Blood elves, high elves and what could have been

[Garfurion]

I seriously do not believe Blizzard did ever intend for those lines to be perceived in any mocking way at all, be it by any of the sides to this conflict that are now either raging or gloating around. I suppose they genuinely thought that whoever wanted Alliance High Elves would be all too happy to get them under the VE disguise, with Blizzard seing what they did as really taking that wish and improving upon it.
....
Blizzard tried to deliver what they thought people would enjoy. They hit the mark with some, missed it with others. It's how the world resolves, you simply can't satisfy everyone. And that's all there is to it.

No successful company deliberately mocks their player-base, at least not openly

I think Blizzard has tried to accommodate the desire for Alliance High Elves as best they could by first introducing the Silver Covenant in Wrath and making them the counter part of the Horde Blood Elves in a lot of story lines. Given the continued popularity/desire for Alliance High Elves they now used Allied/Secondary races to give Alliance players the model in the only way Blizzard feels they can, by making them look distinctly different from Blood Elves and giving Horde players the Nightborne in return.

It may take Alliance High Elf fans some time to realize it but I think that despite their crappy introduction Void Elves are more interesting for the story with regards to fighting Old Gods or Void Lords. We'll have to see what happens to the Silver Covenant in the future but I wouldn't be surprised if they show up again in 9.0.

[Deleted]

Then your issues with the game run much deeper than one race it seems.

I hope you find a game more to your liking.

Well, yes, I am now not playing the game not because of lack of High Elves. They are just the thing that would get me back, that's all. Hope they would get playable at some point.

[Obelisk Kai]

Well, yes, I am now not playing the game not because of lack of High Elves. They are just the thing that would get me back, that's all. Hope they would get playable at some point.

Which they are. As I said it's not the race it's the faction.

[Arrashi]

Which they are. As I said it's not the race it's the faction.

Exactly, nothing stops you from RPing high elf with naturally green eyes.

[Deleted]

Exactly, nothing stops you from RPing high elf with naturally green eyes.

Outside of having to play with Forsaken Players, which are not really the kind of people I would want to associate with.

[Arrashi]

Outside of having to play with Forsaken Players, which are not really the kind of people I would want to associate with.

Then play open-minded high elf.

[Deleted]

Which they are.

If only.

As I said it's not the race it's the faction.

Which is what BfA introduces: new playable factions of existing races.

[Lumineus]

Can you really notice a difference?

The Void Elf's ears aren't strong enough to pierce through the helmet. All that void consumption must affect their constitution.

[Deleted]

Exactly, nothing stops you from RPing high elf with naturally green eyes.

I am not fond of pretending as someone I am not.

[Arrashi]

I am not fond of pretending as someone I am not.

And yet helf fans are fond of creating mountains of fanon.

[Deleted]

And yet helf fans are fond of creating mountains of fanon.

I don't care what anyone is creating.

[Florena]

Well, yes, I am now not playing the game not because of lack of High Elves. They are just the thing that would get me back, that's all. Hope they would get playable at some point.

So either way it's the deciding factor to you playing?

[Deleted]

So either way it's the deciding factor to you playing?

It's the deciding factor for me returning. Again, I am now not playing WoW not because of High Elves. But I have wanted High Elves to be playable for years, that's the cause I've always felt passionate about so if they finally do become playable, it would prompt me to return to the game, just because of that. Although my return would probably be quite brief. You can be excited for a new race only for so long.

[Fyersing]

Since it’s too hard to quote on a mobile phone I’ll just point out that the game of recognition becomes much easier when the void elf begins glowing purple, or you hear his grunts/sounds.

Though, to be fair, we don't exactly know how their glow is going to work function. If it's their entire silhouette, like Shadowform, then you've got a point; however, both Alleria's Void Form and the leaked images suggest it's possible that their "glow" is limited to the surface of their skin. Which means it's possible that with heavy gearing you might not even be able to tell the Void Elves are glowing at all.

I’m arguing from the perspective of Blizzard, or atleast trying to. Regardless of what some might feel, it’s a bad move to rip away a race from one faction and hand it to the other 10 years later with an change in eye color because burning crusade hurt some people too much.

This leads into the second and I believe overall less talked about point I bring up. If they were to be made playable, they would be changed in a way that would leave many going “those aren’t high elves!” In that way the truest representation of the playable high elf will remain the blood elf, because the only Thing separating them is their eye color. And just in case someone tries to bring it up, no blood elves can have just as much pale of skin as the high elves do, I believe it’s option 4 and 9, I’d have to check again.

I absolutely agree with you, at least insofar as visual representation of the factions goes. It's just odd that Blizzard, or anybody, would stipulate a necessity for avoiding ambiguity between the factions (otherwise worded as, "for gameplay purposes") and then turn around an add a race whose going to be somewhat indistinguishable from another in a large number of circumstances.

[Doffen]

No successful company deliberately mocks their player-base, at least not openly

I think Blizzard has tried to accommodate the desire for Alliance High Elves as best they could by first introducing the Silver Covenant in Wrath and making them the counter part of the Horde Blood Elves in a lot of story lines. Given the continued popularity/desire for Alliance High Elves they now used Allied/Secondary races to give Alliance players the model in the only way Blizzard feels they can, by making them look distinctly different from Blood Elves and giving Horde players the Nightborne in return.

It may take Alliance High Elf fans some time to realize it but I think that despite their crappy introduction Void Elves are more interesting for the story with regards to fighting Old Gods or Void Lords. We'll have to see what happens to the Silver Covenant in the future but I wouldn't be surprised if they show up again in 9.0.

100 % agree. Well tought out post and as close you can get to blizzards thinking on this matter.

Of course they aren't mocking the High Elf fanatics, they are trying to find a way to say "Here is your High Elf, we believe it's a better one than the original".

[Magnagarde]

100 % agree. Well tought out post and as close you can get to blizzards thinking on this matter.

Of course they aren't mocking the High Elf fanatics, they are trying to find a way to say "Here is your High Elf, we believe it's a better one than the original".

Which is part of the problem the way I see it, really.

"Dad, buy me a Playstation". > "Here you go son, a Xbox. It is still a console, but I think it is cooler."

[Highelf]

It's just a perfect time to introduce Alliance High Elves with Alleria's return. They would see her as their leader as would Vereesa I would reckon. They're still with the alliance and honoring old traditions and now they have the person that fought and, what thought by many died for. Alleria is still a High Elf, not a Blood elf. And what about her ranger corps that went with her to outland. Many are at Allerian Stronghold. Why wouldn't she gather them?

[Friendlyimmolation]

It's just a perfect time to introduce Alliance High Elves with Alleria's return. They would see her as their leader as would Vereesa I would reckon. They're still with the alliance and honoring old traditions and now they have the person that fought and, what thought by many died for. Alleria is still a High Elf, not a Blood elf. And what about her ranger corps that went with her to outland. Many are at Allerian Stronghold. Why wouldn't she gather them?

I suggest that ion interview video again.

[MyWholeLifeIsThunder]

No successful company deliberately mocks their player-base, at least not openly

I think Blizzard has tried to accommodate the desire for Alliance High Elves as best they could by first introducing the Silver Covenant in Wrath and making them the counter part of the Horde Blood Elves in a lot of story lines. Given the continued popularity/desire for Alliance High Elves they now used Allied/Secondary races to give Alliance players the model in the only way Blizzard feels they can, by making them look distinctly different from Blood Elves and giving Horde players the Nightborne in return.

It may take Alliance High Elf fans some time to realize it but I think that despite their crappy introduction Void Elves are more interesting for the story with regards to fighting Old Gods or Void Lords. We'll have to see what happens to the Silver Covenant in the future but I wouldn't be surprised if they show up again in 9.0.

I mean I don't think Blizz is mocking HE fans, but neither are they being accommodating to them. If they really believed Void Elves was the only possible way to give alliance player High Elves, why don't tie the VE lore to current SC HE lore? As they stand now, they are completely unrelated.

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It's just a perfect time to introduce Alliance High Elves with Alleria's return. They would see her as their leader as would Vereesa I would reckon. They're still with the alliance and honoring old traditions and now they have the person that fought and, what thought by many died for. Alleria is still a High Elf, not a Blood elf. And what about her ranger corps that went with her to outland. Many are at Allerian Stronghold. Why wouldn't she gather them?

Basically. Even as things stand now, Alleria could go for rounding every Thalassian exile, which could be very exciting.

I suggest that ion interview video again.

I'm pretty sure that video doesn't touch High Elven lore like at all.

[rpdrichard]

Which is part of the problem the way I see it, really.

"Dad, buy me a Playstation". > "Here you go son, a Xbox. It is still a console, but I think it is cooler."

It would be more like here´s atari pong I thinks it´s cooler and it´s also cheaper, now go have fun.