This makes no sense. Because last time I checked, the playable Nightborne were a group of banished Nightborne that were previously Night Elves that weren’t a Higher Class. And there is Highborne already within the game that look like Night Elves.
But Highborne are actually “upper class” Night Elves. How the hell does it not suit the nature of that race? Also, you might want to speak to Blizzard about Night Elves mages too. Night Elves actually banished any practice of Arcane magic, including mages, but mages were allowed into the Night Elven society after a group of Highborne “Night Elves” convinced them in Cataclysm.
When you unlock the Nightborne as a playable race, and you greet Thalyssra, she mentions, that some of the loyalists, have eventually joined their ranks, and they would like to explore the world, while many decided to not leave the city.
The Nightborne were and ARE the Highborne, even the devs have mentioned it.
The Highborne were allowed to enter the Darnassus, with a deal that they will MENTOR the young elven magi the ways of the arcane, they did not join the Kaldorei Resistance as a playable race.
https://imgur.com/a/eoV2Tb6
The Shal’dorei are the race, which followed and continued the rules of the Kaldorei Empire, meanwhile, the Kaldorei Resistance have lost it 10,000 years ago.
However, when it comes to the playable Shal’dorei, you are the one to decide, whether you are coming from a noble, aristocratic family, or a normal citizen.
If the Shal’dorei were in the ranks of the Alliance, I am 100000000% sure, you would scream that the Shal’dorei are the TRUE Highborn race, you are resisting the fact just because we are in the Horde.
Now begone, lowborn commoner, playing at nobility.
The Shen’dralar made themselves available to teach the Night Elves magic. It can be assumed that the playable Night Elves are not Shen’dralar themselves, but Night Elves taught by them.
How did you jump to that conclusion? The Nightborne represent the only preserved Highborne civilization in all of Azeroth.
Legion Zone Overview: Suramar - With the Nightborne, there are no slums—there are just grades of “How elite are you?” They’re these consummate warriors, but they train as sort of a sport. Because for most of that time, there was no threat. They were closed off from the world. They worked on becoming as elegant as they could, and now you’ve got this arrogant, super-refined culture,
The Night Elves abolished the pre-sundering caste system and are largely a druidic and priest-based society. There are no aristocrats or nobles in Night Elf society.
Even calling the Shen’dralar a minority is an understatement. They’re a group of elves that were near-extinction and homeless before they begged to be admitted into Night Elf society.
The Nightborne have high elves but it would be a separate thing unto their own. They’ve remained insular for so long that they’ve developed their own ways and become a separate “tribe” so to speak, . When you explored Suramar there clearly was a desire and/or clinging to aristocratic upper class ways but after such a long period isolated and insular it becomes more their own thing. Basically the point being that the Nightborne High Elf wouldn’t have much to do with the Void/Elf/Bood Elf other than perhaps a past link in time and it would be a different High Elf altogether.
I think what’s being a little misunderstood here is that you believe only a single race can “claim” a theme. However, as shown with Void Elves and Blood Elves, it’s perfectly acceptable for themes to be shared where it makes sense.
Yes, the Nightborne did originate as Highborne. However, they’ve long since evolved from that. It’s perfectly acceptable for them to receive Highborne customization, although they’ll never visually represent the original Highborne due to how their body has changed over the thousands of years within Suramar.
Chronicles Vol.1 (pg. 104): “In the millennia to come, the fount would also change Elisande and her allies, transforming them into a new race called the Nigthborne.”
Compare that to Void Elves and Blood Elves who, while they’ve both gone through some minor changes, still do have the exact same morphology as their High Elf past.
Claiming the Nightborne are “Highborne” is essentially like calling the High Elves “Highborne”, because while they’re both technically true statements due to their origin, both groups consider themselves changed for the most part into entirely new groups over several thousand years of separation.
Night Elves are the “proper” Highborne race, because they still maintain their Highborne appearance. Additionally, they have since Cataclysm welcomed back completely “pure” Highborne into their society once more.
Nightborne are their own thing now, and should continue getting customization that makes sense for them. Highborne options are a Night Elf thing, and there would be some overlap.
I’ll add here something else:
Highborne split into 4 main groups
Some became Naga
Some became High Elves
Some became Nightborne
Some remained as Highborne
Additional, Highborne and Night Elves are essentially the same species. All surviving “pure” Highborne are Alliance affiliated.
I’d much rather they focus more on nature themes for night elves, personally. I think with what we have we can already do a highborne look. I’d prefer for them to add tattoos for women, give men face markings individual of their tattoos, add freckles, a nice nature green eye color or a few shades, purple eyes, and more jewelry and jewelry color options, including ear armor and upper ear piercings.
Honestly it seems to me like there is mass company pandering twards elves leaving the rest of us in the dirt. It’s past time to add more for all the races not just the select few