The undead are beings who have died and become trapped between life and death. One of the consequences of the involvement of Void in the undead’s metaphysics is that they only feel faint sensations of pain or discomfort from most physical stimuli. This is also why the Light is so painful to their existence. The dark energy serves as a buffer that prevents the souls of the undead from properly joining their bodies. As a result, their souls are imperfectly attached to them.
https://wowpedia.fandom.com/wiki/Void#Effects_on_beings
Last Paragraph.
In conclusion, it must burn void entities, too.
Even if you disagree with me that Void Elves cannot cast light, this is undeniably true for them as well:
For the undead (and Forsaken), this requires such a great deal of willpower that it is exceedingly rare, especially since it is self-destructive. When undead channel the Light, it feels (to them) as if their entire bodies are being consumed in righteous fire. Forsaken healed by the Light (whether the healer is Forsaken or not) are effectively cauterized by the effect: sure, the wound is healed, but the healing effect is cripplingly painful.
https://wowpedia.fandom.com/wiki/Ask_CDev
The situation with Alleria and Turalyon only confirms this.
What source are you referring to in particular?
The void elves are cleary void-sided and Alleria said she doesn’t walk the light’s path.
This thread discusses whether Blizzard ignored established lore. So you cannot use that as an example. It would be a circular argument.
The argument that Void Elves cannot cast light is based on a conclusion drawn from lore about the requirements to use light magic. If they’re not fulfilled, they shouldn’t be able to do it, even if it is not explicitly stated. If they do so without a satisfactory explanation, then the accusation that Blizzard is ignoring its own lore is justified.
The requirements are:
- A special kind of training
Learning to wield this healing force takes years of discipline, as it is necessary to learn to abnegate oneself through meditation, in order to become conduits for the Light.
https://warcraft.wiki.gg/wiki/Holy
No Paladin Class Trainer would train a Void Elf because they’re blasphemers in their eyes (cathedral greetings)
Abnegating entails giving up one’s own interests and desires, including the desire to control or understand the void.
_
- A special state of mind (added via edit)
Calling on the Light requires concentration, calm, and significant mental acuity. The more frightened, frustrated, or foggy the mind is, the more difficult or even impossible it is to use holy magic. A paralyzing poison or gas can temporarily restrict the focus of the mind, thus preventing the connection to the Light.
https://warcraft.wiki.gg/wiki/Holy#Characteristics
Try this with being schizophrenic at same time:
Since the shadow energies transformed them and opened their minds to the madness of the Void, the void elves constantly hear whispers that seek to corrupt them, something they have learned to fight against and keep control over. This assault is relentless and the discipline needed to resist them is extraordinary as the Void seeks to strip away the void elves of their flesh and their mortality, so that they may become slaves to the shadow’s all-consuming hunger.
https://warcraft.wiki.gg/wiki/Void_elf#Appearance_and_characteristics
_ - strong willpower & the belief to be good
As long as they believe their cause to be just, the Light will continue to serve them because wielding the Light is a matter of willpower and faith in one’s own ability to do it. Since he felt conflicted, Arthas Menethil’s ability to use the Light began to wane after he culled Stratholme. He perceived this as the Light choosing to abandon him, which weakened his faith in it further.
https://warcraft.wiki.gg/wiki/Holy#Uses_and_powers
Noble cause corruption: Even if you use evil powers for good, you are still dealing with evil powers. Is the void an evil power in the eyes of the void elves? Yes it is: The void Its very nature is detrimental to life and sanity.
(Locus-Walker to Alleria, audio drama, page 36)
The void elves are fully aware of their pact with the devil, since they need to to resist the whispers. The moment they believe the void isn’t bad, their name turns red. If they let go of the void in the process, we might as well call them High Elves right away and save us the trouble.
The essence of the class fantasy of a paladin, or a morally good character, is that he doesn’t use evil methods to accomplish his goals. A Paladin who violates his own dogma by torturing his opponent with mindflaying spells, allowing the Void to consume souls, or summoning a Lovecraftian evil to save the world is ridiculous. The moment he does that he’s no paladin anymore. You can’t justify that as good, under no circumstances, if you accepted the light before (which is a prerequisite to cast it). This is a question of alignment (ethical and moral perspective), not cosmology. And it’s precisely the involvement of the Void that makes this case so different from the Scarlet Crusade.
But hey, if you’re able to justify it without using the word “somehow” or creating another me’dan, be my guest. If you manage to do that, I’ll take my hat off.
Of course, the Blood Knight method still exists. On second thought, I don’t see anything of substance to contradict it. But it would be strange for the Alliance and blood elves to tolerate that.
If the written lore contradicts the gameplay, then there is a gameplay/story segregation. Ad nauseam doesn’t change that.
If one lore source contradicts another, there is a retcon or a continuity error.
Disc priests (who were only referred to as users of both in the legion preview, never before) are the latter, because acting evil for pragmatism results in the Arthas treatment, as previously explained. Their supposed dogma is equivalent to the forgotten shadow (= shadow priests). That doesn’t fit either.
Aside from that, I’m not even sure if there isn’t a minor retcon here. After all, this was just a preview, and the Discipline Priest’s artifact weapon was a Scarlet Crusade-style light weapon. The disc is a healer using lightshields all the time. So…
So you’re thinking it’s the default?
Because three cases of this “cycle” have been demonstrated in Nagrand, Auchindoun, and Sunwell Plateau (K’ure, D’ore, and M’uru, respectively), players may have received the wrong impression with regard to the magnitude and rarity of these events: it is EXCEEDINGLY rare for a naaru to fall into a void state, and even rarer for a fallen naaru to be brought back into the Light. A naaru’s fall into the void represents a catastrophic loss for the naaru and for the forces of the Light, and it is the saddest, most heart-wrenching event for the naaru to witness. Conversely, a naaru being reborn into the Light brings renewed hope and sense of purpose to every naaru; if energy beings could weep tears of joy, this would do it.
https://wowpedia.fandom.com/wiki/Ask_CDev
Doesn’t sound like that to me.
Speculation. We’ll see.
It appears that you became perplexed as to the actual meaning of those terms. What is the distinction between a Wild God whose anima capsule I destroyed and one I did not?
I looked it up again. My source here was out of date. I withdraw this point.
(However, it raises the question of what happened to the Broken on Argus.)
In my opinion it remains a stupid concept. If light and void could be combined at the same time, then the whole conflict would be completely superfluous.