Official High Elf Discussion Megathread

[RangerDaz]

Right, okay, but I was wondering how you would feel if the high elves joined the Blood Elves and blue eyes became an option for the blood elf character customization? Would you be okay with it or...?

Well for me, it should require a lore justification to what happened to all the high elves in the alliance. If the blue eyes just appeared in blood elves without any justification that would feel a slap in the face for all high elf fans

[Obelisk Kai]

They're one of the founding groups of the Alliance, the reason the Kirin Tor exist at all, and old allies with the humans against the Amani.
And yet they're a Horde race because "muh garithos."

The High Elves were NOT a founding member of the Alliance. They were the last nation in the Eastern Kingdoms to join the Alliance, they only did so when an ancient blood oath was invoked, they sent a token force at first, only committed when the Horde invaded Quel'thalas directly and were the first nation to bail on the Alliance when the opportunity presented.

Your 'founder' Alliance race was the last in and the first out.

For the vast majority of their history the High Elves were xenophobic arrogant jerks who wanted as little to do with Humanity as possible and only interacted with Dalaran following the Troll Wars due to a shared interest in magic.

[Friendlyimmolation]

How is it ridiculous to want a race with a very long history of ties to the alliance? Longer might i add then NE, Worgen, draenei or gell BE(given they are former be that means 11 plus years allied with the horde)

Because it's a Horde race, and bouncing back and forth from denial to anger and back again while at the same time screaming that Blizzard is wrong does nothing other that provide fuel for the people who find this so funny.

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They're one of the founding groups of the Alliance, the reason the Kirin Tor exist at all, and old allies with the humans against the Amani.
And yet they're a Horde race because "muh garithos."

And because over 90% of the Race joined the Horde, weird!

[Sorrior]

They're one of the founding groups of the Alliance, the reason the Kirin Tor exist at all, and old allies with the humans against the Amani.
And yet they're a Horde race because "muh garithos."

Again i think he knows nothing of the alliance side

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Bias is subjective. I can quote multiple developer and creative sources affirming that Blood Elves are High Elves and therefore a Horde race.

And yes, Gnomes are far more important to the Alliance than the High Elf remnant. Gnomes are present in multiple Alliance settlements. Gnomes provide a valuable service to the Alliance in providing their advanced technology. Gnomes are also a playable Alliance race, that alone makes them far more important the High Elf remnant in the Alliance.

True bias is insisting that non playable Alliance High Elves are more important to the Alliance than the Gnomes, especially considering lorewise what the Gnomes sacrificed for the Alliance.

Again have you ever really played alliance?

[Obelisk Kai]

Because they are more reliant on magic

And i don't think you ever answered me before. Do you even HAVE an alliance character? Because HE are at minimum the second most represented race in our questing

I have levelled several Alliance characters. I find your assertion that High Elves are the second most represented race in your questing as deeply questionable. I suspect the reason you think that is because the encounters with High Elves stick in your mind due to your desire for them.

I have found the most prominent Alliance races in questing to be Humans, Dwarves, Night Elves and Draenei. High Elves are nowhere near that level.

[Sorrior]

The High Elves were NOT a founding member of the Alliance. They were the last nation in the Eastern Kingdoms to join the Alliance, they only did so when an ancient blood oath was invoked, they sent a token force at first, only committed when the Horde invaded Quel'thalas directly and were the first nation to bail on the Alliance when the opportunity presented.

Your 'founder' Alliance race was the last in and the first out.

For the vast majority of their history the High Elves were xenophobic arrogant jerks who wanted as little to do with Humanity as possible and only interacted with Dalaran following the Troll Wars due to a shared interest in magic.

Whiich the BE represent while HE can represent moving beyond the xenophobia so as not to rely on draining life/fel magic

[Obelisk Kai]

Again i think he knows nothing of the alliance side

That you think the High Elves have a very long history of ties to the Alliance demonstrates that I know the Alliance better than you. You are applying, well, headcanon to the situation of the High Elves relationship with the Alliance.

Remember, last in, first out.

[Friendlyimmolation]

Whiich the BE represent while HE can represent moving beyond the xenophobia so as not to rely on draining life/fel magic

Why do you want high elves when you need every single thing about them changed to be playable? Just ask for white elves, not that you will get them, but "high elf" is just the blanket term for "Give blood elves but Alliance."

and as Ion has already said, the Horde is there waiting for you.

You do realize you are not entitled to them because Alliance is your favorite faction right?

[Sorrior]

I have levelled several Alliance characters. I find your assertion that High Elves are the second most represented race in your questing as deeply questionable. I suspect the reason you think that is because the encounters with High Elves stick in your mind due to your desire for them.

I have found the most prominent Alliance races in questing to be Humans, Dwarves, Night Elves and Draenei. High Elves are nowhere near that level.

You put ALOT of words in my mouth. I desire them only so much as i desire more choices.

If ion gave a REAL reason not to have them i would accept it as is it is bs reasons won't suffice.

And yeah they stick out more because they are their at EVERY CRITICAL JUNCTION AND BATTLE

They do show up more with their own areas then any other race i know of post bc. Mixed groups sure a few dark irons? Yeah but they have been here for some time and again HE ARE NOT BE they have fundamental differences

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Why do you want high elves when you need every single thing about them changed to be playable? Just ask for white elves, not that you will get them, but "high elf" is just the blanket term for "Give blood elves but Alliance."

and as Ion has already said, the Horde is there waiting for you.

You do realize you are not entitled to them because Alliance is your favorite faction right?

Not as much being changed as you think a

B I HAVE BLOOD ELF CHARACTERS i really do not know how often i have to say that

And "the horde is their for you" is such a bullshit answer a 12 year old(arguable the nost immature age fir a human) coukd come up with better and something more mature.

[RangerDaz]

How odd. You'd rather Ion just lie to you, so you can continue pushing a concept they've been astoundingly transparent about not wanting to implement? Isn't it rather worse to let you obsess and get your hopes up over something they've internally taken off the table already?

I'm just glad we got some some insight into their design philosophy. Sure, the population comment was silly, but the meat of the answer was solid.

I never said he should lie.
I already said it a few times in this endless thread.
It feels that he mixed his own personal opinion with a gameplay decision, completely ignoring the arguments that support the lore arguments for high elves, as if they werent relevant at all. His justification felt biased because of this.

[Obelisk Kai]

Whiich the BE represent while HE can represent moving beyond the xenophobia so as not to rely on draining life/fel magic

The Blood Elves have already moved past xenophobia. That was the consequence of the destruction of their civilization when they realised they could no longer maintain their isolation. That was one of the reasons they joined the Horde. It is not going to be an 'Alliance High Elf theme'.

As for not draining life/fel magic...that plotline was resolved a decade ago. Not in game time, real time. The Blood Elves have actually spent more time NOT draining mana than they did doing so. It is irrelevant to the current world situation.

So your suggestion doesn't work on the grounds that it does not make sense. Next?

[Blayze]

And because over 90% of the Race joined the Horde, weird!

And about that many gnomes got irradiated when Gnomeregan fell, and God only knows how many humans and orcs have died over the years, yet they remain able to pull an infinite number of soldiers out of their arses at a moment's notice.

Fact it, High Elves are an iconic Alliance race that were given to the Horde, not a Horde race that people are wanting to have given to the Alliance.

[Obelisk Kai]

I never said he should lie.
I already said it a few times in this endless thread.
It feels that he mixed his own personal opinion with a gameplay decision, completely ignoring the arguments that support the lore arguments for high elves, as if they werent relevant at all. His justification felt biased because of this.

Yet those of us opposed to Alliance High Elves warned that the pro High Elf position rested on persuading Blizzard to implement a gigantic retcon, that the High Elves were a more populous and relevant group than Blizzard has said they are.

So yes, the lore arguments weren't relevant once Blizzard decided to maintain the faction wall, as a retcon would not be required.

[Sorrior]

That you think the High Elves have a very long history of ties to the Alliance demonstrates that I know the Alliance better than you. You are applying, well, headcanon to the situation of the High Elves relationship with the Alliance.

Remember, last in, first out.

Last in, first out as you put it in the second war eventually did fight in wc3 annd have been with the alliance since wrath.

That is at minimun 15 years if not 30 plus. More then other races. Remember dwarves joined in wc2 as did the gnomes. The gnomes were not seen again till wow if i recall right.

And prettty sure in wc2 they joined after the humans fled north. Did they even try or know about them in wc1?

[Blayze]

Yet those of us opposed to Alliance High Elves warned that the pro High Elf position rested on persuading Blizzard to implement a gigantic retcon, that the High Elves were a more populous and relevant group than Blizzard has said they are.

So yes, the lore arguments weren't relevant once Blizzard decided to maintain the faction wall, as a retcon would not be required.

Again, numbers mean nothing in this game.

[Sorrior]

Yet those of us opposed to Alliance High Elves warned that the pro High Elf position rested on persuading Blizzard to implement a gigantic retcon, that the High Elves were a more populous and relevant group than Blizzard has said they are.

So yes, the lore arguments weren't relevant once Blizzard decided to maintain the faction wall, as a retcon would not be required.

Then blizz needs to stop showing them as such a strong fighting force. They are not doing what they say.

[Obelisk Kai]

And about that many gnomes got irradiated when Gnomeregan fell, and God only knows how many humans and orcs have died over the years, yet they remain able to pull an infinite number of soldiers out of their arses at a moment's notice.

Fact it, High Elves are an iconic Alliance race that were given to the Horde, not a Horde race that people are wanting to have given to the Alliance.

Eighty percent of the Gnomish population died when Gnomeregan fell, they are described as being on the edge of extinction.

Ninety percent of the High Elven population died when Quel'thalas fell, the Blood Elf survivors are being described as being on the edge of extinction.

Comparing High Elves and Gnomes is silly. You compare Gnomes to Blood Elves in terms of population size.

Only one in ten of the surviving High Elves retained the name. If a group nine times their number is described as being on the edge of extinction, then the remaining High Elves are over the edge and rapidly falling.

As they all they have passed by markers saying 'Quel'lithien destroyed', 'Theramore bombed', 'Casualties during the Purge', 'Casualties on the Isle of Thunder', 'Casualties in Suramar'. They have sustained losses since the fall of QT that they cannot sustain.

[Syegfryed]

Then blizz needs to stop showing them as such a strong fighting force. They are not doing what they say.

they never show then as a strong fighting force, is you and the others who are stretching this

[RangerDaz]

In other words a non-answer that still left hope.

Daz that's the worst answer he could have given, it would have kicked the can down the road and there'd still be no resolution.

Worse, because his last comment at Blizzcon was that High Elves are already playable, you can't tell me the pro High Elf community wouldn't have immediately hailed such a statement as a big leap forward and that their goal was very possible.

His answer was a kindness. You probably won't agree, but having a community of people hoping for something that is never going to happen because they are dead set against it and to just keep stringing them along endlessly is a far, far crueller fate than being told upfront, no.

Well his answer did leave hope for the future.
I cant remember exactly the words but i quoted them in page 120sh of this thread. It said sonething like everything is possible for the future.

Although you think it was kindness, for high elf supporters it felt insulting as if they were being mocked by the game director. In his position he should have a more diplomatic approach to these subjects.

But again this is my opinion.

[Evilfish]

Well his answer did leave hope for the future.
I cant remember exactly the words but i quoted them in page 120sh of this thread. It said sonething like everything is possible for the future.

Although you think it was kindness, for high elf supporters it felt insulting as if they were being mocked by the game director. In his position he should have a more diplomatic approach to these subjects.

But again this is my opinion.

Well to be blunt, they deserve it. It's been over a fucking decade and now with the addition of Velfs these people not only cry harder but become hostile. Frankly in Ion's place I wouldn't have bothered with an answer.