This struck me today. Other species have their kingdoms and nations. Like Kingdom of Stormwind, Kingdom of Quel’Thalas, Kingdom of Ironforge, The Horde is for the orcs and it has evolved to include other species too, bit like a huge umbrarella tribe for smaller tribes.
So what we call the nation of Night Elves? It feels odd to refer to them as “Darnassus” as that is their capital city yes, but it is not their nation’s name. Does anyone know what their nation’s name is? Last reference to it that I am aware of is “The Empire of Night Elves” or Highbornes depending on your view.
They were always just refered as Kaldorei.
They never really have had big cities and noone addressed them als “darnassians”.
The Kaldorei empire ended with the War of the Ancients 10k years before and was a completely different nation, more similar to Silvermoon than NEs today.
Simply call them Kaldorei. Even “Darnassus” is just a term used by wowpedia to separate the political faction of Alliance Kaldorei from the general Kaldorei race (since not all Kaldorei are Alliance, see Illidari or the Val’sharah kaldorei).
However I wouldn’t want them to change their banner. The Teldrassil symbol should remain to motivate their soldiers by reminding them of what was lost at the hands of the Horde.
Thanks! I love the term Kaldorei too and have seen it in use, but it does refer to the people more than a nation. It would be lovely to have an update for “Darnassus” and “Undercity” as both are quite outdated. Besides Nelves deserve some love and care!
You sure it’s a new banner and not asset from the Moonguard/Azshuna in Legion? Regardless they shouldn’t drop their symbols related to Teldrassil, that would be stupid and downright insulting to the fallen.
Thanks! I love the term Kaldorei too and have seen it in use, but it does refer to the people more than a nation. It would be lovely to have an update for “Darnassus” and “Undercity” as both are quite outdated. Besides Nelves deserve some love and care!
Blizzard hinted on twitter that Teldrassil might regrow in the future, take that as you will.
To be honest, i always thought that this weird obsession with Teldrassil came a bit out of the blue.
The whole thing was a monstrosity anathema to the druidic principles that had guided the race for millennia.
And it was less than 18 years old. I mean ANDUIN is older than Teldrassil.
So no, i doubt that its destruction would or should pose any significant change on how or who the Night elves are.
It is also replacing the old tree banner in warsong.
During the whole Darkshore quest and warfront you only see this banner.
(However they are wearing the old Darnassus tabard)
Personally I could live with both, but I like the new banner because it looks less comical.
Yeah I checked and they are just reused Legion assets from Azsuna/Moonguard. I think it’s just a case of intentional reuse of part assets to cut some work and there isn’t meant to be anything deeper to that.
It would be very weird if night elves suddenly abandoned the Teldrassil symbol right after their home was destroyed, that should motivate them to remember their home even more.
An entity gathering collective group underneath its banner like Kingdom of Stormwind is a nation compromised mostly of humans. Most species in WoW have their own like goblins have Bilgewater Cartel.
Not necessarily.
putting the thing aside that it is actually just a “lazy” reuse.
It could also mean that they burried up their war banner.
The tree banner was the banner of a city, the lunar eclipse banner could be their war banner.
There would be a deeper meaning behind it switching from a banner of peace resembeling a city for their cultural representation to their warbanner for cultural representation.
I mean just from looking at it the liunar eclipse looks a lot more aggressive, it looks like a beam of moonlight out of an eclipse coming down onto someone. It has a deep meaning and suits perfectly the narrative of the army of the dark moon calling down elunes fury now.
That new banner on the Darkshores, actually is a banner of the Night Elves Highborns. You can see that banner in many old empire ruins.
Probably Highborns that are now fighting on Night Elves side bring those. One of them even control strategic point on the Warfront.
Regarding Darnassus. It was humans that started to call Night Elves as Darnassian elves just because Darnassian elves were fighting on the Alliance side. But it was wrong, because even neutral druids were also under command of the Malfurion.
So, how to call them? Well, after the War of the Ancient, Night Elves have choose a new path. Path to live in balance with nature, with the land it self. Entire Kalimdor is their land, is their nation. Night Elves were counting entire Kalimdor as their lands.
As for the name, well lets check game mechanic. Humans were screaming, “For Lordaeron”, “For Dalaran”, high elves were screaming “For Quel’thalas”, dworfs were screaming “For Khaz Modan”. While Malfurion was screaming “For Kalimdor”.
So I guess we can call those Night Elves, which are under Tyrandes and Malfurions command, as Kalimdor Night Elves.
yeah the civilians where, but not their army, becuse the nelf army was not even there at all, they where in feralas and somewhere along the coast of sillithus.
Like I have said.
It would actually leave the NEs being composed of mostly battle harened war veterans who have little sympathy for peace or forgiveness.
So great plan from Sylvanas, who is so cunning:
“lets kill all the ones that don’t fight to piss of the ones who do fight but arend harmed at all, while we ourselves sacrifice our forces in Lordaeron.”
If I think about that. Under that condition it even makes somewhat sense that everywhere in BFA literaly half! of the Armies are composed of Nightelves.
Nazmir, Zuldazar, Orgrimmar, Lordaeron… everywhere.
I thought it was just blizzard being stupid again.
So while Thrall was able to merly get 40 Soldirs togather, NEs have pretty much their whole army ready.
There are Night Elves forces even in Drustvar. But Blizzard forgot to write any story for them. So, its still a mystery what Night Elves were doing in Drustvar.