I wonder, I know a lot have been thoroughly disappointed with the night elves in wow, so I wonder how you would like them to progress?
For me, I want the original vision in it's wonder, savagery, serenity and excellence restored. - that's in a nutshell for me.
Night elves Compared to Humans & High Elves:
When they first came out, they struck me as very stern elves - highly civilized but with a brutality to them too - where a high elf might parley and nobly seek peace, a night elf wouold be able to conclude something was evil and jump straight to execution.
High elves struck me as more humanised.. while elven with magical talent and a highly civilized version of humanity, night elves had an intensity to them that came out in their earlier depictions - their nature mastery seemed intense and primal, their arcane mastery described in WoTA - just seemed far more focused and intense too than that shown in the high elves.. and their religion had focus it had a goddess and a zealotry to it missing also from the high elves.
It's like they took all the aspects of the high elves - love for nature, love for arcane, wilds forestery - intelligence, strength, staturte, and just upped them in intensity - add to that the purple colour and some very very distinct cultural behaviour - roles of men and women and you had the night elves.
5-Point Essential Night elf Progression
Night elves had an air of non-human exclusivity to them - mysticism of the Moon and Stars - we never got to see in wow or get expanded much - the original identity as Children of the Stars - wasn't touched much on in WoTA - which was all about the first invasion.
1. The Hard dangerous edge - most call this savage - but it was shown in hard arsed sentinel warriors in WC3, but also seen in demon hunters through illidan and all the demon hunters we have met in wow. To note, Warcraft 3 did show the "maiden " night elf and she didn't seem savage at all, but she was deadly, I liked that.
2. Unification: Night elves were about the arcane in their pre-sundering era, and druidsm in their long vigil era - the priesthood has existed in both, i'd love to see the unification of all 3. I don't mean a merging of orders, keep them distinct, but restore them. Night elf arcane side was described as phenomenal and excellent, and marred only when addiction overcame the leading highborne cste, but that was cured in Legion. The reason for the arcane ban on the long ivil group was stated to only prevent the legion's return, and this ofc happened at the end of Wc3, which should give room for the arcane to re-assert titself in their society.
The night elf is described as an arcane enhanced being - purple fit their colour theme and silver eyes are meant to depict the arcane power of their connection to the well of eternity, (now realised as the blood of Azeroth), it seems silly to me that only the long vigil side of the night elf should be present, room should be made for the arcane side too.
I would love to see the druidic order continued and fleshed out further, the Moon Priest order too - and more about the stars through them, and the restoration of the arcane side - Suramar depicts the extent of night elf civilization and arcane mastery, I'd like to see the highborne group of the night elves encapsulate.
The illidari have also experienced much change, and should now after legion no longer be seen as betrayers nor completely fallen to corruption but as noble souls who have taken on corruption to empower them to destroy evil, not join it. This allows some grey areas for interesting differing views and a level of distance, but this should lead to the Illidari not being enemies of the Darnassians or any night elf group, but viewed as wary heroes most of their kin greatly admire but also are terrified off because of the scars and corruption they carry to continue their task.
Unification means that all these groups can now actively be part oft he night elves.
3. Restoration:
By restoration I mean no longer ruins, no longer broken, or nerfed. Which means - please repair Val'sharah and Ashenvale, please repair Nar''thalas, Azsuna, Tel'anor, Moonguard stronghold, temple of Falanar - let the night elves rebuild both ruined cities and forests - start somewhere first, maybe the broken isle (until kalidmor gerts asecond update).
Also why isn't the Well of Eternity and Shaladrassil used ? this is both an arcane empowerment and nature one? A 3rd lies n the Font of Elune? This would empower them in the arcane, nature and Elune again especially when the lore now has opened the door to all 3. There is no reason to no longer abstaning from using the Well of Eternity, with the Legion vanquished and discovered to actually have bene after the planet, with the Well only a means of several --furthermore, nothing to fear in addiction having understood its cause, having a cure for it and knowing how to prevent it - furthermore having elves skillfull and knowledgeable enough to use it and needing its power to both rebuild the cities AND cleanse the forest - arcane works with nature in wow, it enhances it, and this si the foundation the night elves are built on, marrying of arcane and nature, dark elf and forest elf. Shaladrassil is cleansed, and healed, surely a connection and link to the Emerald dream for a nature boost can occur boosting the night elves. And finally with the Cathedral of Eternal night cleasned fully of the corrupt taint, the Font of elune can be a source of purity and empowerment too to the night elves - they could even extend it as a means to restore willing nightborne tot heir kaldorei form removeing the nightwell changes, - and can be used to restore wiling naga and satyr - although for them it returns satyr to a half night elf/demon state like the illidari, swelling their numbers, and it mostly restores naga, leaving some some traces of their former existence allowing for this Naz'dorei concept
4. Territory:
Eventually - I feel night elf kind.. both Horde and alliance (kaldorei and shal'dorei and potential new ones like Naz'dorei) should occupy the broken isles and North/western Kalidmor. Naz'jatar, Crystal song forest. I don't think they should be about the horde and the alliance, and should be written to barely care about their squabbles - turn the tables around... they care more for restoring the kaldorei and being beacon to the younger races who's squablbles nearly destroyed them and made them lose sight ofof all the wisdom, knowledge and advancement they've gained, and often dstracts them from focusing on world claiming threats. I think Azshara and N'zoth should be revealed to be the true architects of the WoT and BFA faction conflict and the night elves/nightborne should have a serious wake up call that should result in them almost leaving both factions - but end up effectively partially withdrawing with leaving only those elves who wish to continue to help the factions to be involved - but under the premise of helping the younger races grow wisely, avoid dangerous magics they can't control, not produce more Arthas'/Garroshes and prevent manipulations like what happened with Sylvanas - they also work to ensure the races would be ready to fight world threats.. and they agree that the shal'dorei because of their bfa role should keep members in the horde, while the kaldorei because of their past relations, should keep members in the alliance and work together to achieve that goal, burt
5. Character
WE have seen different sides tot eh kaldorei - all honourable good..some lawful, some chaotic like demon hunters - thisshoudl continue.. I would certainly hate the general characteristics of night elves to be like Maiev - much prefer her as a one off, Malfurion & Farondis is how I tend to view the Males and the sentinel maidens in WC3 is how I view the females - with obvious exceptions in the Wardens and Demon hunters who are supposed to be aggressive.