- Just because blood elves are beautiful doesn't mean night elves being beautiful loses blood elf identity. In fact night elf females are more beautiful but in a different way. Blood elves are elves from night elves - this shouldn't surprise you, Night elves aren't worgen or night fae, but elves)
- Just because night elves have long ears doesn't mean night elves having that to makes blood elves lose their identity, in fact night elf ears are longer and different
- Just because blood elves do arcane magic, doesn't mean night elves doing so makes blood elves lose their identity, in fact night elves arcane mastery is written as more advanced with a different focus more star moon based - this shouldn't surprise you - whether heavily prevalent now or in the past or in the future. In fact Night elves have it to a larger extent.
- Just because blood elves have a fancy magical city, doesn't mean night elves having one makes blood elves lose their identity, in fact the night elf pre sundering cities have different colour schemes building styles despite some similarities. In fact night elven ones were bigger and more marvellous
Because they are elves you find they share a lot of things, they just do them differently.
This shouldn't surprise you, Night elves aren't troll or Cenarians, but elves
And did you notice that the original version is always bigger, more purer? Whether it's size of body or city, degree of mastery, length of arms or ears or level - night elves are made to be the bigger - the more complete - I didn't write this.
As the parent elf group, night elves have all the key things blood elves do plus more, and in a diversified way (just like the ears, beauty, eyebrows etc).
They aren't meant to do be entirely different. that's what a different race is for.
Sure night elves have a strong forest magic and unique priesthood blood elves don't have, but they also have a shared arcane legacy and aptitude where they are more similar..
It’s a fallacy that night elves have to be totally different for blood elves to feel like they have an identity;
- - that they can't do arcane magic well or have a large or any Highborne/arcane order/culture,
- that they can't or shouldn't have stunning night elven cities
Simply because it somehow makes them too similar to blood elves or are taking the blood elf spot - that's a poor argument, why not remove such from humans and every other race while you're at it/cos it's infringing on blood elves, least of all night elves who are the originator of such things in elves. As it stands, Nelves are already different and feel different, and yes, this is even with night elven Highborne and even with a city pre-sundering style, night elves are going to feel different to blood elves because their style and focus is different and their package combo is different. They have an organised priesthood and druidic philosophy alongside their arcane Highborne type. This aspect doesn't need to be downplayed or disappear because it is similar to Blood elves - sin'dorei are elves ffs, and are so because of Nelves, they're supposed to be based on them. I'd understand if night elves were sun focused and had near identical buildings and lay out - like high elves are, but this is not the case and you guys are going too far.
Now Nightborne is different, the way they do arcane and cities is going to be near identical to night elves, but you are wrong if you thinking this is bad because Nightborne identity is lost – Nightborne have the night elven arcane and civilization culture and identity because they're a night elf based group, they are supposed to be the same because that is what Nightborne is based on - it's more ridiculous to complain night elf city and set up should be entirely different because of what Nightborne have - it's like saying high elves should build a totally different style and not have arcane magic because blood elves do that - this is not what having the group is supposed to illicit - it's not supposed to generate a totally different style, city type or way of doing arcane - because they're same race/culture - you switch the race if you actually want to do do something that different. The funny thing is that even with it being the same, night elves are going to feel different despite the arcane magic type and usage being identical and despite very similar cities, because of how night elf culture is more diversified.
- We expect Tauren and Highmountain cultures and cities to be both very similar. Minor variations like colour spread and shape difference but very similar, because one is based off the other.
- We expect Lightforged Draenei to be very similar to Draenei, with minor variations again, like colour and slightly different shapes
- We see Drakkari troll and Amani very similar yet different, and when we see Zandalari the original Troll race we see again similarity but in the grander more original format.
Well Zandalari stuff to Drakkari this is how night elves are with blood elves, the original race, the progenitor has a grander splendour - this how it is in Warcraft, blizzard did it first with the night elf, that's why night elven cities and arcane mastery is on a higher level and grander scale - and though their history is different, those things survive. How you see amani compared to Drakkari is sort how night elven Highborne is compared to Nightborne
By ignoring the clearly night elven aspects like their arcane mastery, Highborne, pre-sundering city style, kaldorei civilization, kaldorei culture in cities with its mix of Highborne and priesthood to only emphasise their forest mastery it's like you are imagining them to be a different race. If they must be completely different from blood elves in every way, than they really shouldn't be elves, at this rate in your presentation, other races are closer to blood elves than night elves are, this is not how species "type" works in warcraft - maybe in other games - but the elf sub groups and off shoots are too have major similarities and you shouldn't take the fact they have some major distinctiveness as the only thing that should define them, without which they have no purpose
Night elves are meant to have everything in their history and present (that's why they are there - yes obvious statement), no one can be that or have that but they, this part of their lore has been a part of them from day one, and even if the forest part dominates the present, the arcane parts (i.e. magic, Highborne, cities, civilization etc) is still a large part of their lore and some players imagine their night elves as 10k year old Highborne or Moon Guard in an aspect of the night elves that still is around, has a community and is very night elven.
It may not dominate the night elf scene like the druids and priests but it is iconic, desirable and has its role and place. Just because demon hunters are small doesn't make them any less distinctive unique and night elven based.
When Nelf fans want cool night elven cities, they want their racial ones from their lore off screen, they're not coveting blood elven ones, and the nightborne one is exactly that. So it shouldn't surprise you they want night elf stuff.
Highborne growing or building their own city or in charge off handling kaldorei urban planning and development as well as magical affairs doesn't make the kaldorei any less kaldorei or distinctive for being night elves as that culture, aesthetic have all been defined for them.Not does it erase their or diminish their forest identity or Elune female amazonian one
. In fact, it enhances them to have such contrast and variation as well as additionally reminding you visually and screen time wise that other elves do come from them. So blizz really should never abandon that facet, it is great use for night elves and is also quite loved even by nature lovers.