The Blood Elves in World of Warcraft have lost their edge. Unfortunately, Blizzard did not utilize the latest opportunity.
When I switched servers at the launch of World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade, I also joined the Horde. Like many of my friends, I chose a Blood Elf as my new character. I had liked the race in Warcraft III, and the marketing of a “beautiful race in the Horde” struck a chord with me. Moreover, I especially liked that the Blood Elves had a very cool story.
An excellent example of this was the video about Liadrin:
Blood Elves – A cool race that my teenage self loved
Blood Elves were ancient and powerful. Driven from their true home and masters of magic – at least some of them. Others succumbed to their addiction to the Arcane, becoming the Driven. At the same time, there were political power plays as many quests made it clear: Blood Elves did not shy away from cruelty. They poisoned their enemies, invented terrible things like the devastating Mana Bomb. They had Blood Knights who drew their light from a Naaru and used it with arrogance – following the motto: If the light does not heed our pleas, then we will just take it.
Moreover, they were a people that were ruthless because they fought for survival. Silvermoon had been destroyed; the Scourge had killed most of the Elves. They now relied on stolen magic from Naaru and demonic magic.
Additionally, Silvermoon was a ruthless surveillance state. Anyone who expressed thoughts that displeased the government was quickly arrested and subjected to brainwashing by priests to be brought back into line.
Those were my Blood Elves. That was what I wanted to play – both within World of Warcraft and in role-playing. Dark, arrogant, haughty, and still filled with pain from the past. Yes, that was pretty edgy. But I loved it back then.
And for almost two years, that was fine.
Blood Elves without what made them Blood Elves
Then came the patch with the Sunwell Plateau, at the end of which the well was purified and the Blood Elves’ addiction to magic was quelled because the well now contained light magic that also cleansed the magic addiction.
Blood Elves lost their edge. Blood Knights were now just regular paladins again. The magical addiction was somehow quelled and Silvermoon was no longer a genuine surveillance state.
The Blood Elves had lost their bite.
Basically, it is perfectly fine for a race to evolve – after all, history moves forward. But when a race loses the core traits that drew players to them in the first place, that is not good.
With Midnight, Blizzard had the chance to correct this again. Silvermoon moved back into the spotlight, and with the attack on the Sunwell, there was the option to give the race more toughness and a clearer identity.
I had high hopes that Blood Elves would once again have more edges and corners, that they would distinguish themselves more from the other races.
Story conclusion in turbo mode
But by now, we know that this did not happen. The story about the Sunwell and the Void beings was not only handled in turbo speed within 4 weeks, they even further softened the Blood Elf race. Because Lor’themar followed the (justified!) suggestions of the Night Elves and did not renew the well. It was purified, stripped of its power, and is now nothing more than a sight to see.
Sure, in the end I don’t want to say that I could tell a better story than Blizzard – I don’t believe that. But I do believe that it is quite important to understand why one creates a character. For some, it is just aesthetics, but many connect with the races in Warcraft quite a lot.
- Those who play a Draenei are playing a member of a race that has fled through the cosmos from the Legion for millennia.
- Those who play a Night Elf come from a matriarchal society with their own beliefs towards the Moon Goddess and a connection to nature.
- Those who play a Blood Elf did so because they come from a dark background filled with magic addiction and power.
To lose that essence of a race was already a bad feeling back at The Burning Crusade, and it’s no better the second time around.
I don’t believe that Blizzard just forgot what type of Blood Elves the players fell in love with back then. Because there are still some Sin’dorei who fit the old ideal. Blood Elves who are still a bit “edgy,” look down haughtily on the rest of the world, and long for more power.
- Astalor with the Hunt Quests is a prime example of this. He appears so delightfully arrogant, so delightfully haughty – but he also possesses the power and knowledge to convincingly embody that arrogance. Something that even Blizzard knows how well it was received if you believe this little video:
- Something similar can be seen in the quest line about the missing homeless, who all fell victim to a Magister who lured them with promises of money, only to kill them for his demonic rituals.
- There is also a world quest where you have to photograph all the newcomers in the city, which still reminds of the “surveillance state” tendencies of the race.
That is exactly the kind of arrogance and ruthlessness, combined with aesthetics and elegance – that is exactly what the Elf sorceress exuded in the “The Burning Crusade” trailer when she killed the Mana Wyrm and absorbed its magic. The kind of Blood Elf I would like to see more of in World of Warcraft so that it does not get lost in the uniformity of fantasy races that have become increasingly homogenized in recent expansions. Races need differences, edges, and corners, and preferably, in the context of an MMORPG, a bit of racism and conflict potential.
But what do you think? Do you think the development of Blood Elves in World of Warcraft is good? Or would you wish that they regain some of their toughness that they had in the past? Do the races in WoW need to be differentiated again, or is it good that they are becoming more similar and harmonious?
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