Alliance leaders had the decency to quietly retreat at Saurfang’s funeral. The side that actually suffered the loss of Teldrassil, mind you. They understood that this was a private ceremony with the Horde mourning their loss. Where is the same decency when it comes to Night Elves embracing their new home in peace without figures as a constant reminder of their trauma surrounding it?
As said, I appreciate some bonds between factions. And the quest post-raid overall was also great. But this actually was or at least should’ve been an equally sacred ceremony as Saurfang’s burial was.
Lilian Voss was. And I’m pretty certain, I saw some dark rangers, too.
Seriously, imagine it would’ve been Orgrimmar that was burnt by Tyrande. I doubt any Night Elf would ever be able to set foot anywhere near a Horde camp after. They raised hell when Jaina started to fraternise with Horde leaders again after what she did. A whole delegation of Alliance at a Horde jam session after a widespread genocide of Orcs? I doubt it.
I only saw a dark ranger night elf joining back, but I didn’t see lillian voss. Thrall being there shouldn’t be an issue, because he wasn’t working with the horde. The Tauren were also not burning down Teldrassil as far as I’m aware. I didn’t notice Forsaken, but if they were there, then it’d be bad, but also not that big of a deal, if it’s only lillian voss.
For you it isn’t. To me it’s poor writing. Minding that they put much effort into squeezing emotions into every crack of this expansion, this part was pretty unempathetic.
It is bad writing. You can’t just take two factions that have been spilling each other’s guts for the majority of the game and pretend like they are the Avengers. They are not. I know some people get all excited for this crap, but you don’t just sweep MOST of the game under the rug and pretend it didn’t happen. I don’t know what their writing team is high on (their own farts probably) but this is only fooling people who desperately want to be fooled.
It’s bad writing, even before this.
Where the hell did Forsaken vs Night Elves happen before BFA? It was plucked out of thin air and should have been primarily, Forsaken vs Humans…that we all knew and loved.
Judging by the dialogues of the raid ending cinematic, they must think they’re writing stories for people, who lack the brain capacity to execute long term memory and associative thinking. I don’t even mind the emotional cinematics of this expansion really. But having explanatory speeches about what just happened visually makes yoy feel like you’re back in kindergarden.
Also, letting a very talkative and villainy end boss, who had more personality than Sylvanas and the Jailer combined during SL die off without some snotty last words didn’t do Fyrakk justice. And despite the cinematics team having done a remarkable job again at visualisation (I know at least one DK found bliss with the zoom on a red haired lady having her eyes re-enlightened) the writing was yet again underwhelming. Can’t stop thinking about that one guy on YouTube asking what aspectral powers the aspects actually regained. Because they were pretty much exercising all the powers they had pre-cataclysm throughout the entire expansion.
I think we should have an expansion similar to Legion but instead of class campaigns we have race campaigns.
Overall more race and class focused stuff is always appreciated. I really hate how I’m bbf’s with every lore important NPC now and am the savior of the universe as warlock of all things.
I think the night elven Highborne have a special place, not just in the past but in the present too, afterall the arcane side of the night elves has been so huge.
We had villainous, treacherous Highborne who summoned the legion, but we also had brave and courageous ones like Farondis who resisted, and his zone shows that actually the original attitude of the Highborne were quite noble, before the addiction and hubris that caught up Azshara’s court.
That you have uncorrupted Highborne returned, it actually is something quite special for them, like hearkening back to their original roots, when they were brilliant, but also very respectful of magic, , arcane was their fascination but they always revered and loved nature and the Goddess Elune as things bigger than they were and thus it kept them more humble than they became during that period and balanced as they didn’t abuse the magic.
This is the what I would reckon most of the Highborne amongst the Darnassians are like now, not just Shen’dralar who’ve beaten their addiction, but especially the Darnassian ones, the ones who took up the titles and caste after 10,000 years on pause , and new ones recruited in by the talent scouts amongst the Shen’dralar rebuilding their numbers.
they are the oldest and most experienced amognst the magic using elves today, and the most knowledgeable, i feel, they should be the example setters, the ones that go, this is how it is done at its finest, it may look similar to what the Nightborne have in Suramar, but that’s only because well, we did it, same race, however they got imbalanced and so their city while as beautiful as what we’ve built here, lacks the harmony and excellence that comes from true balance and diversity they can’t match. And for the blood elves, well none of them are old enough to see truly what elven society and civilization was like, what true forests and cities and arcane wonders unseen of since.
This is what they should hope to display with the night elf Highborne, not tuck them away in a corner. Have the Farondis lead them, let them shave a showcase wonder city, that shows all the arcane wonders and dedication of the caste, but is now full of life and nature with gardens and parks and groves, and Cathedral to Elune radiating the goddess, artisans and crafts people employ magic of the arcnae, nature and more to yield not just the arcane, to yield something more.
As if to say to the other elf groups, now this is your centre, this is your model, now re-align and build in your own fashion.
Sometimes I think blizzard forget they didn’t write all the Highborne to be jerks, and wrote some very good and redeeming qualities for the Shen’dralar and the Farondis, and off course the Darnassian Highborne and Moonguard are essentially flawless… because 1 group was with the night elves for 10k years and were druids, priests and civilians, only switching back when the Highborne were re-instated and re-joined, and so won’t be guilty of any of the ire, and the other, the Moonguard, continued fighting the evil and left over demons on the broken isle, training new generation andkeeping the knowledge and skill sharp so that one day it may be used again, which it was.
I think in the Farondis for example, yo would get a very different attitude from every night elf, nothing but respect, nothing to forgive and overcome because they behave right. T hey weren’t arrogant, respected magic, and were the first to rebel against Azshara, before the famous trio and the resistance. In fact, I bet storywise, the example Azshara set with them is what hindered many others from rebelling sooner, and is probably why Elisande and Ttheldrinn ended up defying her anyway.
The issue, Farondis is neutral and therefore, irrelevent. That is the standard history of neutral factions.
The Shen’dralar are Alliance and the most interesting thing because I do believe that Eldre’Thalas has far more vaults containing Arcane study, Void research and Fel knowledge as well as echoes of Queen Azshara entering the city and have Tortheldrin process her orders.
The best we can hope for is that the Highborne under Estulan and the Night Elf Mages under Vestia (who should be the first none-Highborne Archmage, of this new era) should reclaim Eldre’Thalas West-Wing and the other sections be made into a mega-dungeon called Eldre’Thalas Vaults, where we see Queen Azshara steal important things, before she launches her assault on the Sunwell.
That would be the perfect way of linking Sin’dorei and Shen’dralar perfectly.
As both they and the Darkfallen are my favourites of the Elves, I would love for that to happen in the Midnight pre-patch,
Pitting Sin’dorei and Shen’dralar against each other was such a huge mistake. Despite losing knowledge, Sin’dorei have gained vast and different swathes of Arcane Mastery, such as establishing Ban’dinoriel and the Arcane Ley Sanctums, as well as a mastery over Blood, Fire and Phoenix Magic.
Shen’dralar should have the old Arcane methods, but be the emodiment of what it means to play an Arcane Mage.
Both holding deep knowledge regarding Fel Magic.
As Fire holds a lot of “Blood Elf” to it, Arcane should hold a lot of “Shen’dralar” to it.
IU can udnerstand and almost partdon the friendliness vibes…the problem with things liek that, they aren’t contrasted with the enemy vibes…w hat do i mean?
okay, you’re showing horde friendliness, in reality, not all took part in the war, you need to show some ant-war flashbacks amongst the horde…e.g. the Nightborne are conspicuously absent from the war of thorns, ofc anyone who did 7.0 know they don’t hate the night elves, in fact quite opposite to the blood elves they are damn proud of being kaldorei in heritage and and venerated the resistance that left to fight he legion as heroes, in fact, you could argue Thalyssra joins Liadrin because she is butt hurt at Tyrande’s coolness towards her, even the nightborne jokes talk about fancying Tyrande.
So if you showed some of the individuals that either opposed the wr or withdrew, it would help, if you also showed the Night elves having some cool victories against some remaining antagonists about, even better, especially if you ad a few really competent horde embers, some tauren and blood elves say joining the night elves, take these Sylvanas supporters down and being outclassed by the night elves… that would have helped significantly to show the night elvs aren’t all lets be friends, but at the same time willing to be friends with this new beginning for Azeroth.
I would hate that… Druid don’t build homes, nor cities, they love living purely in nature, but that’s only druids. Druid contribution to a night elf homeland should be the forest, the world tree, and the groves, parks and gardens in the city as well as the open access to the emerald dream for wisps and denizens of Ardenweald
Highborne and Ancients contribution should be the city itself, the buildings and structures, the ancients magic and expertise with elementals can provide any jewels
Priest contribution (with Highborne and ancient help) should be the temple and the Moonwells), together they should build an incredible temple, like CoEN, and this is where the arcane energy of the moon and stars should be lighting up the moon symbols, and have cascading stars like dew drops hung on trees or falling, like in Suramar, but more empowered magically and more alive - remember Suramar is their former home [I wonder if most realise the Nightborne are the part of the Darnassian’s groups lot that stayed behind. - this shows all the night elf major groups playing a part.
however, an alternative could be Amirdrassil = druid capital, Eldre’thalas equal night elf city capital, and Cathedral of Eternal night now cleansed and re-opened as as order of Elune capital, …giving the night elves 3 major strongholds in the lands that have significance and relevance to them.
The only thing we can reasonably expect is Amirdrassil being a pretty city, and no changes to Kalimdor until the (Inevitable, but who knows when?) world revamp.
Three capital cities is a bit (Well, more than a bit) wishful thinking.
Yes but their home is Ashenvale, and Darkshore not Dragon isles, whats point of living in Bulgaria but build your capital in Canada? see capital must be in center of their civilization no in middle of no man land… dragon isles is not theirs and it woud never been its remote and it will make no sense if they build new darnasus on top of it. Capital city shoud serve as civilization hub not like, “we want to live in new tree canopy half world away from home”
That’s true, Moonglade, and technically it should be Hyjal. Eldre’thalas the Highborne capital, but Amirdrassil the capital for all night elves and should have the best of everything their race has to offer… I don’t see why they should be limited to 1 small zone and only one part of htier lore, when they are a faction grade race, and many others like humans, orcs, u ndead, dwarves have multiple ciites, terrain, lands, forest, and are about more than one class.
They’re limiting the night elves too much if this is it.
I say bring in Amir’drassil,l build the prettiest and fanciest night elf city ever
2. revamp Eldre’thalas, and revamp Feralas forest - Highborne mages, priests and druids that branch out into Desoalce, stonetalon and launch attacks to claim back Ashenvale
Then revamp Moonglade
I do think that we’ll probably see one, eventually. It’s just going to take place in phases.
Gilneas will point to how deep such a revamp actually will be though from what I recall, the zone itself is quite large so it could certainly be ‘built up’ to be more impressive looking.
Quel’thalas is confirmed to be expanded outright in Midnight and then Northrend is getting the same treatment the expansion after that…
So I suppose it remains to be seen what else they do in between all of that.
I think this is the elven quandry at large. The Highborne are the common thread across all elves, because the other elven groups are of that vein primarily. But they are only a part of a fuller elven picture the night elves primarily show. Which is why I don’t like it when the forest elf side of the night elves is overly focused on and the dark elf side underdeveloped - because this is the side that is the developed heart of the elves and shows how they are all elves, even if very different by day/night cycles or religions like Elune and the Light.
This is one of the reasons why it makes no sense that the Highborne amongst the night elves haven’t been visually developed. But I believe Suramar was the visual development, because i know the Nightborne weren’t supposed to be playable initially, Afrisiabi said we were gonna kill them all. He intended the Ngihtfallen to heal form the arcan’dor into ngiht elves and Suramar replaec Daransuss as the new capital.
That got scrapped when they decided to do Allied race in a meeting betwen patch 7.0 and 7.1 development, and ecause htey were now going to keep Nightborne in their altered state, it has left Highborne without a visualisation.
So they now have to replicate that on the night elves to keep the night elves both in balance and have the visual diversity and contrast they have inherent as well as show all that great stuff in the lore in game for them. Even if it has to be a different faction of night elves, just like when we playa demon hunter we play a different faction of night elves, this time the Illidari. The point is it needs to be in game and the player character tied to it somehow…
night elves amongst the Highborne should be the pinnacle of the caste, the leaders, they are the oldest and wisest to, but despite their great intelligence and knowledge, their wisdom isn’t quite that of the druids yet.
I feel this is the common thread. But no one will look on Highborne as much if blizzard continues to show them shabby, living in ruins and huts instead of the splendour and majesty the night elves are recorded and written about for in their civilization. This is why you let the Highborne build the night elf cities, it’s what they like most, priests are only focused on exquisite temples, and druids on exquisite forests - you see the parallel.
The night elf is the oldest, and their still remains much of the knowledge of the elves greatest period in these survivors. I would have had a Highborne faction allied to the Darnassians, but also trying to bring the elves together - not that they would succeed, but they’d be trying to show the world again the dignity and high standards of the kaldorei, and show other elves the glory of past wonders in order to help a brighter tomorrow.
off course wiser Darnassian would feel they’ve progressed beyond the need for fancy coats, a places and conveniences - but that’s okay, in night elf lore not everyone is the same.
in fact, night elves characteristically have been personified by extreme opposites, which is why you need your Suramar type city amongst the night elvrs as well as your pure Val’sharah type wilds… your elegant, richly robed and embroidered Highborne with arcane balls or starlight or energy, in stark contrast toy our humble druid in simple jedi like robes or skins, seemingly primitive, but it’s this one that understands the true value of life, a beauty he needs no stone or fancy clothes because it’s in the very nature he pretty much worships.
But he is untethered by needs and desires , and it’s not cos he is primitive, in fact most druids were once Highborne and Moonguard themselves, and it should show -t hey need to convey this - it almost makes the Highborne look almost childish, like they are still stuck in feeling the need to prove themselves, where a wise man has understood no such thing is necessary.
And as such there should be a measure of that wisdom amongst night elven Highborne to the other elven races/
The priest is a different quandry - she typically serves both city folk and rural folk alike. There are great temples in the cities of the elves, and also in the forests. Priests serves as the disciplined and devoted one, the power of Elune is great enough to humble anyone, even Highborne, and actually was , one of the earlier night elves reasons for being able to go so far in the arcane without unravellig. it’s hard to get super arrogant when it is clear a goddess like Elune can dwarf your powers - maybe Azshara got jealous and this drove her to gain more power cos she wanted the people to adore like they did Elune.
However this priesthood amongst the Highborne again brings them humility, there is no one more powerful than a night warrior, not all the Highborne or Moonguard. the power of the goddess keeps all of them form getting arrogant, and this is how it is again…well getting too arrogant, and that humility actually allows them to stay on track and devleop better.
The priests also keep the druids pure too, in heart, and humble. when both Azshara and Fandral - a mage and a druid pushed the priests aside or were disdainful of them, arrogance felled both of them. -it’s not just mage-type that can get arrogant - how did hte night elves do so well for so long? because htey kept their head down while making all their incredible discoveries? how… the priesthood
Simply put:
Priests bring discipline and humility to night elves
Druids bring harmony and balance
Highborne bring power and progress/development
Which is why in harmony like they are now, they should now be developed to fulfil the original mandate of the race , which was represent the best parts of the dark elf and forest elf tropes in fantasy.
It’s alright o have Highborne types generally proud… it’s part oft he caste, but the arrogance and hubris of the pre-sundering era’s legion period should be absent form the kaldorei lot because of the priesthood influence and visible power of Elune, as should addiciton, because of the druids and the balance the night elves have learned - this is a contrast that should be noticeably profoundly amongst night elves as much as it is missing in blood elves and nightborne. You should also notice arrogance and hubris present when any elf goes bad, like it was with Fandral and Azshara, and Elisande’s loyalists, and Kael’thas’ lot.