Originally Posted by
Beloren
Neither are the high elves and have their own unique feel lore, but they essentially do the same thing.
Essentially , do you need Silvermoon and a playable high elves as a faction like the Silver Covenant if you have Highborne kaldorei doing the civilization side of the night elves (effectively covers high elf civilization) and you have void elves carrying the model customisation option.
Background
1. Highborne: The original versions before crazy addiction especially amongst Azshara's lot, were actually quite noble, the way Farondis Highborne is described is very reminiscent of what I imagine the high elves would be like if we had ever got to see them properly in game as high elves. Nobility, morality, responsibility, and lawful goodness - it is the picture of you would expected the benevolent kaldorei's most accomplished individuals would be- before they got all haughty.
Thing is the Shen'dralar and Darnasisan Highborne, and now the Farondis Highborne are basically all Highborne in that vein, being part of Darnassian society and having recovered form addiction, Shen'dralar would be far more the noble type than the haughty Azshara' court Highborne type - and Farondis, well they are the example in game
Although Highborne is under a kaldorei setting, with Elune religious over tones, kaldorei love of the stars and nature influencing their arcane fascination - unlike the high elves where it's the sun, and the sunwell, is their a place for high elves as a separate race any longer? shouldn't the Highborne be used now?
2. Void Elves: With the void elves you can play a high elf now, the lore has many high elves joining the Ren'dorei, the ren'dorei is no longer just purely a race, but is also a faction that blood elves and high elves have joined to be a part of. however the ren'dorei have a very distinct identity centred upon the void, just like the Highborne do about the stars, but essentially they carry the spirit of the high elf nation, and you can role play a high elf through them.
What Players Get
Basically:
1. In Highborne you get a high elf character and essence as well as a kaldorei based version of the culture
2. In Void elves you will get the high elf model
3. In the blood elves, you get the high elf model and the Thalassian cultural assets, but not quite the high elf character and essence. You get the historical land, places and what is in sense an evolution of the high elf.
Alliance fans essentially have a high elven culture through the Highborne night elves, and the model through the void elves -- is that enough? and does it not make having a high elf actual race playable a bit pointless? Seeing you can now play as a high elf individual on the alliance even though it's not "the High elf" faction.
What this essentially means is that blizzard only needs develop and focus kaldorei Highborne properly, whiles void elves can continue in their own line - to essentially satisfy all.
3 Key Questions for Alliance Fans
1. Is it better to develop kaldorei Highborne anyway, as this original high elf i.e. Quel'dorei in a part of the kaldorei that a lot of their fans like?
2. Is it okay for you guys to have the void elf race play high elf models and have high elf lore connecting high elves to void elves showing that yes, high elves and blood elves do join the ren'dorei even though they are not racially void elves?
3. High elves still continue in the lore and game as high elves, like the Silver covenant faction and other groups, those are just not playable as a faction. Or do alliance fans still only want high elves of Silvermoon and Quel'thalas and aren't satisfied with the above?
The reason I bring this up is that basically the kaldorei and ren'dorei have all the the things that the high elves essentially would bring to the table and would be unique as.
Conclusion
So:
1. There is no need for alliance high elves to be a separate playable faction
2. No need to give them Silvermoon or Quel'thalas - instead let the night elf Highborne build the night elf city and let it be a de-facto home for night elves, their Highborne, high elves, void elves etc, in addition to druids and priests (oops, druids will live in forest and parks), but the rest of the elves
3. No need for separate model designs either, the ren'dorei can have some colour schemes and tattoo schemes to reflect high elf particulars
All the alliance needs for high elves is already there via the night elf Highborne and the void elves, it's time to fully accept that the blood elves as they are have a right to be there as they are, choosing the horde and that being on the alliance isn't anything less better - you get a high elf civilization via the Highborne and you get high elf models on the void elves.
TLDR With Highborne and void elves having high elf character and high elf models, the need for a separate high elf playable race is effectively over. Blizzard should work with the kaldorei Highborne and void elves to consolidate the elves
p.s. mods, I'm not sure this actually belongs in the high elf mega thread, because it is primarily about Highborne and void elves taking the high elf mantle for the alliance, and about blood elves being fine. But if you feel it belongs there, please just move this there.
i think Highborne and void elves model update make a high elf playable faction redundant, and its fine they just remain in the lore as material for Highborne, void elves and blood elven story