High Elves in 12.1 💙

[Ангеланика-gordunni]

@Kaeros-dentarg

The real reason they aren’t playable of course is because they are indistinguishable in lore and culture from existing Blood Elves

Are you serious? After that, it’s impossible to take any of your comments seriously. You know absolutely nothing about the history of Azeroth and the High Elves, but you pretend to be an “expert” by writing your kilometer-long poems here

[Alfiriniel-silvermoon]

That doesn’t say they recruited him, in fact it just confirms he joined them on his own accord.

[Linir-twisting-nether (Linir)]

My man, you keep moving the goal post. You said you didn’t mention population. I showed you that you did, now you are bringing up something else. Its becoming a waste of time debating you. Have a good day.

[Kiryanor-grim-batol]

Many Years? The Second War lasted two years and the Trolls the High Elves had problem with were Amani and not Darkspears. Hell the High Elves never were at war against Jungle Trolls in General.

Besides how is that better than joining the group that

A) Contains your older cousins that keep regarding you as lesser and potentially dangerous because of your reliance on Arcane Magic

B) Sends spies your way because your older cousins make them believe you’re potentially dangerous.

Oh right because your leader sleeps with human… Right makes total sense

[Kaeros-dentarg]

Exactly. And he is now a Void Elf. A Void Elf is not a vocation like a class, it is a transformed state.

This point is contentious because the request for Alliance High Elves, which cannot be done on gameplay terms because they are just Alliance Blood Elves, is predicated on a subjective interpretation of the lore, the supposed unique experience of Alliance High Elves since the split.

If Void Elves can turn other Elves into Void Elves, and they clearly can, then you can simply play a Void Elf who was an Alliance High Elf, thus getting the lore background but having to accept the transformation and so the Void Elf compromise.

[Livía-aerie-peak (Livía)]

@Kaeros-dentarg

The real reason they aren’t playable of course is because they are indistinguishable in terms of looks

Irrelevant, especially due to the faction barrier which makes the experience notably different between the factions.

@Kaeros-dentarg

lore and culture from existing Blood Elves

Already different with the fact they 1. Weren’t roped up directly with the masacre of silvermoon. 2. Didn’t chug fel like blood elves.

@Kaeros-dentarg

they don’t want to share a core race of one faction to the other.

They’re not a core race for horde. And pandaren and now stone dwarves and scalies made this argument moot.

[Elcorynd-argent-dawn]

I get why people want High Elves. They’re classic, they’ve been around since Warcraft II, and they’re part of Warcraft’s DNA. But adding them as a new separate playable race in Midnight (or any future expansion) doesn’t actually make sense - not from a lore or game design perspective.

• High Elves already exist — they’re Blood Elves.
  After the Scourge destroyed Quel’Thalas, the High Elves renamed themselves Sin’dorei (“Children of the Blood”) in honor of their fallen. Let me put emphasis on this - Same people, same kingdom, same race - just a new name.
  So saying “we want playable High Elves” is basically saying “we want Alliance Blood Elves.”

• The few remaining “true” High Elves are scattered remnants.
  Blizzard has said repeatedly that those who didn’t take the Blood Elf name are tiny in number … small groups like the Silver Covenant or outposts in Dalaran. That’s not enough to form a playable race with their own culture, city, or leader.

• The Alliance already has the High Elf fantasy.
  Void Elves were Blizzard’s compromise. They use the Blood Elf model, share most animations, and now have normal skin, blue eyes, and blonde hair options. You can literally make a perfect High Elf through customization. Lore-wise they’re different, but gameplay-wise they are Alliance High Elves.

• Being “original” isn’t enough reason.
  Yes, High Elves have been around forever, but so have Ogres, Forest Trolls, and Ethereals … all major Warcraft races that aren’t playable. Longevity in the lore doesn’t automatically mean they need a playable version.

At this point, adding High Elves as a “new race” would just be development time spent duplicating something that’s already in the game. Blizzard gave the Alliance their elves, they just wrapped them in a new story (Void Elves) to keep both factions distinct.

High Elves didn’t go extinct or become a separate species. I am not denying their existence, just pointing out the real situation in game. Majority just changed their name to Blood Elves after the Scourge destroyed Quel’Thalas. It’s literally the same people, the same culture, the same city, just a new name in honor of their fallen.

So asking for “High Elves” as a new separate race is like asking for “pre–Stormwind humans” as a new playable race, or like asking to have Shen’dralar as separate race opposite playable Kaldorei. It’s purely semantics.

@Ангеланика-gordunni

My thread was created as a message to the developers from all High Elf fans - to remind them once again that we exist, that we’re still waiting, and that we still have hope

As mentioned already by others in this thread, developers are rarely reading forums, not to mention it’s not playerbase who dictates the course of the game development.

@Ангеланика-gordunni

I have absolutely no interest in hearing from yet another hater or engaging in endless debates, repeating arguments and facts that have already been stated thousands of times

If you are not interested in debate, then what is the point to opening another thread where people only discuss ALL THE SAME as in every single other thread. Look at my sentence above - no, the devs don’t care about 250 High Elf forum Threads.

@Ангеланика-gordunni

In the end, every discussion with you and people like you always boils down to the same thing: “You won’t get High Elves because I don’t want it”

People are giving valid reasons why playable high elf race is a bad take and makes no sense. I am up for any customization or change of character creation. We can have 100 hairstyles, 100 tattoos and so on … I am all up for it. But adding High Elves as a new alliance race is just wrong on many levels.

@Ангеланика-gordunni

But remember - High Elves don’t belong to the horde, and they definitely don’t belong to the haters with their dull, repetitive comments

We have High Elves on both factions - if you can’t accept this, it’s just your personal problem.

@Ангеланика-gordunni

Of course, there could have been more High Elves, but most of them decided to become traitors and serve as servants to the orcs and trolls (those who had been exterminating their people for many years)

You pointed one-or-few times to ‘open azeroth history’ book … do you even know why they joined the Horde?

@Ангеланика-gordunni

Are you serious? After that, it’s impossible to take any of your comments seriously. You know absolutely nothing about the history of Azeroth and the High Elves, but you pretend to be an “expert” by writing your kilometer-long poems here

And here we go again - you saying others are wrong, telling them to “study” history, yet you’re the one not accepting and missing few critical points.

[Kaeros-dentarg]

Short sentence bereft of substance, no engagement with facts and the little emoji at the end.

Truly, all serious posts are incomplete without a little picture instead of words.

[Ангеланика-gordunni]

@Kiryanor-grim-batol

Oh right because your leader sleeps with human… Right makes total sense

Now you’re talking like that? Okay

Oh, let’s talk about your leader. Liadrin was on her knees at the Sunwell, begging the Alliance to come and save them (again, surprise!) - because your bunch of backstabbing traitors and that horde of filthy savages are nothing without the Alliance

[Sahaan-argent-dawn]

I am not entirely sure where these argument gymnastics are coming from.

But it is very tiring.

Here’s the kicker and difference:

You are bringing emotions and opinions to an argument with facts. Repeatedly, I argue to provide the last known confirmed information on this topic. With that, I’ve repeatedly linked the URLs where I get my information, including quotes for the sections used.

Now you’re quoting actual parts of the website I’ve copied and linked to, suggesting it’s me writing and responding as if it’s my text?

Scroll up, please. Do us both a favor and focus.

I can’t have you shorting out on me when we’re in the thick of things.

---

I shall emphasize this very clearly for you:

If you look through all my responses in this thread, you’ll see me using words like ‘I argue’, ‘my argument’, ‘my opinion’ and then use those sources to strengthen my points.

Because I’m arguing for my stance. “I believe I’m right, here’s why.”

A courtesy you, my friend, have not extended to me in return. Or your posse.

[Elcorynd-argent-dawn]

@Ангеланика-gordunni

Liadrin was on her knees at the Sunwell, begging the Alliance to come and save them

Was it Alliance, or was it begging for help from Light Itself?

The Army of Light is more than just “Alliance”

[Kaeros-dentarg]

You are pursuing an absolutist headcanon. You are attempting to invent something that isn’t there. Alliance High Elves do not have a different culture from Blood Elves. For example, when exiled, they created the Silver Covenant and styled their leader Ranger-General. They call their Mages Magisters. They perform pilgrimages to the Sunwell. They are still the same people, and a difference of political opinion does not alter that.

Secondly, it has pointed out time and time and time and time and time and again that Blood Elves ‘did not chug fel’. Most fel exposure was due to the use of fel crystals used to sustain the magics propping up Silvermoon. Besides which, that was only for a few years and then BOTH Blood Elves and Alliance High Elves have been hooked up to exactly the same energy source, an arcane-light font.

Blood Elves are a Core Race of the Horde. Stating that they aren’t goes beyond absolutist headcanon into sheer denial. And as Alliance High Elves are identical to Blood Elves, they’re not playable because Blizzard doesn’t want to share a core race of one faction to the other.

[Ангеланика-gordunni]

@Elcorynd-argent-dawn

Was it Alliance, or was it begging for help from Light Itself?

The Army of Light is more than just “Alliance”

Change your faction and don’t disgrace the Alliance. Stop kissing up to the horde and the blood elves

[Linir-twisting-nether (Linir)]

@Sahaan-argent-dawn

I am not entirely sure where these argument gymnastics are coming from

Yeah me neither.

@Sahaan-argent-dawn

You are bringing emotions and opinions to an argument with facts.

Im not. Focus on your arguments and what you say instead of trying to discredit what im saying.

@Sahaan-argent-dawn

that, I’ve repeatedly linked the URLs where I get my information, including quotes for the sections used.

Sure you used the wiki. And I provided examples than can be easily checked there or in game. Please use it.

@Sahaan-argent-dawn

Scroll up, please. Do us both a favor and focus.

Yep you too. You deny things you just wrote above.

@Sahaan-argent-dawn

I can’t have you shorting out on me when we’re in the thick of things.

Unfortunately I have other responsibilities than trying to chase you up on your goal posts.

[Elcorynd-argent-dawn]

@Ангеланика-gordunni

Change factions and don’t disgrace the Alliance. Stop kissing up to the horde and the blood elves

Thank you for this - at least I know with 100% certainty, it’s just waste of time to try and find any functional intellect on your side.

@Kaeros-dentarg

Alliance High Elves do not have a different culture from Blood Elves.

Fact!

@Kaeros-dentarg

Secondly, it has pointed out time and time and time and time and time and again that Blood Elves ‘did not chug fel’. Most fel exposure was due to the use of fel crystals used to sustain the magics propping up Silvermoon.

Fact! + those who got trully corrupted by fel are seen in Outland as Kael’s followers. But this doesn’t apply to whole race.

@Kaeros-dentarg

Blood Elves are a Core Race of the Horde. Stating that they aren’t goes beyond absolutist headcanon into sheer denial. And as Alliance High Elves are identical to Blood Elves, they’re not playable because Blizzard doesn’t want to share a core race of one faction to the other.

Another fact!

[Sahaan-argent-dawn]

When you’re ready to act like an adult, I’ll happily continue this topic with you. Because you’re sorely out of your depth here with the responses you’ve provided as of late.

Do better.

[Livía-aerie-peak (Livía)]

To be frank. The way you guys argue feels like a certain attitude from a certain group of people across the pond.

Not interested in actual facts, only cherry picked statements.
Not interested in an better experience for others.
”Got mine, screw you”

[Alfiriniel-silvermoon]

I know in general the use of AI is frowned upon, but to get information, with sources (because if I want to provide something, I’ll throw in the sources too)

The Split

After the Sunwell’s destruction:

• Most survivors renamed themselves blood elves (Sin’dorei) — “children of the blood” — to honor the fallen.

• A minority refused to follow Kael’thas Sunstrider and to draw upon fel energy to sate their mana hunger.
  These loyalists to the old ways remained high elves and were later exiled.

From that moment, their cultures began to evolve in opposite directions.

---

Blood Elf Culture (Sin’dorei)

Core traits: pragmatic, resilient, proud, rebuilt
Capital: Silvermoon City
Affiliation: Horde

Cultural identity:

• Deeply focused on rebuilding and preserving their homeland.

• Emphasize strength through survival — they embraced fel energy (once) and later the restored Sunwell’s holy/arcane balance.

• Their architecture and clothing reflect opulent decadence — gold, crimson, phoenix imagery.

• Strongly hierarchical: magisters, rangers, and blood knights each play distinct roles.

• Their tone as a people leans nationalistic and inward-looking, prioritizing the defense and pride of Quel’Thalas.

---

High Elf Culture (Quel’dorei)

Core traits: idealistic, disciplined, nostalgic, cosmopolitan
Centers: Dalaran, Allerian Stronghold, Quel’Danil Lodge, and scattered Alliance enclaves
Affiliation: Alliance (informally)

Cultural identity:

• Defined by exile — they cling to their ancient traditions as a way to preserve their identity.

• Tend toward humility and restraint compared to their Sin’dorei kin, seeing themselves as the “true heirs” of pre-war Quel’Thalas.

• Often integrate with humans, especially in Dalaran — their aesthetic reflects that: blues, silvers, and simpler robes replacing the ornate reds and golds of Silvermoon.

• Spiritually, they rely on discipline and meditation to manage their magical hunger rather than fel or Void sources.

• They are deeply loyal to the Alliance and to ideals of cooperation, honor, and self-control.

---

Key Cultural Contrasts

Aspect	High Elves (Quel’dorei)	Blood Elves (Sin’dorei)
Core Value	Purity, tradition, restraint	Survival, pride, progress
Magic Source	Natural arcane; Sunwell (from afar)	Sunwell (restored), once fel
Aesthetic	Cool colors (silver, blue)	Warm tones (gold, red)
Outlook	Idealistic, nostalgic	Pragmatic, nationalistic
Affiliation	Alliance	Horde
Architecture & Style	Simple, traditional, mixed with human designs	Luxurious, radiant, ornate
Spiritual Focus	Meditation and purity	Rebirth and power through renewal

---

In Summary

Yes — their cultures have diverged in meaningful ways:

• The blood elves rebuilt, adapted, and embraced power to ensure survival.

• The high elves preserved, remembered, and chose integrity over expediency.

They are two halves of the same civilization — one turned toward the future, the other devoted to the past.

Primary Canon Sources

Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne (2003)

• Source of the Split: Kael’thas renames his people Sin’dorei (“children of the blood”) after the destruction of Quel’Thalas.

• Shows the early justification for their pragmatic shift — survival above all.

• High elves who refuse to follow Kael’thas remain loyal to the Alliance.

World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade (2007)

• In-game quests and NPC dialogue in Silvermoon and Quel’Danil Lodge show the social and ideological divide.

  • Blood elves express bitterness and nationalism (“The world turned its back on us; we rely on our own now”).

  • High elves at Alliance outposts call the Sin’dorei “fallen kin.”

• The Blood Knight storyline (Liadrin) highlights the Sin’dorei’s pragmatic use of power — first fel, then Light from the restored Sunwell.

World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King (2008–2010)

• Introduces the Silver Covenant, Vereesa Windrunner’s faction of high elves in Dalaran.

  • They’re explicitly described as traditionalists upholding the “pure” Quel’dorei legacy.

  • Their blue-silver iconography and dialogue contrast with the red-gold themes of the Sin’dorei.

• Shows continued hostility between Silver Covenant and Sunreavers (blood elves).

Chronicle Volume III (2018)

• Provides a comprehensive overview of Quel’Thalas history and confirms:

  • The blood elves’ renaming and fel use as pragmatic survival measures.

  • That high elves were exiled for rejecting Lor’themar’s direction.

  • Cultural and political isolation of Silvermoon afterward.

World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth (2018)

• The Void Elf recruitment scenario shows Magister Umbric’s exile by Lor’themar — repeating the pattern of schism based on forbidden magic.

• High elf NPCs in the Alliance and Dalaran express cultural nostalgia and discipline (e.g., “We preserve what we can of our heritage.”).

Developer Commentary

• Ion Hazzikostas & Steve Danuser (BlizzCon Q&A, 2018–2020):

  • Reaffirm that high elves remain a small, traditionalist population, ideologically distinct from blood elves.

  • Void elves represent an evolution of that theme — exiles clinging to identity through yet another transformation.

• Chris Metzen (2008 & 2011 panels):

  • Describes blood elves as “a culture reborn through hardship and desperation.”

  • Notes high elves as “a people of memory,” defined by nostalgia and self-restraint.

---

Supplementary Sources (Semi-Canon / Contextual)

Source	Relevance
The Sunwell Trilogy (manga, 2005–2007)	Highlights early post-Scourge blood elf desperation and their willingness to draw on dark magic.
Day of the Dragon (Richard A. Knaak)	Early look at high elves’ ties to the Alliance and human culture.
World of Warcraft: Traveler (lore-consistent YA novel)	Mentions scattered high elf enclaves and their integration into broader human societies.
Traveler’s Guide to Azeroth (Blizzard internal lore guide excerpts, 2019)	Notes the visual and ideological contrast between Quel’dorei and Sin’dorei architecture and dress.

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Summary

So, the argument that high elves and blood elves have divergent cultures is based on:

1. Canon quests and dialogue showing ideological and aesthetic separation.

2. Chronicle Volume III confirming political and philosophical schisms.

3. Developer commentary explaining how both groups evolved from the same roots but embody different values — survival vs. preservation.

I hope this alone is substantial enough to debunk the culture argument.

Edit: I asked it to recheck the statement prior to posting it, to make sure everything was correct against the sources it used. Because I know AI will and can make-up things.

[Sahaan-argent-dawn]

Is that so? I feel a sense of projection here.

So far, while writing in this thread I would suggest that I’ve been extremely clear that I am arguing for my views and my stance, providing links and sources to support those arguments to ensure that my beliefs on this topic are not necessarily unfounded.

Meanwhile, the responses from you have boiled down to providing zero sources for anything you’ve added and dismissive comments and remarks such as “play the game”.

And you have the gall to say:

Not interested in actual facts, only cherry picked statements.
Not interested in an better experience for others.

Here I am, making an effort to provide a solid argument and case for my views. Providing links, sources, even going so far as providing the footnotes in one post and case to make sure I was providing solid information not just my own writings. So that you could look it up and trace it more easily.

I am taking my time to format my messages in what I believe to be an easily read way, so that my information can be easily digested and replied to.

But sure … we are the ones that aren’t taking the time to provide a solid side and argument.

---

As I told your friend a few messages up …

Do better.

[Skarash-moonglade]

@Elcorynd-argent-dawn

And this is actually what I was saying already. We will have 4 copies of same race (model) in entire game then.

Yes that i have been also saying that please no new blood elf model as “new” race added to game please. Because If they add it they must add it to horde side too specially when whole please add high elf cry is just for RP purpose mostly also making those neutral npc elfs to alliance only well not work then they must add it to horde too. Im not against adding high elf to them but im against If they do it BT adding another blood elf again to game as new race. But when these who want it added cant see or not wanna hear any reasons why not and not even wanna think why others not wanna see new blood elf again but totally new race If there going to be those added somepoint, it kinda says all. Its just high elf high elf se must get high elf doesnt matter how many belf midels there allready is