Official High Elf Discussion Megathread

[Frenchvince]

I've never been a fan of high elves using the phoenix honestly. Especially when its depicted before the third war. (Reforged, the movie etc) The phoenix was a very clear symbol for their people rising from the ashes, back from the brink of ruin, it fit the blood elf story perfectly. I get that its the same story, but I'd much prefer something different for them.

Void Elves however sure, they're an extension of tbc blood elf themes anyway.

The Blood Elves and the High Elves are all survivors, they are linked by the same story but they have chosen different paths.
This is probably why Blizzard chose the emblem of the phenix for both, or else, they are just lazy because they did not want to bother to make an HE emblem (the unicorn from Warcratf 2?) ... We'll never know.

[Vaedan]

The Blood Elves and the High Elves are all survivors, they are linked by the same story but they have chosen different paths.
This is probably why Blizzard chose the emblem of the phenix for both, or else, they are just lazy because they did not want to bother to make an HE emblem (the unicorn from Warcratf 2?) ... We'll never know.

I agree. Phoenix make sense for high elves too, considering they are also victims of Arthas' raid on Quel'thalas, but I have no doubts it was chosen as a simple recolor of blood elf symbol, which is the easiest way to do. All high elf assets are basically just recolors of blood elf or night elf assets - tents, banners, etc. The unicorn symbol is actually in game, mostly on wrecks of old elven ships (can be seen in Wetlands or Westfall). They could easily use the symbol of Silver Sun from Silver Covenant's tabard... which is the only high elf tabard we have now on the Alliance. I definitely would not mind getting blue version of Silvermoon's Tabard on the Alliance now.

[Graden]

The Blood Elves and the High Elves are all survivors, they are linked by the same story but they have chosen different paths.
This is probably why Blizzard chose the emblem of the phenix for both, or else, they are just lazy because they did not want to bother to make an HE emblem (the unicorn from Warcratf 2?) ... We'll never know.

This is the correct answer. There is nothing else to say. They choose the easy path like they do on many occasions. For example, have you done the Worgen heritage armor quest? They didn't even bother to create Gilnean banners. They used the Lion, the symbol of Stormwind for the Worgen questline.

I'm talking about this :


Why they did it? Because the assets for this semi Gilnean/Stormwind banner were already there from Legion (Greyfang Enclave). See?

There's no way they would bother to create a new emblem for the High Elves. Altho I swear I've seen quel'dorei shipwrecks with the unicorn emblem on it.

[Frenchvince]

There's no way they would bother to create a new emblem for the High Elves. Altho I swear I've seen quel'dorei shipwrecks with the unicorn emblem on it.

The Quel'dorei wreck with the unicorn emblem.


And the ship's version of Warcraft 2.

[Graden]

The Quel'dorei wreck with the unicorn emblem.


And the ship's version of Warcraft 2.

yep that's it! I wonder why they never used it more.

[Ardenaso]

perhaps they're Highvale ships?

[Varodoc]

The choice of using red or blue colour isn't what differentiates High Elves from Blood Elves. The Sunwell and Silvermoon City had the red/gold color scheme from the time of the first High Elves, for most intents and purposes they were still Highborne Night Elves. Just waving a blue colored flag or wearing blue colored armor shouldn't differentiate a Blood Elf from a High Elf, which is kind of a pointless statement in the first place because Blood Elves and High Elves are the same group of people.

There are conflicting sources on how Silvermoon looked like in the past. Sources much more recent than whatever that comic is show that Silvermoon was blue before Arthas' invasion:





The second pic is a fanmade reconstruction of Silvermoon, but it is using the official Reforged assets.

[Rhlor]

perhaps they're Highvale ships?

that's a blood elves ship attacked by the alliance

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There are conflicting sources on how Silvermoon looked like in the past. Sources much more recent than whatever that comic is show that Silvermoon was blue before Arthas' invasion:





The second pic is a fanmade reconstruction of Silvermoon, but it is using the official Reforged assets.

the most recent is this

[Varodoc]

that's a blood elves ship attacked by the alliance

- - - Updated - - -



the most recent is this

No, Reforged is the most recent if you want to be obnoxiously pedantic.

Warbringers Sylvanas: 2018
Reforged: 2020

[Rhlor]

No, Reforged is the most recent if you want to be obnoxiously pedantic.

Warbringers Sylvanas: 2018
Reforged: 2020

Reforged is not wow and anyone can easily tell that the units have different colors

[Doffen]

On the beta atm and trying out the tmog and customization stuff. So here is my Blood Elf Mage with new hairstyle and venthyr tmog. Can't wait for this to go live and collecting all the mogs. All looks good on the different kind of High Elves

[Varodoc]

Reforged is not wow and anyone can easily tell that the units have different colors

Except for the fact that:

1) Reforged is canon.
2) The flashback segment of Warbringers Sylvanas doesn't take place during WoW timeline (so your argument against Reforged makes 0 sense).
3) The map assets don't change color depending on the owner, those buildings are and will always be blue regardless of team colors.

Don't try to be clever with me little guy, it won't work.

[Rhlor]

Except for the fact that:

1) Reforged is canon.
2) The flashback segment of Warbringers Sylvanas doesn't take place during WoW timeline (so your argument against Reforged makes 0 sense).
3) The map assets don't change color depending on the owner, those buildings are and will always be blue regardless of team colors.

Don't try to be clever with me little guy, it won't work.

reforged is warcraft 3 with graphics sometimes better sometimes worse it's a disappointing mess I wouldn't use it as a source for anything

[Lady Atia]

I mean to a degree -for starters I wouldn't put forward anything from the Sunwell Manga forward as accurate representation when Sylvanas looked... like that, and chronicles itself put forward artwork with teal-roofed Silvermoon- but it's an obvious choice that Blood Elves lean aesthetically on summer/autumn palettes, and high elves on blue ones, to the point their sigils/banners follow that rule.

To pretend that in current time there aren't very noticeable aesthetic choices BE's and HE's made would be pretty darn disengenous -regardless if they made or not those aesthetic choices in times before the Third War-

That being said, HE assets are notorious recolors of BE ones that I wouldn't say they reflect anything but saving dev time -such as HE lodges just being NE ones- but it's clear that the intention that BE's and HE's favor different colors schemes in their presentation.

You just have to look at the game for that; every race has pretty much set aesthetic preferences.

But we have Liadrian in her old silver armour aswell as Halduron with his blue set, and both are leaders of the Blood Elves. Also, both sides do use green with Alleria or Blood Elf Hunter starter gear as examples.

[Ielenia]

Ren'dorei also have a phoenix as their symbol:





The key difference is that the Sin'dorei phoenix points upward, representing their rise from the ashes. The Ren'dorei phoenix points downward, representing their fall from grace, as they stray further away from the shimmering light of the Sunwell.

Excuse me? Can I have a source for that, please? Because, as far as I can tell, the void elves do not consider themselves "fallen from grace". In fact, they seem to no longer see the Light as "grace" and something to aspire to.

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yep that's it! I wonder why they never used it more.

They never used the emblem, but the "high elf racial mount" (i.e. the one you can buy in the Argent Tournament) is an unicorn:

[Traveler Voltin]

On the beta atm and trying out the tmog and customization stuff. So here is my Blood Elf Mage with new hairstyle and venthyr tmog. Can't wait for this to go live and collecting all the mogs. All looks good on the different kind of High Elves

that looks awesome. its got a Blood mage feel to it.

[Xilurm]

Saddened to hear they removed the bdsm jewelry from the blood elves in beta. I guess it was too hot for Blizz.

[Rhlor]

Saddened to hear they removed the bdsm jewelry from the blood elves in beta. I guess it was too hot for Blizz.

there are no more jewels ?? How strange they had presented it as something important for personalization in an official post. I'm glad I don't like jewelry I want tattoos and scars

[Xilurm]

there are no more jewels ?? How strange they had presented it as something important for personalization in an official post. I'm glad I don't like jewelry I want tattoos and scars

There are, just not the specific one that adornes the entire body.

This one.

[Wired-Lain]

but the Highborne crest was already prominent on the Aszhara days

A retcon, its imagery at the time of TBC is pretty clear. And much stronger as a visual for their people rising again.