Why are Night Elves even Alliance?

[Vasaru]

Because Tyrande's a bit thick in the head.

She's ceded most of her power to the 'High King', her people's culture is being destroyed or fading to the background and now their association with the Alliance has cost them their home.

It wouldn't surprise me to see the Night Elves just fade in with the humans in a few decades time, they've allowed themselves to be so dominated by them.

Did you miss this tiny little detail?

What reason would they have to join the faction with the same race that desecrated Ashenvale and killed Cenarius?

[Mister Cheese]

OP didn't read lore obviously. Horde raided ashenvale for resources and when they said fuck off they killed their god. Why would they ally themselves with that?

[Minikin]

Please oh please dont fall for the obvious troll

[Combatbutler]

OP didn't read lore obviously. Horde raided ashenvale for resources and when they said fuck off they killed their god. Why would they ally themselves with that?

They shouldn't have allied with either side, the Alliance was full with mages and worked with the orcs the moment they met them, which prompted them to kill them in droves.

[Nathasil]

Night Elves > Alliance and Undead > Horde was the biggest mitake of classic. The Horde never recovered from this. It is not the "City Elf" faction, lead by and Undead. That is not the Horde anymore. Likewise, the Alliance totally swallowed up the unique motive of the Night Elves, which damaged both of their destinct motives. The Night Elves with their "Eternal Vigil"-motive made the Alliance seem even more passive than the faction was in WC1>3...and the Alliance totally destroyed the motive of the Night elves in return.

Addin shit on top of something that works is not always a way to make it work better. Alliance should have stayed Human+Dwarf+Gnome and Horde Orc+Troll+Goblin. The Tauren, Undead and Night Elves are all "special cases" that should have been decided on a more case by case basis than outright forcing them into an Alliance they don't fit into.

[Aeula]

Did you miss this tiny little detail?

Did I ever say they should join the Horde?

[Nirathiel]

What reason would they have to join up with the people who were standing along side the Orcs when they were first encountered and have absolutely no cultural connection whatsoever with when the Alliance is the monoculture faction?

The Humans didn't kill their Demigod. The Humans didn't corrupt themselves. The Humans weren't seen as demon-spawns. Seeing as how Night elves have strong prejudice against demons or users of demonic power (see Illidan/Demon Hunters). And using that reasoning about cultural connection, why are the Forsaken and Blood elves Horde?

And it's cost them everything. The Alliance is the worst thing to ever happen to Night Elves.

Cost them everything how? inbefore you mention Teldrassil, we don't know the events that lead to BFA yet.

You don't turn on the only allies you've ever had, who saved your ass from the very start of your existence in their lands and yet the Elves of Quel'thalas had no qualms abandoning the Alliance.

Who saved who's ass from very start of existence you on about?

As for Quel'thelas I'm not really sure why they joined the Horde from first place, aside from possibly giving them an elf race (and access to paladins).

[Ravingmad]

Many people already pointed out why NE dont like Orcs and such, but we also need to remember what was the point of each faction in the first place.

Alliance: Alliance of many Azeroth resident and peaceful races against the Orc invasion from WC1. Initially it was Humans, Dwarves/Gnomes and High Elves. (Pretty much all Human-like races, the "Good guys").

- Then the NightElf joined when Ashenvale got chopped by the Orc while creating Orgrimmar and other Outposts (WC3)
- Then the Draenei joined, because.... Light = Alliance. And for obvious reasons, they dont like Orcs. (BC)
- Finally Worgen, but they were already part of the "Alliance", just not involved in anything until Cataclysm. (Cata)

Horde: The Outcast or Foreigners, banded together for survival on this new hostile territory or against foes. First are obviously the Orcs, joined by the Troll after rescuing Zul'jin from imprisonment. Then joined by Goblin (because % + & = Profit). (The horde, mostly green skin humanoids + Ogres).

- Undead is a weird one, because IMO they could have joined the Alliance, as most of them were formerly from the Alliance (humans). But since they were Undead and not really fit to joined the Alliance, they went Horde for strategic reasons. But they still could have been independent, but Im sure the Alliance would have fight them as we saw in the Intro cinematic of Battle for Azeroth.
- Then the Tauren joined, after getting help against the Centaur's invasions where the "new horde" (Thrall) helped them. (WC3)
- Then the Blood Elves joined during BC and since Sylvanas protected her former Kingdom, they eventually joined the Horde.


So IMO, they all make senses.

Do we know who burned Teldrassil? IMO it feels more like an hidden scheme to start a war.

[Izalla]

Night Elves went Alliance because the Horde, or rather the orcs, immediately resumed their lumber operations in Ashenvale after WC3. And they'd lost their immortality plus the fact that they had a low birth rate (due to once being immortal) and the numbers they'd lost against the Legion.

Draenei are Alliance because, 1)they shared the belief in the Light and 2)the orcs kinda almost wiped them out. Puts a damper on relations when you try to eradicate an entire race.

If I remember correctly another reason the draenei joined the alliance is because the island they crash landed on was part of the night elven lands (at least formerly) and the night elves were the first to meet them and reach out to them or help them (though this was clearly gameplay related as a way to bring them into the fold rather than a previously established reason like the others).

I don't have a problem with any of the reasoning Blizz used when dividing the races between horde and alliance, even if some races should otherwise get along and not be enemies (tauren and night elves for example, but we do see them often working together outside of faction business such as the druid groups). I do agree that Blizz took away too much from the savagery of the night elves though when they joined the alliance, but that's all in how they have shown them. From WoW you would never really know that night elves are supposed to be like feral warriors with fangs and claws, they seem like standard high society cultured elves like the blood elves are, just more nature based. They could easily have shown night elves to be more like the other Kalimdor races even inside the alliance, blood elves and forsaken didn't morph into "savage" races when they joined the orcs, tauren, and trolls, so there was no need to tone down the night elves for the alliance.

[Oneirophobia]

There really should be a third faction, if you want the honest answer, but that would have been an enormous amount of work 13 years ago.

[Combatbutler]

You don't turn on the only allies you've ever had, who saved your ass from the very start of your existence in their lands and yet the Elves of Quel'thalas had no qualms abandoning the Alliance.

That is a bit much, both kingdoms simply needed each other at the time, it is rather fun if one thinks about it. If the highborne had managed to convince the night elves that they can still use arcane, humanity would have been wiped out and the elves would have been much more efficient during their vigil on klamimdor.

[Evaddon]

Night Elves are just giant hypocrites honestly. Their story and lore got messed up awhile ago

Tyrande literally killed her own people, but yet made Illidan out to be the monster, they outlawed mages even exiling half of their race, then allied with Humans who practice magic taught by the people they exiled...then years later were like "Okay mages are pretty cool, we can start teaching the arcane again" and now they have mages. Mages that were outlawed because they drew Sargeras/ The Burning Legion to Azeroth in the first place.

They don't make sense at all...always remember kids. Night Elves caused every problem on Azeroth.

[Combatbutler]

They don't make sense at all...always remember kids. Night Elves caused every problem on Azeroth.

Naw that would be Malygos not doing his job properly he should have gone to their capital just showed them what kind of scrubs they are and how to behave Azshara might have developed a crush on him instead of Sargeras and booom sundering avoided.

[Zyky]

Doing bad things doesn't suddenly exclude you from your allegiances. Though Grom didn't have much chance without it so he did what he tought was best for his people. But if you see it from the Night Elves perspective, they now hated the orcs.

Thrall tried his best to make everyone a team even after Archie died. But all the races have pride, grudges, stubberness and stupidness, so they all chose a side. Night Elves chose the "lesser" evil from their perspective.

"doing bad things" as if they had a choice once they drank the blood. Do you not understand that, because obviously the argument you're making tells me you have no idea how the story went.

[Volitar]

I mean honestly the Wow lore is just a colossal shitbag, don't think about it and you will have a better time I promise.

[Evaddon]

Neither was the Horde once the dust had settled after Archimonde was destroyed.
You missed the point. There is no cultural connection amongst the Horde, but rather a common cause. The Alliance is the faction being pigeon-holed into the monoculture and the piecemeal destruction of what the Night Elves used to be in my mind can only be the driving force to turn them into good little light-worshiping morons like the rest of the Alliance races. It's completely unnecessary otherwise.


So Teldrassil's destruction is irrelevant? Never the less, being driven from Kalimdor by the Horde is a result of being in the Alliance. Being tied to the whipping post every time the garbage shit devs need to 'advance the Alliance story' is another reason the Alliance has been nothing but bad news for them. it happened in Cataclysm as well. Being in the Alliance has turned them into weak, irrelevant, damsels needing to be saved by human scum constantly as a theme. And BfA continues that. The Night Elves get taken down a notch so human filth can look good next to them. That's bullshit.

Humans saved the Thalassian Elves from the very start. And thousands of years of friendship went out the door. And Quel'thalas sided with the Orcs, the same Orcs who recruited the Amani against them. Giving them paladins is a weak reason.


Go read the chronicles. Had humans not provided the Highborne with food and shelter when they first arrived in the Eastern Kingdoms they would've all starved to death thousands of years ago. It wasn't a matter of simply needing them.


- - - Updated - - -

Half? no, wasn't even a tenth of the race. Just a few HIghborne johnny come lately's realising the Legion's offer wasn't the deal they wanted to make. And the outlawing of mages came BEFORE the exile. ffs learn the lore.
Back with this bullshit again. Sargeras would've found Azeroth regardless, Night Elves saved the planet twice. I find it ironic you have a blood elf avatar cause it's the direct ancestors of the blood elves whom were the problematic backstabbing night elves who summoned the Legion to Azeroth in the first place, not the nature-based ones following Cenarius, whom were the majority of the race.

- - - Updated - - -

Honestly undead in the Alliance and Night Elves in the Horde, both starting out as Neutral would've made more sense.

LOL yes HALF, what the fuck? They started a whole society. Not just a handful could do that, nor have the numbers to do that after losing people in Thrisfal Glades to madness. If you honestly think a handful were exiled you need to fact check...or me and you have a entirely different meaning of handful. Maybe your handful is my half?

Yeah I'm not RP'ing here, so yes. I have a Sin'dorei as my profile pic. Point? The Highborne rose up from the Night Elves, were closer to Night elves then the Blood Elves its a distinct step in evolution that can't just be ignored. And I never said the Sin'dorei were good and holy,never even claimed such. This is a discussion about the Night Elves

And sure he may have found it, but that The Sundering wouldn't have happened, the Night Elves wouldn't have fell at the height of their power and so on and so fourth. The Night Elves fucked up. All Elves have fucked up, and they're continuing to fuck up BfA with these Void Elves running around, messing with the Sunwell and whatever other bullshit they're messing with that they have no business doing.

So point is.

Elves are evil and dark and always messing up something/stepping in something. They get in their own way constantly.

[Highelf]

I still would like to see all the elves become an entire new faction. They get tired of being collateral damage to this war and seek to go back to each of their roots. They are all derived from Night Elves anyways.

That or finally have Malf actually seem like an ALLIANCE leader for once.

[Deleted]

Why are the Forsaken Horde? Gotta shove everything into two factions because MMO

[Accendor]

Absolutely correct. But back in Vanilla, Blizz went a bit overboard with giving all the "pretty" races to the Alliance, even if it didn't (and still doesn't) make any sense lorewise. NEs have a lot more in common with Taurens and Orcs than with Dwarves or Gnomes.

... which is why the tauren should not be in the horde...

[sam86]

What reason would they have to join the faction with the same race that desecrated Ashenvale and killed Cenarius?

that count on hands on 'both' btw from the night elf pov in wc3, as u can see clearly in the starting missions of the night elf campaign
the reason night elf joined

lmao nice goin' tyrande. you allied with the humans when you should've stayed neutral or gone horde and what did you get? your treehouse burning.

if night elves were horde then they would be able to traverse all of kalimdor without issue, hump trees with the tauren and form some aggreement with the orcs. there honestly isn't a single reason, not one, that night elves are better off on the alliance than the horde.

while night elf and taurens are actually on good terms, they aren't with orcs, night elves want to keep their forest and let orc children die without roof to protect them than to allow them get wood to actually stay alive, wood that orcs wouldn't need if - surprise - humans didn't cut all trees from Durotan as shown in wc3 bonus campaign
From night elf pov trees >>> anything else, unless u are a gnome or human and show zero care for nature u are forgiven because as they say as long the ass that is fucked isn't mine i don't care, and human/dwarf/gnomes fuck eastern kingdom ass, not kalimdor

Absolutely correct. But back in Vanilla, Blizz went a bit overboard with giving all the "pretty" races to the Alliance, even if it didn't (and still doesn't) make any sense lorewise. NEs have a lot more in common with Taurens and Orcs than with Dwarves or Gnomes.

back in rpg books wildhammer dwarfs were literally described as more horde than anything else, they live like shamantic races do, in fact ironforge (playable) dwarfs were only alliance race that can be at war with them and attack them, back when blizz cared a lot more about lore to show in gameplay instead of fuck lore for sake of gameplay
if u curious, night elf and taurens were always on good terms, wildhammer dwarfs were shamantic ppl who live almost identical to orcs (just less blood rage), and stormwind had more population than all horde capitals combined

- - - Updated - - -

Why are the Forsaken Horde? Gotta shove everything into two factions because MMO

not really, forsaken were met with pitchfork and fire torches from their living relatives in alliance, and like goblins/blood elves/trolls, horde helped them to avoid getting purged for dare to exist
Horde prior to Garrosh stuff were a big family who protect the weak and help, the core of Thrall (wc3) horde, alliance on other hand were racists who like to kill weaker races in name of 'righteous' and never see themselves do any wrong
right now it is kind of mess

... which is why the tauren should not be in the horde...

while taurens and nelfs weren't on bad terms, the xenophobic nelfs never cared enough about taurens to rescue them from centaurs
In fact nelfs were shown always as xenophobic that the idea that they were 'friendly' with alliance races really baffled me when i started playing wow (started as gnome warlock), and of course the infamous high school cheerleader female nelfs (weren't they amazonias ?)
lorewise centaurs were massive threat to taurens and are the reason why taurens are one of lowest population races (TB has only 6k, compare it to SW that has 200k), wow did a really bad job to show how big threat of centaurs are, or maybe Thrall horde crushed it in wc3 that they no longer became threat so no need to show that in wow