Official High Elf Discussion Megathread

[Daevelian]

Nah, I always loved the High Elf aesthetic/lore since I started WoW at the very beginning of TBC and started religiously reading all the lore on Wowwiki/looking at all their art/etc. I especially wanted to actually play one when I started roleplaying in WOTLK, and that desire never went away. If anything it grew.

Getting the last laugh over someone like Obelisk, who was (past tense now ) perhaps the most obstinate and determined anti-playable-High Elf debater I've ever seen on any WoW/WoW-themed forum over the past few months/years, is just the cherry on top

I will admit, this is a very large reason why i am glad for this outcome.

[shoc]

I hope the internet archives this thread for future anthropologists to read. They won't believe how many people got caught up in pointless, pedantic bullshit that only ever boiled down to a single artist in California somewhere tweaking a couple textures. They will think that we lived in a golden glimmering utopia if the color of an Elfs hair in one particular game made the top 10 list of concern in someone's life.

[Monster Hunter]

I hope the internet archives this thread for future anthropologists to read. They won't believe how many people got caught up in pointless, pedantic bullshit that only ever boiled down to a single artist in California somewhere tweaking a couple textures. They will think that we lived in a golden glimmering utopia if the color of an Elfs hair in one particular game made the top 10 list of concern in someone's life.

technically compared to every other age in history this is the closest we have gotten to utopia.

[Segus1992]

Still no high elves. Just blood and void elves with blue eyes. All those people who say this is not about eye color will still be arguing they want the entire race with racials as high elves. And special high elves starting scenario.

You cant never do well with those people.

Let's be fair, those who asked for High Elves didn't -really- ask just for the blue eyes option - they wanted a dedicated race with a capital city, faction leader, voice work etc.

But that was never going to happen because what they were, in the character creation screen, would just be Blood Elves with blue eyes.

This was the best outcome a realistic High Elf hopeful could've asked for.

[Lahis]

Let's be fair, those who asked for High Elves didn't -really- ask just for the blue eyes option - they wanted a dedicated race with a capital city, faction leader, voice work etc.

But that was never going to happen because what they were, in the character creation screen, would just be Blood Elves with blue eyes.

This was the best outcome a realistic High Elf hopeful could've asked for.

To be fair, no new race since Draenei and Blood Elves has received a Capital city.

[Segus1992]

To be fair, no new race since Draenei and Blood Elves has received a Capital city.

Right, but they have all received an area dedicated to their race - especially if we're only considering the "real" races (only Kul Tiran and Zandalari of the Allied Races).

[Lahis]

Right, but they have all received an area dedicated to their race - especially if we're only considering the "real" races (only Kul Tiran and Zandalari of the Allied Races).

Oh, right.

Boralus and Daz'alor were introduced before the races and function as expansion hubs instead of traditional race capitals so I mentally filed them to different cabinet than capital cities. Though I suppose that means Kul Tirans and Zandalari are the first new races with Capitals since TBC.

[Kyriani]

I see it as Blizzard declaring "High Elves" as a soon to be extinct parent race with Blood and Void elves being its divergent evolutionary branches with the first going further into the Holy Sunwell theme while the other is all about void and shadow.

If I could take a guess "Alliance" High Elves are set to disappear soon with Blizzard eliminating the root of the problem by making them go back to Silvermoon since the war is over or follow Alleria with nothing else in between, did anyone say timeskip after Shadowlands?
I wonder what may happen to Vereesa in such scenario though.

While I can agree with your assessment that Blood Elves and Void Elves are the likely branches of Thalassian to continue going forth, why would the Alliance High Elves return to Silvermoon? They weren't living in human lands because of the war between the Horde and the Alliance or because they couldn't go back to Silvermoon. They could go back to Silvermoon at any time. They live in Alliance settlements because they chose to stick with the Alliance decades ago. The have friends and families where they are now just as the High Elves in Dalaran have lived there for 3000+ years and have no reason to return to Silvermoon.

I think the more likely scenario is that civilian Alliance High Elves (current npcs) who want to serve in the Alliance military or become adventurers (read: become players) will join the ranks of the Ren'dorei to be more capable and battle ready. Over generations we'd inevitably see the old Alliance Quel'dorei replaced with new generations of Ren'dorei (this assumes normal procreation is possible for Void Elves). It's not something I think we'll see happening "soon" though, but the longer WoW and other media continue to tell stories in the Warcraft universe, the more likely we are to see it start happening.

In any case, it seems that the legacy of the Quel'dorei will go forward with both Blood Elves and Void Elves. Both are High Elves at their core and the forthcoming shared aesthetics seem to indicate that.

[Yarathir]

Well, pretending that I'm something is not good enough for me, but the reactions seem to be mostly positive so I guess most people are happy with this "compromise".

Like I said, I'm sure they're just acknowledging that a High Elf allied race or (god forbid) a full on race has been out of the cards at least since Void Elves were added, if not before.

That's probably why.

- - - Updated - - -

Also just want to point out it's hella funny how many people are going "so blood elves are basically neutral now" LOL

Blood/Void Elf High Elves are doubleplus traitor agents.

[Lahis]

In any case, it seems that the legacy of the Quel'dorei will go forward with both Blood Elves and Void Elves. Both are High Elves at their core and the forthcoming shared aesthetics seem to indicate that.

I suppose if WoW 2 or some other Warcraft RPG that let you choose your race were to exist (and set sufficiently far ahead in the timeline), they could replace Blood Elf/Void Elf choice with Thalassian Elf race.

[Yarathir]

This is not about this being a lie, but, what if the reason these dropped so suddenly, it's because bad news are incomming? But they'll go, hey, remember when you got Helves? that was fun!

I assumed that they rushed this out (while the original plan may have been to add these skins to Void Elves in like 9.1 or 9.2 alongside the other AR customization options) in order to avoid the biggest flamefest and forum war that would have arisen if Blood Elves had just gotten blue eyes. Without Void Elves getting High Elf skins (until 9.1 or 9.2, but people wouldn't have known that until those patches)

[kingarthas]

Lorewise is it possible to be warlock with blue or golden eyes? Or paladin without golden eyes?

[Oswen]

While I can agree with your assessment that Blood Elves and Void Elves are the likely branches of Thalassian to continue going forth, why would the Alliance High Elves return to Silvermoon? They weren't living in human lands because of the war between the Horde and the Alliance or because they couldn't go back to Silvermoon. They could go back to Silvermoon at any time. They live in Alliance settlements because they chose to stick with the Alliance decades ago. The have friends and families where they are now just as the High Elves in Dalaran have lived there for 3000+ years and have no reason to return to Silvermoon.

I think the more likely scenario is that civilian Alliance High Elves (current npcs) who want to serve in the Alliance military or become adventurers (read: become players) will join the ranks of the Ren'dorei to be more capable and battle ready. Over generations we'd inevitably see the old Alliance Quel'dorei replaced with new generations of Ren'dorei (this assumes normal procreation is possible for Void Elves). It's not something I think we'll see happening "soon" though, but the longer WoW and other media continue to tell stories in the Warcraft universe, the more likely we are to see it start happening.

In any case, it seems that the legacy of the Quel'dorei will go forward with both Blood Elves and Void Elves. Both are High Elves at their core and the forthcoming shared aesthetics seem to indicate that.

Just like Danuser talked about roleplaying "Allerian stronghold elves going home" I could see high elves going back to Silvermoon since, with the war being over and no faction hostilities, there really is no reason not to go back to their country while still remaining "friends" with humans, dwarves, gnomes and all those they decided to side with with all this time.
Some however, just like you said, will probably prefer to remain as a militant force in the Alliance and join Alleria and the Ren'dorei instead, delving further into void magic without being shredded by ethereals in the progress, explaining their retained appearance.

In that scenario, especially if a timeskip truly happens at some point, the "High Elf" moniker would be extinct in an ideological way since all those who wanted to keep on with "the old ways" can now really do so by going back to Silvermoon just like before while also not being forced to hate and fight humans and the like.

In the end though Blood Elves aren't 100% the same as how they were before though, with a stronger focus on a, now also Holy, Sunwell their culture already shifted and will probably slowly keep doing so in both a biological (golden eyes etc) and ideological way, just as the Void Elves will in the opposite direction and in a more apparent way.

Quel'dorei legacy will continue to keep on living in both but at the end of the day it will still remain something from the past, bound to a world that really isn't the same anymore.

...and Blizzard will feel all mighty and smart because they will have finally fixed the 14 years old Thalassian debate that started all the way back in Vanilla and TBC.

[Yarathir]

To anyone screaming that Void Elves that look like High Elves make no sense.

Please look into what little story the Void Elves have and realize that the voided over blueberry elves are the result of a one-time incident and after that incident are seen teaching the void to a group of High Elves and Blood Elves alike. There is no indication that harnessing the void will turn this new group blue.

[Varodoc]

To anyone who still moans about "muh faction identity", let me remind you that this doesn't change anything and that you are 3 years late with your complaint:

[Yarathir]

To anyone who still moans about "muh faction identity", let me remind you that this doesn't change anything and that you are 3 years late with your complaint:

What a good looking Blood Elf! Wait..

[nando91]

So disappointed, what an absolute mess... Imagine if they just went Blood Elf for the horde, and High Elf for the alliance.

1. Youre not a High Elf, you wont ever be a High Elf in WoW now. One of the most iconic races going all the way back to Warcraft 3 wont be a thing in WoW. I ask myself how this is possible and why they would ever introduce that abomination of a race in Void Elves.

And before you go: Blood Elves are former High Elves, High Elves of the Silver Covenant are NOT Blood Elves.
High Elves belong to the Alliance.

2. One of the most iconic classes for a High Elf is a paladin, something you cant do. Even if they add it - Void Elf Paladin? Nah...

3. Imagine pretending being a High Elf, and then that ugly void form racial procs - thats it for the roleplaying if u ask me.

4. Blizzard gave the middlefinger to High Elf fans yet again - Just like the ungoing debate about Corruptions, we wanted to be able to buy them, and once again: "You want something? You can have our fucked up version of it..."


The High Elf dream is officially DEAD. Curse the day they added Void Elves...

[Broflake]

His entire point was don't let anyone claim your character's story (or in your words, headcanon) is wrong. Not even the game.

If you disagree with his point that's your prerogative. His answer is a general statement, not one specific to Wildhammer only.

We can agree to disagree, futile to continue discussing it further.

Specific to wildhammer? No. Simply since dwarves are dwarves.
Same for trolls/sand trols.

Void elves and LF dranei though? Not really, but hey, if a title is what people need to feel like they got everything they desired then more power to them right?

[Gurluas]

So disappointed, what an absolute mess... Imagine if they just went Blood Elf for the horde, and High Elf for the alliance.

1. Youre not a High Elf, you wont ever be a High Elf in WoW now. One of the most iconic races going all the way back to Warcraft 3 wont be a thing in WoW. I ask myself how this is possible.

And before you go: Blood Elves are former High Elves, High Elves of the Silver Covenant are NOT Blood Elves.
High Elves belong to the Alliance.

2. One of the most iconic classes for a High Elf is a paladin, something you cant do. Even if they add it - Void Elf Paladin? Nah...

3. Imagine pretending being a High Elf, and then that ugly void form racial procs - thats it for the roleplaying if u ask me.

4. Blizzard gave the middlefinger to High Elf fans yet again - Just like the ungoing debate about Corruptions, we wanted to be able to buy them, and once again: "You want something? You can have our fucked up version of it..."


The High Elf dream is officially DEAD. Curse the day they added Void Elves...

I'm gonna stop you right there...I almost completely agree with you except for one thing...When the heck did Paladins become an iconic class for High elves??
High elf paladins were said to be exceptionally rare. High elf Rangers, Mages and Priests were the iconic classes.

As for the racial, I'm hoping it can be changed with a glyph or something.

[Broflake]

Agreed to, however I think it is coming at the start of the expansion

- - - Updated - - -

@Broflake Give templates with those names in character creation, it's the least they could do.

Farstriders and highborne while not races, are significant enough groups that can have r their own styles to warrant I clusion as templates in the nllod/void and night elf character creation screens

They can just include such appearances with tattoos and the like. Fartriders are literally just blood elf rangers so you can just make more custom options to fit the look. Same for the night elves who want the highborne look.
I am sure they'll have those options but they'll probably be something like

Option 30/Option 31.
This is Blizzard, on the best of days they give you the option but wont say where it is specifically.