Official High Elf Discussion Megathread

[Friendlyimmolation]

If I follow, you're saying that High Elves are the Arcane Elves, while Blood Elves are the Light Elves. Correct?

Blood elves draw light and arcane equally though.

[Ithekro]

Blood elves draw light and arcane equally though.

Are they? Or is the naaru infused Sunwell starting to convert them into Light Elves? The process seems to be starting with their eye colors beginning to change to golden.

[Friendlyimmolation]

Are they? Or is the naaru infused Sunwell starting to convert them into Light Elves? The process seems to be starting with their eye colors beginning to change to golden.

It is stated that the Sunwell is 50% Light and 50% arcane.

[Traycor]

Thanks! Last one for today, and possibly for some time (don't wanna turn the thread into my portfolio lol). Six facial hair options and facial markings.

Don't worry about posting too much art. This is an art post thread. Just look at the OP. Part of what I wanted was for other people to post their art!
The #3 mustache has a VERY different feel from Blood Elves. I could never imagine them wearing something like that. A perfect High Elf look for a people that have been hanging out with humans.

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Thank you all! @Traycor @FlubberPuddy, I took some of your suggestions and tried to apply them to these three new haircuts. Additionally, I made three facial hair options -- pretty basic blood elf/void elf stuff, with their minimal facial hair growth.

These hair styles are excellent. They feel very different from what we have with Blood Elves. The beads and feathers were a nice touch. Love the shaving into the side of the hair.

[RangerDaz]

If I follow, you're saying that High Elves are the Arcane Elves, while Blood Elves are the Light Elves. Correct?

Yes. Blood elves are no longer pure arcane elves as they got tainted or forged by holy energy due to the sunwell

[Friendlyimmolation]

Yes. Blood elves are no longer arcane elves as they got tainted or forged by holy energy due to the sunwell

except the Sunwell is equal arcane and holy...

is this the new thing people will say? Blood elves don't use arcane or don't have it flowing through their body?

[Syegfryed]

except the Sunwell is equal arcane and holy...

is this the new thing people will say? Blood elves don't use arcane or don't have it flowing through their body?

i think its the new "blood elves sucked fel"

cause he was already correct like 3 times but still refuse to acknowledge

[Obelisk Kai]

Yes. Blood elves are no longer arcane elves as they got tainted or forged by holy energy due to the sunwell

The Sunwell is a font of both Holy and Arcane power Daz.

More than that, the High Elves and the Blood Elves both feed on it. The High Elves don't get to 'not' feed on the holy parts for the sake of diversification.

Can you not see how it's a little absurd every 'perceived' difference, no matter how small, is being seized upon here in an attempt to prove that Blood Elves and Alliance High Elves are different things when even a cursory examination shows that no, that point of difference isn't a difference at all.

The only meaningful difference between Blood Elves and Alliance High Elves is political alignment. That is it.

[Combatbutler]

Yes. Blood elves are no longer arcane elves as they got tainted or forged by holy energy due to the sunwell

What utter nonsense

https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/game/races/blood-elf

In the wake of Kil’jaeden’s defeat, the draenei prophet Velen purified the Sunwell with the Light-infused heart of a fallen naaru, transforming the fount into a source of both holy and arcane energies.

[RangerDaz]

That doesnt explain why holy energies dont transform alliance high elves. And what about void elves... should the sunwell slowly cure them from the void as well if holy energies affect all quelthalas elves? The answer is probably no. The blood elves are being slowly lightforged while the others arent. I misspelled when i said they werent arcane elves. They are no longer pure arcane elves

[Traycor]

Blood elves draw light and arcane equally though.

Agreed.

Yes. Blood elves are no longer arcane elves as they got tainted or forged by holy energy due to the sunwell

An interesting notion, but I think the arcane aesthetic is pushed too heavily with Blood Elf design for it to be dismissed. Floating crystals are everywhere we have Blood Elf stuff, and they often have magic brooms sweeping around. And it's rare to see a group of Blood Elf NPCs without a magic staff in somebody's hand.

Most of the official concept art presents Blood Elves as either Paladins or Mages. That's why I felt the Ranger angle was a good way to present High Elves. While Blood Elves have Farstriders and such, that's not pushed as the aesthetic of the Blood Elf faction as a whole.

I would say that the golden eyes could be an indication of this changing, but golden eyed concept art was released for Lady Liadrin ages ago. This doesn't really seem to be a 'new' direction they are moving in.

[RangerDaz]

The Sunwell is a font of both Holy and Arcane power Daz.

More than that, the High Elves and the Blood Elves both feed on it. The High Elves don't get to 'not' feed on the holy parts for the sake of diversification.

Can you not see how it's a little absurd every 'perceived' difference, no matter how small, is being seized upon here in an attempt to prove that Blood Elves and Alliance High Elves are different things when even a cursory examination shows that no, that point of difference isn't a difference at all.

The only meaningful difference between Blood Elves and Alliance High Elves is political alignment. That is it.

That logic is flawed for one single thing. Only blood elves are getting golden eyes. The others arent, including void elves

[Combatbutler]

That doesnt explain why holy energies dont transform alliance high elves. And what about void elves... should the sunwell slowly cure them from the void as well if holy energies affect all quelthalas elves? The answer is probably no. The blood elves are being slowly lightforged while the others arent. I misspelled when i said they werent arcane elves. They are no longer pure arcane elves

Void and light don't mix, void elves are cut off. High elves and blood elves use the well in equal measure, since lor'theamr allows them to be connected to it, the only reason you don't see different colors on high elves is very simple and the same reason you only see high elves with only one eye color to begin with, despite having several lorewise it is nothing but gameplay. To assume that every high elves has blue eyes is in itself a ridiculous notion.

[RangerDaz]

Agreed.



An interesting notion, but I think the arcane aesthetic is pushed too heavily with Blood Elf design for it to be dismissed. Floating crystals are everywhere we have Blood Elf stuff, and they often have magic brooms sweeping around. And it's rare to see a group of Blood Elf NPCs without a magic staff in somebody's hand.

Most of the official concept art presents Blood Elves as either Paladins or Mages. That's why I felt the Ranger angle was a good way to present High Elves. While Blood Elves have Farstriders and such, that's not pushed as the aesthetic of the Blood Elf faction as a whole.

I would say that the golden eyes could be an indication of this changing, but golden eyed concept art was released for Lady Liadrin ages ago. This doesn't really seem to be a 'new' direction they are moving in.

I see high elves and blood elves somewhat like draenei and lightforged draenei, being thos last example more extreme. Blood elves are slowly being lightforged by the sunwell while the others arent. That is why i say they are going in separate directions from high elves

[Traycor]

I see high elves and blood elves somewhat like draenei and lightforged draenei, being thos last example more extreme. Blood elves are slowly being lightforged by the sunwell while the others arent. That is why i say they are going in separate directions from high elves

It's certainly a direction Blizzard could move in. The Horde now has the Nightborne as their "magic elves", so it leaves room to focus on Light for future Blood Elf design.

[Obelisk Kai]

That doesnt explain why holy energies dont transform alliance high elves. And what about void elves... should the sunwell slowly cure them from the void as well if holy energies affect all quelthalas elves? The answer is probably no. The blood elves are being slowly lightforged while the others arent. I misspelled when i said they werent arcane elves. They are no longer pure arcane elves

That logic is flawed for one single thing. Only blood elves are getting golden eyes. The others arent, including void elves

Older instances of Lady Liadrin are being updated with her new golden eyes look. In other words, even though in game it showed her as having green eyes at certain points, canonically she had golden eyes. It was a question of the game being unable to represent the truth of Liadrin's model because the developers hadn't gotten around to creating the appropriate customization.

Alliance High Elf blue eyed skins are part of the Blood Elf customization suite, but are walled off from being selected by players. In other words, the reason High Elves don't have golden eyes is that when a High Elf NPC is generated they are locked to their blue eyes options and Blizzard doesn't seem to be in too much of a hurry to allow them to have golden eyes even though logically, it should be completely possible.

Regardless, whatever process is happening to the Blood Elves is also happening to the High Elves, as both are one people divided by a political opinion and both feed on the Sunwell. High Elves can't go in a different direction from Blood Elves. It is physically impossible to do so.

As for the Void Elves, I know this is speculation but I doubt the Void Elves are feeding on a font of holy/arcane power. If they were, they'd be in agony given their transformation. I think the implication has to be that their connection to the Sunwell was severed by their transformation and that their addiction is satisfied by shadow magic.

[RangerDaz]

Void and light don't mix, void elves are cut off. High elves and blood elves use the well in equal measure, since lor'theamr allows them to be connected to it, the only reason you don't see different colors on high elves is very simple and the same reason you only see high elves with only one eye color to begin with, despite having several lorewise it is nothing but gameplay. To assume that every high elves has blue eyes is in itself a ridiculous notion.

We see they are cut off. But there isnt an explanation why they are besides void and holy dont mix. Shouldnt all living quelthalas elves feed on the arcane energies of the sunwell?

[protip]

I see high elves and blood elves somewhat like draenei and lightforged draenei, being thos last example more extreme. Blood elves are slowly being lightforged by the sunwell while the others arent. That is why i say they are going in separate directions from high elves

I don't see any evidence that high elves aren't equally affected. Blood Elves may be the only ones getting extra customization options, but High Elves are just NPCS, and Void Elves have a completely different relationship with magic due to their void corruption.

[matrix123mko]

It's certainly a direction Blizzard could move in. The Horde now has the Nightborne as their "magic elves", so it leaves room to focus on Light for future Blood Elf design.

Please, no. I want blood elves to be master mages. I know I play blood elf paladin, but it's because there isn't battlemage class.

[Deleted]

Thank you all! @Traycor @FlubberPuddy, I took some of your suggestions and tried to apply them to these three new haircuts. Additionally, I made three facial hair options -- pretty basic blood elf/void elf stuff, with their minimal facial hair growth.

Would 100% date 3A and 3B