Official High Elf Discussion Megathread

[Thalassian Bob]

They do not look so extreme in-game, it’s a thing with transparency settings in the dressing room. Compare it with my pictures:

[img]https://i.imgur.com/hHQgflv.jpg[/mg]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/8bzPftl.jpg[/mg]

That's true. Thanks for the comparison. Still not keen on how much the eye glow permeates to the rest of the face.

[Lahis]

I'm assuming and hoping these arcane bags under the eyes are not going to be a permanent fixture... ^^'



(tfw you're hungover on arcwine)

That is supposed to be glow from the eyes. WoWheads dressing room shows those wrong currently and makes them look like cheap make up.

[Thalassian Bob]

That is supposed to be glow from the eyes. WoWheads dressing room shows those wrong currently and makes them look like cheap make up.

Haha! I'm glad it's just a dressing room deficiency.

[Lahis]

Haha! I'm glad it's just a dressing room deficiency.

It looked awful when they were first datamining female worgen skins. It seemed like that for some reason Blizzard had decided to give them bright neon eye make up. Only later they made the connection that those colors were supposed to be tied to the new glowing eyes female worgen got, and were also displaying completely wrong in WoWHead's datamining tools.

[Thalassian Bob]

It looked awful when they were first datamining female worgen skins. It seemed like that for some reason Blizzard had decided to give them bright neon eye make up. Only later they made the connection that those colors were supposed to be tied to the new glowing eyes female worgen got, and were also displaying completely wrong in WoWHead's datamining tools.

Haha oh yeah! The Lady Gaga worgen were horrifying! xD

[Rhlor]

nice

[FlubberPuddy]

I would be totally fine with white hair option to make my Velf look like Helf, and maybe couple of new hairstyles who don't scream edgy, wet emo hair, but Helf.

Personally, I don't like new darker tones on Belfs at all, they lose their belf look, but if people want them sure, why not.

Yeah definitely we should get some non-emo/screamo hairstyles. Doesn't have to be same as Blood Elves, but some more normal ones for High Elf aspect would be nice.

Also that's the best way to be! "I don't personally like this thing, but if others wanted it then ok".

Unfortunately, not many have this kind of mindset so thank you for having it!

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And yeah, by placing these in paint these ones have more blue than the others.

I don't understand why they even try to make them look different at this point, they should have just released an Allied race, now everyone is just trapped in mediocrity.

I can see your point, but the difference is too minimal honestly, but it's there.

Yeah I don't understand why they try for difference either. As I told another poster here, it almost comes off as some internal employee going 'MUST.NOT.GIVE.TRUE.BLUE.EYES.TO.BLOOD.ELVES.' Like they're allergic to having the same customizations show up on the diff sides despite Pandaren existing

[Oswen]

Bronzebeard and Wildhammer do not have such a distinction. The same racials make sense for them. Although you can argue for certain racials to be unfitting for Wildhammers, like Stoneform, depends on what the lore behind that is.

No Bronzebeard racial makes sense for Wildhammer dwarves, nor do their voiceovers.

Stoneform: Learned by tapping into earthen heritage thanks to a ritual discovered with archeology knowledge. Wildhammers may be able to learn it aswell but that's a moot point since they don't really care about archeology in their culture, it would be like saying that an high elf can learn voidform by learning how to tap into void energies.

Explorer - Archeology bonus : see previous point

Frost Resistance: Wildhammers live on hills and not on frosty peaks, they should have nature resistance instead with all the storm hammers they like to throw around and their shamanistic attitude.

Might of the Mountain: They are hill dwarves.

Blizzard just went the easy route with them and that's it.
Wildhammers should have racials all about their storm hammers, something about pets because of their gryphon mastery (think Orc Command or Mag'har bonuses) and nature resistance.

Orcs and Trolls are more lucky in this regard, their racials are very generic (Berserking, Blood fury and so on) and can fit any tribe/clans.

"High Elves" just being a skin choice are exactly like what is happening with Wildhammer dwarves, an easy and lazy way out but sufficent enough to allow people to roleplay their characters like they want.

[Rhlor]

Blood Elf fans are going to be real happy with what's coming for em

The dark skin with the gold eyes looks real good.

I would like to have tattoos too

[FlubberPuddy]

Wildhammer actually look glorious in the mountain king heritage armor!!

I really hope the feather accessory comes to the elves (ALL elves)!!

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I would like to have tattoos too

Yes please!

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Omg if you use the short ear option for Blood Elves in the dressing room it finally covers the ears with helmets!!!! YAY

That's going to be god send to all elf players I imagine.

[Thalassian Bob]

nice
[IMG]https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EZnbh12XYAE8yDU?format=png&name=900x900[/MG]

The shorter ears make me really uncomfortable.

[IMG]https://i.imgur.com/g2hdKYE.png[/IG]

Wildhammer actually look glorious in the mountain king heritage armor!!

I really hope the feather accessory comes to the elves (ALL elves)!!

Wildhammer look glorious in anything!

[DeicideUH]

You mean... WILDHAMMAAAAAAAHHHH!!!

[Ardenaso]

You mean... WILDHAMMAAAAAAAHHHH!!!

IT'S HAMMA TAAAAAAAEEEEEEMMMMM!!!! *screeeeeeeeeee*

the dream is now true

[Sarallesta]

Does anyone know if there will be new hairstyles to the new skin colours or are we gonna have to use hair with tentacles for them?

I don't know, would love to see more hair styles and colours for the Void Elves, as well as non-tenticle hair styles as well. Otherwise if the answer is no, then it is time Blizzard gave the Alliance as a seperate playable race

[Frenchvince]

A little Nordic this look but I think it is perfect for a wildhammer. <3

[Mace]

If the elves feel part of both factions, then they are no longer key to the identity of either faction, which they shouldn't be but have become. They were originally envision/designed to be their own faction (night elf) but now both groups have the depth and scope for it - the alliance is really a human thing and the orcs a horde thing, dwarves compliment humans well, and trolls compliment orcs well

Elves fit better on the alliance ofc, but they are still distinctive enough especially night elves to be their own, if like pandaren, they are common to both, they cease to dominate the identity of the factions, which they currently do due to the large volume of fans ( I wouldn't be surprised if you add Elf numbers, they'd roughly be the same of all other alliance races also roughly the same as all other horde races)


If most Thalassian elf characters were running around in Silvermoon and most Night ones running around in Suramar can you imagine how more horde like orgrimmar would fel and more human alliance and its activities will feel.

Personally I feel that blizzard should not stop there, but as they develop stories for the two factions they should as well for the elves - keep them separate to what you put up for horde and alliance, , their combined playebase is roughly equal to all the other alliance race as well as all the other horde races.

And the elves should share across faction rather than be separated via faction - if you separate via faction, then players will still predominantly associate them with faction, but if you share them by type i.e. Thalassian elves in one location/theme, and night ones in another location at themes, then they would feel a bit more different.


Shadowlands Customisation Changes are a Good Step Forward - and may heal the faction identities

It's good void elves are sharing blood elf skins, it would be good if highborne customisations for night elves have the thin NElf frame used in Highborne. It would be good if Suramar is a shared by Night elf and Nightborne alike and good if Silvermoon/Quel'thalas was shared by all Thalassians.

such moves having them identifiable at least in model terms and sharing a home - I think would restore the horde and alliance identities that have been suffocating under the elven wave of popularity. If common to both sides, they cease to dominate them as much.


Sharing Elven Cities Will Also Help
It will lessen the elven identity on the horde is a valid and necessary one and it does so without any losses to the horde (although I think it's about time the horde got some genuine losses - rather than managing to always save the stuff they jeopardise last minute. Sharing wise, blood elves and Nightborne would still have access to those cities too and I think elves and the identity of the factions will be better for this.


Proposal: Switch from 2 faction hub to 4 one. Horde , alliance, night elf, Thalassian elf.

Fix Silvermoon, make it central Thalassian hub, use Suramar for the night elf hub

Story Development
Note you are not changing the factions they are affliated with, you're just making them now start functioning more with regards to their own affairs. The idea is blizzard gives no longer just writes horde /alliance and legendary character stories, but also writes one for the Elves too - they're like a pseudo faction - and there are many reasons why this is not only a good thing, but would further separate their muddying of the alliance and horde identities all without changing anything about their faction.


The sate of the elves is can be full of intrigue and actually there is enough with existing lore to easily drive new things forward. between them, having one of each type on either faction but then having the types also with themselves is like a double mix - in Quel'thalas you would have dynamics between opposing high and blood elves with void elves, in Suramar there would be issues as well between kaldorei, Quel'dorei, Shal'dorei - whether there is peaceful corporation or forced one. That could also be explored to. I've long held the view that the night ones have a strong case for peaceful corporation, as their differences are more along the lines of philosophies, arcane followers vs nature followers, divine followers vs pragmatists. They do share the common bond of the kaldorei pre-sundering era and all their factions whether city based (highborne/Nightborne) or rural based (druids/priests) have all endured far from ideal and often tough existence in the last 10k years their people would rather restore than destroy, given how many elven lives are lost. This leads to a corporation between the two that is not linked to faction separation, Nightborne are still quite friendly with Blood elves, Night elves with worgen/humans possibly void elves and high elves via their Highborne - but in Suramar they work together and they have responsibility on keeping their visitor guests in check and away from hostilities.

The Thalassians on the other hand are more politically divided as well as principled, on politics its affiliation based, which makes living together interesting but also only possible if not doing so would result in a war that could destroy the Sunwell - for example if the alliance tried to take Silvermoon, and nearly succeeded but the the Sunwell was going to go boom, and the elves decided it was too great a risk they'd rather endure living together than have a global war devastate Quel'thalas (afterall both sides wanted unity not destruction), then this could force them to declare armistice and sanctuary in Quel'thalas, with void and high elves as alliance representatives, and blood elves, fel elf(Illidari) and San'layn/Darkfallen as horde ones, with the elves themselves determining who from other races in their factions can visit. There is a strict code of no elf on elf killing or fighting. strictly prohibited on pain of exile, and no faction fighting too, foreigners engaging in conflict will face a death penalty. This state of affairs is interesting, you have now a war of ideals and politics, as high and blood elves try to win each other in persuasive arguments and discussions, with an intriguing underbelly of subterfuge, spying, espionage, assassinations that also happen for while some actively try to heal the divide, others seek to use this opportunity to eliminate the other side.

Then there is the void elves and the dangerous magic versus safe magic - on the dangerous magic side are void elves and fel elves on the safe magic side are high elves and blood elves - The first pair exist in fringes and outskirts, void elves are in void dimensions mostly while fel elves are chasing demons - yet there are always tensions when either walk in the city, especially near the sunwell - both void and fel are highly corruptible - and yet both void and fel are the most powerful weapons the world would have lost the wars against the Legion and void old gods without.

Bottom line is there is enough material. And maybe such an approach would serve the game well. You do really kinda feel, the horde and alliance have lost their way a bit, while the alliance is still overwhelmingly human storywise, their elf population is just as large, the downslide is other fan favourites like elves are undervalued and it's a lot to ignore for such a large alliance player share and drawing focus to the elves as an alliance defining group which it isn't, that status is undesirable to everyone.. On the horde side, the blood elves are so overwhelmingly numerous, it's like the horde is more blood elven than it is orcish, if they continue to only show up in horde affairs and made to feel horde, then the horde becomes more blood elf because most players are blood elves. So what you want to do is minimise horde affairs and activities when you show them up. However you can't just leave it at that, you need to give engaging stories and paths of their own, plus separate them location wise if most of their activity leads to and stems from Silvermoon and most of their players can get their easily to (give them a racial heath - they're a magic race) then although in the same faction, you generate a sense of this is elves not horde.

And so they won't consume the identity of the

[Sangris]

So basically now that you have High Elves, that is still not enough and now you want Silvermoon and Suramar, too. What's it gonna be after that?

[Mace]

How does it restore faction identity to have them on both sides? And they've been on both sides since the end of Legion. Does that mean it's been restored for 2-3 years now?

It's in the first statement, being common to both makes them feel less a part of either - especially if you take the steps I suggested , like develop an Elven storyline too dparate from the horde and alliance ones, and make their capitals centres for their players

[valky94]

So basically now that you have High Elves, that is still not enough and now you want Silvermoon and Suramar, too. What's it gonna be after that?

i swear these HElf stans, blizzard gives them the finger and they want the whole body

[Maljinwo]

Oh is it already time for Mace's regularly scheduled Elfposting?