Do the Void Elves have -any- potential?

[Friendlyimmolation]

I had to look up the term "dakimakura" - now I wish I hadn't.

A disturbing but fairly accurate description of thasslasian elves that aren’t Sin’Dorei or Shal’Dorei. Hell at this point I’m amazed there aren’t canon human x night elf relationships since blizzard loves to write them as such damsels instead of the vicious bastards they were In warcraft.

[Saverem]

Alright. Horde got the well developed Nightborne, Alliance got the non-existent Void Elves. And we're stuck with this.

So Here's the question. Is there -any- potential for the Void Elves becoming halfway decent? Because so far I have trouble seeing anything remotely promising. They seem like a hopeless dead end without much going for them.

You have to take a step back in order to see Blizz's reasoning behind ANY of their changes.

The reason they are adding VELFs to the game is less about lore and more about convenience and game appeal.

The convenience factor comes from the fact that VELFs share the exact same skeleton model as BELFs, so there's A LOT less work put into them than starting a new race from scratch. This applies to all new allied races, they all share skeletons with existing models (except maybe the new Trolls since the current Trolls have a hunched model and new ones don't. Then again, they could just be using the NELF skeleton, dunno).

The game appeal comes from Blizzard wanting to give the Alliance the BELF model, which is one of the most popular models in the game. BELFs are the most popular horde race and people just like their aesthetics. So they thought "Hey, this model is popular, how can we give them to the Alliance in hopes that this will boost profitability from race changes? We can't give them High Elves since they look exactly like BELFs...The models have to be a little more different... I know, how about the VOID! Yeah... let's just get BELFs, change their skin color and hair color to make them all VOIDED-OUT and call them a new race! Perfect!"

[Arrashi]

Are you obsessed with wow humans ?

No, but high/void elves surely are.

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I had to look up the term "dakimakura" - now I wish I hadn't.

And that merely tip of iceberg.

[elbleuet]

Blood elves are allowed autonomy of their nation, they stand as equal with all races of the Horde,they control their homeland and the sunwell, as opposed to the pets high elves had made themselves.

Thanks to the Horde and the Alliance (Zul Aman), the Shattered offensive, and Velen.

[Arrashi]

A disturbing but fairly accurate description of thasslasian elves that aren’t Sin’Dorei or Shal’Dorei. Hell at this point I’m amazed there aren’t canon human x night elf relationships since blizzard loves to write them as such damsels instead of the vicious bastards they were In warcraft.

Im pretty sure that one scenario with varian and tyrande came dangerously close to that.

[Friendlyimmolation]

Thanks to the Horde and the Alliance (Zul Aman), the Shattered offensive, and Velen.

None of which they groveled at like the high elves now a days do with humans.

[Magnagarde]

You have to take a step back in order to see Blizz's reasoning behind ANY of their changes.

The reason they are adding VELFs to the game is less about lore and more about convenience and game appeal.

And it actually backfires. The most desperate will take what they can get, but normal high elves would've been the biggest commercial success.

This time it isn't about high elf fans at all; it is about everyone else who is having their faction infested not even with some proper type of elves, but weird elven offshoot. It feels like the weirder it is, the bigger the chance it is added. If you play Horde, you have to deal with another type of elves that don't fit into an already mutilated faction theme and if you're Alliance, you now have to deal with dark elves levitating all over the place and screaming edgy.

Whatever happened to sensible elven additions that are literally right under their noses; wardens, dark rangers, normal high elves, San'layn and so on. All these already established additions exist in the game, they have factions/races they'd fit perfectly into and they aren't here. Instead they added rift elves and dome elves.

[Tharivor]

I do not speak of the high elves of the alliance, I speak of the queldorei as a culture.
Thalassians are an ancient people and their culture and traditions are important to them. what some did, not all do, in BC is not something that is characteristic of them as a society.
I'm talking about the fact that the same race is the same, it's not that when they changed their name they stopped being high elves, they are still the same people!
all the history, the tradition and the culture of quel'thalas all that represent the sindorei. the void elves are different they are mutants who are using dark powers without any need, just looking to increase their personal power
When the sunwell shone again, the fel crystalswere replaced by traditional mana crystals. the blood elves no longer needed to use desperate methods to survive, so they went back to their traditional methods.
the blood elves are the high elves, who protect quelthalas as they always did. the trash that is on the side of the alliance are nothing but traitors who do not respect our customs and traditions.

I don't disagree that the Blood Elves are steeped in quel'dorei culture. What I disagree with is the notion that because they value this culture the blood elves have somehow forgotten everything they went through after the destruction of the sunwell.
Yes after Kael'thas' betrayal some of the most egregious abuses such as the open use of fel and the torture of Mu'ru were abandoned and shunned but that doesn't mean they just abandoned their old attitudes. They might not need to siphon mana off living creatures any more but there is no evidence to suggest that they suddenly consider it morally wrong, nor is there any indication that they have abandoned their willingness to use more unstable forms of magic (hence why fire remains the element of choice rather than returning to the old use of more stable ice). In fact in game we see Blood Mages, the very epitome of the new blood elf willingness to push the barriers of the arcane, continue to be used to represent the race even after the end of BC.
Culture isn't something that is static, it evolves. Yes, Blood elves continue to respect the uphold their old customs (they always did even in BC) but they have added to them new customs and attitudes which should not be seen as in opposition to their quel'dorei identity but rather as the natural evolution of it. There is no evidence that this has been abandoned bb the majority of blood elves, rather the opposite seems true.

[Oneirophobia]

There aren't really enough High Elves to make playable.

Literally thousands of Void Elves! And instead of a cultural shift, somehow they were all rounded up with no discernible casualties or damage and exiled from their homeland!

I'm sure they have potential somewhere.

[MyWholeLifeIsThunder]

At the end of the day, I think Void Elves just won't affect the world by much, they will mostly just get put aside until we get a void expansion and they are prominent NPC's. They'll get the worgen treatment at best.

One thing I liked about High Elves is that they had prominence, they showed up a lot and their hatred for the horde and the blood elves made them good foils in terms of showcasing the divide between the factions. I'd like that the void elves picked up that slack but they just don't really have reasons to outight hate the blood elves as the high elves do- so far-

But they do present a good opportunity for some elven civil war -again, I seriously doubt that blizzard will do anything with them until a void expansion- with the Alliance taking control of the EK,the void elves, joined by the high elves, may have the opportunity and numbers to actually reclaim a part of Quel'thalas: the Ghostlands. Add to that some night elves looking for some retribution or just recognizing that alliance elves have to stick together and work as a unit if they are to preserve their lineage and you could have a large coalition of gung ho elves saying "fuck this, fuck that" and going to the offensive.

I'd love for Maiev to be on this, but she got's her issues with magic users. Maybe she decides that is wrong to judge people by the powers they wield... and instead chooses to judge them for their faction! Alas, they could introduce another Night Elf character for this, have them joined by the Windrunners (whatever is left of them...) Umbric, and have them lead an elven coalition that manages to seize the Ghostlands. And above all, have them more interested about securing their place on the world than just follow the Alliance's drum. Void and High elves already have the "we are on the brink of extinction, we gotta do something" and some night elves could definitely trying to cut their losses on Kalimdor.

Maybe in 50 years of so that gets stirred in into a consolidated flavor of elf, the Dusk Elf (?)

Honestly, while I kinda want the Void and High Elves to merge to kinda allow for some viability as a race and actually hold some land, I do want to get the nelves in there too cause I just feel since they "joined the world" at the end of the third war, they have just kinda been... failing at existing?

[Deleted]

That is because they're a hopeless dead end without much going for them,

They're an excuse to give Alliance the Blood Elf model.

What are the Nightborne if not Night Elves with a slightly different posture? And why the hell would they join the Horde, if Night Elves - many of whom are literally their brothers and sisters - are already in the Alliance?

If they don't have good ideas for new races, they should not add any at all.

[MyWholeLifeIsThunder]

It’s the first thing out of her human worshiping mouth, that she wants to speak with him about joining the alliance, it is pathetic.

She wanted to see her homeland Soooooo much that she insults Lorthemar with even the notion of joining her.

She loves her homeland so much she gets a bunch of Darkhan wannabes to join the alliance in an eventual fight against the blood elves. She loves her homeland so much that she doesn’t even bother to ask what the fuck happened

WoW made her nationalism as strong as Vereesa’s grips on reality.

So yea, that was her purpose, the puppet for humans wanted her nation to join her as a footrest for them.

At the end of the day, I just don't get why you are so offended with Alleria, or any Thalassian elf, valuing their alliance to the Alliance.

It's like you expect that all Thalassian Elves should follow the decision the majority made, because that's inherently the right one?

I legit don't get it because personally I have no bias for either side.

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What are the Nightborne if not Night Elves with a slightly different posture? And why the hell would they join the Horde, if Night Elves - many of whom are literally their brothers and sisters - are already in the Alliance?

If they don't have good ideas for new races, they should not add any at all.

Night elves and Nightborne have 10,000 years of separation. In the same way some of them might have living night elf relatives, many of them have maybe more blood elven descendants.

In terms of kinship, Night and Blood elves are pretty much on the same standing for the nigthborne.

Now, in terms of ideology- It's abundantly, obviously clear they share so much in common with Blood Elves than with Night Elves. The argument they would choose with the Night Elves over the Blood Elves makes little sense for me.

The fact they might be biologically closer to Night Elves than Blood Elves matters nothing, and entirely up for debate beyond what animations the model is based on.

[Lochton]

Alright. Horde got the well developed Nightborne, Alliance got the non-existent Void Elves. And we're stuck with this.

So Here's the question. Is there -any- potential for the Void Elves becoming halfway decent? Because so far I have trouble seeing anything remotely promising. They seem like a hopeless dead end without much going for them.

Uhm... The Horde got the developed and locked down allied race of the Nightborne. The Alliance got the brand new developed allied race of the Void Elves, being defected blood elves and so on. You sound so salty about a clean slate that still is able to be developed. While the Nightborne are all set in stone. Void Elves could serve more promise by the part of them not having much binding background other than, the majority is Blood Elves who wanted to join the Alliance together with Alleria.

[Saverem]

And it actually backfires. The most desperate will take what they can get, but normal high elves would've been the biggest commercial success.

This time it isn't about high elf fans at all; it is about everyone else who is having their faction infested not even with some proper type of elves, but weird elven offshoot. It feels like the weirder it is, the bigger the chance it is added. If you play Horde, you have to deal with another type of elves that don't fit into an already mutilated faction theme and if you're Alliance, you now have to deal with dark elves levitating all over the place and screaming edgy.

Whatever happened to sensible elven additions that are literally right under their noses; wardens, dark rangers, normal high elves, San'layn and so on. All these already established additions exist in the game, they have factions/races they'd fit perfectly into and they aren't here. Instead they added rift elves and dome elves.

Like I said, problem with High Elves is that they look EXACTLY like Blood Elves. In fact, Blood Elves are pretty much High Elves that splintered off some years ago, so they're technically the exact same race. It'll be like calling Irishmen and Englishmen different races just because they think the other one is a jerk.

Blizz needs to keep each race looking different, which is why they sacrificed the strong lore of High Elves and instead gave us the shit lore of Void Elves. Because they're blue and have stars in their hair.

[Deleted]

I mostly have an issue with this whole void thing vs light. Especially as a spacegoat can switch between what that race is all about, light and what they are not about, void.

The backstory looks like "learns to use the void" but when I'm a warlock, I'm really useing demonic magic, not void... The same is true for all the other classes tbh.

[Rhlor]

I don't disagree that the Blood Elves are steeped in quel'dorei culture. What I disagree with is the notion that because they value this culture the blood elves have somehow forgotten everything they went through after the destruction of the sunwell.
Yes after Kael'thas' betrayal some of the most egregious abuses such as the open use of fel and the torture of Mu'ru were abandoned and shunned but that doesn't mean they just abandoned their old attitudes. They might not need to siphon mana off living creatures any more but there is no evidence to suggest that they suddenly consider it morally wrong, nor is there any indication that they have abandoned their willingness to use more unstable forms of magic (hence why fire remains the element of choice rather than returning to the old use of more stable ice). In fact in game we see Blood Mages, the very epitome of the new blood elf willingness to push the barriers of the arcane, continue to be used to represent the race even after the end of BC.
Culture isn't something that is static, it evolves. Yes, Blood elves continue to respect the uphold their old customs (they always did even in BC) but they have added to them new customs and attitudes which should not be seen as in opposition to their quel'dorei identity but rather as the natural evolution of it. There is no evidence that this has been abandoned bb the majority of blood elves, rather the opposite seems true.

blood mage and fire were elements that the blood elves had in WC3 when they were in the alliance

[Andromedes]

I mostly have an issue with this whole void thing vs light. Especially as a spacegoat can switch between what that race is all about, light and what they are not about, void.

The backstory looks like "learns to use the void" but when I'm a warlock, I'm really useing demonic magic, not void... The same is true for all the other classes tbh.

That is why you hear everywhere ''I'm gonna make Void elf shadow priest(or rogue)'' Because that is what void elves are.. Thematically locked just to one gimmick.

[MyWholeLifeIsThunder]

Like I said, problem with High Elves is that they look EXACTLY like Blood Elves. In fact, Blood Elves are pretty much High Elves that splintered off some years ago, so they're technically the exact same race. It'll be like calling Irishmen and Englishmen different races just because they think the other one is a jerk.

Blizz needs to keep each race looking different, which is why they sacrificed the strong lore of High Elves and instead gave us the shit lore of Void Elves. Because they're blue and have stars in their hair.

I mean, the pandaren already give us precedent on that; it is literally something they have already done, and the High Elf/Blood Elf divide is a lot more developed and actually relevant for the lore.

Pandaren already give us a race that looks the same for both factions, and the world didn't end, and no one even sounds particularly angry about that-

[Garfurion]

Uhm... The Horde got the developed and locked down allied race of the Nightborne. The Alliance got the brand new developed allied race of the Void Elves, being defected blood elves and so on. You sound so salty about a clean slate that still is able to be developed. While the Nightborne are all set in stone. Void Elves could serve more promise by the part of them not having much binding background other than, the majority is Blood Elves who wanted to join the Alliance together with Alleria.

Based on WoW history Alliance races other than Humans hardly get any development (in-game).

- Dwarves: Moira's son is till a 6-week old baby after 10 years, Anduin is grown up and had his own quest lines
- Worgen: Shipped off half way through their starting zone story to a tree where they've been all that time. You have to play Forsaken to see the how the Gilneas story ends.
- Gnomes: still waiting for an appearance in a cinematic, still haven't reclaimed their city. Most developed/featured gnome is Chromie and (s)he's actually a dragon.

Alliance Leaders featured in BfA: Jaina (officially human, not a dreadlord ) and Anduin (again human).

Void Elves: will be introduced in a small quest-line but BfA for Alliance is centered on humans from Kul Tiras so will probably be ignored. They have no architecture, no city (in-game or in lore) and no defining or believable culture. Lorewise we cannot even expect there to be more than maybe a 100 Void Elves.

Nightborne: 10.000 year history introduction prior to Legion with comic and their redemption story is the focus point of almost an entire expansion. They have their own city, architecture, culture, etc...

In order for Void Elves to get the same level of development that Nightborne have had they would need to get their own expansion or at least 2 or 3 major patches worth of attention.

[Tripzzz]

Until the point where they weren't. Do people even read the lore anymore? People who say this erroneous crap are as bad as the night elves are written for repeating this shit. Blood Elves haven't been mana addicts since Velen purified the Sunwell. The Nightborne haven't been mana addicts since the Arcandor fruit freed them from the Nighwell (which is why Thalyssra ordered its destruction).
as a class, not a stupid race
not really. It gives the Alliance some edgy non-light obsessed 'race' to counter the Light-worshiping everything else and the teetering on cultural extinction Night Elves. Ultimately it's a fan service because Blizzard can see the shekels rolling in from the massive faction xfers from all those people who rolled blood elf death knights and braved being smacked by guards to pretend they are high elves. Void Elves are a dumpster fire.

Nightborne and blood elves were both magic addicts until they were cured. They both have the same fucking story and that is entirely my damn point. How you failed to grasp that is beyond me. Void elves offer something completely new.