To the World of Warcraft Development Team,
I am writing to express my deep disappointment and frustration regarding the ongoing neglect of one of the most requested, lore-rich, and beloved fantasy archetypes in the Warcraft universe: the High Elves. For nearly two decades, a significant number of players have consistently asked for High Elves as a playable race, and yet this request has been ignored or dismissed, often in ways that feel dismissive and contradictory. Midnight was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fix this problem, but it seems that because of the loud minority, you didn’t dare to take the step. Or worse, you never even intended to, and you’re simply ignoring your players. Not once has anything been mentioned about the High Elves in connection with Midnight - you’re disregarding them entirely, including the Silver Covenant, all of Highvale, and even Vereesa Windrunner herself. That’s why I decided, as a last hope, to try sharing my thoughts here.
Why High Elves Should Have Been Playable
Less is more. Instead of introducing obscure or lore-fragmented Allied Races with little to no emotional impact or connection to the lore (e.g. Vulpera, Highmountain Tauren, Mechagnome, Lightforged Draenei, Void Elf, Dracthyr, Pandaren, and furthermost Haranir), you could have given players something deeply embedded in Warcraft’s story, something players have been asking for: High Elves for the Alliance and, similarly, Forest Trolls for the Horde. As an alternate solution: simply allow the Thalassian elves to choose their faction, as you have done in several other cases (see: Pandaren, Dracthyr, Earthen, Haranir).
The community’s voice. Tens of thousands of players have campaigned for High Elves, with entire roleplay communities built around them. For many, they represent one of the most iconic races of Warcraft. Why is this significant community continually ignored, while smaller ones are given content? Every single time you pull an Allied Race out of nowhere that no one had ever heard of before, it’s an insult to a significant part of the community.
The Void Elf contradiction. High Elves were denied on the grounds of being “too few in number,” only for Void Elves - an even smaller group - to be added. To many fans, this felt like a deliberate insult rather than a compromise. It felt as if you were deliberately showing us the middle finger. Outrageous.
Missed opportunities. Time and again, High Elves could have been introduced, but instead we received races that feel disconnected and unnecessary compared to such a core request.
Damage Done to the Lore
Quel’Thalas should never have been forced into the Horde. It’s simply nonsensical that the elves would have joined those with whom they had been at war for millennia (the trolls), those who ravaged their kingdom in the Second War (the orcs), and those who nearly exterminated their people in the Third War (the undead). It was an outrageous, ridiculously forced story already 18 years ago, and now it’s even more so. And this is where we get to the next point.
Lore should never have been sacrificed for faction numbers. It’s an open secret, which you yourselves have acknowledged, that the Blood Elves were placed in the Horde - contrary to every original and logical plan - solely to balance the in-game numbers of the factions. This decision has caused long-lasting damage, both narratively and emotionally, to the community. It wasn’t just an assassination of the story that lacked all rationality and logic, but it also stripped the Horde of its very essence. The romance of the Horde was precisely its savagery, its “barbarism”, and with the grandeur of Quel’Thalas, that image was dulled. So, you caused double damage: you butchered Quel’Thalas and you butchered the Horde as well.
And with that, let’s move on to the present…
The (Broken) Promises of “Midnight”
Midnight was the chance to fix this historical mistake . Instead, it doubled down on it. Midnight has been marketed under the banner of “elven unity”. However, in practice you don’t even mention the High Elves, as if Vereesa Windrunner and the Silver Covenant, or Jalinde Summerdrake and Highvale didn’t even exist – yet I can assure you that in RP quite a lot of people are invested in that direction. How can elven unity be complete without a traditional, heritage-respecting faction? The answer is simple: it can’t.
At least Thalassian elves should be given full access to Silvermoon City. I can accept that humans and other Alliance races are not allowed full access to Silvermoon - even if, considering Bel’Ameth’s situation, I find it contradictory and biased. Although I want to believe that this restriction is merely the result of some whining, I can still accept that. But how is it that you dare preach about elven unity, when you won’t even allow in those who come from there themselves - those who are returning to their homeland to defend it, despite having been exiled? If the vision is truly the unity of elves, why is it not reflected in the game world? As it stands, this feels like a broken promise – an empty slogan rather than genuine commitment.
Double Standards. Not to mention - and this will be purely from an OOC perspective - how off-putting and what a blatant double-standard it is that while the Horde can freely roam all of Bel’Ameth, the Night Elf capital, you restrict certain parts of Silvermoon from the Alliance. You’re locking a significant part of an expansion’s central zone away from half the player base, thereby either forcing them to play something they may not want to, or making them accept that they’re getting less for their money. It’s a nonsense, and I honestly don’t understand how you thought this was okay. This is outrageous and completely unfair. Allow me to quote a comment from one of the WoWHead articles here.
“So, the Horde are allowed in Bel’Ameth despite being the reason why Night Elves needed a new home in the first place, but when the Alliance comes to Silvermoon to help out because they’ve decided to put aside factional grudges for the common good, they’re second class residents?”
A perfect summary.
Suggestions Moving Forward
Here I would like to present a few suggestions for the future. Since the letter has already become much longer than I had planned, I will stick to a simple list.
- At times, it feels deliberate – as though the design team is intentionally ignoring, even intentionally and evilly teasing a large portion of the player base. Please, prove otherwise.
- There is still room in upcoming patches to address all the issues mentioned above. You only introduced Bel’Ameth in patch 10.2; as the story progresses, you will have the opportunity to open Silvermoon to the Thalassian elves and add the High Elf allied race. I expect you to actually do this.
- After 18 years, it is time to finally listen to the community’s voice. Visit your own forums; see the countless threads of players asking for High Elves.
- If you are dismantling faction barriers, do not be a coward and don’t stop halfway. Either allow reputation and integration across opposing factions, or remove this old, obsolete Cold War Era-like bipolar world system entirely.
- Quel’Thalas should stand independent, as elves traditionally belong only to themselves. Make a third faction out of them or leave them simply neutral. It would add a nice flavour to the game – not everything is black or white. You have done such with several races (Pandaren, Dracthyr, Earthen, Haranir) – it is time to do it with Thalassians too.
- Finally, if you are not willing to do anything more, allow Void Elf models to have access to High Elf and Blood Elf customization options. This is the simplest and most effective compromise available.
Conclusion:
High Elves are not a minor request. They are one of the oldest, most iconic, and most consistently demanded races in Warcraft history. Denying them while adding disconnected or novelty races has caused resentment and alienation among long-term fans. Midnight could still be the expansion that corrects these wrongs, but only if you take the opportunity.
