Official High Elf Discussion Megathread

[Doffen]

It's honestly just the females that have a British accent. Some female Night Elf characters like Delaryn had it as well, I think it's just a new actress they hired to do some voices for them.

Kind of annoys me that they don't get genuine Brits for Gilnean and Worgen characters though. IIRC Genn's voice actor actually is British but he hides his accent when voicing the character and I don't get that either.

Yeah noticed that males doesn't have the same transformation :P Makes it even weirder. And yes, it's probably as simple as that, new voice actor.

- - - Updated - - -

I assume it's mostly just because they wanted further differentiation, although it is admittedly humorous. I suppose a lore-related reasoning could be that Umbric's followers all hail from a given Highborne house who share in that accent - or perhaps the Void-induced insanity included a change of accent for reasons known only to the Void?

Yeah, and as ogren pointed out, only female Void Elves have this change. Maybe the Void do have some good reasons for this. Or not!

- - - Updated - - -

Wanna bet if the factions are being merged or disbanding like one of the leaks suggests might happen, that the high elves becoming a faction dwelling with the blood elves wouldn't upset anyone.

It is only a problem because of the horde/alliance divide. It is the same with the nightborne and all the night elf posts on identity, without the horde/alliance divide, you could easily see the night/nightborne elf interactions and collaborations that dominated 7.0 grow again. Not to mention a whole host of other race interactions.

The most welcomed would be high and blood elf possibilities, as well as night and nightborne elf possibilities imo.

- - - Updated - - -



This has happened with the elves. All of them. Void elves and Nightborne sound very similar, many new night elf voices are british sounding, some new ones are not. this does make sense as the elves themeselves have very many sub-regions and enough itme for accennts tto change or be influenced (from a lore perspective.)

Tyrande as well, she got like 4 different accent, depending on location/expansion etc. It can definitely be that it's because of what you say, that's how it is in real life too, though in some situations it's probably as simple as different voice actors. Nothing biggie though, but funny anyway.

[Beloren]

I assume it's mostly just because they wanted further differentiation, although it is admittedly humorous. I suppose a lore-related reasoning could be that Umbric's followers all hail from a given Highborne house who share in that accent - or perhaps the Void-induced insanity included a change of accent for reasons known only to the Void?

- - - Updated - - -



I imagine for some people it might cease to be an issue - likely Horde or Alliance partisans opposed to it for whatever reason. Though for some who hold racial identity in WoW as paramount it might still be an issue. I'm not a huge proponent of faction merging myself, despite my issues with the faction conflict as a whole I think the Alliance/Horde dichotomy is rather central to Warcraft as a universe and that without it something intrinsic to the story is lost. How to navigate around that, though, is anyone's guess.

Races become their own factions is how. The dichotomy turned into a quadchotomy in WC3, with night elves and forsaken being a faction too, then came the Illidari faction too in TFT, and it still felt very Warcraft.


The problem is the horde/alliance divide - everyone has been ram-shodded into it where certain races don't make sense and flow much better with more complexities.

If they got rid of the horde and alliance in its current form, stripped them back down to their original races only, then made factions of the other races where appropriate. Then that could work.

You manage players but making these factions lore based only, and players have the choice to move around them or even be part of a thematic faction instead like a Light faction (Lightforged or Argent Dawn) or void faction (Locus Walkers) , nature faction (Cenarion Circle) or arcane faction (Kirin'tor). and most races being their own factions. Battleground switch to being the particular races involved, and players can choose what race to side with (side with the night elves in WSG or the orcs - rather than Alliance or horde).

Players now idenrtitfy with their race and it's faction, but now are opened up to group, guild or run with anyone in-game regardless of their race. You maintain the strong identity by writing up the races. Introduce riace campaigns, let players of a race build their race's capital and zone up, give the race more purpose, and regular updates in new racial campaigns with every patch and expansion - just like how you use to have the horde/alliance and how they did the class order halls.

This way the identity won't e lost but rather enhanced, because it's no longer fitting tall the races to one cloth, but it's given each race it's own main thing. And main storylines can appropriately involve races that are relevant to the main story, but racial campaigns allows every race to also get more lore, stories, updates and insert into the involvement. For example if it was Legion, and the main story racially involved Night elves and Draenei, the gnomish campaign not only shows you how the gnomes have been doing, and how they react to the legion, but how they pressing in with it, excelling in your campaign would now show gnomish soldiers added to the night elf and draenei ones in Suramar and Argus, because your race is having an effect - this would take the place of the many human alliance osldier in places like the broken shore scenario too, where they'd be swapped for gnomish soldiers because you are the champion, and you affect things more than just being a random person, you bring more of your race to bear.


This stronger identity fits in well with the warcraft factions which were initially always race based.

Practically speaking, writing for 18 races is unrealistic, so you combine them. Orcs/mag'har, Tuaren/highmountain/Taunka can be one faction. Just because they are doesn't mean darkspears/zandalari/gurubashi/drakkari/Amani/farraki (also another faction) don't have close ties with them, and some races like Orcs and darkspears remain close friends even though they have other factions.

Void elves, high elves, blood elves, san'layn, fel elves (incl blood elf illidari) are large enough to be their own faction - doesn't mean that high elves/void elves won't still be good friends with the humans, while blood elves won't, San'layn would be closer to races in the undead faction, like the dark fallen.

Nightborne, night elves, Highborne, Farondis, redeemed naga/satyr (if they ever become a thing), Cenarians, Emerald dream Nelf worgen, Ankoan etc are all one faction, doesn't mean nightborne aren't still very friendly with blood elves, and highborne with high elves, while night elves remain mostly reclusive, nelf worgen get on well with gilnean worgen - they are these sub-interactions even though they are now written as one group.

Draenei could be it's own faction or instead spread about, with draenei with the night elf group and lightforged with the humans, another faction with the Thalassians etc, Broken with the orcs - they have options

There have been a lot of threads about racial based faction system instead of super factions which are killing the unique flair of racial identity with thier strict dichotomy. So instead, maintain strict identity but rather than 2 super factions, make it 13 based on each race, and give them race campaigns. (allied races are part of their core races now). This is the identity.

[FlubberPuddy]

There have been a lot of threads about racial based faction system instead of super factions which are killing the unique flair of racial identity with thier strict dichotomy. So instead, maintain strict identity but rather than 2 super factions, make it 13 based on each race, and give them race campaigns. (allied races are part of their core races now). This is the identity.

I like your overall idea and feel it would make for more compelling story as well. It is apparent how much friction their is with basing all the playable races within two faction ideals (especially with say Forsaken with the Honorable Horde ideals of Saurfang and Co.) that breaking the mold into "racial groups/factions" would now become more appropriate from a lore point of view. Then for gameplay wise the groupings are relaxed as that would resolve any grouping issues.

The issue or pushback that I see happening is just pretty much the "status quo" peeps that would want to maintain how the factions are currently and don't consider anything more beyond "I'm Blue they're Red it's dead" or "I'm Red they're Blue they're dead". There's a fair amount that probably enjoy that simplicity and want to maintain it.

I am pretty much just curious to see what happens toward the end of this expansion with the "loyalist vs rebellious Horde character" situation. If WoW maintains its status quo, only one can be correct going forward, but regardless it's already created a huge divide within the Horde faction itself. I wouldn't be surprised though if the repercussions turn out to be hand-waved away and nothing significant comes from it, that's happened a lot with the WoW stories (not much goes anywhere).

[Beloren]

I like your overall idea and feel it would make for more compelling story as well. It is apparent how much friction their is with basing all the playable races within two faction ideals (especially with say Forsaken with the Honorable Horde ideals of Saurfang and Co.) that breaking the mold into "racial groups/factions" would now become more appropriate from a lore point of view. Then for gameplay wise the groupings are relaxed as that would resolve any grouping issues.

The issue or pushback that I see happening is just pretty much the "status quo" peeps that would want to maintain how the factions are currently and don't consider anything more beyond "I'm Blue they're Red it's dead" or "I'm Red they're Blue they're dead". There's a fair amount that probably enjoy that simplicity and want to maintain it.

I am pretty much just curious to see what happens toward the end of this expansion with the "loyalist vs rebellious Horde character" situation. If WoW maintains its status quo, only one can be correct going forward, but regardless it's already created a huge divide within the Horde faction itself. I wouldn't be surprised though if the repercussions turn out to be hand-waved away and nothing significant comes from it, that's happened a lot with the WoW stories (not much goes anywhere).

Indeed, and just super diminshed the authenticity of the story, trivialising every experience, because you just know nothing significant is going to happen. They didn't even have the guts to stick to driving the night elves out of kalimdor, despite creating a perfect island set of zones for them in the broken isles. I don't htink the nightborne were originally designed to join the blood elves at all, like some of the night elf fans have been saying, I think the broken isles was meant to be the night elves' new home, the nightborne their new allied/sub race and Kalimdor former night elf areas a warzone in some areas where horde and alliance clash, with the night elves trying to overthrow us and the horde trying to secure - same with the Forsaken, I think dustswallow marsh and ruins of Theramore was going to be their new home, while war continued.

But they backed out of it, thing is, they would not have been in this problem at all if they didn't try to create super factions for wow. It just doesn't work.

Legion Worgen vs Forsaken was so much better focused because it was 2 races against each other, while the rest of the world worked together. This is how pvp should go down the line. One race has an issue with another for a patch or an expansion or a couple of expansions, and then deveopments happen, races switch, but players are adventuerers, they join the side they are most convicted in. And yes, you can fight against your own people. Not all the orcs have to support every orc leader etc.


They really don't have the balls to stick to their vision, and what's annoying is how they do all that work to set things up one way, then back out of it, making it all seem meaningless because nothing comes of it. And whiles in some cases it turns out great, like the horde getting nightborne was, the flip side is half the playerbase (the alliance side) felt kicked in the teeth and it sucked. No such problems without factions - but then, that problem would not have existed if they split the nightborne properly sending the proper nightborne to the horde and the nightfallen ones to the alliance (or turn them into night elves like that other guy keeps saying).

Sadly with blizzard, there is no follow up, once they leave an area or piece of the story they leave it, which is fine if you did a good job, but if you messed it up (faction war), or didn't tie it up properly for both sides (nightborne), and just leave it unresolved or in that state - it makes their story stink, and while the new story might engage people a bit, they innevitablly repeat hte same thing, and those who've been around a while notice and call em out on it.

[shade3891]

What if Blizzard adds high elves, but since they are so rare you are only allowed to have one per account.

[Beloren]

What if Blizzard adds high elves, but since they are so rare you are only allowed to have one per account.

No point, just add them already, as a blood elf fan, I really don't care, if some people like them, let them knock themselves out. Blizzard can do what they want, if they have such a dedicated following na da huge wish list, they should just make it so.

My flatmate said something interesting, now he has void elves and blood elves, he doesn't care for playing high elves, it makes no difference for him, and he was a huge high elf fan. So i asked him why not. He said now that he got void elves, he feels overlaoded and the need for high elves is gone. He keeps confusing his void elf for a blood elf too, often going to horde places, despite the colour change.

We came to the same conclusion, it's only the horde alliance rivalry that is making this such an issue. It is the same with ngihtborne/night elves. If the elves are the biggest source of dissatisfaction - then blizzard should just change how the elves operate within the factions. Don't make them exclusively horde/alliance - make them their own faction/group, that has individuals from all their sub-races availble on both factions.

[Traycor]

What if Blizzard adds high elves, but since they are so rare you are only allowed to have one per account.

Would they be like the original Jedi in Galaxies that were super powerful and could pvp whole groups of players?

[Aldo Hawk]

Well, any new idea on how High elves could get more aesthetically differentiated from Blood elves?

This is some of them I pointed out earlier that are also lore friendly:

We have the High elves, not affected by Fel which just by that fact could totally be physically modified in any sort of way through a retroactive revision. And we also have the fact that they are not connected to the Sunwell in the same way, given they have never harmonized with the essence of M'uru, resulting on not being able to use the light energies of the Sunwell. That can also be another retroactive revision on their aesthetic. And whatnot, they can also have different physical appearance due to their different relationship with magic and the Sunwell unlike Blood elves. And in a final example, aesthetic differences pushed through a necessity of differentiating from the Blood elves.

Any new idea?

[Traycor]

Well, any new idea on how High elves could get more aesthetically differentiated from Blood elves?

This is some of them I pointed out earlier that are also lore friendly:

These are interesting concepts, but I don't see any actual aesthetic differences you call out.
How would you represent these differences in an aesthetic way?

[Aldo Hawk]

These are interesting concepts, but I don't see any actual aesthetic differences you call out.
How would you represent these differences in an aesthetic way?

Yeah I didn't explained any aesthetic idea, just ways in which it makes sense.

For example, due to Blood elves being affected by Fel and later some of them by exposure of the light energies of the Sunwell, High elves would simply be what they always were, or at least don't show the physical differences Blood elves went through. Maybe just having very pale skin palette and hair colors that Fel would have changed on Blood elves. Maybe also a slightly different body build representing what every Quel'dorei looked like before the scourge invasion.

On the other hand, if they were going to cut the addiction feeding that would also be another way to show differences in the body, there are a handful of possibilities.

Also, of course, the differences in wearing in a way that show their differentiation from the society of Quel'thalas.

Less majestic, less magical. I don't know I just want to see new ideas for it, but lore friendly please.

Edit: I know that what I said is not a perfect description, I can't do that, at the end, it could be the art designers' work, not mine.

[Traycor]

Yeah I didn't explained any aesthetic idea, just ways in which it makes sense.

For example, due to Blood elves being affected by Fel and later some of them by exposure of the light energies of the Sunwell, High elves would simply be what they always were, or at least don't show the physical differences Blood elves went through. Maybe just having very pale skin palette and hair colors that Fel would have changed on Blood elves. Maybe also a slightly different body build representing what every Quel'dorei looked like before the scourge invasion.

On the other hand, if they were going to cut the addiction feeding that would also be another way to show differences in the body, there are a handful of possibilities.

Also, of course, the differences in wearing in a way that show their differentiation from the society of Quel'thalas.

Less majestic, less magical. I don't know I just want to see new ideas for it, but lore friendly please.

Edit: I know that what I said is not a perfect description, I can't do that, at the end, it could be the art designers' work, not mine.

So far, the most popular ideas seem to be the ranger aesthetic and warpaint from WCII, especially since it is lore friendly and not currently used in WoW except on one character.

Ideas have been thrown out for beefier High Elves and darker skin tones. Personally I like the idea of the more slender models like the Blood Elves had before the model revamp in Cataclysm. Ultimately, any new model would be a good choice, as long as it still looks like a High Elf and not some other creature.

Many more ideas were thrown about in the thread, but these were less popular. They included Wardstone/Aepexis crystal designs, the High Elf WCII sailor/fleet designs, Blue Dragonflight affiliation designs, and Night Elf models reskinned as High Elves (which is really what High Elves had in Vanilla).

I'm all for new ideas, which is why I made the thread. This is basically a big brainstorming exercise on new and cool ideas for High Elves!

[Aldo Hawk]

So far, the most popular ideas seem to be the ranger aesthetic and warpaint from WCII, especially since it is lore friendly and not currently used in WoW except on one character.

Ideas have been thrown out for beefier High Elves and darker skin tones. Personally I like the idea of the more slender models like the Blood Elves had before the model revamp in Cataclysm. Ultimately, any new model would be a good choice, as long as it still looks like a High Elf and not some other creature.

Many more ideas were thrown about in the thread, but these were less popular. They included Wardstone/Aepexis crystal designs, the High Elf WCII sailor/fleet designs, Blue Dragonflight affiliation designs, and Night Elf models reskinned as High Elves (which is really what High Elves had in Vanilla).

I'm all for new ideas, which is why I made the thread. This is basically a big brainstorming exercise on new and cool ideas for High Elves!

Well, about the darker skin tones I should add that it would not be a good differentiating aesthetic for High elves, since Blood elves should also have them, and even with that, Blood elves were the ones getting darker skin tones by the presence of Fel in their living places.

Other than that, yeah, it sounds cool.

[Aucald]

These are interesting concepts, but I don't see any actual aesthetic differences you call out.
How would you represent these differences in an aesthetic way?

I saw a description somewhere, Scrolls of Lore I think, that had the High Elven exiles opt to try to spark their own version of the Sunwell separate from the one in Silvermoon - creating their own font of power so they weren't reliant on one they had no control over. The "heart" of this new font of power was a portion of Xe'ra that Vereesa took from the Vindicaar on the occasion of her destruction by Illidan, and was ignited through the use of the Focusing Iris borrowed from Dalaran at Jaina's behest. Unfortunately the piece of Xe'ra that Vereesa took had some Fel contamination in it due to Illidan's overwhelming firepower, creating an unstable matrix of Arcane, Light, and Fel energies at the heart of this new power source. The energies involved caused the following changes to all High Elves who survived being connected to the new power source:

- Burning or "flaming" eyes radiating unstable power of one the three types: Arcane (blue/purple), Fel (green), or Light (golden). Perhaps class-dependent.
- Runic marks or tattooing of their bodies of the matching type.
- "Unstable Energy" as a racial active, an alternating ability that manifests any of the three forms of power and temporarily changes and exaggerates their appearances. Unstable Light gives the a Light-based aura and adds Light-effects to their attacks, Unstable Fel causes burning Fel footprints and Fel attack effects, and Unstable Arcane triggers random surges of Arcane power, etc. etc.

This unstable cocktail of energies has also caused them to regress a bit towards a Withered/Wretched state - they are now more gaunt and thin, almost a bit skeletal in appearance.

[Traycor]

I saw a description somewhere, Scrolls of Lore I think, that had the High Elven exiles opt to try to spark their own version of the Sunwell separate from the one in Silvermoon - creating their own font of power so they weren't reliant on one they had no control over. The "heart" of this new font of power was a portion of Xe'ra that Vereesa took from the Vindicaar on the occasion of her destruction by Illidan, and was ignited through the use of the Focusing Iris borrowed from Dalaran at Jaina's behest. Unfortunately the piece of Xe'ra that Vereesa took had some Fel contamination in it due to Illidan's overwhelming firepower, creating an unstable matrix of Arcane, Light, and Fel energies at the heart of this new power source. The energies involved caused the following changes to all High Elves who survived being connected to the new power source:

- Burning or "flaming" eyes radiating unstable power of one the three types: Arcane (blue/purple), Fel (green), or Light (golden). Perhaps class-dependent.
- Runic marks or tattooing of their bodies of the matching type.
- "Unstable Energy" as a racial active, an alternating ability that manifests any of the three forms of power and temporarily changes and exaggerates their appearances. Unstable Light gives the a Light-based aura and adds Light-effects to their attacks, Unstable Fel causes burning Fel footprints and Fel attack effects, and Unstable Arcane triggers random surges of Arcane power, etc. etc.

This unstable cocktail of energies has also caused them to regress a bit towards a Withered/Wretched state - they are now more gaunt and thin, almost a bit skeletal in appearance.

Hmm... that is an interesting concept. Unfortunately, it's the Blood Elf concept (originally High Elves, but then tainted by a fel/arcane energy source that cursed them. They also imprison a Narru and suck out the light to become light infused/now have a restored Sunwell).

The basic concept of the High Elves is that they are free from all that. The suggestions above, while interesting, would just be a Blood Elf copy/paste.

If you wanted Wretched as an Allied Race, that's fine with me. They could work off the Undead player model.

[Aucald]

Hmm... that is an interesting concept. Unfortunately, it's the Blood Elf concept (originally High Elves, but then tainted by a fel/arcane energy source that cursed them. They also imprison a Narru and suck out the light to become light infused/now have a restored Sunwell).

The basic concept of the High Elves is that they are free from all that. The suggestions above, while interesting, would just be a Blood Elf copy/paste.

If you wanted Wretched as an Allied Race, that's fine with me. They could work off the Undead player model.

I can read it as a combo of the High Elves, Blood elves, and Nightborne (with the added dash of semi-permanent Withering). Don't think it really replicates the Blood Elves in any real sense accept perhaps in the broadest sense. It also gives them a physically differentiated form and subtracts the sense of a being another Alliance "pretty" race given their wasted, haggard apperances. They would definitely stand apart from the other Elven extractions based on silhouette, appearance, and overall presentation.

[Traycor]

It also gives them a physically differentiated form and subtracts the sense of a being another Alliance "pretty" race given their wasted, haggard apperances. They would definitely stand apart from the other Elven extractions based on silhouette, appearance, and overall presentation.

True, but it wouldn't be a High Elf at all, kinda defeating the point. It's basically a wretched with some new powers thrown in. Personally I think wretched, broken, and undead high elves should all be playable options, especially the later two.

[Ielenia]

Well, any new idea on how High elves could get more aesthetically differentiated from Blood elves?

This is some of them I pointed out earlier that are also lore friendly:



Any new idea?

I have one.

I believe that fel magic radiation from all those fel crystals in Silvermoon affected the blood elf's constitution, leaving them slightly weaker than they used to when the Sunwell was operational. The reasoning for this was the fact that blood elves could not be warriors when TBC came along. Only in Cata we were finally allowed to make blood elf warriors. What's the relevance? Onto the high elves:

The high elves opted to not partake of Kael'Thas' teachings of draining mana from living beings. They also were not around those fel crystals as they were banished from Silvermoon before, or shortly after they were added to the city, so they wouldn't be affected by them. On top of that, they had to find ways to cope with the pangs of magical withdrawal, which we know can cause physical harm, so one option could be that they trained themselves, physically, to resist the physical effects of their addiction.

And now we have lore reason to give high elves a slightly different build and posture.

[Ogren]

Controversial opinion I may have here, but I have zero issue with Alliance getting another pretty race and don't really see a need for High Elves to be scary wretched type creatures to be playable. I think having the monopoly on pretty races is what the Alliance is best known for, and I sort of like the exclusivity of Worgen being that race more iconic for being the most outwardly monstrous Alliance race.

That's not to say that we shouldn't get Broken, Ankoan, or Furbolg someday though, I definitely want those to happen someday, but I see nothing wrong with more pretty races on Alliance either because that's just simply been the faction's reputation since the start of the game.

[FlubberPuddy]

Controversial opinion I may have here, but I have zero issue with Alliance getting another pretty race and don't really see a need for High Elves to be scary wretched type creatures to be playable. I think having the monopoly on pretty races is what the Alliance is best known for, and I sort of like the exclusivity of Worgen being that race more iconic for being the most outwardly monstrous Alliance race.

That's not to say that we shouldn't get Broken, Ankoan, or Furbolg someday though, I definitely want those to happen someday, but I see nothing wrong with more pretty races on Alliance either because that's just simply been the faction's reputation since the start of the game.

Yeah, I would say that's the appeal and theme of Alliance: generic fantasy fare. I feel like most people pick playing Alliance because they want those archetypical fantasy tropes.

Horde typically appears to attract those that are looking for contrast to that, which is why it's such an amalgamation of disparate races banded together. Past the Orcs, Tauren, and Trolls - the Undead stick out like a sore thumb.

Contrast that with the initial Alliance races: Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Gnomes.

Then this continued in TBC: Draenei (aka Tieflings) to Alliance and then Sin'dorei to Horde (aka Elves).

Cata brought on Worgen (Werewolves) to Alliance and Goblins (Goblins lol) to Horde.

The issue imo is when people who are attracted to Horde's themes try to want to apply it to the Alliance. "Oh my god you guys want generic fantasy elves? That's so boring" Yes, of course. That's what Alliance's themes are "generic fantasy". We're starting to get a little more "alternative" with the LF Draenei and Void Elves, but overall the Alliance continues its "generic fantasy" themes with Dark Irons (Duregar) and Kul Tirans (Pirate-y Humans).

[Kyphael]

This thread needs to die.

We need to face the music, we won't be getting High Elves, the best we can hope for are High Elf-like customization on the Void Elf which Blizzard has alluded to being open to doing in the future. I'd settle for that. Debating this further is just going to boost Obelisk Kai's post count past 10,000, which I'm surprised he's not at yet considering every time this gets bumped, it's him debating walls of texts with the High Elf advocate of the week. lol