Official High Elf Discussion Megathread

[MyWholeLifeIsThunder]

While i agree with that, you have to remember its blizzard we are talking about, they take years, to even state something, and they only said when they are pressured to it.

Having both blood and high elves in telogrus(?) seeking their knowledge, and saying void elves are trying to replicate the experiment, already opened the roleplay to people playing void elf say they can be from both groups, they just need to say "hey they discover how to do it again, and now can do with the elves who want that" and again, if they are not pressured to it, they will not do it, but i do agree they need to.

The issue is that all we need is a VE NPC called Professor Forsworn who says "Good news everyone! We have managed to safely -mostly safely- replicate the the void elf (tm) creation process! Y'all just need to sign these waivers and we'll see you after, probably."

And that's it.

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What novel? isn't shadow's rising also about talanji, zekhan, Nathanos and Bwosandi? its a bit too much ask to shove veressa there, maybe alleria will mention her, but i doubt it will be more than that.

Since it's Alleria and Turalyon the ones hunting for Sylvanas -her sister- it would be pretty weird if Alleria didn't have at least a couple conversations with Vereesa -her other sister- Not saying she will be a mayor presence, but it would be super weird if she wasn't on a supporting role, Arator would too since this is all a family matter.

[FlubberPuddy]

Seriously I can't get why are you arguing about more lore clarification, it comes across as contrarian for its own sake.

That's what it's been about for a while, which is why I have stopped replying to him. Not worth the time.

And yes you hit the nail on the head with those comparisons. WHD and Revantusk Troll players can finally look the part, which is the essential bit, then create a background for why that character exists with other bronzebeards or darkspears, respectively.

It follows from what Danuser said too, people can finally now see the character on-screen that they've had within their minds. Danuser's statement actually works against the notion that "just play a Void Elf and RP you are a High Elf" because you still don't achieve on-screen the character you have in your mind.

Him stating that is in support that being able to look the part is as meaningful to, if not more so than, the RP.

So it falls flat to say to someone simply RP the VE is a High Elf. "Word of God" Danuser states that simply isn't enough, which is why they're adding these options in the first place.

If it were enough, they wouldn't even add wildhammer tats/forest troll skins, they would just go "RP it bruh it's all good".

[Strippling]

Agreed, nothing is confirmed yet, but there is a range of options from blue to green, so I'd be pretty surprised if they had put in the time to expand NPC options prior to their stated goal of adding options for the core races. For NPCs, some minor updates would be necessary to work with the new rigging (because the eyes are being separated from the facial textures), but there would be no need to add new options. In particular, though, the fact that there is a range with very subtle differences communicates that there is no binary value that determines high elf eye color. It's a confirmation of the fact that the green eye color was developed over time, rather than as an immediate transformation caused by mana tap. It's true that these options haven't even been tested properly on alpha, and therefore that Blizzard could change their plans, but their inclusion in the game files does have certain implications.

So far any race with new eye customizations (that we've seen so far) seems to include a wide range of color options, including blue, purple, red, orange, green, etc. Similarily, we're seeing similar new hair color options and skin color options across many races. I'd wager it's safe to say that most (if not all) races will be getting a new range of skin, eye and hair color options... which strongly indicates that this will include a range of eye color options for blood elves beyond greens and golds. Time will tell but I'd say it's more likely than less. Tattoos for most races seems highly likely too, so I'm hopeful for farstrider (similar to Alleria's) tattoos and magister tattoos.

[Thalassian Bob]

I mean this has always been the most bad faith argument against Vereesa. Sure, let's just forget she was making horrible choices out of grief, let's pretend she was entirely rational at this point, that's totes as she was written! Like come on, it's just hilarious.

And INB4 "oh then are you justifying Vereesa's shity character", the whole point is that Rhonin's death broke her, it's not pretty at all, she was ready to give up all she believed out of vengeance, it's supposed to be dark. But can we pretend that is exemplary of her as a character and not of the situation she was in?



Also why people keep repeating this headcanon? There's no evidence the Silver Covenant is made considerably of anything but Dalaran citizenry.

Which has never been the position of the Silver Covenant or Vereesa herself. There's one group of High Elves that we know they left QT for moral reasons, and they are all dead. The divide of the SC has always pointed out to political disagreement and no much else; the main crux is that Theramoore radicalized the SC and made the grieving Vereesa all too willing to lash against the BE's in Dalaran and Isle of Thunder.

Only recently she has moved on and believe the BE's can be redeemed after all -meaning, returning to the alliance because as always, she hates the horde- but IDK how that would remain so after the Burning of Teldrassil.

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TBH I'm still shook they remembered Vereesa during 8.2.5 lol. Honestly there HAS to be some Windrunner family moments in Shadowlands, if not it's just a waste of getting Alleria back. I'm still thinking they are going to downright forget about Vereesa tho.

Yes, Vereesa seems to have always been hyper-emotional and appears to act almost entirely on knee-jerk feeling, leaving very little room for thinking things through. Hence why she was so tempted by Sylvanas' offer and why she turned her back on her nation so completely and aggressively because of the actions of her cousin.

Alleria loathes the Horde as well but she is still able to behave like an adult when in the presence of Lor'themar and the likes (before everything goes tits up, of course!).

Well, it doesn't appear to be headcanon when Vereesa proclaims herself "Ranger-General" of the Silver Covenant - a Farstrider title - and when we see the SC mobilised outside Zul'Aman they are all wielding bows and there are many named SC NPCs with titles that mirror the Farstriders - Scout-Captain, Pathstalker etc.
But, I would also say that there is a considerable magister-esque presence as well.

Finally, I didn't mean that the remaining high elves universally make that claim in-game, more that those pro-high elfers who loath blood elves seem to use that "evil vampires" position as the crux of their contempt. I wasn't very clear there, sorry. But, yeah, what motivations we have seen vocalised from SC members does seem to be an outright rejection of a Horde presence in Dalaran extending to their Silvermoon loyalist kin. And that rejection manifests with lethal disdain.
Of course, the Sunreavers got their hands dirty too, but the Silver Covenant hardly took the high road as so many people with rose-tinted spectacles seem to think they did.

[Obelisk Kai]

Because it's simply not the same context dear lord. Because it's not the same to add the Wildhammer appearance to Dwarves to make them playable, and to not give Void Elves a High Elven appearance, but just pretend the High Elf became a Void Elf. The later OBVIOUSLY needs more explanation, how can you even say they are on the same level man. You'd have a point if Void Elves were given HE appearance without more explanation, but that's certainly not what you are asking; again, there's just worlds of difference between what it is instantly recognizable as a WHD being playable because that's the aesthetic on itself. You can see they are a wildhammer; if you are not going to give VE's a HE look, then there's no visible way of even noticing, thus is entirely a matter of lore bakcground what would differentiate them.

No, I wasn't talking about a Void Elf who looks like a High Elf though, I was talking about a Void Elf who was a High Elf. Obviously, if they were to undergo the ritual that created the Void Elves, they would become a new Void Elf, purple skin and all. The specific point is that if your concern is that you wish to play a Void Elf who has always been loyal to the Alliance and who was a part of the Silver Covenant, playing a Void Elf whose story you have decided is that they used to be an exile is the way to realise that particular goal.

Insisting that is not enough, that an aesthetic that is indistinguishable from a Blood Elf be added to Void Elves so that you can fully realise that fantasy when simply thinking through the origin produces the same result, leads inexorably to the same conclusion it always does. That the talk of lore is a fig leaf in an attempt to leverage the Blood Elf aesthetic.

And we already have lore reasons why Wildhammer are alliance and Revantusk are Horde. We already know that background. What there is simply not is any specific lore that High Elves or more Blood Elves can even be turned into VE's at this point. Seriously I can't get why are you arguing about more lore clarification, it comes across as contrarian for its own sake.

Yet to take the Troll example, it is not just the Forest Troll skin they are receiving. They are also receiving sand troll skins. There is no lore explanation behind that beyond what players who care will deign to create for themselves. There is no need for a plot to demonstrate sand trolls joining the Horde, or sand troll NPCs to pop up. The option will simply be there and, as Moorgard said, it's up to the players invested in their character's background to determine why their troll happens to be a sand troll.

In a similar vein, anyone who wishes to play their Void Elf as a former High Elf is perfectly welcome to do so under the same principle. The caveat being that that high elf made the decision to become a Void Elf as a part of their story, but they will have done so as a member of the Silver Covenant who has always served the Alliance.

Indeed, the point of VE's palette is simply -and lazily- make them different from Blood Elves, so from a design perspective they will justify why they are blue if they make more. Whatever way they find in universe to do so, will most likely result in more blue elves.

Given that making them blue/purple was the quickest method to differentiate them from Blood Elves, this is likely correct.

What I am saying in regards to this is that we need an explanation on how more VE's can be made, and why they will be blue. You can justify laziness with just saying "the playerbase has to headcanon it." Come on man, it's patently evident how the context for High Elves changing race is just not the same than "now there are wildhammer skins." If lore gives us two ways of becoming a Void Elf and only one can be replicated and it's not the one ends up with you looking blue, We Need a Lore Clarification That States Otherwise.

The lore was pretty clear, Alleria ate the heart of an incredibly rare dark Naaru which triggered her transformation. Dark Naaru are not common. In fact they are incredibly rare. Other Void Elves simply got blasted by void energies until they started to transform, and the process was interrupted at a point when they were midway between states. One is clearly far simpler to implement than the other.
If there were two methods to make water elves, one which involved turning a hose on some Elves till they got very soggy and another which involved seeking out a phial containing the tears of a long dead wizard who wept only once his life and which buried beneath a glacier on the far side of the planet, then only one of those methods is really practical to use on any kind of mass scale.
Finally, Alleria is actually the bluest Void Elf. Her transformed form is so blue it is almost black. There is no Void Elf that does not outwardly display that they are Void Elves.

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If it were enough, they wouldn't even add wildhammer tats/forest troll skins, they would just go "RP it bruh it's all good".

Which completely mistakes the rationale behind why they are adding extra customisations. They are adding extra customisations because WoW's character creator is notoriously underdeveloped and players want more options. It's not about adding Wildhammers or Forest Trolls to Dwarves and Trolls, it's about adding cool tattoos or green skin.
It's up to the players to determine how their story works with that. Some of them will take the tattoos or the green skin and still insist they are Bronzebeards and Darkspear, as is their right.

[Syegfryed]

The issue is that all we need is a VE NPC called Professor Forsworn who says "Good news everyone! We have managed to safely -mostly safely- replicate the the void elf (tm) creation process! Y'all just need to sign these waivers and we'll see you after, probably."

And that's it.

they could also just put someone to say ingame "hey saurfang is the new orc leader", but they didn't, dude died and didn't even get formalized, we only knew because pressured the devs and they said on twitter.

Since it's Alleria and Turalyon the ones hunting for Sylvanas -her sister- it would be pretty weird if Alleria didn't have at least a couple conversations with Vereesa -her other sister- Not saying she will be a mayor presence, but it would be super weird if she wasn't on a supporting role, Arator would too since this is all a family matter.

she is not even cited in characters mentioned in the wowpedia link, so i doubt.

[Varodoc]

Yes, Vereesa seems to have always been hyper-emotional and appears to act almost entirely on knee-jerk feeling, leaving very little room for thinking things through. Hence why she was so tempted by Sylvanas' offer and why she turned her back on her nation so completely and aggressively because of the actions of her cousin.

Alleria loathes the Horde as well but she is still able to behave like an adult when in the presence of Lor'themar and the likes (before everything goes tits up, of course!).

Well, it doesn't appear to be headcanon when Vereesa proclaims herself "Ranger-General" of the Silver Covenant - a Farstrider title - and when we see the SC mobilised outside Zul'Aman they are all wielding bows and there are many named SC NPCs with titles that mirror the Farstriders - Scout-Captain, Pathstalker etc.
But, I would also say that there is a considerable magister-esque presence as well.

Finally, I didn't mean that the remaining high elves universally make that claim in-game, more that those pro-high elfers who loath blood elves seem to use that "evil vampires" position as the crux of their contempt. I wasn't very clear there, sorry. But, yeah, what motivations we have seen vocalised from SC members does seem to be an outright rejection of a Horde presence in Dalaran extending to their Silvermoon loyalist kin. And that rejection manifests with lethal disdain.
Of course, the Sunreavers got their hands dirty too, but the Silver Covenant hardly took the high road as so many people with rose-tinted spectacles seem to think they did.

Alleria was the only one who proposed to making a truce with Sylvanas to deal with the Old God. She is definitely very mature and able to let past hatreds behind for the moment. Vereesa was there too and didnt seem to have a problem with Alleria suggestion.

[Obelisk Kai]

Agreed, nothing is confirmed yet, but there is a range of options from blue to green, so I'd be pretty surprised if they had put in the time to expand NPC options prior to their stated goal of adding options for the core races. For NPCs, some minor updates would be necessary to work with the new rigging (because the eyes are being separated from the facial textures), but there would be no need to add new options. In particular, though, the fact that there is a range with very subtle differences communicates that there is no binary value that determines high elf eye color. It's a confirmation of the fact that the green eye color was developed over time, rather than as an immediate transformation caused by mana tap. It's true that these options haven't even been tested properly on alpha, and therefore that Blizzard could change their plans, but their inclusion in the game files does have certain implications.

While the implications are obvious, you can see that those who wish for high elves have already laid the groundwork for their retreat and have been preparing the ground since the possibility of character customisation expansion was first mooted by Ion well over a year ago.

Should Blood Elves get blue eyes and the final vestige of any physical differentiation between Blood Elves and the exiles be removed, the plan is seemingly to emphasise their role within the Alliance. The reason for this shift is of course obvious, it's the last difference.

And as I have said many, many times over the years, the political difference is the only one that actually exists. Sure, blue eyes for Blood Elves is nice and all, and I am fully aware of the implications of blue eyes for Blood Elves, but I have long argued that at the end of the day it's just an eye colour. It's implications don't lie in the lore, it's implications lie in the importance other people have invested those blue eyes with as the basis for their goal.

When all that is left is the political difference, and in all honesty that is all that has been there to differentiate them, then we know that isn't enough. Blood Elves are High Elves, so High Elves are playable, and the affiliation of a few rebel high elves is irrelevant to that fact.

It is funny though if you think about it. All these years pro High Elfers have argued about how Blizzard could differentiate the high elf exiles from the Blood Elves so they could be their own race, yet since the end of the Burning Crusade Blizzard has been doing the opposite, removing even the vestigial differences between the two groups until they truly are indistinguishable. Blue eyes is the last sliver of that. Should Blood Elves get it, a new player will be able to roll the fairest skinned, blondest haired Blood Elf they can and set him or her up with a pair of dazzling blue eyes. Absolutely indistinguishable from a high elf as portrayed some three decades previously.

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she is not even cited in characters mentioned in the wowpedia link, so i doubt.

There should be some interesting Void Elf lore in that novel to pick over. It may confirm or disprove the idea that Void Elves can turn other Elves into Void Elves for one thing.

As for Veressa, I don't see her having a huge role. The hunt for Sylvanas she and Alleria are undertaking won't actually last long in game considering we know where Sylvanas is during the events of the Shadowlands, at the side of the Jailer. The plot of the story seems structured around three narrative threads each with dual protagonists anyway. The Alleria-Turalyon thread will likely be an exploration of their complicated relationship.

Little sister tagging along for no reason seems to serve no purpose.

[Strippling]

Because the argument that a lot of those against High Elves has always been the blatant "you just want to play Blood Elves on the Alliance" which is being put out there by T&E as not true at all, clarified on what is actually meant, and backed up by evidence from the game itself even.

I disagree, the mere fact that many high elfers would "settle" for high elf customizations to void elves is evidence that for many it just about the aesthetic. No amount of mental gymnastics will disprove this evidence.

It is a small victory to see that recognition from a big influencer in the WoW community. People want that specific Alliance High Elf experience and they have yet to get it, which is why the requests will continue.

Bellular, another big influencer in the WoW community recognizes that alliance high elves are not feasible as blood elves are already our high elves.

[Thalassian Bob]

Alleria was the only one who proposed to making a truce with Sylvanas to deal with the Old God. She is definitely very mature and able to let past hatreds behind for the moment. Vereesa was there too and didnt seem to have a problem with Alleria suggestion.

Yeah, I wish she'd gotten more than Vereesa's perspective on the last ~25 years before deciding to stay committed to the Alliance as opposed to returning home, but it was always going to be impossible for her to join the blood elves if Turalyon was still alive. Plus, now she's a racial leader of the void elves and the Sunwell is allergic to her, it's never going to happen.

[Varodoc]

Yeah, I wish she'd gotten more than Vereesa's perspective on the last ~25 years before deciding to stay committed to the Alliance as opposed to returning home, but it was always going to be impossible for her to join the blood elves if Turalyon was still alive. Plus, now she's a racial leader of the void elves and the Sunwell is allergic to her, it's never going to happen.

Vereesa herself seems to have through a major character shift. In MoP she was all about killing blood elves, but now she wants to "set them on the path of redemption"...

[Thalassian Bob]

Vereesa herself seems to have through a major character shift. In MoP she was all about killing blood elves, but now she wants to "set them on the path of redemption"...

Yeah, it's rich to hear her talking of redemption. Quel'Thalas certainly doesn't need saving by the likes of her.

[Beloren]

Yeah, it's rich to hear her talking of redemption. Quel'Thalas certainly doesn't need saving by the likes of her.

Now now, be gracious, with your Vereesa Elf portrait, one would think an Elf of all would appreciate a person returning to right sense

[Koryn123]

Yeah, it's rich to hear her talking of redemption. Quel'Thalas certainly doesn't need saving by the likes of her.

Reminds me of the nauseating bit where Wesley in Star Trek TNG is turned into this celestial omnipotent being and is immediately talking all high and mighty about the other (likeable) characters like "they're not ready yet, one day they'll understand."

[Thalassian Bob]

Now now, be gracious, with your Vereesa Elf portrait, one would think an Elf of all would appreciate a person returning to right sense

While I'm certainly relieved she no longer seems to be supporting the murder of her kin, I don't think her exile should be reversed any time soon.

Reminds me of the nauseating bit where Wesley in Star Trek TNG is turned into this celestial omnipotent being and is immediately talking all high and mighty about the other (likeable) characters like "they're not ready yet, one day they'll understand."

Few character flaws are more loathsome than self-righteousness.

[Koryn123]

Yeah, I wish she'd gotten more than Vereesa's perspective on the last ~25 years before deciding to stay committed to the Alliance as opposed to returning home, but it was always going to be impossible for her to join the blood elves if Turalyon was still alive. Plus, now she's a racial leader of the void elves and the Sunwell is allergic to her, it's never going to happen.

I always thought it would've been very interesting if Alleria after being out in space fighting the Legion would've been corrupted by Fel at some point, comes back to Azeroth, then she comes to understand the Blood Elves' plight, explains it to Vereesa, possibly with the perspective of "I had to fight off demons in space and didn't have time to meditate and quit cold turkey. I needed the boost at the time, but now that things are safer, I can work on it" and make Vereesa understand a bit more. Then we'd end up with Vereesa on Alliance, Sylvanas on Horde, and Alleria Alliance but friendly to Quel'thalas (the reason she went with the Alliance), with three varieties of elf to look at.

But then they did void elves.

[Beloren]

While I'm certainly relieved she no longer seems to be supporting the murder of her kin, I don't think her exile should be reversed any time soon.

I agree. I know there is a bunch of Elf fans that want elven re-unification and what not and everyone to be a big happy family, like in the pre-sundering days.. but I'm okay with high elves having different elements and facets.

I'm okay with there being blood elves, and high elves, some high elves okay with blood elves and wanna convert em, others hating on us and preferring their alliance "human potential" masters /rolleyes. It's all variety right. And it reflects teh complexity and nuance of life. Makes interesting stories and situations, and eventually makes you really appreciate it if they do come together.

The lore is meant to be an asset, not a hindrance for us getting cool customisation. The distinction between the elves was always just for ingame purposes, blood elves had blue yes anyway, but the knowledge of what the customisation mean is also a boon, as it helps your character get into the fantasy.. it's a shame not that many races have set customisation like Wild hammers, Illidari, etc that have serious lore behind them.

And blizzard should really look to giving certain groups like Farstriders amongst the blood elves and Highborne amongst the night elves unique customisation that distinguish them.. as we've been discussing in the Night elf thread - it gets you more engaged with the fantasy. So I fully support.

[Thalassian Bob]

I always thought it would've been very interesting if Alleria after being out in space fighting the Legion would've been corrupted by Fel at some point, comes back to Azeroth, then she comes to understand the Blood Elves' plight, explains it to Vereesa, possibly with the perspective of "I had to fight off demons in space and didn't have time to meditate and quit cold turkey. I needed the boost at the time, but now that things are safer, I can work on it" and make Vereesa understand a bit more. Then we'd end up with Vereesa on Alliance, Sylvanas on Horde, and Alleria Alliance but friendly to Quel'thalas (the reason she went with the Alliance), with three varieties of elf to look at.

But then they did void elves.

I was actually always a big proponent for a very similar idea before Alleria's return. Just like you say, I thought Alleria becoming a Fel-infused "blood elf" in her fight against the Legion would be an interesting way to perhaps compel some reflection in the youngest Windrunner sister. I had also hoped she might act as a mediator for further reconciliation between all the "Children of Silvermoon" as Auric refers to all Thalassians elves, maybe even becoming a member of a newly reformed Convocation of Silvermoon.

But, alas, the introduction of void elves took Alleria down a different path. There's still lots of interesting opportunities to be had from the development of the Ren'dorei story and Alleria could still be the one to bridge the divide. Just not on the Isle of Quel'Danas or anything! ^^'

I'd like to hear more of Vereesa's opinion of Alleria and her acolytes though! It must go against the grain for her to have another sister use such potentially dangerous magics and lead a following of former blood elves (and maybe high elves) who do the same.

I agree. I know there is a bunch of Elf fans that want elven re-unification and what not and everyone to be a big happy family, like in the pre-sundering days.. but I'm okay with high elves having different elements and facets.

I'm okay with there being blood elves, and high elves, some high elves okay with blood elves and wanna convert em, others hating on us and preferring their alliance "human potential" masters /rolleyes. It's all variety right. And it reflects teh complexity and nuance of life. Makes interesting stories and situations, and eventually makes you really appreciate it if they do come together.

The lore is meant to be an asset, not a hindrance for us getting cool customisation. The distinction between the elves was always just for ingame purposes, blood elves had blue yes anyway, but the knowledge of what the customisation mean is also a boon, as it helps your character get into the fantasy.. it's a shame not that many races have set customisation like Wild hammers, Illidari, etc that have serious lore behind them.

And blizzard should really look to giving certain groups like Farstriders amongst the blood elves and Highborne amongst the night elves unique customisation that distinguish them.. as we've been discussing in the Night elf thread - it gets you more engaged with the fantasy. So I fully support.

I would wholeheartedly agree with you on both fronts. The divide does make things a lot more interesting and complex regarding Thalassian lore. You don't anywhere near the same depth of tension when discussing Bloodhoof and Grimtotem tauren or Bronzebeard and Dark Iron dwarves. We Thalassian fans, whether we carry a red or blue banner (or both) are fortunate to be able to have such heated discussions!

And, oh, how I have longed for Farstrider tattoos for so long!

[MyWholeLifeIsThunder]

Yes, Vereesa seems to have always been hyper-emotional and appears to act almost entirely on knee-jerk feeling, leaving very little room for thinking things through. Hence why she was so tempted by Sylvanas' offer and why she turned her back on her nation so completely and aggressively because of the actions of her cousin.

Alleria loathes the Horde as well but she is still able to behave like an adult when in the presence of Lor'themar and the likes (before everything goes tits up, of course!).

I mean if you are always going to give Vereesa the least charitable read, sure. Anything to paint her in the worst light possible. So instead of more nuanced interpretations like not wanting her new home to allow the horde in or her radicalization after her husband died, it's better to paint her as a reactionary short fused mess.

Like sometimes bias is obvious. Like I think we don't disagree that Alleria is more mature and handles herself better, but to vilify Vereesa for her actions always has comes across as people just wanting to hate on a character. Which is an awful way to interpret fiction.

Well, it doesn't appear to be headcanon when Vereesa proclaims herself "Ranger-General" of the Silver Covenant - a Farstrider title - and when we see the SC mobilised outside Zul'Aman they are all wielding bows and there are many named SC NPCs with titles that mirror the Farstriders - Scout-Captain, Pathstalker etc.
But, I would also say that there is a considerable magister-esque presence as well.

It's literally a headcanon to say the SC rangers are former Farstriders because we don't have any confirmation of the sort. I'm not saying that's even wrong or partially true -if Vereesa is a self exiled Farstrider, so can others- but presenting an hypothesis without lore evidence is literally a headcanon. Headcanons are not bad, but they are not facts. Let's not missrepresent them.

Finally, I didn't mean that the remaining high elves universally make that claim in-game, more that those pro-high elfers who loath blood elves seem to use that "evil vampires" position as the crux of their contempt. I wasn't very clear there, sorry. But, yeah, what motivations we have seen vocalised from SC members does seem to be an outright rejection of a Horde presence in Dalaran extending to their Silvermoon loyalist kin. And that rejection manifests with lethal disdain.
Of course, the Sunreavers got their hands dirty too, but the Silver Covenant hardly took the high road as so many people with rose-tinted spectacles seem to think they did.

Like I fully think the Sunreavers have behaved themselves better as a group; the betrayal was something that was contained to an individual and covered up by Aethas, that makes them blameless. The SC for sure took the opportunity to have their vengeance on overall Horde treachery because it suited their agenda and grief. That's why I like the Silver Covenant, because they acted on a self righteous and damaging manner, they were shown to be far from perfect goody two shoes elves. They acted out of resentment and grief and put the blame on the Sunreavers. It was good to see the alliance beyond the scope of making the "good" choice and make a more believable one, even if it is complex.

[ravenmoon]

The biggest problem with high elves is actually horde fans. The problem is they want and feel the Thalassian is theirs exclusively .. they have hated the thought of the alliance getting what they consider "their" elves.

They've even brought that possessive crap to the Nigh telven hihgobnre, the way some of them go on, they honestly believe the Highborne are blood elf lore, and have nothing to do with night elves at all, it's crazy to suggest that Night elves get highborne (and by extension highborne customisations or cities or advanced arcane magic)- despite having all these quite clearly not only in lore but in game. They would even tell themselves that Nightborne is more a blood elf thing, their reasoning? 1. They're on the horde, 2. THey use arcane magic 3. They're fancy and live in cities - and night elves can't be any of these because that's a horde thing.

Now not all horde fans are like this. But there is a certain type of bloke, that gets very possessive of the things he likes, and the thought of anyone sharing or having his prize gets him riled. They fell in love with the horde when they switched over to them to play the very blood (high) elves, now there, they'd be damned if these are ever on the alliance. They want high elves deleted, marginalised, and removed. It's the height of faction bias. [Yes it takes one to know one, and I'm definitely all bloke, got the parts to prove it - I understand how they think - but I'll tell you those feelings we have, aren't suppoed to be applied in this way. No good comes out of this]

And it's all very silly High elves aren't going anywhere, , they are an identity of a race many people like, including horde fans, regardless of whether they're on which faction. Said horde fans are fine with high elves on the horde, cos the problem is not really high elves, it's the alliance getting their beautiful model.

Now, alliance fans are guilty of particularly wanting high elves because they are pretty and are jealous in an almost annoying way because they want the prettiest option, and it so happened blizzard didn't give it to them, this makes hordies proud, and it makes alliance players covet.

now not all alliance fans are like that, some are more in it for the fantasy ofc, but I would wager this intensity wouldn't exist if Night elves were done properly and blizzard showed their highbrone side as majestic, with the night elf model improved to reflect this and the fullness of the kaldorei civilization the Nightborne are in the middle of.

There would still be people wanting high elves, the genuine ones, but the conversation would not span countless threads, and megathreads across many platforms.

I reckon the alliance would get high elves playable eventually, but by the time it happens it really wouldn't matter much to anyone. But the di hards would be happy.

SO there you go folks, your classic case of jealousy (in the form of possessiveness) and covetousness. Let's not give the SJWs toxic masculinity ammunition.