What's the point of the Void Elves?

Nowise-dalaran · July 2, 2019, 2:37pm

I think players would have been happier with Half Elves if the goal was to quench the Blood Elf thirst.

At least there is already a bit of lore with it; Arator the Redeemer and Vereesa’s twin children (forget their names) just go to show that Human + Elf offspring is not only possible but common.

They could’ve had the Elf model but human ears and non-glowing eyes, tattoos and unique hairstyles, etc. Arator could finally get a unique model too. It could also explain how the scattered High Elf settlements have been able to survive this long, e.g. with the aid of Humans.

That’s just one idea. There was a lot of potential in this area of design but they went with Void Elves instead.

Alamara-goldrinn · July 2, 2019, 2:37pm

Here’s my theory on what Blizzard is setting up for the void elves:

Sylvanas' endgame and BfA last patch (Speculation)

I don’t see the void elves being hinted at anything but eventually going over the edge. Even Danuser’s interview is all about how the void elves are dealing with incredibly dangerous power, and I see no way of that power being shown as dangerous if not failing to keep it under control.

Anyway, my void elf/high elf prediction was formed as follows:

I started with the following premises:

The lack of void elf development is intentional

The little we have of void elf lore right now hints at a story direction

Void elves were introduced for a purpose in BfA’s story

Void elves were made out of blood elves for a reason

Blizzard don’t talk about high elves not because they don’t have plans, but because they won’t spoil the story

Ok, then I elaborated each premise with a possible outcome:

Void elves lack development because Blizzard does not want us to get too attached to Umbric and his group.

Alliance seeing Umbric being all polite and helpful while knowing next to nothing about void elves, while the Horde only sees void elves going crazy about feeding souls to the void or summoning void creatures is intentional: they are hiding their true nature to the Alliance.

Since the void elves’ purpose has not been disclosed so far, they must be important in the ending of BfA.

Void elves were made out of blood elves because there would be no reason for general high elf population to be converted willingly. However, the current void elf origin does not make them a true race.

Blizzard had plans for high elves from the start, and that means becoming void elves unwillingly.

Put all together, and I ended up with this theory:

Last patch will involve high elves and void elves working together. Probably a Quel’thalas battle or something, that will make most high elves be rallied to fight.

Umbric is a traitor, as are most of the void elves. “The boy king serves at the master’s table” because the Alliance has been an unwitting paw of the void. The ren’dorei will do a Wrathgate-like event of treason, and spring a trap to high elves.

Alliance heroes stops the transformation of the high elves, but it’s too late, they are all transformed. We deal with Umbric somehow (either questline or raid boss), but now the high elves are almost entirely turned into void elves. This second generation of void elves now have numbers to be considered race, and is comprised mostly of elves that never wanted to deal with the void, adding a tragic element to their story. Void elf culture must now cope with that betrayal and the Alliance being wary of them.

My fears can be placated enough if that comes with more “high elf-like” customization representing this “second generation”, and, more importantly, if the story is well-handled and done with the proper care for the fans and respect to the character’s involved.

Alfgerdhr-moon-guard · July 2, 2019, 2:39pm

so Blizzard can have fun trolling us while pretending to work on things they say we need.

Autai-moon-guard · July 2, 2019, 2:41pm

I really like the flavor text of a LFD healing on our boat. It’s along the lines of, “The Alliance using my abilities to heal wounds here is a waste of my talents when I should be on the battlefield.” Blizzard seems to be a bit self aware.

Fallynn-wyrmrest-accord · July 2, 2019, 2:42pm

Personally I love void elves. People seem to love to hate them though. To me they’re actually interesting. I do wish they had more monsterous features though. They’re not bland and i like the style but they could be so much more.

Hamstar-draktharon · July 2, 2019, 2:43pm

The thread can stop here. It was never about lore. It was always about giving Alliance a High Elf model that was different enough from Blood Elves.

Rhulos-durotan · July 2, 2019, 2:45pm

The point is, someone at Blizzard was being toddler-level stubborn on the request to make High Elves playable. They knew they couldn’t completely refuse the request, so they half-assed it.

Alfgerdhr-moon-guard · July 2, 2019, 2:47pm

No it will not stop here!
WHY doi the enemy races have to not resemble each other?
and the orig HIGH Elf models looked different enough from those sticks you got running around Eversong.

Hamstar-draktharon · July 2, 2019, 2:49pm

Yes it can stop here because the question was WHY they exist, not you complaining about getting High Elves.

Avarie-farstriders · July 2, 2019, 2:50pm

I don’t think there is a point to them.

Garrondorf-stormrage · July 2, 2019, 2:50pm

Because they still had to give the Alliance something, even though it pains Blizzard to do so.

Alfgerdhr-moon-guard · July 2, 2019, 2:50pm

considering all the High Elf threads you and yours have invaded, I’d say we’re even.

Avarie-farstriders · July 2, 2019, 2:51pm

Eh, I’d have preferred having to wait to get a race that actually has a story.

But that seems to be expecting a lot.

Garrondorf-stormrage · July 2, 2019, 2:52pm

Ha ha, oh you sweet summer child.

You’d be waiting a long time.

Alfgerdhr-moon-guard · July 2, 2019, 2:52pm

All out of likes, so

Hamstar-draktharon · July 2, 2019, 2:53pm

Talking about High Elves in High Elf threads is “invading”? Sorry that you don’t like people having different opinions or correcting the repeated bad lore the High Elf for Alliance people keep using.

Autai-moon-guard · July 2, 2019, 2:53pm

Id like for them to go back to this approach as well.

Alfgerdhr-moon-guard · July 2, 2019, 2:57pm

‘different opinions’? As in the not-so-veiled insults that eventually led to all those threads getting locked? and speaking of ‘bad lore’, we can go right back to this thread, because if, iyoo, High elfs have ‘bad lore’, at least it was ingame since whenever and better than nothing which is what velves have.

Avarie-farstriders · July 2, 2019, 2:57pm

I wouldn’t play them regardless cause I don’t like the void theme, but I’d like them more if there were NPCs we could have gotten to know through a zone or two. I cried for Nightborne NPCs that died. I would have zero feels for Umbric if anything happened to him. I’m not sure I’d notice if anything happened to him.

Rhulos-durotan · July 2, 2019, 2:57pm

Void Elf Story:

So these blood elves that nobody’s ever heard of, they totally always existed. You didn’t find out until you became best friends with some draenei on the other end of the universe, but for real they were there. Seriously. They also turned purple.

Oh and they got kicked out of Silvermoon so they’re Alliance now, because they made friends with a High Elf who has a backstory with this guy that also totally always was around but you didn’t hear about him before either.