True it’s not a unique situation by any menas, but it is an excessively bad one.
compare this to the blood elves:
They gained both country, zone, Sunwell and city.
night elf - gained a tree back , Well of Eternity still not in use, still no city, no sign of gaining any zone or country back.
Blood elves got arcane and light infusion, a one up from the original Sunwell lost… where are the night elf benefits from losing the Well of Eternity and the Nordrassil blessings? Where is the one up?
When blood elves got everything back in TBC + more - because they showed them getting new equipment like the Animagus golems from MoP, new veins of magic like hte blood mages adn the enhanced Paladins -
They showed them extremely competent and victorious in every endeavour they did officially on behalf of Silvermoon and the horde - including humiliating the newly returned Darnassian highborne in Azshara, barely 2-3 weeks into training, then decimating the night elf post in Desolace, after their victories in Ghostlands against the night elf forces sent to spy.
So where are the power amplifications and new veins of magic for Night elves ? or returned ones from of old? We saw the Moonguard faction still alive, but never saw them fight for the night elves, we saw the night warrior - which can count as a new power, but so far, only Tyrande seems to have its powers, but no one else.
You see how vastly different even their so called resolution is? Where are the night elves fired up by Amirdrassil? where is the dedication to being the best in every way? I’d have expected the Highborne and ancients to pull out the best city ever, I’d have expected the Well of Eternity now used to amplify the night elves, and Amirdrassil the balancing factor so no one ever gets addicted. I would have expected immortality, and protections and an even deeper connection to Azeroth than the arcane blood of the Well of eternity.
Something that sees mages (well of eternity and moonwells), Priets (LEune Night warrior and light side), Druids (emerald dream and AMirdrassil) empowered, but also benefits to all night elves, like immortality, greater magical sensitivities, etc
And I’d have epxcted the illidari faction, founded by the night elves to be heavily involved in helping out, even if covertly. And off course Malfurion Stormrage…
This seems less than half the night elves true potential and power laid to bare, and a tree back, while a good thing is no where near enough compare to what is lost. It might be coming back, but it’s been 5 years since Teldrassil, and all the personnel and power factors are in place - just no implementation.
Druids are back, sentinels, wardens, Moon Priestsses, highbrone are back (and the cream of the crop), Moonguard too, and DHs too. Elune is still there, Well of Eternity still there and hte Moonwells from it, and finally new tree Amirdrassil tell me, why aren’t he night elves just awesome…
Let me guess, blizzard forgot half of what they have. Or only care a little, no where near as pumped for it as they would be if it were Forsaken or Blood elves getting revamped… see Midnight, an entire expansion based on the blood elf zone. remember Legion, the one they cut hte night leves down by 3 zones becuase it was too boring, so we had to have Highmountain, Stormheim be about other races, and Thal’dranath ditched in favour of Argus, Tyradnes storyline cut, because she was jus t irrelevant to them, they felt class order halls were more interesting, and couldn’t for a moment think oh, maybe twe can do both, and have the Sister of Elune go to each order hall and guide them in their ancient lands and especially through thier most sacred temple hmm.
Didn’t occur to them to have Tyrande more interestd in fighting for LEune in her city, she actually had a world quest asking people to put up posters of hte alliance… hte alilance… not the goddess in the Order’s ancient capital? Surely Vereesa should have run point for alliance matters and Tyrande be some sort of suramar ngihtmare to Elisande, busy sving people and satiating adidtions with the light of ELune and burning demons with starfall and starfires, absolute terror to the Legion in Suramar, furious at the occupation of her city - but no, it was more importnat to show the horde and Liadrin who has no cnnection to the city, and turn tryande into a whiny alliance bitc instead the High Priestesss charged agains her ost ancient enemy who has dominated her people’s lives for 10k years.
I mean, , they are so keen not to show the alliance faction get involved, they forget that Tyrande, Malfurion and Illidan have the biggest beef with the Legion, and the night elf faction have suffered the most because of it. - but it was more important to show Tauren and Vrykul and blue dragons, with only partial room for Highborne ghosts, wardens, moonguard, druids and sentinels…
Wanna bet Midnight will be ALL about the blood elves, blood elf this, blood elf that, they’ll be centre stage, have every involvement, not kicked to the side in favour of neutral factions implemented and forgotten immediately after… at least they have taken the blood elf sub-race over to the alliance already, like they took the night elf sub-race to the horde, but wanna bet they’ll create another one for the blood elves… and the night elves will ask, well aren’t we gonna get some sort of nature sub race, like worgen or Sylvar and wanna.
Because blizzard care so much about the Night elves…look they get a tree, never mind losing their3 cities, all their zones, all their power, and half their arsenal missing, with some of their best characters - Malfurion Stormrage, Prince Farondis (one of the best characters of Legion), Maiev and Jarod Shadowsong - missing, awol, awol or cameo, not a single Demon hunter or mage present - Mordant anyone?.. but they got a tree back.
At least they got something back, but still really? is this all there is to it? after Massacre, lost city, lost lands, lost or awol powers - you get a tree.
