Lore-wise, what’s the big difference between how a Void Elf and a Shadow Priest use their void powers? Both infuse themselves with the power of the void.
Additionally, is there any real difference between a typical Void Elf and a Blood Elf Shadow Priest?
There’s not much difference from what I can see. I think some of the shadow priest void features should exist for all Void Elves but that’s not going to happen.
The direction they seem to have gone is to allow us to configure a void elf as either a void elf or a high elf.
I’m leveling Void Elfs for DF. My main is going to be configured as a High Elf Hunter, my 1st alt a Dark Ranger Hunter and my 2nd alt a Void Elf Shadow Priest. That way I have three different configurations ranging from High Elf to Void Elf.
Pretty similar, imo. Both got shoe-horned into the game in Legion, despite nobody asking for them.
At most, the difference between void magic as a cloak and void magic in your blood.
Oh hey this thread is about me 
I’d say it’s the difference between using a fork or your tongue when engaging in unsafe behavior with a light socket.
The Shadow Priest are more connected toward the old gods, the void elves are more connected to the void as force itself in their themes.
shadow priests call/summon the void as a mage use the arcane magic, while void elves are infused themselves with the void, their bodies are binded to the void itself having a deep understanding and control over the void.
it’s the same we could say happens to lightforged and paladins/priests in their use of the light.
This could go for LFD paladins. Are they more infused with the Light than other paladins?
Not really, no.
The only difference is Void Elves were physically corrupted by an incomplete ritual meant to transform them into something like Ethereals, and Shadow Priests… weren’t.
I mean, Alleria ate a Dark Naaru and even she looks fine.
They really ought to give a final word on blood elf shadow priests. Practitioners of the spec as the newer lore presents it engage in the exact same behavior that got the void elves banished. So where is the line drawn, if anywhere? Are BE SPs persona non grata in Silvermoon now (Blood Knight RPers have had fun with this angle) or is their existence just ignored by the lore?
So, with velves getting kicked out of Silvermoon for their Voidy stuff, does that mean that canonically all belves are Holy priest? If not, they why did velves get kicked out? Legitimate question.
VElves to Shadow Priests
“You merely adopted the darkness, I was born in it, molded by it."
Void Elves are infused to their marrow in the Void changing their blood color and skin tones. Depending on how infused they are. Also Void Elves aren’t insane or rather they’re in control of their minds (for the most part) unlike shadow priests who usually go crazy.
It’s similar to what’s the difference between a paladin and a Lightforged Draenei. One is infused with the Light, and the other takes it to a WHOLE other level.
Pretty much what others have said. Void Elves are essentially steeped in Void energy so their relationship with the Void is probably a bit different than the non-Ren’dorei Shadow wielder.
It hasn’t really been explored or clarified to an official lore capacity, but most Shadow Priests are depicted as living on the fringes of their societies like Demon Hunters or Warlocks. The Void Elves seem to be more reverent and understanding to the Void to be used as a source of power and knowledge like how the Forsaken see it.
Not all Shadow wielders are Void Elves but all Void Elves are Shadow wielders to some capacity. They are just physically changed and affected by it more heavily, through appearance and some (most) having the ability to hear it’s whispers whether they want to or not.
I think it would be looked upon as a questionable path for sure. Since the introduction of Void Elves I almost see Blood Elf Shadow Priests the same way I see Lightforged Shadow Priests in that they have to exist for game mechanics.
Although, one could just say they are a Shadow Mage, or a scholar of the dichotomy of Light/Shadow. They could also be seen as more of an outcast of Silvermoon but not necessarily to the capacity of being completely infused by Shadow like the Void Elves are so they wouldn’t be a danger to the Sunwell.
Void Elves were banished because their infusion of the Void is a direct danger to the sanctity of the Sunwell. Alleria’s mere presence to the Sunwell allowed her to be a conduit for a Shadow being to infiltrate and attempt to pollute it. They were right to cut off the Void Elves off IMO.
I mean Void Elves used to be Blood Elves because they were Priests and of course let’s say given the fact that most Priests in terms of Blood Elves were Shadow Priests. That means thanks to the Void it may have boost up their power levels which is why we got the powerful spell racial for Void Elves for a reason in terms of Spell casters.
void elves were banished before they were void elves, they were simple blood elves wanting to study the void, if they were expeled for just wanting to learn i think shadow priests are forbiden too.
the light is making blood elves intolerant.
They have better cause than most to crack down on “evil” magic after what happened to Kael’thas. Especially when the magic in question was a pet project of their race’s other madman traitor and presents an existential threat to their kingdom’s power source.
alleria had to be in a spit distance to the sunwell to corrupt it, void elves were not a danger to quelthalas in no way if they stay 5 yards away the sunwell.
all the “fordib the void” is forced and bad just to push void elves to the alliance. warlocks are a greater danger for the sunwell yet they didn’t banish them.
and they banished umbric before he became a rendorei, he swimming and farting in the sunwell back then wouldn’t do anything but stink the place.
So? “Anyone who treats with the Void is a danger to the Sunwell” is the party line and its agents made a puppet of Alleria even without her knowledge. Any mortal who courts its power exposes themselves to the whispers, the corruption, the fall to madness. The Sunwell is open to literally any blood or high elf; all it would take is one pilgrim to approach it under the influence. An entire void cult operating in Quel’Thalas is an even bigger disaster-in-waiting, as we saw in the void elf recruitment quest.
The void elf backstory is pretty garbage but this is mostly due to the writers’ inexplicable decision to siphon their numbers from Silvermoon’s blood elves instead of Alleria’s WC2 cadre, or the Silver Covenant, or any of the other Alliance-aligned high elves people were clamoring to play as. I have no issue with how it reflected on post-TBC blood elf society. The Light and the Void are cosmic opposites and it makes sense that a people who lean into one would be wary of the other.
Fel isn’t antithetical to Light on the cosmology chart, so probably not. The interaction the Light had with what Kael’thas and Kil’jaeden made of the Sunwell was to purify it.
-Magisters looking sideways as they push vats of Anima from the Thunder Island behind the curtains, whistling innocently-
I’d like to give the devs the benefit of the doubt and say they were sticking to the, ‘there are too few High Elves left in the Alliance to be playable,’ line, but the Void Elves are outnumbered several times over by them.
I think we all know the truth. It was a spiteful, “You guys wanna play Blood Elves so bad? Fine. Here’s your Blood Elves, fresh from Silvermoon!”
It made no sense, and it did so much damage to Blood Elf lore and culture in the process.