, please do show me where.

@Tarrok-thorium-brotherhood

And that last quote is Polygon not Blizzard

You do understand that these articles get proofread by Blizzard before they’re posted right?

[Muir-kelthuzad]

@Tarrok-thorium-brotherhood

It’s a two way street, no matter what excuses you come up with for why the other side is less important than you.

This actually also isn’t about ‘one side being more important than the other’ , because that’s not how Blizzard sees it.

I gave you many sources for how they are thinking about the expanded customizations.

While you have not produced any proof where Blizzard feels certain looks should be kept sancrosanct.

[Tarrok-thorium-brotherhood (Tarrok)]

It’s the core of the race that’s been playable for years, and which you want to strip for parts without any empathy for the people who will feel put out by that, but who you demand they feel empathetic to your desire to play their race on the faction they’re not actually part of in any meaningful way.

@Muir-kelthuzad

You do understand that these articles get proofread by Blizzard before they’re posted right?

You do get that’s just game writer speculating and it’s really laughable that you’re pretending that that’s some sort of sign to thing to come?

[Tarrok-thorium-brotherhood (Tarrok)]

@Muir-kelthuzad

I gave you many sources for how they are thinking about the expanded customizations.

And it’s more pretending general statements apply to your specific.

[Muir-kelthuzad]

@Tarrok-thorium-brotherhood

It’s the core of the race that’s been playable for years, and which you want to strip for parts without any empathy for the people who will feel put out by that

This is your viewpoint. Not Blizzard’s.

@Tarrok-thorium-brotherhood

but who you demand they feel empathetic to your desire to play their race on the faction they’re not actually part of in any meaningful way.

I don’t demand anyone to feel empathetic. Posting about options you’d like to see isn’t asking others to be empathetic.

But posting about what you’d like to see shouldn’t incur harassment for sure.

@Tarrok-thorium-brotherhood

You do get that’s just game writer speculating and it’s really laughable that you’re pretending that that’s some sort of sign to thing to come?

Again - these are proofread for content before being published, that’s standard. Also all I see it as is a writer understanding what Blizzard’s statements mean.

@Tarrok-thorium-brotherhood

And it’s more pretending general statements apply to your specific.

Instead of merely interpreting what I’m saying, why not interpret all the Blizzard statements I have provided and show me how they apply to your specific?

[Tarrok-thorium-brotherhood (Tarrok)]

@Muir-kelthuzad

But posting about what you’d like to see shouldn’t incur harassment for sure.

neither should disagreement.

@Muir-kelthuzad

Again - these are proofread for content before being published, that’s standard.

so they don’t make a factual mistake, like saying blizz is making a wildhammer subrace instead of just some visual options. Not to edit the speculation or examples used for it.

@Muir-kelthuzad

Instead of merely interpreting what I’m saying, why not interpret all the Blizzard statements I have provided and show me how they apply to your specific?

You are the one constantly spinning things to mean more than they actually do, like the polygon thing. You posted quotes about more options for each race, not destroying the faction system.