Blood Elves would agree they had forsaken the name but by race-terms they are identical.
It wasn’t ‘Ion’s Word is law’ that dictated they had light-haired fair skin. That was for the Elf-fantasy genre and what separated them from Night Elves + other Highborne in their evolution with day-walking + absorbing the power of the Sunwell.
They’re getting darker skin tones too in the new updates; and if you know where to look - There’s lore to justify it. I’ve included examples in a thread I made to combat against the legions of those that may bicker when the tide rolls out - The Customisation Justifications to Lore
I’m just pointing out that it’s funny that players want Blood Elves to be recognized as High Elves a lot more than the Blood Elves do.
You missed the forest for the trees, my dude. Ion is contradicted on both statements by lore. There’s lore for Alliance high elves, there’s lore for dark skinned blood elves. The point I’m making is that players pick and choose when his stance on lore matters and when it doesn’t.
You say I missed for forest for the trees but alas you do not understand.
I don’t want Blood Elves to be recognised as Highelves. I’m saying they are. Already. That’s cannon. It’s non-disputable.
I hear that a lot. Along with “High Elves lore and history is rich enough to stand alone!”
Except any High Elf history is also Blood Elf history. High Elven buildings, tabards, crests, architecture, vehicles, weapon style, etc. is Blood Elven except painted blue. The only notable High Elven characters left are Alleria and Veressa, but Alleria now leads and represents the Void Elves going forward, leaving only Veressa. The two have been separate for only 30 or so years. Not nearly enough to diverge or have enough unique history.
Ion used the defence “high elves aren’t unique enough to be an allied race” and I agree. Blue eyes are the only cosmetic difference (meaning outside of lore and how people feel) between a blood elf and a high elf.
The only way I could get on board the HE hype train is if there was a strong argument for the different racials they would get. That would allow the supporters the opportunity to argue for “uniqueness”.
They’d stick their nose up at the idea of people still identifying them as that singularly yes, that I will agree.
They made a decision to change the name of their people to honour the sacrifice of their people, to continue calling them High Elves and only High Elves - Snobbing at the idea of ‘Blood Elves’ and never calling them that would be basically spitting in the face of that decision which is another reason behind the animosity between the rest of their kind and the Silver Covenant.
Honestly I want to play the high elf that had stronger alliance ties. SC seems like a neat story overall. (and I mean I generally main alliance so of course I’d like them on Alliance)
The SC choosing their ties to the Alliance and refusing their blood elven kin. I always liked the story.
That said I doubt we’ll get another blood elf model since we have Void Elves.
Ideally for me, and this is just me not speaking for any other, I’d like to see the Alliance aligned high elves that remain gather together, SC included, and join with the Void Elves.
Maybe they get Void infused by another trap maybe not. Maybe Blizzard finally says void elves can recreate the process themselves. Maybe the customizations get added for void elves to be high elven.
It would be nice to have that story, whether or not there is much there in some people’s view.
Edit: oh and I love my blood elves don’t get me wrong, I must I have five of them, but their story is with the Horde.
I do intend to make an alliance high elf that is working as a spy in Orgrimmar come SLs though.
Those of us who grew up with Warcraft got used to high elves being part of the Alliance. It’s as simple as that. And sure, they’ve been with the Horde for a while, but that was a move made in BC - an expansion notorious for ripping up the lore and selling it off as quickly as possible. Blood Elves never made any sense on the Horde, they were shoe-horned in because nobody was playing the red faction in Vanilla.
Personally I prefer the night elf aesthetic so I don’t really have any skin in this game, but it is hilarious watching people try to debate this when they have no clue what they’re talking about, especially when every single argument against high elves can be applied in equal or greater measure to the void elf atrocities.
no they cant. high elves arent an alliance race beyond a couple NPCs in stormwind and boralus. there are so few pros dont even bother to refute how few there are they just respond with ‘lol it doesnt matter cuz velfs.’ sorry, danuser was asked point blank how are they an AR if they are so few and confirmed void elves can increase their population from other elves who seek them out. the population argument used against alliance high elves does not apply to void elves. oh, and they are also distinct from blood elves(high elves)
and before you mention the SC, they are a small militia based in dalaran, pledged to serve the kirin tor. in fact, when you see them out in the field in almost all instances they are working under kirin tor leadership. pro alliance sure, but not a part of it. they simply are not free to join the alliance and attack the horde and have never been portrayed as such, as in doing so would compromise dalarans neutrality. saying anything else is fanfiction. enjoy your day
Even if they’re capable of making more Void Elves they’d need a suitable population of elves to draw from. The first wave of Void Elves already took a chunk of magisters away from Silvermoon, unless all High Elves and a good amount of Blood Elves sign up to become Void Elves we aren’t looking at a substantial population
Void Elf population isn’t a problem because this is a game in which every paladin and their mother has the one and only Ashbringer. Every DK was previously Arthas’ chosen champion. Every DH was the leader of the Illidari. Player options don’t reflect established lore
Also Void Elves are hardly distinct from Blood Elf shadow priests. People who take issue with High Elves should also take issue with Void Elves. That’d be intellectually honest
Don’t disregard the fact that the SC, a faction that’s a part of the Alliance Expedition that only Alliance players can become exalted with, have taken to the field in opposition to the Horde more than once
We also don’t know to what extent they’re bound by Dalaran. I’m inclined to agree that attacking the Horde openly would go against the city’s neutrality, but the presence of SC shield mages during the Arathi warfront leaves us with questions
A much more solid argument against High Elves is that they’re unnecessary now that Void Elves exist. That, and that a second version of the Horde’s most popular race being given to the Alliance would be unfair.
Depends on how we look at it. If we’re talking purely genetics then it’s indeed false, but it’s true that not all of those who are genetically High Elves call themselves Blood Elves
Its stupid logic because ultimatwly what matters is the most basic aspect of them in terms.of design.
The statement applies only to lore, and really it is bad logic for the following.
If blood elves and high elves are politically ide tifying titles, the argument of
All blood elves are high elves, but not all high elves are blood elves is a false one.
It attempts to use high elf as the overall classification, but this is not the case in lore anymore, in reality high elf is a political title and no longer a racial one.
By choosing the name Blood Elf, the Blood Elves didn’t change anything physically or mentally or anything at all really about their race. They are still High Elves. Just they changed the name.
That said classifications do change over time in the real world as well. So since 90ish percent took up this new name, at the very least politically it makes sense that the race be seen as Blood Elves.
Which would make the choice to remain calling oneself a High Elf political.
…
So I agree and disagree. They are still High Elves but being called High Elf is political.