Void elves, high elves and what could have been
Hi there.
As many of you are aware, the announcement of "void elves" among allied races in BfA has been a controversial topic in the comunity. Since then, we have discovered little about them besides that they are blood elves who were exiled for dabbling into the void magic.
The big controversy was sparked because the addition of this "crack elite squad of elves" as a new race went against the 12-year-long requests of high elves being added to the Alliance. Unlike the void elves, who never existed in lore before (and still haven't been introduced in canon), we have high elves helping the Alliance since vanilla, with strong presence of them in expansions like WotLK, MoP and Legion.
When asked about high elves, Blizzard and the opposers of the idea in the comunity will usually bring the following reasons to not add them:
- They are "too alike" blood elves (or "they are blood elves")
- They are too few in number
The addition of void elves show that both excuses do not matter. If high elves, which number at least 1/9 of the blood elf population, are too few in number, how can a "crack elite squad" of exiled blood elves be more numerous?
And, besides being goth, how can you say they are different enough form blood elves? They are exiled blood elves, just like the high elves were exiled by their kin.
The reason people are rejecting void elves and still asking high elves is simple:
Blizzard has no idea WHY we wanted high elves in the first place. High elves, at their core, are defined (and separated from Blood Elves) by the fact that they rejected the teachings of Kael'thas. Despite overwhelming odds, they chose to keep their integrity and reject the seduction of power. They were exiled for it and yet survived nonetheless.
Their core is, thus, defined by a strong morality, a heroic struggle to win over their crippling addiction throught sheer willpower.
That's something that the void elves completely lack. They are, instead, elves that were seducted by forbidden power and fell from grace. This is, first and foremost, the reason we reject them. Yes, their vampire-like appearance is another problem, but the only reason they look like that is because they dabbled into forbidden magic in first place. High elf fans will reject most ideas of playing elves that have fallen into use of fel, death or void magics.
And here's the real problem: if Blizzard wished to make high elves different from blood elves, they could have done it. Just like they can pull a new "void elf" race out of nowhere, they can make the high elves unique in their own way. As long as that moral core is kept and their appearance is somewhat familiar, I think most high elf fans would accept such changes eventually.
Why hasn't Blizzard done that? We had the Silver Covenant active since WotLK. They were the main Alliance faction in Dalaran and Argent Tournament; They led the Purge of Dalaran and the Alliance efforts in Isle of Thunder; They helped the Suramar Insurrection. And yet, Blizzard never tried to seize those opportunities to take them further apart from the blood elves.
That's the mistake!
In the following paragraphs I'll present three different ideas I had, in a matter of a few minutes, of how it could be done.
I do not expect Blizzard to change their plans, not after the announcement at Blizzcon.
My purpose here is just to spark discussion of what could have been.
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Basic Premise: All the following propositions keep the core of the high elves intact, while also changing their appearance and culture slightly. In addition, all the following propositions follow the same premise:
In the aftermatch of Legion, the Silver Covenant decides to leave Dalaran. With the Horde once again allowed into the city, the high elves fear another betrayal, and an attack against the city could spell doom for their entire race. They are now settling somewhere else, but, without access to the artifacts of Dalaran, they are feeling again the effects of their magic addiction, and search for new ways to cure it once and for all.
Notice: Each of the propositions has a nickname for the final product ("Storm elves", for instance). This is not a new name for the race. They'd keep calling themselves "high elves". The nickname is just an easy way to picture their new theme and how their appearance would change.
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Proposition 1: The Storm Staff of Antonidas ("Storm Elves"): Back in MoP, blood elves got access to the powers of anima (blood), while the Silver Covenant helped Jaina create the Storm Staff of Antonidas, with the powers of vita (lightning). We didn't see the Storm Staff since then. What if... Jaina worked with the Silver Covenant to study the Storm Staff?
Now, away from Dalaran, the Silver Covenant use the Storm Staff as a new power source.
The high elves that pass a ritual involving the staff are cured of their magical addition. Now, they have lightning eyes and tatoo-like lightning marks over their skin. They also get new skin and hair colors (in addition to some of the normal ones), as well as access to the shaman class.
Their crest becomes a blue thunderbird rising from a lightning bolt.
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Proposition 2- Azerite as a power source ("Celtic Elves"): With azerite now available, they find out a way to use it to feed their addiction. Due to its raw power, small quantities of dusted azerite are enough to create an arcane paint, which they then apply to their bodies.
Picture them like "celtic warrior" elves, with colored warpaint patterns over their faces and bodies (like Alleria's warpaint). Imagine that their skin tones are all very light/pale, and you actually choose paint pattern and colors (blue, green, violet, golden), making them easy to differentiate from blood elves.
Now, with both Alliance and Horde seeking more azerite, the high elves help the Alliance to secure some of it for themselves.
(A small note: the idea about warpaint over their bodies is a small callback to Warcraft 2, in which upgraded elven rangers had colorful painting patterns over their faces. This idea just makes that distinction an imposed cultural necessity for the high elves.)
Their new crest would be another callback to Warcraft 2: a silver unicorn over a blue flag.
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Proposition 3- Seeking the night elves ("Silver Elves"): During the Insurrection of Suramar, the Silver Covenant fought side by side with the night elves. While they distrusted each other initially, their mutual hatred for the blood elves and their allegiance to the Alliance made they see they are not so different anymore.
As the hight elves are seeking a new land to settle in, the night elves, interested in helping them overcome their addiction, offer them a moon well. Feeding from it, the high elves become somewhat closer to their kaldorei kin. Their skins get paler, their hair colors lighter, their eyes glow brighter. They vary from a some traditional skin and hair colors to a many new ones not available to blood elves. They also start tatooing their faces like night elves. Plus, this proposition could open them to the druid class.
Now, with Teldrassil burned, the high elves decide to help their new allies with their rangers and magical powers.
Their crest is now a silver fenix over a blue background.
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Conclusion: These ideas are just examples of how Blizzard could fulfill the desire for high elves while also making them different from their blood elf cousins.
Again, I do not expect Blizzard to change their plans. If anything, they'll probably allow a few "somewhat normal" skin and hair colors for the void elves, but I'd like to start a discussion anyway.
Which of those ideas would you like to be done in the game? Do you have other ideas of what could have been? What do you think of the void elves? Why do you like high elves?
Like this topic to call Blizzard's attention to it.
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Originally Posted by Keihndeth
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