But it’s still trying to push something, which I don’t like.
I’d rather they simply go with what they’ve done for the Night Elves, where all sectors of Kaldorei society can easily fit with the new features.
If I may ask out of curiosity, what makes you feel that the the darker skin that has been datamined has a specific Highborne vibe to it?
Afaik Brann reports the Highborne having a PASTIER complexion, if anything.
Also, a real lot of ‘Surviving Highborne’ NPCs used as mage trainers and reforgers have white hair (someone counted them, apparently it is 17 of the 21!) and shades of pink and light purple skin (9+7) versus occasional green (2) and water blue (1) hair and skins in pink with blue hue (2), full blue (1) or darker (2).
So, quite the opposite despite of the exceptions? Or have I missed any lore indication/statement contradicting Brann’s report and establishing them as mostly darker instead? 
I absolutely LOVE the idea of some darker skins for the night elf females as well, and I feel a very dark purple skin in combo with WHITE tattoos would look AWESOME, but I am still curious about what makes you specifically say that a dark skin would be a specific ‘Highborne’ thing, although it does not really matter anyway, since there always were and there always will be exceptions since they are just a cast and not a different race of elf… 
So in the end THIS, really.
Just genuinely curious about the motives behind your words, as there are people who have spent some time researching on the subject of Highborne skins and the detail about darker ones being a thing was never brought up!
Well, I have been to Dire Maul and the Well of Eternity Dungeon and the Highborne hold very darkish blue skin tones.
It also would go well with the black hair that all Night Elves will have access to. In the Azshara Warbringer, the Highborne mother and the Highborne female to the right of her both had black hair. So darker skin tones, plus darker hair can carry extremely “Highborne” like feels.
Also, this would explain why High Elves and Blood Elves could have darker skin. They are descendants of Highborne Night Elves.
I don’t usually watch him, but Bellular is able to bring the point that I’m trying to make:
Skip to the Night Elves (and indeed the Blood Elves) as they are my focuses and what I based my analysis on.
Night Elves: 7:31
Blood Elves: 10:39
What I will say is that Night Elves should be given more jewelry options. This can work for all sectors of Kaldorei society.
Jewelry for Highborne character is obvious
Jewelry for the Sisterhood/Priests of Elune is also quite obvious
Jewelry for the Druids can also work. A former Priestess or Warrior.
Male Night Elves and Male Blood Elves should also have earring options.
Lol, duh, ok, I guess it is a matter of subjective perception and night elf gender… because I have always felt that night elf females are oddly much lighter in color than all males, and called them ‘light purple’. But I suppose it could be argued that the purple skin is the darkest in color after all. And honestly, I would love both some lighter and darker skin tones for them, as suggested here:
https://i.ibb.co/bXSDD7y/new-nelf-females-night.jpg
Still, I believe pretty much all Night Elf mage trainers (who are supposed to be Shen’dralar Highborne afaik?) have either the lightest pink skin tone, or said ‘light purple’, in combo with white hair. But maybe the hair is due to them being 10k years old?
I have usually referred to this one screenshot and therefore felt that pink skin was the most common skin color together with a very mixed variety of hair colors:
https://gamepedia.cursecdn.com/wowpedia/9/91/Warbringers_Azshara_holding_a_barrier.jpg
And I supported such theory with the notes from Brann Bronzebeard from World of Warcraft: The Magazine Volume II Issue I:
https://wow.gamepedia.com/File:Troll_lineage_official.jpg
“Not much 'o difference between the Kaldorei 'n Highborne, physically pastier, maybe. But they consider themselves different enough.”
Well that was put in, just so players could tell them apart.
When we go to Zin-Azshari, we see Highborne skin tones in various formats of dark and light, various hair colours, ranging from the brightest green to the darker shades of purple.
But it depends on how we view things.
Yes, the gaudy hair colours are very “Highborne.” Pink and orange are filling that niche. Black hair also supports the Highborne, very well, which would explain why Blood Elves can have darker skin.
The darker skin shades remind me of a pre-sundering Highborne culture, but also a Highborne-exile culture as well.
All the night elves in Dire Maul used the darkish blue skin tone. The idea of the “pale” tones was something that Blizzard brought in to distinguish who was Highborne and who wasn’t.
We’ve now got a chance to invest and see those differences. I, for one, look forward to giving my Night Elf Mage some orange hair and darker skin.
Great idea’s! Would love to see those back in the game. The thing I would like to see the most are Forest Troll customization for Trolls. The Forest trolls are a ally of the Horde since the beginning of this game. But I guess it’s more of a new allied race instead of a extra character customization.
Lol, ok, I think that’s exactly the ‘issue’ here.
The same female skin you call dark blue, I call pale and ‘pasty’ purple. xD
https://wow.gamepedia.com/Shen%27dralar_Ancient#/media/File:Shen'dralar_Ancient.jpg
And then we have the Shen’dralar Zealots:
https ://wow.gamepedia.com/Shen%27dralar_Zealot
Hehehe, you might not be suprised to hear I call that one (4?) light green, while to me 5 is just a pale blue. My own very personal take on the matter is that darkest possible color for the Night Elves is the male skin number 3, whereas the females do not seem to have a proper purple skin by comparison, and should totally get one!
My own perception from wowhead’s Dressing Room is as following:
Males
1 - pink
2 - light purple
3 - dark purple
4 - light green
5 - pale blue
6 - water green
7 - brownish
8 - reddish
9 - reddish purple?
Females
1 - light pink
2 - light purple
3 - reddish light purple?
4 - grayish pink
5 - greenish pink
6 - light purple
7 - warm pink
8 - darker warm pink?
9 - reddish purple?
Gosh, I really hope they add fantasy names to the skin colors as well, as they are doing for face shapes and hairstyles… because seriously, to me the mage trainers in (sigh!) Darnassus were light purple, too!
Like Maelir:
https://wow.zamimg.com/uploads/screenshots/normal/606463-maelir.jpg
In short, I support that we basically agree, and just have a different perception of the colors. ^^
P.s. hopefully we at least concur that Mordent Evenshade, current Highborne leader, is PINK? xD
I would like to see a youth/teen option for each race. It could be part of a body size option where the lowest setting is a younger/slimmer teenage version of each race, and the highest setting is a bulkier ripped version. The middle setting can be the normal body.
I noticed that most male races are too bulky
Orc, human, Night elf, Draenei, Tauren, Dwarf etc - and having those models available would be very good for the game as well, especially showing a good representation of the NPC populations.
I don’t know how hard or easy it is, but younger versions of each of hte face options can be given where necessary, i know some races have the faces looking young anyway, but many are full grown adult faces and lets face it (pun unintended), there are many adults who have younger faces and physiques … I’d like to be able to play as one.
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I’m just looking at the new night elf skin tones and the reason why I think many of them give off a “Highborne” vibe is that:
The new dark green looks like a Suramar Highborne - matches the Nightborne green skin tones.
The pale skin matches what you say with Mordent
The dark skin looks more dark purple and just gives a very “arcane” look.
Now, this isn’t to say these only work for the Night Elf Mages. Because these looks aren’t concrete in lore, it’s just our interpretation, all 3 just work beautifully for all sectors.
Dunno~ green troll is basically forest one. Darkspear are only blue/purple.
Wait a sec, Darkspear are jungle trolls, aren’t they mostly green? With the other colours like rare? Or at least was at first.
I like to believe that their color is connected to living at echo isles (current broken shore lolol) after they were exiled from their jungle. Dunno if it was long enough to change color but Zandalari offsprings change colors and appearance like chameleon 
Just look at us! 
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LOL.
How about the ear shape then? That’s a pretty weird addition imo.
NPC-only asset, or is it confirmed to be a player thing?
Yes please. Also cosmetic daggers on our waists for ranger loreplay.
Purple eyes for Blood Elves - maybe I get half of my wish. It would work great for blood elf mages.
Now all I want is purple eyes for Night Elves, to symbolise the “Highborne” view.
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Bad news. The Blood Elf model is now in the dressing Room, the purple eyes option and red eyes option only shows up when you look at NPC’s.
Its worse news for High Elf Fans however, if you select only Player Options, Blue eyes are there, but Red and Purple are not…
I’m getting a bit sick of this now.
Blue Eyes and Red Eyes I can understand - but purple is a new feature that should be given to players. What’s the point in saying “Oh Blood Elves will get 40+ new features.”
They might as well have said “Blood Elves will have 40+ new features, but only 20 of which will be available to players.”
You know - if they were going to lock this many features behind NPC’s, then they’ve wasted their time in making these new features.
40 does nothing if it’s split between genders. The new eye colors, or shades of color I should say amount to 10 alone.
This game is light years behind every other MMO in this department and Blood Elves already have around 60 gender specific options to pick from.