Yes, I think it’s a huge missed opportunity to not have Auric Sunchaser, Theloria Shadecloak, Thaela Everstride and other Allerian elves as their former captain’s lieutenants.
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Sean Copeland, the story team historian, has gone on record saying “Continuity exists to enhance the story, not tie the hands of the creators.” They also recently stated that Chronicle, the supposed lore bible, is actually just all Titan lies. Confirmed lore is worth nothing because the creators don’t care that it’s confirmed, they just care if it fits with what they want to do.
Precisely.
Which is why I question why people are so hellbent on having “confirmed” lore regarding void elves before they’ll accept what things developers have said behind the scenes regarding them. Would it be nice to have it? Absolutely! I would love nothing more than more void elf story.
Does it mean though that void elves are outrageously lacking in identity? I don’t think so. I think their identity lies more on Quel’thalas than people want (weirdly, given the huge demand for Alliance elves). I always get the feeling that they want some kind of void infused culture where they’ve borderline created their own language.
They’re literally just Blood Elves and High Elves that are deep, deep, deeeep into the void, y’all.
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I’d rather be a fel-cursed member of nobility than either a band of traitor void cultists or a band of vindictive fools.
I have no idea what you’re saying but ok.
The line is that I want actual lore, not some developer ramblings. I pay for the game, not for developer interviews. The developers saying “Alliance won both warfronts” to me is nothing without the game actually addressing it and making it clear for everyone.
I don’t get this mentality of accepting any poor excuse as “lore”. Blizzard constantly retconning facts or leaving plotlines hanging is a flaw, not a merit. I want them to do better.
It was lore that made me care for “Warcraft”. It was lore, not gameplay, that allowed the change from RTS to MMORPG. It’s lore that made the Lich King a great villain, and still make people cheer whenever Arthas is remembered. Meanwhile, poor storylines diminished great villains like Deathwing.
I want lore. It’s because of its poor current quality that I didn’t preorder Shadowlands, nor will pay for the Bundle of Cats sale in the online store. Bad gameplay can ruin a game, but bad lore can ruin the entire franchise.
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Not that I disagree that Blizzard’s standards have dwindled in recent years, but this honestly seems like something you’re frustrated at that’s beyond the scope of void elf lore. But I won’t digress into telling you how you feel.
Do I want more lore content from Blizzard? Of course. But I also acknowledge that if they want to create new lore, they have to create new lore and that takes real time in a game that unfolds in…real time.
Also, personal preference perhaps but I appreciate a game that doesn’t spell everything out for you but rather, shows you. Some people don’t accept that new Void Elves can be made because there’s not a questline or in-game dialogue about it or something, but there’s enough there to connect the dots for me, and a developer confirmed.
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Void elves are just the tip of the iceberg. The entirety of BfA has been nothing but frustrating plots that are abandoned or quickly finished without any care for those who are invested in them.
I’ve been the one counting on Blizzard to deliver a satisfying grand finale to the faction war, and asking people to wait because it seemed like we were heading to a great conclusion to BfA. But no, Blizzard bait-switched villains and abandoned the war plot midway. To make it worse, it wasn’t even a desperate decision, but it’s clear now that it was the intended conclusion all along.
They had two years and 7 patches to develop void elves into something.
Stormsong was crawling with void forces, and Blizzard even admited that the Horde attack there was a last-minute decision because the zone was too boring. Why not use the opportunity to put void elves in the forefront there?
Uldir? Alliance didn’t even have any storyline leading into it. Another perfectly wasted opportunity to use void elves.
More void story in Vol’dun? No void elves in sight. Actually, Umbric appeared there, but all he did was complain about the heat.
Drustvar and all the dark magic? No, no time to include a void elf questing area exploring the magic of the drust or something.
Let’s purge the Gift of N’Zoth? Who better to do it than the void elves? Nope, it will be a tidesage, because reasons.
Nazjatar, full of void magic? Perfect time for Umbric to shine or introduce a new void elf, right? Nope, the only void elves in sight are generic random-race guardians and one character named Haalie Millionia that does nothing the entire patch.
8.3, the biggest void patch? FInally, void elves will do something, right? Nope, leave it to Wrathion and let’s completely forget the factions exist. Void elves will be enemies in a vision of a future that will never happen.
Lore is not a matter of time, it’s a matter of will. A talented writer can weave stories together and use them as opportunities to develop things. Blizzard just doesn’t want to do so.
It’s very clear to me that void elves were created without a plan, and that Blizzard writers have no idea of what to do with them. The void expansion (who was misleadingly billed as “faction war expansion”) came and went away and the void elves remain in the same loreless state they began.
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Alright, fine. Blizzard loves Horde more then Alliance and they made Void elves because they did not want to give Alliance High elves purely out of spite.
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He was a male Void Elf. He really enjoyed the race.
I used to agree with this argument. However not only are High Elves not the pure and perfect Elves that some think they are, but like the current Void Elves they would likely be forced into the transformation. It all depends on how it’d be implemented
Perhaps Blizz could’ve written it so that instead of having Alleria consume the dark Naruu, she instead uses it as some sort of sacred relic to transform herself, leaving the artifact intact for the possible conversion of future Void Elves. Alleria could attempt to convince Vereesa and her followers to convert as a way of curing them of their magical addiction and severe their ties to the Sunwell for good
That’s how I would’ve written it, anyway. High Elves don’t seem to resent the Blood Elves for employing the use of fel crystals, it’s more their hatred towards the Horde that keep them from joining their kin
If I were writing for Void Elves I probably would’ve made the same call for the source of the first few.
But if I were actually in a position to make the call? F/// it, give the Alliance their High Elves. Fan service isn’t going to hurt anyone, and it’s not like High Elves have some sort of engaging role in Azeroth by remaining generally uninvolved. And the blueberry High Elf adjacents probably would’ve been left on the cutting room floor because they’re just a big ball of confusion and why is this?
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I would say someone who thinks “X character is Y race, therefore they are Z faction” still needs to have their mind developed.
If I were given the mission to define void elves, I’d:
Recruitment Questline
- Include the Silver Covenant and Alleria’s lieutenants in the story, helping her track Umbric in Ghostlands. Would use that to reintroduce several high elf characters that would be turned into void elves: Auric Sunchaser, Taela Everstride, Theloria Shadecloak, Summoner Nolric. I’d give each gossip text explaining their reasons for following Alleria.
- In the Telogrus part of the recruitment, I’d make the above lieutenants plus a squad of Silver Covenant rangers go with Alleria and the player. They’d be captured and turned into void elves together with Umbric’s group.
- I’d explore Umbric a bit more during the fight in Telogrus, making him be trapped latter, and giving him chances to show his personality, his ideals and devotion to his followers.
- At the end of the storyline, a brief conversation between Vereesa (still a high elf) and Alleria, to show how the high elves react to the transformed void elves.
Racial hub
- Rather than just Telogrus, I’d make Quel’danil a small high/void elf town. Void elf players would start in Telogrus, but the portal would lead to Quel’danil. The portal to/from Stormwind would be in the town rather than in the rift.
- I’d establish through gossip text in Quel’danil and Telogrus that the void/high elves would have a relationship like worgen/gilneans, in that only the former are playable but their lore would be intertwined from now on. Void elves would be like an elite force of defenders of their gestalt society, with people carefully chosen to join their ranks.
- I’d also show there’s two clashing phylosophies among void elves: Umbric’s, based on studying and acquiring power, and Auric’s, who thinks the void elf path must not be abused, as it is a sacrifice for the good their people and should not be taken lightly.
- Class trainers in Quel’danil/Telogrus would be: Instructor Duskwalker (Mage), Theloria Shadecloak (Rogue), Taela Everstride (Hunter), Summoner Nolric (Warlock), Ennas and Lyria Skystrider (Priests), Kriss Goldenlight (monk, still a high elf)
- Here’s how I’d update Quel’danil (Telogrus portal would be in the cave):
Stories
- I’d use Stormsong to explore the void elves. Instead of the Horde being just chaotic evil and attacking Brennadan, it would be void elves investigating the void in the region. A high elf apprentice would be under trial to show his worth to become a void elf. I’d explore their morality and how they learn to control their abilities.
- Then, during the questline, we find out the Horde building their base, and we sabotage using the void to weaken them (leading to the Horde questline in Stormsong, when their base is under attack). At the end of the successful campaign, I’d show the apprentice becoming a void elf.
- I’d put Umbric and Auric working together in the war campaign, to showcase their different ways of thinking as they bicker among themselves.
Other
- I’d update the Priest Ennas/Lyria Skystrider event in Silvermoon, now with them as void elves preaching to recruit blood elves. This time, when the magisters summon someone to silence them, Ennas would stun the magisters with a void attack, while Lyria would open a portal for them to escape.
Appearance
- I’d try to give them at least some “normal-ish” skins, like in the images bellow. Something not quite healthy, still purple-ish, but less blue.
- I’d also add silver-blue (like Alleria in void form) and reddish hair colors.
- They should have tattoo options like Alleria’s, in colors like violet, deep blue and red.
That alone would make the void elves a thousand times more interesting, and somewhat more varied in appearance. Also, it could potentially avoid the entire high elf discussion that followed their introduction and still plague the forums to this day.
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And I’d rather be a militant, celtic high elf that can play a crusader templar paladin so I grey up the alliances white by murdering blood elves.
Also braveheart tattooes. =p
So to each their own.
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Void elves are better… by and far than High elves, blood elves, Night elves, or Nightborne
Alliance players just don’t understand how good we have it…
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not sure what you mean by ‘celtic’ but thats pretty much pure fanfiction. there was literally 1 alliance ‘high’ elf fighting in the fourth war who could have had any kind of presence(the island expedition member we will never see after BFA). if you want to be a proper traditional high elf the horde is waiting. thats what blood elves are, the high elves of quel’thalas proper. just like the playable generic human is a stormwind human, you dont get to be a defias/alterac/fogsail freebooter. if you want to be a light skinned and majestic elf that IS a blood elf
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This 10000X
Woa hold your horses there.
Night Elves >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> other mutated Elves.
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Still kind of prefer the Blue coloration myself.