It’s not about “punishing the players” it’s more about respecting them. When Void elves were initially introduced, their use of the Blood elf model was justified by Ion under the idea that there would be a clear, defining visual distinction between them and Blood elves. Over time that “visual distinction” has diminished almost entirely, leaving many players feeling sort of slighted by having their character race tossed over to the enemy faction after a decade as a core horde race.
This is a bit of a disingenuous stance is it not? The only reason we’ve gotten to a point where it’s all or nothing, is because Void elves have already taken everything, and now want the very last remaining visual keeping the two apart. No matter how diplomatic you want to appear, it doesn’t change the reality of the situation.
I’d imagine the arguing would never stop until the alliance has a complete blood elf clone, down to the very class selection.
It doesn’t respect High elf fans, not even Void elf fans with such little customization choice. Your request might respect a portion of the playerbase, that being the Horde, but not the Alliance. The very reason Void elves came out was because High elves were requested. Once they realized people were not happy with them because they looked nothing like High elves, they tried patching it up, which ofcourse is impossible with those hair colour choices.
So no, Void elves don’t have everything Blood elves have. I have made some suggestions and have tried to be accommodating, but it’s hard to think of colours that can have a lighter shade to them without to an extent ‘‘breaching’’ further on Blood elf hair. And it’s kind of unfair too given how ALL races in the game enjoy black and white hair apart from Void elves.
On the class thing, personally, no, I do not wish for paladins for Void elves. Though they are on a huge disadvantage given how Belfs have 2 more classes available to them.
That sounds like a good idea! Purple roots fading to sparkly blonde ends yep I’m all for that! I’d also be interested to see a jet black with sparkling purple on the edges.
But should the hold out “high elf fans” be respected in this way?
The high elves became the blood elves, and Blizzard should have stuck with that. The race has moved on, their story is with the Horde now. Why does everything have to be rearranged to satisfy people who can’t get past WC2?
Lighter colour shades benefit both High elf and Void elf fans. I actually do not belong to that category who asked for High elves on Alliance since before TBC. I began on WoW in late TBC as a Nelf druid, then mained Draenei Frost DK for 6 years afterwards. I was over the moon when Void elves came out and actually had no idea about all the High elf requests until SL! I am here because I want variety on my void elf, inc some lighter shades.
It most certainly does respect High elves, as the majority of Blood elven content is “high elven” from their themes, visuals, and to their backstory. To play a Blood elf, is to experience the High elven story. What you mean to say is it doesn’t respect the Alliance “High elf” request, which the Alliance never had any right to in the first place. The Ship on who got playable High elves sailed quite some time ago.
And little customization choices? Are we looking at the same allied race? Void elves have got quite the arsenal of customization options, especially if we compare them to other allied races. Even the Nightborne, which were supposedly meant as a trade off between models have desperate selection in comparison to the Void elves. There has definitely been no lack of respect made for them in this department.
Yes, which was another example of their wiliness to compromise, but it comes to a point where you’re no longer compromising, and you’re just flat out asking for the whole caboodle. It’s impossible because to do so would result in completely cloning the Blood elf model, which they’re aware would upset the Horde, and Blood elf playerbase. Why should they cater to a playerbase they’ve already made so many compromises for, over another group who’s gotten essentially nothing in return?
That’s the point, you think you’re entitled to everything the Blood elves have because you want Alliance High elves, and that isn’t true. You’ve been given 90% of the Blood elf race, and quite honestly that’s enough.
Except not all races are allied races, and Void elves are the exception because they’re a model clone of an existing race on another faction. They’re not meant to be blank templates like core races, their very existence is based and justified by their defining visual void theme setting them apart from their core counterpart. Void elves are just that, void elves.
It doesn’t matter what you personally want because it’s a slippery slope. The moment natural hair colors are given to Void elves, and they can appear completely free of the void, the next step players will take is asking for Paladins. This quest is never going to be over until Void elves completely clone Blood elves.
I mean, I’m not opposed to all lighter options, I just feel that they need to be clearly more than natural. We’ve got a new interesting race, but so far it feels like way too much of the extra options given to them are just things replicating things that are already in game.
I don’t see the need for you to be so aggressive. You are definitely not arguing in good faith at all. I am trying to make suggestions in good faith. I’m sorry that the races look so similar, but maybe it has to do with the fact that you have solely enjoyed them for the last 16 years while the Alliance had to put up with, let’s see, vanilla models humans, night elves, and the what you liked to call ‘‘space-goats’’ until Legion. I think the old models, especially of night elves, looked really horrid compared to Blood elves. Maybe if they had given the Alliance an equally good looking race, they wouldn’t be asking for their own version of High elves for 16 years. And they kept adding High elf NPCs around Alliance territories to rub it in.
Also, Void elves got skin colours and eyes copied over. No new hairstyles, no new hair colours. And customizations are granted in waves, not to just one race in each patch.
No I do not want everything Blood elves have. Some people do and I cannot speak for everyone. I am actively attempting to introduce ideas and suggestions to keep things unique between us. Oooor are you perhaps not interested in that? Are you perhaps interested in just claiming that Void elves get no hair colours at all? Because this is an attitude that is frowned upon by people in the company.
I don’t think I was being aggressive here? I’m pointing out very real, concrete points myself, and others have made countless times in this discussion.
Now who’s arguing in bad faith?
I’m sorry that you personally don’t like the Alliance races, but they’re still considered some of the most beloved races in the game by community standards. The recent customization wave did more for humans and Night elves than any other race in the game, with Blood elves largely receiving the shaft. Us having a good-looking race isn’t an argument that you should have rights to it as well, just as the Horde doesn’t have rights to any of the alliance races.
I think this is a terribly subjective idea to argue from, and thus not very compelling at all. Many people, myself included greatly appreciate the visual designs of many of the Alliance races, and I’m sure I’m not the only one who believes they’ve received much love in terms of their customizations and models over the years.
Night elves got some of the best customization options in Shadowlands, greatly overshadowing many of the other races in the games. Humans also got a plethora of options as well, including multiple different ethnicities, new face models, new textures etc.
They already had a pretty large selection of customization options from the getaway. Vastly outnumbering the options available to their allied race counterpart, the Nightborne, which still sport the same dismal number of options since their introduction. I can’t fathom how you can sit here and try to equate them as the poor neglected stepchild of wow races when they practically got the royal treatment.
New hairstyles and colors does not have to include ones that already exist among the Blood elves. And please do not assume what is, and isn’t frowned upon by the company as if you’re speaking on their behalf.
if youre ok with that after the skin tones, youre not anti
void magic is associated with dark cold colors. their hair color seclection reflects this. their situation is very similar to nightborne who will probably never have the rainbow of hair color choice the night elves can pick for obvious reasons
im not taking bait and spinning the broken record anymore but it needed to be said. if someone doesnt like void elf themes then they can play a blood elf. high elf fans can choose a blood elf or void elf, the options already exist and neither one will get all options
Like the rest of the sentence said, I’m not for them getting the blondes and brunette colors most of them want. But there’s plenty of ways to make lighter toned clearly voidy options.
I apologise if you were not actually trying to be aggressive, maybe I misjudged. But it sounded like you were claiming that High elves did not exist in the Alliance at all prior to the introduction of Void elves.
Well, like you said, the recent one. When Blood elves came out back in TBC, the only race remotely close pixel-wise was draenei, but they were very niche given they have hooves and tendrils, so they weren’t so popular. While I do love draenei and mained one for many years, it took me around 2 years to grow fond of them and begin appreciating them. Night elves back then pixel-wise had it terrible, especially males. This went on until WOD, where some updates were introduced, until several exps later Legion came out. Also, I consider it safe to say that if this is my way of thinking, then it also is for many others, given how many people play Blood elves so zealously. The majority of the Horde plays Blood elves.
They have several skin colours and eye colours which is great. BUT they have 8 hair colours, of which 3-4 look almost the same. When the next customization wave comes for Allied races I expect to see options added for the features Velfs are lacking, like hair colours and hairstyles, markings, ear option, etc.
Agreed. Which is why I suggested some variations. Our good friend Sherrokaa above made some more suggestions as well. Also, with all the colours currently available to Blood elves, some similarities are inevitable.
In the meantime, HMT remain the official cool kids club for people with taste so exquisite they don’t need a lot of customization options to play a race this amazing.
My point is that Blood elves were designed as the inheritors of the High elven story, and the mere fact that some Alliance High elves exist does not mean the Alliance are entitled to them as a race. Blood elves have been the most popular, and defining playable race on the Horde for over a decade, and it’s important that their distinction as a core race remain intact.
But you have to realize that up until this point the Horde had no pleasant looking races at all, which likely played a role in why the Blood elves ended up on the faction that they did. But once that boat sailed, their position as a Horde race was sealed.
I was always torn between Draenei and Blood elves, I even got the Orb of Deceit so I could turn myself into a Draenei whenever it was off cooldown. It was moreso the Blood/High elf lore that I drew a preference.
Yes, but I imagine Blizzard had already planned a model update anyway, and it wasn’t long before all the playable races would receive their visual updates. The point is that as of now, the Alliance races have gotten far more love, and creativity poured into them than anything we’ve seen on the Horde, barring perchance the tauren flower accessary alone.
No one is saying that Blood elves/High elves aren’t awesome, they totally are, but that shouldn’t be any grounds to just strip them of everything that makes them unique and interesting, and just give it to the enemy faction. It just cheapens them as a race overall.
I remain skeptical as Hair color was among one of the things Ion stressed as a defining theme for Blood elves when describing why they chose Void elves over High elves. "You want to play as a fair skinned, blue eyed, majestic elf?
