Official High Elf Discussion Megathread

[Traycor]

Sadly seems very few remember elven rangers

Thematically, I think they could call Silver Covenant Warriors, Rogues, and Hunters by the title of Ranger. They all fit, really. It would be sweet if NPCs called High Elves of those three classes by Ranger in quest dialogue instead of their actual class. If they could earn the title of Ranger, that would be sweet!

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As every other allied race, they could have only one mount, ground mount.. lets not fan fictioning about new species we never heard about in warcraft. The unicorn mount would do.

While the player only gets 1 racial ground mount, the races themselves have their specific kind of air mount for flight paths at encampments and quest hubs. It's part of the design flavor of the race and does make a difference. They make up new creatures/models all the time, so I don't see the harm in suggesting a new air mount that fits their theme well and creates strong racial identity separate from Blood Elves.

[RangerDaz]

Thematically, I think they could call Silver Covenant Warriors, Rogues, and Hunters by the title of Ranger. They all fit, really. It would be sweet if NPCs called High Elves of those three classes by Ranger in quest dialogue instead of their actual class. If they could earn the title of Ranger, that would be sweet!

Warcraft 1 elves were priests. They should also be priests and mages as well (after all they were highborne outcasts from night elf society). I would take warriors off, as the original blood elves from Burning Crusade expansion weren't warriors. The blood elves also learnt the paladin way after abusing the light powers of a naaru, so I would cut off paladins as well.

My feeling is that the closest high elves are to plate classes are spell breakers (warcraft 3):
http://wowwiki.wikia.com/wiki/Blood_Elf_Spellbreaker


So i would make the following classes:
- hunter;
- rogue;
- monk (any race can learn monk, as long as they are friends with the pandaren);
- priest;
- mage.

Possibly death knight.


For the horde undead elves (dark rangers / san'layn) i would choose the following classes:

- death knight
- hunter
- rogue
- priest (shadow)
- mage
- warlock


**** UPDATE *****

After reading comments below, i agree warrior and paladin should be High Elf Classes, Warrior also an Undead Elf Class, and Death Knights only for Undead Elves.

[The Stormbringer]

Sadly seems very few remember elven rangers

Pepperidge Farm remembers.

Elven Rangers were big back in the hayday of WC2. They started as simple 'Archers' but upgraded to 'Rangers' with that awesome +3 damage, while trolls got passive regeneration. And of course, their ships were the backbone of the navy with the sleek Elven Destroyers and their Unicorn emblem. Admittedly it sounded like they were manned mostly by Humans, but the construction was clearly 'superior' quality.

If I had to go with Racials, I think I'd go with an ability similar to Shadowmeld or Camouflage (with a similar Night Elf boost to Stealth for Stealth classes), something to increase movement or mounted speed, a boost to herbalism perhaps, and maybe even a straight-up boost to attack range (by 3-5 yards) for most abilities. It might be a good race to open up a new profession, Runecrafting. Could be a sort of fusion of Alchemy, Inscription, and Enchanting.

[Traycor]

Warcraft 1 elves were priests. They should also be priests and mages as well (after all they were highborne outcasts from night elf society). I would take warriors off, as the original blood elves from Burning Crusade expansion weren't warriors. The blood elves also learnt the paladin way after abusing the light powers of a naaru, so I would cut off paladins as well.

My feeling is that the closest high elves are to plate classes are spell breakers (warcraft 3):
http://wowwiki.wikia.com/wiki/Blood_Elf_Spellbreaker


So i would make the following classes:
- hunter;
- rogue;
- monk (any race can learn monk, as long as they are friends with the pandaren);
- priest;
- mage.

Possibly death knight.

Assume you mean Warcraft 3? But yes, priests and mages are a must as well. I would main a Quel'dorei mage. However, there was an armored high elf swordsman in WC3. They also had engineers that built towers and such, but we don't have a tinker class. Paladin also seems right, but it might be offering too many classes.

Death Knight makes a lot of sense because of all the High Elves the Lich King wiped out. And many would have been at least loosely loyal to the Alliance at their time of death.

[Jokubas]

Now that it's marinated for a bit, I think these designs with a unicorn tabard (new design) and feathers on the belt would work nicely. Maybe if the feathers were added so they hung down over the pants. Just two or three feathers would be enough.

Like this maybe?

I did one light feather, and one feather based off the color of Alleria's cape. The unicorn logo was taken from the high elven ships. In Warcraft II and World of Warcraft, that crest was white, but I dulled it a bit here so it didn't stand out too much.

[Traycor]

Like this maybe?

I did one light feather, and one feather based off the color of Alleria's cape. The unicorn logo was taken from the high elven ships. In Warcraft II and World of Warcraft, that crest was white, but I dulled it a bit here so it didn't stand out too much.

These changes look great! The feathers help. If Blizzard does go with the unicorn logo, I assume they would update it to look like a sunrunner horn instead of a straight horn.

[Andromedes]

Looks good, maybe too simple but i like it. Now i was thinking what about use this symbol on current silver covenant tabard? Make the unicorn blue and slap it on the white spot, which represents sun i guess? I mean it is just an idea, it was not meant to be command i would do it myself, if i had access to PC right now.

[Traycor]

If I had to go with Racials, I think I'd go with an ability similar to Shadowmeld or Camouflage (with a similar Night Elf boost to Stealth for Stealth classes), something to increase movement or mounted speed, a boost to herbalism perhaps, and maybe even a straight-up boost to attack range (by 3-5 yards) for most abilities. It might be a good race to open up a new profession, Runecrafting. Could be a sort of fusion of Alchemy, Inscription, and Enchanting.

If they had Shadowmeld/Camouflage and movement speed, they would be too similar to Night Elf racials. The boost to attack range seems VERY interesting, and would work well with all their themes. Me likey.

[KrakHed]

Thread Suggestions So Far:
New standing animation
Different facial expression
New eye colors (purple, gold, yellow, white)
Wild, unkempt or messy hair
Jungle/forest hair
Tabard with Unicorn Design
Ear Variation (maybe with scars?)

Well, I felt I'd grace this thread with my own two cents as to why I feel blizzard made the choices they did.

Firstly, there's a clear biological distinction between Mag'har and green orcs. The difference between Blood Elves and High Elves is much less visible. Hell, High Elves used to be described as having green eyes. In the TBC beta, there was no physical distinction between Blood and High Elves until people created an extremely popular headcanon that the eye color was due to fel energies. And then that headcanon was promoted, and Alleria and other High Elves were no longer allowed to have green eyes.

Thing is, eye color doesn't actually matter to whether or not you're a Blood Elf. Any random High Elf could probably reintegrate any time they wanted, no change in eye color, and they'd fit right in. It's primarily a political distinction.

Because of this, I feel that Blizzard wanted to make a clearer physical distinction, not just eye color and a bit of paint. However, I feel the implementation was kind of silly. Really now. Void Elves? High Elf fans actually like the purity of their race so much that I've even seen them think the more tan complexions that Blood Elves can have are the result of Fel corruption.

But still, I'm a nitpicker myself. I've got my fair share of complaints about just about anything, so I don't really want to actively deny someone what they want even if I think that High Elves kind of distract from the Blood Elf story and that of other races on the Alliance that are actually playable. I think that as a playable race, things could get even worse in that department. Blizzard probably thinks on some level that they're supposed to be a few scraps, and that their culture is fading out. But I'm going to ignore that.

What are the real differences between High Elves and Blood Elves? Not much. High Elves have lower population, political views opposed to that of the Blood Elves, and are often those who spent more time outside Silvermoon. So your idea of them being more outdoorsy than most Blood Elves is a good start. The advantage of a small population that's separated from their main center of culture is also the potential to more radically change their ways or take up new ideas.

The Silver Covenant is a militant faction. Mostly soldiers of one kind or another, if you think about it. The kinds of Elves who left Silvermoon to participate in various conflicts. And what have they been doing lately? That's an important question, because I like the idea of things returning from previous expansions. The Silver Covenant was part of the campaign on the Isle of Thunder.

It'd be interesting if they actually picked up some Mogu sorcery and tech, even figured out how to empower themselves with it so that they wouldn't be dependent on the Sunwell if the Blood Elves ever decided to cut them off. Perhaps borrowing a few other influences that they liked. Then you can give their eyes actual lightning blue with spark effects or something. Maybe a few other features as well.

And hell, giving them big 80's hair could work if they've got an electrical charge built up! Go put sparks in it like Dark Irons have in their beards, but electricity.

[Traycor]

Looks good, maybe too simple but i like it. Now i was thinking what about use this symbol on current silver covenant tabard? Make the unicorn blue and slap it on the white spot, which represents sun i guess? I mean it is just an idea, it was not meant to be command i would do it myself, if i had access to PC right now.

I love alternatives, so how would you make it less simple? It needs to fit any class and be Quel'dorei iconic. More armor? Bigger pieces?

[Amaterasu65]

I'm Alliance and was kinda against the whole high elf thing, especially after we got the Void Elves.

However, Silver Covenant, an Alliance faction consisted by High Elf rangers makes sense. They are part of the Alliance, they've already been given focus with MoP. The faction should have been recruited by Jaina and Alleria. It's actually the best allied race that should side with the Alliance at the moment, even more than the Kultirans who had their ties cut off, while the Silver Covenant assisted the Alliance in the Isle of Thunder.

Even if game-play wise we've already gotten the BE recolors via Void Elf, it's still within Blizzard's grasp to give us those elves. They are part of the Alliance. Vereesa is an anti-Horde fanatic. This addition makes sense from all aspects.

[Traycor]

In the TBC beta, there was no physical distinction between Blood and High Elves until people created an extremely popular headcanon that the eye color was due to fel energies.

Actually this came from Warcraft 3. The early WoW models just didn't have the distinction, which was very annoying

Then you can give their eyes actual lightning blue with spark effects or something. Maybe a few other features as well.

And hell, giving them big 80's hair could work if they've got an electrical charge built up! Go put sparks in it like Dark Irons have in their beards, but electricity.

Ha! That would be awesome. I don't think it fits the Silver Covenant/High Elf theme very well, but it's a great suggestion and I like it. I can hear the Goku jokes now...

[Andromedes]

I love alternatives, so how would you make it less simple? It needs to fit any class and be Quel'dorei iconic. More armor? Bigger pieces?

i was talking about tabard motive

[KrakHed]

Actually this came from Warcraft 3. The early WoW models just didn't have the distinction, which was very annoying

Nope. Both had blue eyes. And only the Priests had glowing blue eyes. None of the rest did. None of the rest even had blue eyes.

[Jokubas]

These changes look great! The feathers help. If Blizzard does go with the unicorn logo, I assume they would update it to look like a sunrunner horn instead of a straight horn.

Oh, that's what you meant by new design. I feel dumb now. Well, here's an alternate for that (plus I used the gold from the previous crest I did just for variety's sake):

Looks good, maybe too simple but i like it. Now i was thinking what about use this symbol on current silver covenant tabard? Make the unicorn blue and slap it on the white spot, which represents sun i guess? I mean it is just an idea, it was not meant to be command i would do it myself, if i had access to PC right now.

I think I know what you mean. For some reason I have a hard time going that last little extra bit to really fancy things up sometimes though. If anyone wants to take a crack at that, feel free.

As for other parts of the race:

It didn't exactly make them stand out, but my previous idea for high elf classes were as follows:
Hunter: Obvious. They were the old archers and rangers, and the two most famous remaining high elves are archers.
Rogue: No particular reason why not, and it fills another angle of the ranger concept and stealthy defenders of the forest.
Monk: Pretty widespread and don't see a reason why not.
Mage: Mages are still core to high elven history, and the Sorceress was one of their Alliance-loyal units in Warcraft III.
Priest: Priests was the other Alliance unit from Warcraft III.
Paladin: I back paladin for the same reason I was baffled they had to explain it for blood elves. Priests of the Light were one of their units, and they had close ties to the Alliance. Paladins seem fairly logical to me.
Warrior: I think everyone has Warrior again, and it works well enough, especially if we're saying that the high elves are more martial.

Death Knight makes sense and I'd be for it, but it all depends on whether or not they allow them for Allied Races.

Here were the racial abilities I had. Keep in mind these ideas were coming from the perspective of playing them up as a magical race, and trying to find a niche between the existing ones.
Runestone: Create a field that lowers aggro within. (Based on the elven runestones that dampened the trace their magic left so they were harder for dark forces to detect.)
Battle Magic: Attacks have a chance to do bonus Arcane damage. (Inspired by the war mage artwork.)
Covenant Beacon: Party members can use the beacon to return to their Hearthstone location. (Just based on the Kirin Tor Beacon from the Isle of Thunder.)
Arcane Guidance: Increases resource regeneration for the party. (Inspired by the high elves having taught the humans magic.)
Territorial: Gain increased experience from Alliance-exclusive quests. (Inspired by the Troll Wars).

Some of those are a bit odd, but I think some of the ideas could be salvaged. The idea behind Territorial still fits the concept we're going with, and I think something like Battle Magic could still show that they're a magical race while still putting most of the focus on the combat. After all, even Hunters have Arcane Shot.

I'd definitely want to be careful to leave room for Wildhammer Dwarves. Not just with racial abilities, but thematically. They're also a wild race with tattoos and feathers, which is another reason I tried not to overdo that with my heritage armor.

[KrakHed]

Actually this came from Warcraft 3. The early WoW models just didn't have the distinction, which was very annoying

Ha! That would be awesome. I don't think it fits the Silver Covenant/High Elf theme very well, but it's a great suggestion and I like it. I can hear the Goku jokes now...

Well, your first post suggested 80's hair. 80's hair tends to be big and stand up a lot, as you'd expect from hair charged with static. It's perfect. Doesn't need to go full Dragonball Z. I mean, just look at what 80's hair looks like when you google it!


That certainly looks like something you could get by running electricity through someone.

[Traycor]

Nope. Both had blue eyes. And only the Priests had glowing blue eyes. None of the rest did. None of the rest even had blue eyes.

I stand corrected! But it came from some source. It was something we were aware of before TBC.

[TheramoreIsTheBomb]

MECHANICS: What are some racial abilities? What would you like to see?
UPDATE: Wonderful heritage armor design by Jokubas! This is what a Quel'dorei should look like!


UPDATE: These are "Bird Style" hairdos that fit the one Blood Elf hairstyle of this type we have in game. These are less "out there" than the 80's hair and might fit better with the style of the game.



Post YOUR design ideas! So far, the biggest roadblock to adding High Elves as an allied race seems to be their lack of distinction from Blood elves. This is a thread for brainstorming design options that could set them apart. I looked back at the Warcraft II concepts and in game characters, and here is what I came up with.



High Elves are, by their nature, fundamentalists/traditionalists. These older designs highlight the survivalist, nomadic lifestyle the Silver Covenant has been forced to adopt. Blood Elves are pampered, high society types that rely heavily on magic. By contrast, the High Elves would seem more "primitive" or back to basics. Plus, all these design changes fit right in with established lore, as seen in the examples.

Heritage Armor: They could have something with a Ranger feel, as all elves back in the WC2 era were designed to look like rangers no matter what their class was (all franchises were this way). Play up their paramilitary feel. Use a head piece that does not obstruct the hair/war paint such as a headband, tiara, or thrown-back hood.

Should Quel'Dorei use the pale blue hypogryphs, or should they use dragonhawks like those they raise at Quel'danil Lodge? Or something entirely different? Ground mount idea:



What are your ideas? What unique design elements could be added to Silver Covenant High Elves to make them stand out?

Thread Suggestions So Far:
New standing animation
Different facial expression
New eye colors (purple, gold, yellow, white)
Wild, unkempt or messy hair
Jungle/forest hair
Tabard with Unicorn Design
Ear Variation (maybe with scars?)

Racial Ability Ideas:
Perfect Shot: Increase attack range by 3-5 yards.
On The Move: Increases flight path speed by 10%.
Perception: Increases your stealth detection.
Nimble Feet: Increases your Agility by X (scales with level).
Troll Bane: Experience gains from killing trolls increased by 20%.
You're A Natural: Herbalisim skill increased by 15.
- An ability similar to Hunter Disengage?
- Bring back Mana tap?

Why do they have Afro-American hair textures but no skin color? Just curious.

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We also honestly don't need anymore Elves.

[KrakHed]

I stand corrected! But it came from some source. It was something we were aware of before TBC.

The distinction between eye colors didn't exist back then. Some elves had blue eyes, some had green. Most of them didn't glow. Blizzard decided to go green with the Blood Elves, and it became a thing.

[Andromedes]

We also honestly don't need anymore Elves.

What in terms of allied races do we really need? When allied races are supposed to be just an extended customizatiom of existing races?(atleast it looks like it right now)