Highborne customizations for the Night Elves (NOT High Elves)

[Venvuki]

If Blizzard does this it will be proof that they are deliberately giving players everything except for what they actually want

This.

I wouldn't need to say anymore, however, mmo-champion made me do it.

[Moonrage]

This.

"No, you can't have High Elves, go play a Blood Elf, they're the same! By the way, here are some light-skinned night elves with blonde hair!"

No? Some players actually like to play Night Elves, and are interested in their highborne heritage, so I'd welcome these options.

[Kyphael]

No? Some players actually like to play Night Elves, and are interested in their highborne heritage, so I'd welcome these options.

More power to you, I'm not interested in telling you what you can't or shouldn't play. Maybe one day I'll be able to play a High Elf on the Alliance.

[Hellspawn]

While we're at it, can we also get Ysera's skin color? I'd love for my Night Elf to have that deep purple skintone.

Yes... so a Azshara vibrant blue and that kind of deep purple, I would use both (on different Characters)!

[Moonrage]

Yes... so a Azshara vibrant blue and that kind of deep purple, I would use both (on different Characters)!

Me too! Vibrant blue on my mage and deep purple on my Druid. All current Night Elf skin colors are so bland, we really need some stronger tones.

[Mace]

New customisations incoming, and we haven't had the elven previews yet, but for the night elf, the Highborne customisation is the only missing quarter left. The 4 major veins in the night elf race off course: druid, mage, priest, DH/lock. Or highborne/druid/sentinel/illidari.

• Druid: We got the druids via the NElf males - long wildish hair, amish beards and weathered faces (they were wrong to go with weathered - these guys slept for most of the 10k year vigil and were immortal, not to mention the most healthy nature ones. Some would be scratched up, but not that many.
• Priest We got the female warrior priest - more warrior/huntress look with the female models - the 4 pack abs definitely place her more warrior/hunter than priestess healer/mage.
• Fel User DH/Lock: We have the Illidari fel caster/meleer from the demon hunter class - this customisation is only available on the DH - however it would work if the warlock class opened up ONLY using this customisation too. It's only on the DH atm

These are 3 of the 4 major aspects of the night elves,

• Most notably missing is the high class, glamorous highborne model. A key part of their lore, the ruling class of the pre-sundering civilization and newly re-instated amongst the alliance Darnassian group, it's the only one that doesn't have a representation in game on the night elf playable model character.

Appearance Adjustments
We haven't really seen the full high


1.Body shape - remove the 6 pack from the female, tone down the musculature of the male. The DH upped the musculature on the night elf, now they should trim it for the highborne, slightly reduced shoulder and chest size
2. Very good looking faces (especially on the males) - this would be the most noticeable difference.
3. Different standing poses - it's not hard when you link it to the faces or skin tones (just like they did DH and DK unique only customisation - you ad)
4. New skin tones - definitely Azshara's skin tone (midnight blue/purple) and some darker ones. Regal, masterful
5. Intricate and stylish but elegant sophisticated hairstyle - i.e. complex braids, styles for both men and women, it's gotta look really good but elven
6. Beards and eyebrows - new options for beards, not amish styles now, neat woven beards, goatees/staches, full trimmed and wizard long. Also no beard options
7. Ornamentation - beautiful laurelled head/shawls/hair ornamentations
8. Arcane glows or runes - a nice touch could be hands/feet that glow - symbolising the perfectly whole elf arcane empowered - original highborne night elf in full glory and arcane empowered, not a derivative or twisting/devolution. Rune wise they could just avoid completely, like a sign of purity unlike priestesses/demon hunters and nightborne
9. Hair colour effects: Add stars to the hair, including extra hair colours like Black and pink, but also different shade of midnight blue.
10. Could add a skin stars effects. Some of the skin tones have stars instead of runes



Historical
The mage/arcane wielding highborne/Moonguard caster (most night elves were these during the pre-sundering era) the nature wielding forest loving druid (most popular during the Long vigil era), the sentinel/huntress/priest female (dominant amongst female night elves). The Illidari fel caster bent on destroying demons, and using them and their power to do so, these are the demon hunters and warlocks (maybe more like Fel locks.

So, blizzard has never really shownthe original wholehighborne in all it's glory, this gives them a lot of opportunity to play around. While high elves and Nightborne are derivatives of the original elf, with so many causalities in the ar of the ancients, and the palace elite all becoming naga/satyr, with Darth'remar's group later devolving, an original night elf in the height of his arcane prowress hasn't been seen yet.

Existing models are not really reflective as they are based either on fel users, or non-arcane wielding forest friendly nature druids or martial female warrior sentinel huntresses. The fabled high society night elf, well, it's not been seen p

Pictures

An Example of What a Highborne Appearance can look like

• Note the better looking face
• Note the Beard on the male is neater, trimmed but extends all the way back,
• Note the skin tone, and
• Note the ornamentation:

Image of Better Lookin Elven Face
Since the females are pretty much there already, it's more the males that need this.




Image of Ornamentation:
Just like the picture in my Avatar


Here are some other examples:





Image of New Skin-tone:
Azshara's Twilight/Dusk purplish-blue isn't available.




Image of Star Skin Tones Option






Example of Hair Texture with Stars

[matrix123mko]

Only if nightborne and blood elves will get something to mirror that.

1. New skin tones - blood elves might need some less red skin colours, also, there could be some grey, semi-lightforged ones
2. Elderly faces, like the one of Lor'themar or Anasterian, scar options and ranger tattoos
2. New hairstyles - males could use some more ornate hairstyles with a lot of gold. Females might need some more ranger-esque ones like Alleria. For sure both genders need a bit longer hair option, like the one of Valeera.
3. Beards and eyebrows - new options for beards, longer beards, some inspired by void elves but much more elegant, some could use additional gold ornamentation
4. Ornamentation - crowns, golden additions to hair, earrings, fake golden beards inspired by nightborne; a motif of sun and phoenix prevalent, use of fel and arcane crystals
5. Arcane glows or runes - fel ones for warlocks but also arcane ones for mages, some holy/solar glows for blood knights, a glow on feet and hands could be good to show their highborne ancestry
6. Hair colour effects: Add magical glows, maybe flames to the hair; add bluish hair colours like one used by high elves

[Mace]

Only if nightborne and blood elves will get something to mirror that.

1. New skin tones - blood elves might need some less red skin colours, also, there could be some grey, semi-lightforged ones
2. Elderly faces, like the one of Lor'themar or Anasterian, scar options and ranger tattoos
2. New hairstyles - males could use some more ornate hairstyles with a lot of gold. Females might need some more ranger-esque ones like Alleria. For sure both genders need a bit longer hair option, like the one of Valeera.
3. Beards and eyebrows - new options for beards, longer beards, some inspired by void elves but much more elegant, some could use additional gold ornamentation
4. Ornamentation - crowns, golden additions to hair, earrings, fake golden beards inspired by nightborne; a motif of sun and phoenix prevalent, use of fel and arcane crystals
5. Arcane glows or runes - fel ones for warlocks but also arcane ones for mages, some holy/solar glows for blood knights, a glow on feet and hands could be good to show their highborne ancestry
6. Hair colour effects: Add magical glows, maybe flames to the hair; add bluish hair colours like one used by high elves

Sadly Nightborne, void elves and every other allied race aren't getting anything. WE'll have to wait for a lter time for that.

Now while I don't be-grudge blood elves getting good customisation options like you've suggested, my hope is that this time round they make a real effort to make the night elf look good.

[G3 Ghost]

I do think that in doing things like Highborne for night elves and ranger options for blood elves, they should give them class restrictions. Only Night elf Mages, priests and possibly hunters should get the highborne appearance. only Blood elf hunters, rogues, warriors, monk should get the ranger type look.

You are expecting WAY too much at this point. We may get some tattoos, hair options and maybe some new skin colors.

Expecting anything outside of that is just overhype. This is especially true if you think that Blizzard is going to restrict appearance based on the non-hero classes.

[matrix123mko]

Sadly Nightborne, void elves and every other allied race aren't getting anything. WE'll have to wait for a lter time for that.

I know but given all these highborne options for night elves, Horde players could ask why don't their highborne have them. All these ornaments fit nightborne even more than night elves.

Now while I don't be-grudge blood elves getting good customisation options like you've suggested, my hope is that this time round they make a real effort to make the night elf look good.

Well, I am just pushing for more attention to my favourite race, as someone has to counterbalance all the night elf fans.

[Hellspawn]

I think if 10% of the new customizations are specific for nightelf highborn it would be already a lot more then I expect so...
assuming its 40... its 2 customizations for female and male...

so.. Azshara skin color and some arcane based tattoo would be my choice then.

but other then that, there are surely a lot of options to add for hairstyle and yewelery (assuming this is the new customization) that would fit both normal night elfs and Shen'dralar. Or faces that look more... arrogant.

[Mace]

I think if 10% of the new customizations are specific for nightelf highborn it would be already a lot more then I expect so...
assuming its 40... its 2 customizations for female and male...

so.. Azshara skin color and some arcane based tattoo would be my choice then.

but other then that, there are surely a lot of options to add for hairstyle and yewelery (assuming this is the new customization) that would fit both normal night elfs and Shen'dralar. Or faces that look more... arrogant.

Presumably you can get yourself tattooed as a normal dwarf etc, however having those tattoos is very much a wildhammer thing, you're most likely a wildhammer if you choose that.

Same with the kaldorei, if you get a richly ornated, stylish looking night elf slim stream hair and a high class look. While that could be any night elf it is most likely a highborne, cos mostly they carry themselves like that. But sure you can be that, just like you can be a demon hunter with no visible tattoos using a normal night elf colour, no horns, and the eye bandage the only thing telling you apart - it's not how demon hunters normally role, but sure you can.

Also if undead can get skin on bones, orcs can get uprght postures amongst other things, I see no reason why night elves can't also have models with a different stand pose and silm lined less bulky musculature. It really depends on how well blizzard want to do this.

We know sometimes when they go all out they really do some awesome stuff, and some races just get more than others. Look at the effort put into some of the 6.0 model upgrades, the blood elves had amazing effort, as did dwarves, humans and some others. We all agreed the night elf model was well below par like they rushed through it.

I'm looking for a time when they do it right.

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Well, I am just pushing for more attention to my favourite race, as someone has to counterbalance all the night elf fans.

Fair enough, and yeah, you got every right to push for your favourites. However night elf fans are pushing now, cos I think they've had enough of all the second rate treatment and disappointments. From lousy plots, to incomplete models, sloppy seconds - and when blizzard make a decent effort at it like they did the Nightborne, it's just lumped over to the horde alienating the night elf fan from them even though in many respects they themselves are night elves.

As such, you find the kaldorei fans wanting a decent set of options and for the race to actually get very well done treatment in everything, story to setting to models.. and for a change it not get ported off to the otherside as if to say, "hey, we can't make you that cool alone" while that's exactly what they constantly do for the opposite faction elves.

After Nightborne went h orde I think it marked a turning point, let's see if it's for real or if it was just token.

[Rootsbum]

And how about some alternative bodies? The havoc demonform-build without wings ofc, would be cool.
Im so sick of most races having tiny waists and legs.
I have to be a gnome, goblin, panda or KT human to not look like a ice-cream cone

[Beloren]

An Example of What a Highborne Appearance can look like

• Note the better looking face
• Note the Beard on the male is neater, trimmed but extends all the way back,
• Note the skin tone, and
• Note the ornamentation:

This is really nice looking stuff. I'm sure it would feel amazing to have this, let's face it, the night elves in the game a pretty grim looking, and it's a bit weird to have a highborne group and that part of their race around but no model really reflecting it.

Don't get your hopes up, blizzard don't really seem that inspired when it comes to doing things for alliance playable groups outside humans. I'm just saying from past track record.

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You are expecting WAY too much at this point. We may get some tattoos, hair options and maybe some new skin colors.

That's what I was thinking, not that there is anything wrong in expecting, just that you usually get disappointed and face it, their track record isn't very good for night elves. Even the blood elves many like to think they favour still waiting for important upgrades (hint, hint - Silvermoon)

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Well, I am just pushing for more attention to my favourite race, as someone has to counterbalance all the night elf fans.

Hah, usually I'd be agreeing with you 100%, and I want stuff for BElves too, but let them have this one ... they're in a really pitiful state and if they end up looking like his pics, I think it would be good for the game and make a lot of people happy.

I'm also very curious to see them do night elves "dolled up" properly, as he puts it. It would be interesting to see the full scope of what the progenitor caste of the blood elves are like visually.

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And how about some alternative bodies? The havoc demonform-build without wings ofc, would be cool.
Im so sick of most races having tiny waists and legs.
I have to be a gnome, goblin, panda or KT human to not look like a ice-cream cone

I would love them to give a Satyr version of their demon form - could be a glyph for Vengeance, or even add wings and make one available for havoc. Oh and you forgot to mention Vulpera

[matrix123mko]

Hah, usually I'd be agreeing with you 100%, and I want stuff for BElves too, but let them have this one ... they're in a really pitiful state and if they end up looking like his pics, I think it would be good for the game and make a lot of people happy.

I'm also very curious to see them do night elves "dolled up" properly, as he puts it. It would be interesting to see the full scope of what the progenitor caste of the blood elves are like visually.

Well, it would be disappointing if a refugee group of cousins of blood elf ancestors would look better than blood elves. We have already seen full potential of highborne with nightborne. Any new option added to night elves should instantly also go to nightborne, as they represent culture of ancient highborne aswell.

I have nothing against goodlooking night elves but nightborne and blood elves cannot fall behind.

This is really nice looking stuff. I'm sure it would feel amazing to have this, let's face it, the night elves in the game a pretty grim looking, and it's a bit weird to have a highborne group and that part of their race around but no model really reflecting it.

Forsaken still have no representation of non-human undead, although Scourge and Sylvanas resurrected everything possible.

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Fair enough, and yeah, you got every right to push for your favourites. However night elf fans are pushing now, cos I think they've had enough of all the second rate treatment and disappointments. From lousy plots, to incomplete models, sloppy seconds - and when blizzard make a decent effort at it like they did the Nightborne, it's just lumped over to the horde alienating the night elf fan from them even though in many respects they themselves are night elves.

As such, you find the kaldorei fans wanting a decent set of options and for the race to actually get very well done treatment in everything, story to setting to models.. and for a change it not get ported off to the otherside as if to say, "hey, we can't make you that cool alone" while that's exactly what they constantly do for the opposite faction elves.

After Nightborne went h orde I think it marked a turning point, let's see if it's for real or if it was just token.

Blood elves didn't get better treatment either. They didn't get their models before 6.1. Their capital looks more disastrous than Teldrassil. Their story is nothing apart from some elves having to open portals in Horde hubs. Their race fantasy got switched into Light-worshipping paladins too stupid to have one important mage character.
Recently we saw the zenith of that mockery in form of void elf recruitment storyline. Now they are paranoid like that amish Malfurion and Light forbid them experimenting on Void outside of Quel'thalas. And you dare to say that Blizzard favourises blood elves?

[Beloren]

Well, it would be disappointing if a refugee group of cousins of blood elf ancestors would look better than blood elves. We have already seen full potential of highborne with nightborne. Any new option added to night elves should instantly also go to nightborne, as they represent culture of ancient highborne aswell.

I have nothing against good looking night elves but nightborne and blood elves cannot fall behind.

I don't think that would be the right way to put it. It's not once a refugee always a refugee. I'd have hated it if the blood elves were still the scattered distraught refugee types languishing in a ruined Silvermoon and abroad, rather than being restoerd and recapturing their bright magnificence.

So I also don't think the highborne would stay that way either, but would be well on the way to rebuilding their caste and society, things they care abou. It's been 16 years since Dire Maul, and the period form quel'thalas scourge invasion to TBC was 6 year. More than enough time. I'm curious to rather see as a highborne caste coming out of their worse era. I agree that they'd be pretty keen to show themselves worthy of the admiration and respect they so desire, but.. whatever.

Forsaken still have no representation of non-human undead, although Scourge and Sylvanas resurrected everything possible.

I'm sure there fans can write about that, currently, the world ervolves around Sylvanas and the forsaken and death is the strongest theme in the game. Furthermore don't we already have their customisation options? You wanna toot their horn?

Blood elves didn't get better treatment either. They didn't get their models before 6.1. Their capital looks more disastrous than Teldrassil. Their story is nothing apart from some elves having to open portals in Horde hubs. Their race fantasy got switched into Light-worshipping paladins too stupid to have one important mage character.

Agreed, they need some serious extra work on the blood elves. SILVERMOON !!!!!!!!!! (am I the only one who doesn't want Suramar to be the new Silvermoon? But want them to do Silvermoon up properly)

I'm hoping for:
1. Blue eyes - yes i know alliance high elves would cry murder, but all i can say, pls blizz. Make their highborne incredible and amazing so they're satisfied, just give us blue eyes.
2. Ranger customisation - blood/high elf most famous characters are ALL ranger/hunters - yet there is no look vibe that tailors them. I'll use OPs arguments and say if they can give a DH customisation in Legion and a Wildhammer one, they can give us ranger hunter one with tattoos, wilder hairstyles, and ... BLUE EYES.
3. Darkfallen/San'layn customisation - I'd love this, we might not get a san'layn allied race, so if not, definitely that customisation.

We've pretty nailed the high elf majestic caster - even if the night elf highborne looks more extravgant, their purple/silver/blue themes are different enough to make me not care, I prefer gold/red colours really, and I'm very happy here. Also the blood elf heritage armor looks very rich too, but not OTT. I expect highborne will have a few OTT styles, those pics really look aloof type, high class.

We've also nailed the Light thing too. And it's good the light goes well with blood elves and the gold theme, and it gives the blood elf a brighter gold /red while other sects have a darker red/black.

[Mace]

We have already seen full potential of highborne with nightborne. Any new option added to night elves should instantly also go to nightborne, as they represent culture of ancient highborne aswell.

No we haven't. We've seen a flavour of highborne and night elven arcane culture in the Nightborne, but you can already spot differences beteen the Duskguard and Moonguard, Nightborne and Highborne like Farondis or pre-sundering Azshara types. The civilization and city bit is properly reflected, it's the people i'm talking about and the depth of addiction they wentn to that altered them into this.

Nightborne are a very specific flavour of highborne/night elf culture. They are not the full or whole thing. Apply a unique set of circumstances to highborne and nihgt elven arcane civlizaiton, then you get the Nightborne, but it isn't the full picture nor the best one either.

Loko at their clothes, armor etc, the highborne would never do armor like that no go skinny like that. But that's fine, it's okay to have an allied race be a flavour of part of a side of the main race, just like void elves are with blood elves. I'm sure you don't want every blood elf improvement going to the void elves and seeing your state. Because they've done them, it makes doing the highborne a lot easier, cos a large facet of the culture and architectural style is already present in a place like Suramar or the Warbringers Azshara video.

You can focus on properly presenting them.

Blood elves didn't get better treatment either. They didn't get their models before 6.1. Their capital looks more disastrous than Teldrassil. Their story is nothing apart from some elves having to open portals in Horde hubs. Their race fantasy got switched into Light-worshipping paladins too stupid to have one important mage character.
Recently we saw the zenith of that mockery in form of void elf recruitment storyline. Now they are paranoid like that amish Malfurion and Light forbid them experimenting on Void outside of Quel'thalas. And you dare to say that Blizzard favourises blood elves?

Night elf treatment has been a lot worse than blood elves, that's not saying blood elves couldn't be better still, but having the best character models, the best looking appearance, and a level of detail and perfection that eclipses other race, not to mention very well represented and competently shown off most of the time they are involved is leaps and bounds ahead of night elves, we both know that.

Even if you think blood elf treatment is below par, they're better than any other race atm, and it's a toss between them and humans at the top of the ladder. Considering the popularity of night elves, it is them that need the work and I'm glad their fans are actually getting bothered now. Night elves were hugely popular in vanilla after WC3, they are perceived so differently now, that in wow classic, they're far less played than they were. Blizz nerfed and ignored them so much, wasting a lot of their potential. It would be my hope that they continue the resurgence of them they've started in legion and continued with BFA Darkshore and naz'jatar.

[matrix123mko]

I don't think that would be the right way to put it. It's not once a refugee always a refugee. I'd have hated it if the blood elves were still the scattered distraught refugee types languishing in a ruined Silvermoon and abroad, rather than being restoerd and recapturing their bright magnificence.

So I also don't think the highborne would stay that way either, but would be well on the way to rebuilding their caste and society, things they care abou. It's been 16 years since Dire Maul, and the period form quel'thalas scourge invasion to TBC was 6 year. More than enough time. I'm curious to rather see as a highborne caste coming out of their worse era. I agree that they'd be pretty keen to show themselves worthy of the admiration and respect they so desire, but.. whatever.

It has been five years since Cataclysm in game time but I agree that they can rebuild now. However, nightborne are still in better situation.

I'm sure there fans can write about that, currently, the world ervolves around Sylvanas and the forsaken and death is the strongest theme in the game. Furthermore don't we already have their customisation options? You wanna toot their horn?

They showed some of the new options. There is still a possibility of elf ears for them. We need our finger crossed, unless Venthyr and Necrolords go Horde.

Agreed, they need some serious extra work on the blood elves. SILVERMOON !!!!!!!!!! (am I the only one who doesn't want Suramar to be the new Silvermoon? But want them to do Silvermoon up properly)

To make it funnier, some Suramar assets are perfect for Silvermoon if painted red and golden.

I'm hoping for:
1. Blue eyes - yes i know alliance high elves would cry murder, but all i can say, pls blizz. Make their highborne incredible and amazing so they're satisfied, just give us blue eyes.

New generation of blood elves could have no traces of Fel but I would wait a bit for that. Only 7 years passed since Kael's death.

2. Ranger customisation - blood/high elf most famous characters are ALL ranger/hunters - yet there is no look vibe that tailors them. I'll use OPs arguments and say if they can give a DH customisation in Legion and a Wildhammer one, they can give us ranger hunter one with tattoos, wilder hairstyles, and ... BLUE EYES.

This is kind of sad that they have only rangers and paladins now. No warlocks and mages. However, I agree that we need more ranger-esque options for blood elves. After all, there is the Warcraft 2 legacy. And tattoos would also look good on mages like Rommath.

3. Darkfallen/San'layn customisation - I'd love this, we might not get a san'layn allied race, so if not, definitely that customisation.

I would be happy with either them or Venthyr. But I think San'layn are closer to undead.

We've pretty nailed the high elf majestic caster - even if the night elf highborne looks more extravgant, their purple/silver/blue themes are different enough to make me not care, I prefer gold/red colours really, and I'm very happy here. Also the blood elf heritage armor looks very rich too, but not OTT. I expect highborne will have a few OTT styles, those pics really look aloof type, high class.

We need some crowns for males. In Reforged there are some. I want them to add more high class themes for blood elves as they are more anime boys style now.

We've also nailed the Light thing too. And it's good the light goes well with blood elves and the gold theme, and it gives the blood elf a brighter gold /red while other sects have a darker red/black.

It also looks good in combo with arcane. Well, arcane is also cool and blood elves need more of it. I want them to have an option for more prominent eye glow with some particle effects.


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No we haven't. We've seen a flavour of highborne and night elven arcane culture in the Nightborne, but you can already spot differences beteen the Duskguard and Moonguard, Nightborne and Highborne like Farondis or pre-sundering Azshara types. The civilization and city bit is properly reflected, it's the people i'm talking about and the depth of addiction they wentn to that altered them into this.

The key difference is that highborne have random transmog while nightborne have NPC armor. Common thing in WoW.

Nightborne are a very specific flavour of highborne/night elf culture. They are not the full or whole thing. Apply a unique set of circumstances to highborne and nihgt elven arcane civlizaiton, then you get the Nightborne, but it isn't the full picture nor the best one either.

Add priestesses of Elune and you have full picture.

Loko at their clothes, armor etc, the highborne would never do armor like that no go skinny like that. But that's fine, it's okay to have an allied race be a flavour of part of a side of the main race, just like void elves are with blood elves. I'm sure you don't want every blood elf improvement going to the void elves and seeing your state. Because they've done them, it makes doing the highborne a lot easier, cos a large facet of the culture and architectural style is already present in a place like Suramar or the Warbringers Azshara video.

Azshara kind of looks like that but I see that you want some longer and more covering robes.

Night elf treatment has been a lot worse than blood elves, that's not saying blood elves couldn't be better still, but having the best character models, the best looking appearance, and a level of detail and perfection that eclipses other race, not to mention very well represented and competently shown off most of the time they are involved is leaps and bounds ahead of night elves, we both know that.

They have quite pretty models but they aren't very customisable. Females can look like angry barbie or smiling barbie. Males all look like Pewdiepie with long hair.

Story wise, they are mostly rangers that stand on the back or Liadrin that comes with paladins to just be there.

Even if you think blood elf treatment is below par, they're better than any other race atm, and it's a toss between them and humans at the top of the ladder. Considering the popularity of night elves, it is them that need the work and I'm glad their fans are actually getting bothered now. Night elves were hugely popular in vanilla after WC3, they are perceived so differently now, that in wow classic, they're far less played than they were. Blizz nerfed and ignored them so much, wasting a lot of their potential. It would be my hope that they continue the resurgence of them they've started in legion and continued with BFA Darkshore and naz'jatar.

Humans will always be the most popular race, as it is the first from the left and it is simple "human". Blood elves are popular indeed but given their huge playerbase, they are really ignored. Also, inclusion of void elves can be deadly to them if they ever lift Argussian Reach grind.

[Mace]

The key difference is that highborne have random transmog while nightborne have NPC armor. Common thing in WoW.

Atm, yes, ish, but it's not nearly enough, look at the pictures I linked, the beards, the hairstyle, the pose, the eyes, the ornaments, even the skin colour - remember it's for a customisation not a new race, and I think I have included enough viable options to at least make a viable, distinctive highborne cusotmisation, just like when you switch to Dh the Illidari model is obvious, as is the undead model when you switch to some of the undead options. 3 undead options there, so to you would get a highborne option.

This is more than a transmog as you know, the current night elf appearance is wilder, more martial and more rural. The hairstyles are bushier, beards rougher, you want a much sharper and chisled one for highborne, and softer too - these guys are not as arrogant as they use to be in pre-sundering times, the Shen'dralar ate humble pie and awakened for m they daze after Dire maul and the returning Darnassian highborne + new ones, would have a far more grounded and noble demeanour - I'm thinking more l ike yous ee the Farondis, so you would have some arrogant chiselled faces, but also the more noble/regal but kindlier softer one like this.

Add priestesses of Elune and you have full picture.

And subtract chronic addiction, pre-sundering night elves, high elves including weren't drinking mana for food, they had no food shortages, nor did they need their clothes entirely made of arcane. Arcane augmentation to their clothes, sure, but not like the Nightborne.

THe Nightborne chronic addiction is an extreme case that actually changed these night elves to the Nightborne you see.. it is that which is the major differing point. You don't see them in exquisite ball room gowns and high tailored cloaks and apparel like the pictures above. They have a very unique armor set fully arcanised.

Furthermore the current highborne should in theory be the most likeable the caste has been, with the Darnassian long vigil influx, and tempering, they would retain their love for pretty things, cities, civilization, progress and the arcane, that is definig, as well as their high standing. They are the nobility, that once got very lost, but now in their right mind, you would expect htem to act the part that defined them. ANd seek to restore the trust lost amongst the rest of them

Azshara kind of looks like that but I see that you want some longer and more covering robes.

It's a good indication of the standard you're amiming for. You want high class, regal, noble, good noble and arrogant noble. They have so many facets, Darnassian highbrone would be more noble ilk, same with Farondis if they ever get used, shend'ralar ones would be more arrogant but the style is regal, very pretty and extravagant.

Since you tialore youg gear, the best the character can have in character creation is
1. Ornaments. Like the ones in the pictures above, things that tie into hair even and beards
2. Gorgeous faces, spotless, wrinkles, and very handsome
3. Regal pose - their model would have to stand differently in the idle pose

Additions they could have are things like intricate hairstyles , effects in hair like stars, strs on skin is possibility which hearkens to the night elf original identity as Children of the Stars, these are the leaders of the Children of the Stars, so the stars need to come out more clearly here. Where the priests exalt the moon, , the rest of the society is star focused, you haven't seen much of that because the rudis are so nature focused, and civilians + highborne haven't been shown much so you don't realise or see the children of the Stars as much as you may feel them as children of the forest or the moon.

It is here you bring that out. You also want some evidence of arcane power and mastery. Demon hunters had the fel glow eyes + horns. Normal night elves have the wild hair, beards and wrinkled faces (may even get antlers), females had the tribal face tattoos of the Order of Elune. So you need something representing the arcane, I would go for glowy hands/feet on arcane power. Tatttoos are already done a lot in both demon hunters and Nightborne. And stars on skin could be something different for the highborne. Bu mainy I think glowing hand tips and feet will make a highborne night elf unmistakable, even with the same build.

They have quite pretty models but they aren't very customisable. Females can look like angry barbie or smiling barbie. Males all look like Pewdiepie with long hair.

You mean night elf or blood elf?

Night elf females aren't ugly, however they're a bit macho. They have a 4 pack, the hair is intentionally a little dishevelled, not much, but it's noticeable and notice how their right eyebrow is a bit crooked, as if they've just tumbled out of a tree or come out of fight - fitting the female sentinel /huntresses or warrior priestess role we see in WC3, you don't have the high class regal highborne female or high priestess caster - and this what you would want in the highborne option, so you'll have the eyebrows immaculate and pristine, the hair need.

As for the male, they went for the weathered outdoor roamer -type, look at how old and lined the faces are:

Your ingame example:



No Highborne would look like this, ever! All but one of the other faces are equally bad or worse - from a pretty perspective. Definitely not for highborne but could fit a druid although I feel they were wrong there on the lines and weathered look, Malfurion is what most druids would be like they're sleeping for thousands of years, and immortal and druids meaning they're extremely healthy, they may not be fussy about looking pretty, but they'd be young, ageless. Still, the hair is bushy, like you gather it neatish (they're elves afterall) but you're not that fussed), some of the styles are scraggly too..look at the Wildman hairstyle that has an Einstein like feel to it). Also apart from the trimmed beard, the beards are all a bit rough, which smacks of druid.

None of the male faces are particularly good looking, the youngest one passes for okay even a little handsome on some angles, , but the rest are old and ugly. Not what highborne would wear or look like at all.

Look at my first picture, and the faces option for examples of what I am talking about. This is what a night elf highborne male should look more like:


Compare that to this druid one



On the druid there hair, is neat enough, but it's bushier with more strands, natural, not styled or properly fully groomed. Look at the beards in the highborne ones vs the druid one.

Story wise, they are mostly rangers that stand on the back or Liadrin that comes with paladins to just be there.

There are lots of mages too, Liadrin is just getting a lot of spotlight because they woefully neglected tehpriest/light side of the blood elves in TBC, focusing too heaviy on the arcane. WC2 high elves, were famous for being as much priests as they were mages.. yet in TBC, all of a sudden you felt that mage was the only identity for the blood elf. The Farstriders took a backseat, as did the priests. So now they're just showing the other parts. The mages still play a role.

Rommath, Aethas, the Sunreavers, a good portion of the blood elves focuses on them and they ahd a huge role to play in the levelling area compared to the Blodo knights who had nothing.

It's like the night elves, you see an overwhelming focus on the druids in the stating line up, even with the expalnations, the priestesses and sentinels are mostly background characters, the priestly vibe or the sentinel/huntress vibe is ABSENT largely in the night elf area.. and only the Well of Eternity, moonwells referred to the arcane element that. However later on, we got a lot more of the night elf arcane side, the Highborne coming in 4.0, then lots more night elf mages in WoD providing portals and noticeably present even though they went with a warden for the visible character in WoD, Legion had Azsuna and Suramar focus on that a lot, also bringing in the illidari properly and the wardens, two aspects that were vague, even in TBC, the demon hunters didn't have a large visible presence, only showing up for the karabor section of the Shadwomoon valley and in the BT raid, otherwise completely absent. We met one in Nagrand, Altruis, a good one, in the odel that Illidan was originally meant to be. But he had a few tail end quests and nothing. yet legion they and Wardens along with the Farondis, Moonguard, Nightborne - with Suramar, and Nar'thalas etc were very prominent, then BFA having the mages in the assault, Zin'Azshari and the caster priestesses in the black moon - has emphasized more

this happens, What is wrong is when players only factor what was shown in the opening sequence, especially when a race has much more lore to it. It's one thing if the race is really new and the in game intro is all you have, but night elves and high/blood elves have lore that extends prior to wow, and the night elves have lots of books on them that flesh out the other identities in ways that the game never bothered to properly show till Legion.

In fact legion's zones has the best rounded representation of the night elves. Every element of their race is there, preistesess, wardens, sentinels, demon hunters, highborne, Moonguard, new Nightborne, druids and their birth place, and roughly


Humans will always be the most popular race, as it is the first from the left and it is simple "human". Blood elves are popular indeed but given their huge playerbase, they are really ignored. Also, inclusion of void elves can be deadly to them if they ever lift Argussian Reach grind.[/QUOTE]

[Isilrien]

What are your sources for the artistically-rendered images?