Night elves have been part of the Warcraft universe ever since warcraft 3, and they are the source of all types of elves. They are one of the most popular factions in World of Warcraft, and they have a rich history and tons of lore for fans to peruse and explore. But the faction has also been treated harshly in recent years as civilization struggled to maintain a home in the turbulent world of Azeroth.
With the dragonflight With the expansion currently in alpha, fans are hoping for a better outcome for the night elves. But recently datamined text from the dragonflight alpha has sent ripples through fandom as it hints that more tragedy may be to come. Namely that Malfurion Stormrage can be placed on a metaphysical bus to the Shadowlands, separated him – again! – of his love, Tyrande Whisperwind. The two haven’t had much peace or real character development together — and neither could they if the story currently on Testrealms comes to fruition.
Of course, history is subject to change; Being Alpha, nothing is set in stone. And a group of passionate fans are taking to social media to share their love for the night elves, hoping they can help shed light on a better path for their beloved characters.
Ammatice, a Russian artist, started #MightofNightElves on Twitter to rally support for the faction. And fans have used the hashtag to share fan art and stunning cosplays. “I started acting again in 2008 when my brother did the set Burning Crusade Expansion,” Ammatice told Polygon via Twitter messages. “I still remember the moment I saw Teldrassil with the music playing in the background.”
Ammatice was attracted to the beautiful elves and their magical forest creatures, which inspired her to create fan art of the faction. “It’s amazing how different the night elves’ ideas are,” she said. “The architecture and lifestyle combining both ancient Greek and Asian styles, cult of the goddess and nature, an Amazonian army of guardians, special detachments of guardians, aristocrats obsessed with magic and power. So many great ideas, sometimes contradictory, that combine perfectly with each other.”
Drekky, a Russian artist and Night Elf fan, also shared his appreciation for Polygon. “Meeting with the night elves in warcraft 3 made me fall in love with her instantly!” they said via Twitter messages. “They contain everything I love about fantasy races, with their whimsical forests, a mix of arcane and druid magic, and an interesting matriarchal society, something I never expected at the time. Back then, I would spend hours and hours playing night elves and replaying my own RP scenarios of glorious kaldorei and their animal friends.”
It is important for these fans to follow the history of the night elves World of Warcraft has experienced ups and downs. The Teldrassil Fire was a catastrophic low point; The story event involved the genocide of the night elves and the burning of their world tree home and was largely portrayed through the eyes of the perpetrators. There was no real justice for Teldrassil, and recent datamines suggest the night elves may suffer more casualties in the future. While all alpha content is subject to change, some players are pessimistic.
“Shadowlands ended on the note of renewal, and that’s where I expected the story to go – a time of peace and restoration for the night elf species,” says Lemongrace, an artist and player in the World of Warcraft community . “Instead, we are almost taunted with more losses. Legion was when night elf content was at its peak for me, and while some of the decisions made at the time were widely debated within the night elf communities, I still think it was a pleasure to play through as an elf [Night Elf] Player. To say it went downhill from there is putting it kindly.”
“I want Blizzard to appreciate this whimsical race of magical and savage matriarchal elves, full of diverse cultures and a love of nature, something that has brought so many gays, women, and POC together!” writes Drekky. “I want Blizzard to love and appreciate them and share some of that love in the game ever since Warcraft III.”
Lemongrass and others who share artwork via #MightofNightElves agree. As she puts it, “Many of the Night Elf players I’ve met throughout my journey in WoW have been some of the most passionate people with deep connections to their characters and story, and the race they created inspired so much creativity and worked.” and people enchanted for years – that’s what I love about the night elves and the elven community. I only wish they would share that passion with us and listen to feedback on story direction.”