Official High Elf Discussion Megathread

[Traycor]

They’re not. They’re there just to oppose the Blood Elves. Their culture is basically the same as the Human’s at this point. Void Elves fill their niche and have the potential to push it further.

Just saying they're not, doesn't suddenly erase their large part in the story of multiple expansions. If you play Horde, I can certainly understand why you think they are just a foil for Blood Elves. By that reasoning, we could claim orcs are just a foil for humans. As an Alliance player, I've enjoyed the Silver Covenant storyline and I find it engaging.

[Aeula]

Just saying they're not, doesn't suddenly erase their large part in the story of multiple expansions. If you play Horde, I can certainly understand why you think they are just a foil for Blood Elves. By that reasoning, we could claim orcs are just a foil for humans. As an Alliance player, I've enjoyed the Silver Covenant storyline and I find it engaging.

But there's nothing else to the story except their conflict with the Blood Elves. They don't do anything unless Blood Elves are involved in the opposing side. Orcs and Humans do things individually of each other.

Their conflict with the Blood Elves is being set up to be replaced by the Void Elves. High Elves no longer serve a role within the storyline and Blizzard have thus far made no effort to give them new direction. Nor should they. Two Thalassian Elf races is more than enough.

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Traycor just put him on ignore he's like a black hole of idiocy foaming at the mouth he's not worth your time. I recommend everyone else does the same he's just not worth the effort anymore just like some of the others.

You're trying to ignore me and yet you can't help your desire to butt into every conversation I have on the topic. Amusing.

[Traycor]

Traycor just put him on ignore

Nah, @Aeula may disagree with me, but he's cool. No harm in him giving his opinion. I think the avatar gives the false impression that his posts are outraged or incredulous.

The funny part is that so many people are basically saying, "Don't come up with design ideas for this. Don't think about it or speak of it."

Still haven't had time for any new designs yet. But I'm happy for more suggestions!

[Syegfryed]

Nah, [MENTION=828750]

Still haven't had time for any new designs yet. But I'm happy for more suggestions!

i have a idea for your design, what about you create design for Silver covenant elves, and not wildhammer dwarfs with point ears and bad hair? this would help a lot

[Traycor]

i have a idea for your design, what about you create design for Silver covenant elves, and not wildhammer dwarfs with point ears and bad hair? this would help a lot

Any specifics for what you would like to see? It needs to be different from Blood Elf design, which the Silver Covenant currently lacks.

[Obelisk Kai]

Any specifics for what you would like to see? It needs to be different from Blood Elf design, which the Silver Covenant currently lacks.

Have you tried purple to dead white skin, dark hair colours and optional hair tentacles?

I think Blizzard would be open to that as a variant.

[Traycor]

Have you tried purple to dead white skin, dark hair colours and optional hair tentacles?

I think Blizzard would be open to that as a variant.

That would step on the toes of Draenei design.

[Syegfryed]

Any specifics for what you would like to see? It needs to be different from Blood Elf design, which the Silver Covenant currently lacks

this is exactly the trick, you cannot make then different when they are not, your thread would be better, and worth if it was a generic "high elf concept", when you put silver covenant you just limite yourself to silver covenant, and end with abominations like the druid concept


like people said, tattos in their face and hairstyles is not enough, no matter what clothes they are using, the concept need to be something drastic like void elves or Nightborne, o it will not happens, no matter how people cry about

[Obelisk Kai]

That would step on the toes of Draenei design.

Well they had to go somewhere as stepping on the toes of the Draenei is clearly preferable to being exactly the same as the Blood Elf.

[Lelkowski]

So what after Blood Elfs with blue eyes? I mean High Elfs? Half High Elfs? Humans with blue eyes? Can't alliance get something interesting?

[Obelisk Kai]

So what after Blood Elfs with blue eyes? I mean High Elfs? Half High Elfs? Humans with blue eyes? Can't alliance get something interesting?

I wouldn't be surprised if part of the reason the Horde gets cooler stuff than the Alliance is that the fan community of the Alliance insists on asking for something it can't have.

So much wasted effort here.

[Deleted]

I wouldn't be surprised if part of the reason the Horde gets cooler stuff than the Alliance is that the fan community of the Alliance insists on asking for something it can't have.

So much wasted effort here.

Thats NOT true at all, favouring one faction over the other because one asks for something would be a very dumb move on the developers part.

[RangerDaz]

Nah, @Aeula may disagree with me, but he's cool. No harm in him giving his opinion. I think the avatar gives the false impression that his posts are outraged or incredulous.

The funny part is that so many people are basically saying, "Don't come up with design ideas for this. Don't think about it or speak of it."

Still haven't had time for any new designs yet. But I'm happy for more suggestions!

Hey Traycor! You could try and make a high elf warrior, hunter, rogue and mage for example and if there is still space, then put the silver covenant banner on the middle!

[FlubberPuddy]

Ha ha, that's awesome! I think the reason this subject has consistently been brought up all these years is because it's a genuine void (no pun intended) for High Elves to fill on the Alliance side. On this forum, all the positive responses to the designs have been very encouraging!

Nobody should lose hope about getting High Elves. Even the recent Weekly WowHead video with Annie and Perculia shows that a High Elf tint would be cool and was requested by Perculia. She said it she knows it sounds crazy for Void Elves to get the "High Elf tint" but that it wouldn't make sense for Blood Elves to get it.

I still think they should be added as their own standalone race, similar to Wild Hammer Dwarves (Perculia also mentions them as well). I think it's great to see someone with her stature as stating for High Elf inclusion, and btw even Annie thinks it would be weird to include a "High Elf tint" into Void Elves. Which just adds more support to them better being included as their own stand alone Alliance Race.

As for further design ideas, I see you have some feathers in the earrings, have you thought about some feather accessories in their hairstyles? I was thinking maybe some braided/beads hair styles as well. Could even split their aesthetic between Ranger and Mage designs to showcase more of their willingness to not rely on magic siphoning but also not forget about Dalaran High Elves as well.

In any case, keep up the great work! I urge others to also submit awesome design ideas for High Elves. The fact it was mentioned by WoWHead is definitive sign of High Elves being a popular request.

[Syegfryed]

Thats NOT true at all, favouring one faction over the other because one asks for something would be a very dumb move on the developers part.

its not favoring one faction over another, is given to one faction something reasonable they ask for, and not giving the alliance things who are not reasonable

the alliance never unite to ask for something, if they put some effort in something who is not elves, they would get

[Aeula]

Alright, real talk here.

I don’t see a way High Elves will ever become playable without it pushing aside Void Elves and undermining the Horde’s faction identity.

HOWEVER, have you considered perhaps merging the themes of Void Elves and High Elves? No, I don’t mean giving Void Elves fleshy skin tones, that’s a cop out and would detract from them.

Judging by the NPC’s in the rift it’s clear that Blizzard intends to push High Elves into joining the Void Elves. Why not have what’s left of High Elf ‘culture’ bleed into the Void Elves? Have the rangers play a bigger role and establish lodges and organisations that mirror those of the Alliance High Elves. Introduce more splashes of light blue into Void Elf architecture and what-not. Maybe have said organisation star in a questline where they help the Wildhammer fight against and potentially wipe out the Raventusk from a new base in Quel’danil.

Yeah, okay they’re Void-based and the void should remain a part of who they are going forward, but they’re still Elves and there’s potential to bring that out through the absorption of the High Elves into their ranks. Combine the two themes without taking away from each other.

I just think it’d be better to work with what Blizzard have given you rather than try and run another Thalassian elf storyline alongside that of the Void Elves.

[FlubberPuddy]

Alright, real talk here.

I don’t see a way High Elves will ever become playable without it pushing aside Void Elves and undermining the Horde’s faction identity.

HOWEVER, have you considered perhaps merging the themes of Void Elves and High Elves? No, I don’t mean giving Void Elves fleshy skin tones, that’s a cop out and would detract from them.

Judging by the NPC’s in the rift it’s clear that Blizzard intends to push High Elves into joining the Void Elves. Why not have what’s left of High Elf ‘culture’ bleed into the Void Elves? Have the rangers play a bigger role and establish lodges and organisations that mirror those of the Alliance High Elves. Introduce more splashes of light blue into Void Elf architecture and what-not. Maybe have said organisation star in a questline where they help the Wildhammer fight against and potentially wipe out the Raventusk from a new base in Quel’danil.

Yeah, okay they’re Void-based and the void should remain a part of who they are going forward, but they’re still Elves and there’s potential to bring that out through the absorption of the High Elves into their ranks. Combine the two themes without taking away from each other.

I just think it’d be better to work with what Blizzard have given you rather than try and run another Thalassian elf storyline alongside that of the Void Elves.

I think going this route underlines the misunderstanding that most players seem to have regarding High Elves (the faction, not the race). You see, when it comes to High Elves they are pretty much that traditional fantasy high elf that we usually see in fantasy. In WoW, they were the group of elves that decided NOT to go through with the magic siphoning shenanigans that Kael brought back. They were the group of elves that decided to STAY Alliance loyal.

You do not get this from adding them in as an option to Void Elves, or having High Elf culture bleed into Void Elves. For trying to preserve racial niches, this proposed "solution" in turn actually dilutes both groups.

This is pretty much how the Elf groups are showcased in-game:

Night Elves: Mixture of Dark/Wood Elves but more savage
Blood Elves: Takes tradition high elf fantasy and turns it upside by having them be "mana vampires" | Now are a people that are Holy light-based
Void Elves: Take the Occultist idea and apply it to Elves, they are basically your Lovecraftian Elves with their themes of Void/Old Gods etc
Nightborne: They are pretty much the closest to classical Drow elves, except they delight in the extravagant things in life instead of living in caves/dark places
High Elves: Here are traditional fantasy high elfs who chose NOT to partake in any of more magical aspects their brethren have engaged in, they're pretty much the "Vanilla Elves"

I hope this helps people see now that each Elf group contains more differences than similarities. Latching onto the models is missing the entire point as the themes of these different Elf groups have all been different.

This is why I feel like saying to merge High Elves (again, the faction, not race) with Void Elves is missing the point. By combining the themes you are clashing with what High Elves already maintain as their theme.

And I know someone will mention it regardless, but a couple high elfs standing in the rift doesn't mean suddenly a large population of high elves are changing into Void Elves, that's pure headcanon. Also, even if some did, since the original way Void Elves came to be was a one-off event, then that means new in-coming Void high elves would have to have different customization options, because in a way they would be more closer to looking like Alleria since they are choosing to be empowered by the Void instead of being forcefully turned against their will.

I feel like there's these kinds of minutia that people often miss. But really the main take away is that High Elves have their own theme and it's pretty clear that it doesn't include partaking/delving more into magics. If the game has shown anything about High Elves, it's that they either kept magic use the same or lessened it. Blood Elves were the ones who took on more dependence on magic, even now that the Sunwell is cleansed they still rely on it heavily it's just a different magic source. Void Elves (which were previously Blood Elves in Umbric's group) did the same but with Void Magic.

High Elves did neither, and remained a part of Alliance.

[Directionalk9]

Alright, real talk here.

I don’t see a way High Elves will ever become playable without it pushing aside Void Elves and undermining the Horde’s faction identity.

HOWEVER, have you considered perhaps merging the themes of Void Elves and High Elves? No, I don’t mean giving Void Elves fleshy skin tones, that’s a cop out and would detract from them.

Judging by the NPC’s in the rift it’s clear that Blizzard intends to push High Elves into joining the Void Elves. Why not have what’s left of High Elf ‘culture’ bleed into the Void Elves? Have the rangers play a bigger role and establish lodges and organisations that mirror those of the Alliance High Elves. Introduce more splashes of light blue into Void Elf architecture and what-not. Maybe have said organisation star in a questline where they help the Wildhammer fight against and potentially wipe out the Raventusk from a new base in Quel’danil.

Yeah, okay they’re Void-based and the void should remain a part of who they are going forward, but they’re still Elves and there’s potential to bring that out through the absorption of the High Elves into their ranks. Combine the two themes without taking away from each other.

I just think it’d be better to work with what Blizzard have given you rather than try and run another Thalassian elf storyline alongside that of the Void Elves.

The spirit of what you said is what I’d like to see happen in game.

Personally my fan-fiction would be the addiction returns, presumably by destroying the sunwell. It’s very deadly but the Void Elves are immune to it. The high elves then have a choice to make rejoin their brethren in Silvermoon siphoning magic or undergo a Void Elf process similar what had happened, if neither they die. Varies a could have an emotional scene where she says she’s the last high elf, blah blah blah... argument done.

Regardless the High Elves have to be taken out of the game or this debate will never end.

[Aeula]

I think going this route underlines the misunderstanding that most players seem to have regarding High Elves (the faction, not the race). You see, when it comes to High Elves they are pretty much that traditional fantasy high elf that we usually see in fantasy. In WoW, they were the group of elves that decided NOT to go through with the magic siphoning shenanigans that Kael brought back. They were the group of elves that decided to STAY Alliance loyal.

You do not get this from adding them in as an option to Void Elves, or having High Elf culture bleed into Void Elves. For trying to preserve racial niches, this proposed "solution" in turn actually dilutes both groups.

This is pretty much how the Elf groups are showcased in-game:

Night Elves: Mixture of Dark/Wood Elves but more savage
Blood Elves: Takes tradition high elf fantasy and turns it upside by having them be "mana vampires" | Now are a people that are Holy light-based
Void Elves: Take the Occultist idea and apply it to Elves, they are basically your Lovecraftian Elves with their themes of Void/Old Gods etc
Nightborne: They are pretty much the closest to classical Drow elves, except they delight in the extravagant things in life instead of living in caves/dark places
High Elves: Here are traditional fantasy high elfs who chose NOT to partake in any of more magical aspects their brethren have engaged in, they're pretty much the "Vanilla Elves"

I hope this helps people see now that each Elf group contains more differences than similarities. Latching onto the models is missing the entire point as the themes of these different Elf groups have all been different.

This is why I feel like saying to merge High Elves (again, the faction, not race) with Void Elves is missing the point. By combining the themes you are clashing with what High Elves already maintain as their theme.

And I know someone will mention it regardless, but a couple high elfs standing in the rift doesn't mean suddenly a large population of high elves are changing into Void Elves, that's pure headcanon. Also, even if some did, since the original way Void Elves came to be was a one-off event, then that means new in-coming Void high elves would have to have different customization options, because in a way they would be more closer to looking like Alleria since they are choosing to be empowered by the Void instead of being forcefully turned against their will.

I feel like there's these kinds of minutia that people often miss. But really the main take away is that High Elves have their own theme and it's pretty clear that it doesn't include partaking/delving more into magics. If the game has shown anything about High Elves, it's that they either kept magic use the same or lessened it. Blood Elves were the ones who took on more dependence on magic, even now that the Sunwell is cleansed they still rely on it heavily it's just a different magic source. Void Elves (which were previously Blood Elves in Umbric's group) did the same but with Void Magic.

High Elves did neither, and remained a part of Alliance.

The High Elves that refused to drain magic from living creatures all moved to Quel'lithien and were wiped out, bar one or two of them, during the cataclysm. The rest of the High Elves are holdouts from the Second War or those who grew up in Human/Dwarven territory rather than Quel'thalas proper and thus are more loyal to the Alliance than their people.

My point is that right now Void Elves are a blank slate with plenty of ways to build upon them. There's no reason the void themes need to be diluted to give them some WC2 High Elf flair. Right now there's not much information on Warriors, Hunters and non-shadow based rogues. Most Void Elf lore revolves around the magisters and their part of the lore.

If Blizzard chose they could have the non-magic based Void Elves take on some of that WC2 nostalgia people seem to pine for, there's nothing preventing Blizzard from writing in a new way to 'convert' High Elves to Void Elves. The Void theme would, obviously remain very prominent, but that's just something fans will have to accept.

Basically my idea is to develop some of the Void Elves in a WC2 High Elf direction but if they were Void Elves during that time instead, using the void to cloak them, infuse their weapons and 'tame' creatures. Use what you've been given.

It's not exactly the High Elves you want, but it's as good as you're going to get.

By High Elves joining the Void Elves this conversation ends and you at least get a compromise.

[Fyersing]

I think going this route underlines the misunderstanding that most players seem to have regarding High Elves (the faction, not the race). You see, when it comes to High Elves they are pretty much that traditional fantasy high elf that we usually see in fantasy. In WoW, they were the group of elves that decided NOT to go through with the magic siphoning shenanigans that Kael brought back. They were the group of elves that decided to STAY Alliance loyal.

You do not get this from adding them in as an option to Void Elves, or having High Elf culture bleed into Void Elves. For trying to preserve racial niches, this proposed "solution" in turn actually dilutes both groups.

This is pretty much how the Elf groups are showcased in-game:

Night Elves: Mixture of Dark/Wood Elves but more savage
Blood Elves: Takes tradition high elf fantasy and turns it upside by having them be "mana vampires" | Now are a people that are Holy light-based
Void Elves: Take the Occultist idea and apply it to Elves, they are basically your Lovecraftian Elves with their themes of Void/Old Gods etc
Nightborne: They are pretty much the closest to classical Drow elves, except they delight in the extravagant things in life instead of living in caves/dark places
High Elves: Here are traditional fantasy high elfs who chose NOT to partake in any of more magical aspects their brethren have engaged in, they're pretty much the "Vanilla Elves"

I hope this helps people see now that each Elf group contains more differences than similarities. Latching onto the models is missing the entire point as the themes of these different Elf groups have all been different.

This is why I feel like saying to merge High Elves (again, the faction, not race) with Void Elves is missing the point. By combining the themes you are clashing with what High Elves already maintain as their theme.

And I know someone will mention it regardless, but a couple high elfs standing in the rift doesn't mean suddenly a large population of high elves are changing into Void Elves, that's pure headcanon. Also, even if some did, since the original way Void Elves came to be was a one-off event, then that means new in-coming Void high elves would have to have different customization options, because in a way they would be more closer to looking like Alleria since they are choosing to be empowered by the Void instead of being forcefully turned against their will.

I feel like there's these kinds of minutia that people often miss. But really the main take away is that High Elves have their own theme and it's pretty clear that it doesn't include partaking/delving more into magics. If the game has shown anything about High Elves, it's that they either kept magic use the same or lessened it. Blood Elves were the ones who took on more dependence on magic, even now that the Sunwell is cleansed they still rely on it heavily it's just a different magic source. Void Elves (which were previously Blood Elves in Umbric's group) did the same but with Void Magic.

High Elves did neither, and remained a part of Alliance.

You've got a fundamental misunderstanding of how BE's, HE's, and VE's actually address their addiction to magic.

The entirety of the population must draw upon some type of magic, or they become quite unwell -- where this energy comes from is absolutely irrelevant for most of the population, as they're not exposed to excess (and, thus, to the affects of excess).

The last 10-11 years, BE's have had their addiction sated by the Sunwell (presumed to be part Arcane, part Holy -- or entirely Holy).
The last 11 years, HE's have had their addiction sated by proximity to magic (most of which is purely Arcane, examples being the leylines or Dalaran).
The last ~months, VE's have had their addiction sated by drawing upon the Void.

The BE's banished a cluster of HE's after the latter decided that they weren't going to sate their own addiction pangs by draining the essence of living creatures. These HE's, as well as the others who were in places like Dalaran or the Hinterlands, didn't just wake up one morning and decide, "you know what, Vereesa, I'm going to stop being addicted to magic today."

They're still addicted, just like everyone else, and if they could feasibly sate this addiction without being beholden to others (see. Alliance) and with very few meaningful side-affects, why wouldn't they?