World of Warcraft fans celebrate their favorite faction with #MightofNightElves

Since Warcraft’s inception, Night Elves are a part of Warcraft’s universe. Warcraft 3, and they’re the source of all elf-kind. They’re one of the most popular factions in World of WarcraftThe faction has a rich history that fans can explore and tons of lore. The faction was also dealt a tough hand by the Azeroth civilization in recent years. They have struggled to make a living in this turbulent environment.

The DragonflightThe expansion is currently in alpha. Fans hope for better outcomes for Night Elves. Recent data mining has revealed that the text was not from the Night Elves. DragonflightThe fandom has been impacted by alpha, which suggests that there may be even more tragedy. Namely, that Malfurion Stormrage may be put on a metaphysical bus to the Shadowlands, separating him — again! — from his love, Tyrande Whisperwind. The two haven’t had much peace or actual character development together — and they might not, if the story currently on test realms comes to pass.

This story can change at any time. It is still in beta and everything is subject to change. A group of dedicated fans took to social media to show their support for Night Elves, in the hope that it would help to light a better path for their loved characters.

Russian artist Ammatice started the hashtag #MightofNightElves Twitter account to support the faction. The hashtag has been used by fans to show off their fan art and cosplay. “I started to play back in 2008 when my brother set the Burning Crusade expansion,” Ammatice told Polygon via Twitter messages. “I still remember that moment when I saw Teldrassil with the music playing in the background.”

Ammatice fell in love with the magical forest creatures and the beautiful elves. This inspired her to make fan art. “It’s amazing how Night Elves consist of different ideas,” she said. “The architecture and lifestyle that combines both ancient Greece and Asian styles, cult of Goddess and Nature, an Amazon-like army of Sentinels, special detachments of Wardens, aristocrats obsessed with magic and power. So many amazing ideas, sometimes opposite, that combine perfectly with one another.”

Drekky is a Russian artist who loves Night Elfs and shared his appreciation with Polygon. “Meeting the Night Elves in Warcraft 3 made me fall in love with them instantly!” they said through Twitter messages. “They incorporated everything I love about fantasy races, with their whimsical forests, a mix of arcane and druidic magic, and an interesting matriarchal society, something I was never expecting to see back then. I spent hours and hours playing Night Elves back in those days, playing out my own RP scenarios of glorious Kaldorei and their animal friends.”

For these fans, watching the Night Elves’ story advance through World of WarcraftIt has experienced highs and lows. The Burning of Teldrassil represented a terrible low. It featured the genocide of Night Elfs people as well as the burning of their World Tree home. Much of it was seen through the eyes of its perpetrators. It hasn’t been possible to find justice for Teldrasil and data suggests that Night Elves could be experiencing more losses. Some players may be pessimistic, even though all alpha content could change.

“Shadowlands left off on the note of renewal, and it’s where I expected the story to go — a time of peace and restoration for the night elf kind,” says Lemongrace, an artist and player in the World of Warcraft community. “Instead we are almost taunted with more losses. Legion was the peak of nightelf content for me. While some decisions were made back then, they were still discussed in depth by the nightelf communities. I think Legion was an enjoyable experience to be a nelf and play it. [Night Elf] player. To say it’s been downhill from there is putting it kindly.”

“I want Blizzard to appreciate this whimsical race of magical and feral matriarchal elves, full of different cultures and love for nature, something that drew together so many queers, women and POC!” writes Drekky. “I want Blizzard to love and cherish them, sharing some of that love in the game for once since Warcraft III.”

Lemongrass and other artists sharing art through #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 connection to their characters and the story, and that the race they created has inspired so much creative works and enchanted people for years — this I love about the night elves and the nelf community. I only wish that they would share this passion with us and listen to feedback regarding the story’s direction.”