Official High Elf Discussion Megathread

[Starla]

Dalaran was one of several city-states that emerged as the Arathorian Empire declined. Long ago, most human magicians lived in Strom but eventually many fled leaving the restraining confines of Strom behind and traveled to Dalaran, where they hoped to use their new powers with greater freedom, wanting a place more suited to extensive use and study of magic. There, these magicians used their skills to build up the enchanted spires of the city[5] and reveled in the pursuit of their studies. More wizards followed, and the city became a haven for magi and a center of arcane study. The citizens of Dalaran tolerated the magicians' endeavors and built up a bustling economy under the protection of their magic-using defenders. With the mages of Dalaran protecting the inhabitants who weren't magic-users with powerful protection spells, Dalaran became a decadent, extravagant paradise. Later it was found that Dalaran had been built atop a massive ley line.[6]

Yet, as their numbers and influence grew with more and more magi practiced their arts, the fabric of reality around Dalaran began to weaken and tear. The wizards' overuse of magic with no proper protection or regulation acted as a beacon for the Burning Legion, luring them back to Azeroth. Demons slipped through the gaps in reality, terrorizing the locals until the ruling Magocrats were forced to turn to the elves for aid. The Convocation of Silvermoon sent high elven wizards who quickly realized what had happened.
https://wow.gamepedia.com/Dalaran_(kingdom)

[matrix123mko]

I can't wait to open MMOchamp one day to witness trailer for HE, narrated and shiny with a fine ending such as 'purchase 10years subscription and donate your liver'.

I would love that. I enjoy Alliance tears.

[Aucald]

https://wow.gamepedia.com/Thalassian_(speculation)
It's speculative but when you combine Dala and Aran you get 'Well of stars' in Thalassian.

Also, Dalaran was founded after the defeat of the Amani Empire, so it was founded time after the High Elves taught magic to the humans, so they already had relations before the city existed.

That's interesting, and I wasn't aware of it. "Dalaran" does sound Thalassian to me, but I figured as an Arathorian city-state it probably got its name from the Arathi tongue. According to WoWPedia it may well be a Thalassian loanword rendered into Common/Arathi, or it could just be Thalassian period. Dalaran seems to have existed before the Humans learned magic from the High Elves, and was chosen as the go-to place for Human studies into the Arcane due to its serendipitous positioning over top a confluence of Ley lines. Given the High Elven presence in those lands previously, perhaps the High Elves named the region before the Humans settled there (after the High Elves had gone on to found Quel'Thalas in the north).

[Ardenaso]

Maybe one day blizzard will do, when they are out of options.

eh, a more likely thing to happen is a cultural shift/reset - Lighbound Orcs for the Alliance and Alteraci/Rebel Humans for the Horde

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Dalaran is a human city, we wouldn't be expecting it to show anything 'high elf' about it to counter Blood Elves, as you're suggesting.

round conic penis-like spires look Thalassian to me

[Fetus Rex]

My firm bet is allied races will go on ice till 10.0
Blizz tend to do that.

They do. I guess it depends on how well will SL do.

I would love that. I enjoy Alliance tears.

As Alliance player, yeah, I find my tears quite salty but running nose tastes quite funny.

[Aldo Hawk]

Dalaran seems to have existed before the Humans learned magic from the High Elves, and was chosen as the go-to place for Human studies into the Arcane due to its serendipitous positioning over top a confluence of Ley lines.

https://wow.gamepedia.com/Dalaran_(kingdom)#History

'Dalaran was one of several city-states that emerged as the Arathorian Empire declined.'

https://wow.gamepedia.com/Arathor#Fracture

'Following the defeat of the trolls, the human mages that had been instructed by the high elves eventually chose to leave Strom and found their own nation, Dalaran, dedicated to the study and use of magic.'

Initially the use of magic wasn't greeted by the high ranks of Strom (don't remember exactly who), but the use of magic was so advantageous for them that they ended up embracing it and dedicating one kingdom into the study and use of it. And magic was initially taught to humans by the Thalassians, so that's where I can't say Dalaran was firstly founded and then some Thalassians went to there. It was a collaboration all along. That's why I can very certainly deduce that Dalaran is a Thalassian name, because of many connecting pieces between humans, learning magic, Thalassians and order of events.

This is why Dalaran is the way it is, and why both races share the city in such a way.

[Starla]

eh, a more likely thing to happen is a cultural shift/reset - Lighbound Orcs for the Alliance and Alteraci/Rebel Humans for the Horde

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round conic penis-like spires look Thalassian to me

So, unless the link I posted above isn't canon, the spires were created by humans when Dalaran was first created. They might look differently now.
https://wow.gamepedia.com/Dalaran_(kingdom)
"There, these magicians used their skills to build up the enchanted spires of the city."

[FlubberPuddy]

So, unless the link I posted above isn't canon, the spires were created by humans when Dalaran was first created. They might look differently now.
https://wow.gamepedia.com/Dalaran_(kingdom)
"There, these magicians used their skills to build up the enchanted spires of the city."

You do know that Humans learned of magic from High Elves right? Dalaran was created to be a place to study the magic that was learned from High Elves. Thus why it has Thalassian influences on its structures.

Btw, when the High Elves came after Dalaran's establishment to warn the Humans of their magic use and creating the Council of Tirisfal was done 3000 years ago.

https://wow.gamepedia.com/Council_of_Tirisfal

"Over 3,000 years ago[8] an elven society called the Council of Silvermoon, that had long ago sworn to forestall any full return by the Legion, met with the most powerful wizards of Magocrat lords of Dalaran and formed the Council of Tirisfal, whose quest was to hunt those demons who had already arrived, and prevent others from entering Azeroth.[9] For a great period of time, the Order's oldest members were three high elves, among them Relfthra. They were in a position of authority even during the guardianship of Scavell, and up until the purge of the Tirisfalen."

Hence why I keep saying it's popularly known as a city of Humans and High Elves and its make reflects that.

People trying to deny Dalaran isn't a city that blends styles of High Elf and Human is like trying to deny for instance that the US today is a melting pot of cultures, despite first being colonized by Europeans.

What I mean to say is, as I've said before, the beginnings of the city does not matter - what it is and has been for the vast recent millenia is a city of both Human and High Elves.

I'd even argue the reason as others have said it looks close to Silvermoon's spires is because Humans were first taught magic by High Elves.

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And 3 millenias is a long ass time, we don't for instance all go to bed when the sun sets and go to work when the sun rises, because that type of society has vastly evolved since then. Same for Dalaran.

Crazy how far people want to deny something so in front of their faces.

[matrix123mko]

They do. I guess it depends on how well will SL do.

As Alliance player, yeah, I find my tears quite salty but running nose tastes quite funny.

Yes. It has a bit of spice.

[Strippling]

Unless they pull 'let's resurrect HE who died during Arthas invasion' because something something Shadowlands allow it.

Any high elves who hypothetically are resurrected in Shadowlands will almost assuredly join their blood elf kin. Why? Because it is the blood elves ho fought alongside their fallen kin, it is the blood elves who honored their fallen. The high elves of the alliance on the other hand went running to that human potential. So I highly doubt any hypothetically resurrected high elves would choose alliance aligned high elves over blood elves.

[Frenchvince]

Any high elves who hypothetically are resurrected in Shadowlands will almost assuredly join their blood elf kin. Why? Because it is the blood elves ho fought alongside their fallen kin, it is the blood elves who honored their fallen. The high elves of the alliance on the other hand went running to that human potential. So I highly doubt any hypothetically resurrected high elves would choose alliance aligned high elves over blood elves.

We will see Kael'thas again ... in Revendreth, an area where souls are looking for redemption.

It is true that everything is possible with Blizzard but I hope they will not make a scenario as crazy as that of the void elves lol ...

[Fetus Rex]

Any high elves who hypothetically are resurrected in Shadowlands will almost assuredly join their blood elf kin. Why? Because it is the blood elves ho fought alongside their fallen kin, it is the blood elves who honored their fallen. The high elves of the alliance on the other hand went running to that human potential. So I highly doubt any hypothetically resurrected high elves would choose alliance aligned high elves over blood elves.

Don't you worry, they will learn to hate Kael in Shadowlands. Blizzard will do everything to make it sure. Lore matters not.

[Aldo Hawk]

Any high elves who hypothetically are resurrected in Shadowlands will almost assuredly join their blood elf kin. Why? Because it is the blood elves ho fought alongside their fallen kin, it is the blood elves who honored their fallen. The high elves of the alliance on the other hand went running to that human potential. So I highly doubt any hypothetically resurrected high elves would choose alliance aligned high elves over blood elves.

This is a weak argument the very moment you think it's eloquent to say the only reason any Thalassian would join the Alliance is 'fOr thE huMAn poTENtIaL'.

Just the very grasp of information that there is some NPCs at the Bazaar representing the anti-Horde mentality that not only exists now between the High elves and a little amount of Blood elves, but has been the norm just until the plague invasion ended, shows how ridiculous, biased and ill charged is the argument you present.

I would not even point at it if you said that you -wish- for that to be the case, since what you wrote stinks like that.

[Ielenia]

Any high elves who hypothetically are resurrected in Shadowlands will almost assuredly join their blood elf kin. Why? Because it is the blood elves ho fought alongside their fallen kin, it is the blood elves who honored their fallen. The high elves of the alliance on the other hand went running to that human potential. So I highly doubt any hypothetically resurrected high elves would choose alliance aligned high elves over blood elves.

First off: meme'ing by saying "human potential" only devalues your argument.
Second: you don't know how the currently dead elves think. For all we know, they would be as xenophobic as the elves of old, and not like the idea that their living kin sided with the "monsters" that attacked their cities (orcs and trolls) and the "monsters" that then destroyed their city (undead). Especially if they look back at recent history and see orcs rampaging through Azeroth a second time (with Garrosh) and the undead (Sylvanas) blackmailing their kin to commit heinous acts.

[Obelisk Kai]

Any high elves who hypothetically are resurrected in Shadowlands will almost assuredly join their blood elf kin. Why? Because it is the blood elves ho fought alongside their fallen kin, it is the blood elves who honored their fallen. The high elves of the alliance on the other hand went running to that human potential. So I highly doubt any hypothetically resurrected high elves would choose alliance aligned high elves over blood elves.

The debate over whether resurrected thalassian elves would incline more towards the Blood Elves or the exiles is one that can only be had in the abstract of course.

Because while there are few things that can be definitively ruled out in a fantasy world where any occurrence can be handwaved away as 'a wizard did it', the idea that they will undo the consequences of death and facilitate a resurrection on that scale is simply not going to happen. Because if the high elves can come back, why not the Night Elves who died in Teldrassil? Why not everyone who died in the fourth war? Why not everyone who died in the third war? Why not the Draenei who perished on Draenor?

Why not bring back everyone who has ever died an unjust death? Why not bring back everyone who dies in future?

This is an absurd notion that is only given oxygen in this debate because it is an answer to a question, 'how do we get playable alliance high elves that are not blue?'.
That resurrecting all the dead ones and hoping they would side with the Alliance rather then their own homeland is an answer, but one that involves ignoring the vast world-reshaping consequences of that choice which I am sure many pro High Elfers would be happy to do so long as they got their high elves who aren't blue.

Somehow I doubt Blizzard's writers are so inept as to completely undermine the consequence of death within their own lore, because the ultimate consequence is undermined if that individual can just pop back through a portal the following day as if nothing had happened. Similarly, it would undermine the importance of those few individuals who ARE granted a resurrection (e.g. Illidan) through immense efforts and for greater purposes.

So, in conclusion, the debate is abstract. Whether the dead elves favour the Alliance or Horde is moot because they won't be coming back to the land of the living to have an impact.

[elbleuet]

Any high elves who hypothetically are resurrected in Shadowlands will almost assuredly join their blood elf kin. Why? Because it is the blood elves ho fought alongside their fallen kin, it is the blood elves who honored their fallen. The high elves of the alliance on the other hand went running to that human potential. So I highly doubt any hypothetically resurrected high elves would choose alliance aligned high elves over blood elves.

All Alliance High elves have, one day, fought for Quel'Thalas. Ofc they'd join the High elves, just like Alleria and Vereesa did.

Remember ?

"ALLERIA WILL BE NEUTRAL BECAUSE OF REASONS"

Nah. As a high/void elf, she naturally joined the Alliance.

And all void elves have fought alonside their fallen kin against the Scourge, and now they're Alliance. Your argument is just so wrong.

[Ardenaso]

I feel like most resurrected High Elves will see the disrespect of banding together with Trolls and Orcs, and to add the fact that they probably regret Anasterian's decision to ignore Lordaeron's pleas for help with the Scourge problem

[Shibito]

You high elf fans would make great warhammer dwarves with the way you hold onto grudges for eternity.

[Ardenaso]

Another question: why didn't the Blood Elves use their brainwashing techniques to the High Elves? It was so effective in the Bazaar, why didn't they sneak some Priest Police into the Quel'danil and Quel'lithien and make the High Elves there become loyal to Lor'themar again? Why didn't they send them during the Purge of Dalaran?

[Aldo Hawk]

Another question: why didn't the Blood Elves use their brainwashing techniques to the High Elves? It was so effective in the Bazaar, why didn't they sneak some Priest Police into the Quel'danil and Quel'lithien and make the High Elves there become loyal to Lor'themar again? Why didn't they send them during the Purge of Dalaran?

They did that to evade internal problems with the population, it's not something they would do to exiles who don't even want to return to their homeland if it stays with it's current allegiances.