I’ve seen updates on the PTR which suggest the Night Elves are finally settling around Amirdrassil.
While I am glad this storyline is finally reaching some sort of conclusion, and I obviously think Blizzard has done a good job with it visually, it still doesn’t feel right.
The forests of the Emerald Dream within the Ohn’ahran Plains are themed around daytime. It’s a lush, green forest somewhat similar to Feralas if it was in HD, and obviously Val’sharah. But the ancient homeland of the Kaldorei is themed around the night. Purple colours, stars, moonlight, and so on. This feels weird, like we’ve lost some of our identity. Are we Wood Elves now?
The forest is surrounded by the aforementioned Ohn’ahran Plains, which feels a bit like Nagrand or Mulgore. It is clearly a Horde themed zone, from its music to its themes of warring clans that wander the plains. Back home in Ashenvale, I was surrounded by other elven themed zones such as Darkshore, Mount Hyjal, Winterspring, and Moonglade. Sure, we had the Stonetalon Mountains and the Barrens to the south. But that was acceptable given how much thematic consistency we had to the west, north, and east.
Unlike our old capital city Darnassus, back on Teldrassil, the new home built around Amirdrassil doesn’t really look or feel like a city. It’s not a major issue, because I think Night Elves fit better in the wilderness anyway. But it’s a bit weird going from a fully fledged city to a collection of buildings strewn across a patch of grass in a forest. I’m assuming anybody can easily enter this area as well, as it doesn’t have protective walls like other cities.
The music of Kalimdor and its forest is obviously iconic and a quintessential part of the Night Elf experience. The music we’ve gotten inside the Emerald Dream is nice, no doubt. But less iconic. It feels forest and druid themes, but less specifically tied to the Night Elves.
I mean, it’s the official home for the Night Elves. That’s like telling Gilneans that they don’t have the live in Gilneas. But Blizzard is giving it back to them in 10.2.5.
Moonglade is druid HQ (Including a few token Horde druids), Winterspring has one Elven building in it…
If we’re going to see any restoration of Night elf zones, it will be during a world revamp of some sort, beyond that, Blizz hardly ever update old zones.
I agree that Blizz should use the old world more, it’s the basis of WoW, but they prefer tacking yet another “Wow, never knew there was something here!”-continent onto the game instead.
I’m perfectly fine with Amirdrassil being part of the Dragon Isles and Night Elves relocating there. It’s a beautiful zone, bound to the Night Elves by very strong themes (the Emerald Dream and the fact that Amirdrassil is imbued with the souls of those who perished in Teldrassil), it’s current content, it’s located in the new default leveling zone.
However I do believe that it should be more reminiscent of Darnassus in architecture and music. I also believe Night Elves should maintain a presence in Northern Kalimdor.
But to be completely honest I don’t have it in me to complain, not when other races still spawn in 2007. I also welcome the change. Sure, I’m extremely fond of the original Kaldorei zones and I will miss them, but it is an evolving persistent world, and I’m not letting nostalgia ruin my experience.
I would like to see a Nelf settlement in the cinders of Teldrasill. Perhaps they can heal the roots for a new tree to grow there eventually, a wounded tree (a bit like Nordrasill).
Lets not forget about teldrassil not being properly blessed and grown after the hyjal one was burned up. But honestly ashenvale hyjal and the like are very much night elven lands
The thing I struggle with a bit is that historically the kaldorei were all about protecting their land, their trees, the last vestiges of their once expansive homeland. It’s a core element of their story. Just plopping them on land completely unrelated to that and them being very ok with it seems like it might need some explaining otherwise it ends up feeling rather random.
At least you have a home in a nice looking place.
Our ‘home’ is in a crashed spaceship miles from anywhere … and we don’t even have a heritage quest or armour.
I’d love if they fixed up the homes of all races properly, and spend story time on that. In that sense I feel other races are quite a bit more deserving by now of attention compared to nelves
I can’t help wondering from a lore pov tho. These two different sentiments sort of co-exist!
