How to make Void Elves work

[ThePallyRanger]

Hi there,

I'm someone who for a long time has felt that High Elves should be playable or that the Blood Elves should have always been part of the Alliance. When Void Elves were announced, I was disappointed. However, as more stuff was released about them, they seem to have a lot of potential.

At BlizzCon, Ion Hazzikostas said High Elves wouldn't make sense given their small numbers. And that's a fair point. Yet Void Elves were officially described as a small crack group of Elves, if I recall correctly. Their numbers are probably no more, if not less than, the High Elves. So it doesn't make sense that they'd be an allied race going by Ion's logic.

But yes, Void Elves wouldn't really feel established (lorewise) as a race if they're extremely small in numbers.

Here's a crazy idea for them to have significant numbers. And I'd like to emphasize that nothing is set in stone, and that in a fictional world the writer can pull anything out their ass.

There could be a series of events in Quel'Thalas that leads to some sort of powerful Void entity or energies that somehow results in it bringing back many or all of the fallen High Elves (from when Arthas pillaged Quel'Thalas) back to actual life across the land, however, as a result of them being brought back from oblivion via void powers, they are now permanently Void Elves. In which the Blood Elves drive them out because they don't want them there, and they go join the rest of the Void Elves in the Alliance.

This would give them a massive population boost, and make them feel like an actual and established race.

Thoughts?

TL;DR: Have an event of sorts where all the High Elves slain by Arthas' rampage are resurrected via void powers, which also transforms them into Void Elves, and have them join the Alliance.

[Obelisk Kai]

Hi there,

I'm someone who for a long time has felt that High Elves should be playable or that the Blood Elves should have always been part of the Alliance. When Void Elves were announced, I was disappointed. However, as more stuff was released about them, they seem to have a lot of potential.

At BlizzCon, Ian Hazzikostas said High Elves wouldn't make sense given their small numbers. And that's a fair point. Yet Void Elves were officially described as a small crack group of Elves, if I recall correctly. Their numbers are probably no more, if not less than, the High Elves. So it doesn't make sense that they'd be an allied race going by Ian's logic.

But yes, Void Elves wouldn't really feel established (lorewise) as a race if they're extremely small in numbers.

Here's a crazy idea for them to have significant numbers. And I'd like to emphasize that nothing is set in stone, and that in a fictional world the writer can pull anything out their ass.

There could be a series of events in Quel'Thalas that leads to some sort of powerful Void entity or energies that somehow results in it bringing back many or all of the fallen High Elves (from when Arthas pillaged Quel'Thalas) back to actual life across the land, however, as a result of them being brought back from oblivion via void powers, they are now permanently Void Elves. In which the Blood Elves drive them out because they don't want them there, and they go join the rest of the Void Elves in the Alliance.

This would give them a massive population boost, and make them feel like an actual and established race.

Thoughts?

TL;DR: Have an event of sorts where all the High Elves slain by Arthas' rampage are resurrected via void powers, which also transforms them into Void Elves, and have them join the Alliance.

...

No, just...no.

Void energies corrupt and drive mad. They don't do resurrection.

The void elves are what they are, the antithesis of a light based blood elf.

Just take them for what they are and be happy you got that.

[Deleted]

Making void elf doesn't make you to suddenly change allegiance. In game soon-to-be void elves are exiled from the Horde

[Elim Garak]

That's easy, deny them free access to void and portion it based on work done.

[ThePallyRanger]

...

No, just...no.

Void energies corrupt and drive mad. They don't do resurrection.

"And I'd like to emphasize that nothing is set in stone, and that in a fictional world the writer can pull anything out their ass."

- - - Updated - - -

Making void elf doesn't make you to suddenly change allegiance. In game soon-to-be void elves are exiled from the Horde

As I understand it, mostly because Void Elves screw the Sunwell up. So they have to be exiled.

In this hypothetical, the Blood Elves would want the resurrected Void Elves gone too, otherwise the Sunwell would go to shit.

[Garfurion]

TL;DR: Have an event of sorts where all the High Elves slain by Arthas' rampage are resurrected via void powers, which also transforms them into Void Elves, and have them join the Alliance.

I don't think people want Void Elves to be undead and approximately 90% of the High Elves were killed as a result of the scourge attack on Quel'Thalas which would mean the Void Elves would outnumber Blood Elves 10:1. Might be hard to explain how Blood Elves fight off a 10 times larger group of undead void empowered elves whose very presence would probably drive the Blood Elves mad as well.

Best just to forget about population numbers since they don't make sense anyway.

[ThePallyRanger]

I don't think people want Void Elves to be undead and approximately 90% of the High Elves were killed as a result of the scourge attack on Quel'Thalas which would mean the Void Elves would outnumber Blood Elves 10:1. Might be hard to explain how Blood Elves fight off a 10 times larger group of undead void empowered elves whose very presence would probably drive the Blood Elves mad as well.

Best just to forget about population numbers since they don't make sense anyway.

No, no. Brought back to life, not into undeath. They'd be truly resurrected.

As for the 10:1 part, I've already thought about this. In this hypothetical scenario, when the event happens, given that Quel'Thalas is the last bastion of the Horde in EK, there'd be a tremendous number of Horde forces concentrated in Quel'Thalas that would help drive them out.

[Maxilian]

Well if Veressa bites the dust, it could be possible to have many High Elves look for leadership in Alleria, eventually making most of the HE go with her teachings.

[Deleted]

There is no need for them to be many in order to become an Allied Race.

[deviantcultist]

Void magic is not the generic "death magic" that you usually see in epic settings, therefore it cannot do that.

[ThePallyRanger]

Void magic is not the generic "death magic" that you usually see in epic settings, therefore it cannot do that.

It can if the writer one day says or decides it can.

[deviantcultist]

It can if the writer one day says or decides it can.

There are types of magic that can do that, but Void isn't one of them. Void is the domain of madness/unknown/cosmic power etc. There are occassions where it can "reattach" a soul to one's body, yet that by no means implies reanimation of any sort.

[ThePallyRanger]

There are types of magic that can do that, but Void isn't one of them. Void is the domain of madness/unknown/cosmic power etc. There are occassions where it can "reattach" a soul to one's body, yet that by no means implies reanimation of any sort.

You're correct. But if one day Blizzard comes out and says "Yes, Void magic can now do this." then it can and will. It's a fictional universe.

[MechaCThun]

You're correct. But if one day Blizzard comes out and says "Yes, Void magic can now do this." then it can and will. It's a fictional universe.

But that doesn't mean they will.

And there is need for them to do this. They have already established the magic of their universe. Necromancy is in the realm of "Decay" and although positioned right next to the realm of Void (Shadow), is separate from it. It seemed like Blizzard was going down the route during WoD that Void magic was responsible for necromantic acts and personally I'm glad they decided to NOT to do this.

Spinning the story that void elves are risen from death changes the theme of void elves, the theme of the Void itself established during Legion, and quite frankly makes the concept of void elves being treated as an actual race even more weak than it currently is.

[Aucald]

Void magic can raise the dead, but it's functionally different from how Necromancy works. Anguish Fortress in Shadowmoon Valley is crawling with the reanimated undead tinged by Void energies - but it may be a product of Void spirits or entities possessing corpses and skeletons as a form of manifestation.

[Aeula]

No. They should have the blood elf exiles and then have many of the remaining high elves become void elves to explain their numbers.

[Florena]

I don't feel that population was ever the real reason for high elves not being playable. It's that they're just blood elves without the green eyes. That's it. A couple balloons of pandaren were enough to make them playable. If numbers was the only concern, that wouldn't be an issue. Yes, there were plenty of pandaren but the ones that joined a faction were VERY VERY FEW in number.

Void elves put enough of a spin on high/blood elves to justify them being a different race. They don't really need to have a whole nation's worth of numbers. At most just make it like worgen where high or blood elves can voluntarily become void elves if they choose to.

[ello]

What the hell is the point of this? The population numbers are actually irrelevant, it's just a convenient excuse for Blizzard.

I mean what precedent does this set?

"I want brown orcs!"

"okay, every orc that ever died just got resurrected, have fun lul"

[huth]

"And I'd like to emphasize that nothing is set in stone, and that in a fictional world the writer can pull anything out their ass."

Internal consistency. It's a thing. Yes, you can theoretically pull anything out of your ass, but it's usually a good idea to at least try to keep things more or less consistent unless the inconsistency is a plot point.

[ravenmoon]

Hi there,

I'm someone who for a long time has felt that High Elves should be playable or that the Blood Elves should have always been part of the Alliance. When Void Elves were announced, I was disappointed. However, as more stuff was released about them, they seem to have a lot of potential.

At BlizzCon, Ion Hazzikostas said High Elves wouldn't make sense given their small numbers. And that's a fair point. Yet Void Elves were officially described as a small crack group of Elves, if I recall correctly. Their numbers are probably no more, if not less than, the High Elves. So it doesn't make sense that they'd be an allied race going by Ion's logic.

But yes, Void Elves wouldn't really feel established (lorewise) as a race if they're extremely small in numbers.

Here's a crazy idea for them to have significant numbers. And I'd like to emphasize that nothing is set in stone, and that in a fictional world the writer can pull anything out their ass.

There could be a series of events in Quel'Thalas that leads to some sort of powerful Void entity or energies that somehow results in it bringing back many or all of the fallen High Elves (from when Arthas pillaged Quel'Thalas) back to actual life across the land, however, as a result of them being brought back from oblivion via void powers, they are now permanently Void Elves. In which the Blood Elves drive them out because they don't want them there, and they go join the rest of the Void Elves in the Alliance.

This would give them a massive population boost, and make them feel like an actual and established race.

Thoughts?

TL;DR: Have an event of sorts where all the High Elves slain by Arthas' rampage are resurrected via void powers, which also transforms them into Void Elves, and have them join the Alliance.

Void elves work fine as they are. Blood elves are high elves and vice versa. If they are with the Quel'thalas community accepting it, they are blood elves, if they are with the alliance or reject Quel'thalas they are high elves. We have seen elves move back and forth, and High elf is defined by ideologically holding fast to the original ideals but politically being allied to the alliance. Blood elf is marked by being allied to the horde and embracing a new philosophy.

Politically, void elves are high elves, so there is already a connection blizzard just needs to emphasize. Ideologically, they are also high elves, there interest was to learn this new power to aid Silvermoon, but Silvermooon banished/exiled them and on meeting Alleria, they've aligned themselves with her cause to save the world and aid the alliance, making them both politically and ideologically high elves, but biologically the new Void elf or Ren'dorei.

As such void elf is a sub-race of high elf, not blood elf. And they are all Thalassian elves. Blizzard have already stated that blood elves are high elves and vice versa and have already shown that high elves who return to silvermoon become blood elves and blood elves who leave silvermoon rejoining the alliance are high elves. But if you need direct confirmation on this esp wrt void elves, you'll have to wait till they spell it out again. Which I'm sure they will.