High Elf Questions!

[Laicamiril]

Hello! I am about to return to the game and I noticed that High Elves are now a playable option!
If it is okay I would like to ask something from those who have the race.

I am most curious as to how NPCs address High Elves in cases where they would normally say 'Elf', 'Dwarf' or such.
I would like to know if they simply say Elf or if they say High Elf in every case.

I am almost most curious to know if the appearance options are very different between the elven races.
And if there is any way for a High Elf to acquire a skill akin to or the same as Silvan Shadows.

Thank you all so very much for your time!

[Norliriel]

High Elves are addressed as "High Elf" in NPC text, yes.

Appearances do differ - High Elves are taller than regular Elves, the faces are different, and they get some hairstyles that regular Elves don't (and regular Elves have some hairstyles that aren't available for High Elves).

No, High Elves do not get Silvan Shadows (or an equivalent). So the only High Elves that can go into stealth are Hunters (Camouflage) and Wardens.

[Kaeneth]

High elves also have Sindarin battle cries occasionally when they shout (similar to the way dwarves do). For whatever reason, in which they refuse to address, the male only has 1 where as the female has 2. In any case though they are pretty cool. Even without Silvan shadows, high elves have some nice skills. 5% light bonus damage, and an out of combat revive are a couple of my favorites. They also have an out of combat run speed boost, but it doesn't stack with any other boosts so it kind of ends up meh depending on your class. Besides that, they have unique animations that are different from the other races. Their running, jumping, dance3, horse call/riding and various combat skills are unique. They also get a roll if you jump high enough off a ledge, and there's a couple of other neat things they get like unique armor sets from their prologue (3 different ones for each armor type) and a lesser ring of power that levels up with stats as you do. (Though they don't hold up end game unfortunately). Also, as I'm sure you may have noticed, they are able to be captains.

I really enjoy mine, personally. They aren't perfect, there's definitely some improvements they could make, but it feels more like an elf should in in Middle-earth I think. I kind of lost interest in my regular elf after playing my high elf a lot.

[Laicamiril]

Oh! That sounds most excellent! Thank you! ^_^

[maartena]

I am most curious as to how NPCs address High Elves in cases where they would normally say 'Elf', 'Dwarf' or such.
I would like to know if they simply say Elf or if they say High Elf in every case.
!

They say "High Elf".

The race is just a variable. Somewhere on the background there is code that says: "Hi %playername, you are a %playerrace of great accomplishments!", and the NPC will say: "Hi Laicamiril, you are a High Elf of great accomplishments!".

This way they only have to add a race variable somewhere ONCE, and all quest in all of middle earth that use the race, will automatically pick it up.

[SirVile]

Just to mention a few things the other posters left out (possibly they hadn't noticed them yet?) - anyway:

Their ears are pointier than those of normal, workaday Elves, and they come with a special Ear-Sharpener
made just for that purpose, keeping the tips nice and pointy even after taking repeated bashings from, for
example, Troll Hammers and the like. Their heads may be flat as a pancake, but they will still retain a keen
point to their earses.

Also, their sneers are bigger than those the regular Elves routinely wear on their faces; you can see, if you
zoom all the way in, the lip-elevation is higher and you can see more mirthless elf-smile. Also the eyebrows
are raised higher in contempt of 'lesser races'. This is true of both the male and female High Elves, with the
added bonus that the females are actually also contemptuous of even the male High Elves.

So, basically, Ears & Sneers - and you know what they say about that...

[OldMadeOfLions]

This way they only have to add a race variable somewhere ONCE, and all quest in all of middle earth that use the race, will automatically pick it up.

Occasionally we do write specific text for High Elves that other Elves don't get, especially when you encounter people from your past, like Harthalín, so it's not all automagic. This happens with Beornings too, where having brothers and sisters entails some extra writing work.

MoL

[maartena]

Occasionally we do write specific text for High Elves that other Elves don't get, especially when you encounter people from your past, like Harthalín, so it's not all automagic. This happens with Beornings too, where having brothers and sisters entails some extra writing work.

MoL

Thanks for the clarification.... I assume that is more lore/story based?

[istvana]

>This happens with Beornings too<

As in the Breeland quest early in the game to kill a number of bears. As the final one dies a Beorning gets the message "Son/Daughter how could you do this to us??"

[Nymphonic]

>This happens with Beornings too<

As in the Breeland quest early in the game to kill a number of bears. As the final one dies a Beorning gets the message "Son/Daughter how could you do this to us??"

My answer would be "Easy, I need the money!"

[Pivot]

>This happens with Beornings too<

As in the Breeland quest early in the game to kill a number of bears. As the final one dies a Beorning gets the message "Son/Daughter how could you do this to us??"

Which one is that ? I know there's a class quest in the lone-lands to kill a rogue Beorning.

[Witch0King]

I have a question myself regarding the high elf. I'm plotting my return and it'd be cool to start a new character like that. So my question is: Will they be sold separate from the expansion pack in the next major update, 22? I saw some people speculating on it. I don't really want to spend 40$ extra on just unlocking it since I don't really care much for the other items offered in the expansion pack, other then the expansion of course not to mention the subscription fees on top of that would really make it a costy affair for me xD anways, I'd appreciate if anyone who knows could comment on this, thanks

[EB64]

It's my understanding that the High Elf will be separate from the expansion once update 22 is out.
Cost will be somewhere around 1000LP(I think).

[couderes]

So the High Elf is now available in-store for 1000tp, and out of pure curiosity and having the necessary TP available I got it. The Intro is great, but at the end we start at Celondim just like an ordinary Elf at level 1

Apart from things like hairstyles and the like, I am having difficulty identifying the difference between the High Elf and the ordinary Elf. Can anyone tell me if these differences are sumarised anywhere and if so where?

[YamydeAragon]

So the High Elf is now available in-store for 1000tp, and out of pure curiosity and having the necessary TP available I got it. The Intro is great, but at the end we start at Celondim just like an ordinary Elf at level 1

Apart from things like hairstyles and the like, I am having difficulty identifying the difference between the High Elf and the ordinary Elf. Can anyone tell me if these differences are sumarised anywhere and if so where?

Hairstyles, emotes, intro dialog, new intro outfits (1 set per class), only high elf can be captain & more body hair.

[djheydt]

So the High Elf is now available in-store for 1000tp, and out of pure curiosity and having the necessary TP available I got it. The Intro is great, but at the end we start at Celondim just like an ordinary Elf at level 1.

You spend three thousand years in a coma, of course you're going to be weak!

And there's one difference at Celondim. The ordinary Elf just plunges into the story. But the High Elf arrives at Celondim with the assumption that s/he's going to head downriver to the Havens and go into the West. But then Elrohir and Elladan show up and (in effect) say "Do you really want to go West, or do you want to stay and lend a hand in the War of the Ring?" And you decide -- or rather, the plotline decides for you -- that you're going to stay. And then it's onward with Cardavor and the search for Avorthal, just like your standard Elf. [Because if you did decide to go into the West, your career in the game would be really short. ]

One of the differences between the High Elf and the vanilla Elf is that the former has a different set of race traits from the latter -- and one of them is called "Those Who Remain," whose mouseover text reads, "You resist the call to the west, knowing there is still work to be done in Middle-earth." And it gives you an extra 8 Will.

Apart from things like hairstyles and the like, I am having difficulty identifying the difference between the High Elf and the ordinary Elf. Can anyone tell me if these differences are sumarised anywhere and if so where?

Some of the differences are listed upthread. I don't know them all; my High Elf is only level 32. I suspect that MoL and his colleagues have tucked some interesting details into the race that will emerge here and there along the plotline, even if they're chiefly useful for RP purposes.

[couderes]

I note the interesting trait variation, and there is mention upthread of "a lesser ring of power that levels up with stats as you do" though I have not found such a note on either of my starter rings. The differences seem to be almost entirely cosmetic (so far at least) with the same skills, which I find somewhat disappointing.

[EB64]

I note the interesting trait variation, and there is mention upthread of "a lesser ring of power that levels up with stats as you do" though I have not found such a note on either of my starter rings. The differences seem to be almost entirely cosmetic (so far at least) with the same skills, which I find somewhat disappointing.

You should have a Blue ring with + to a few stats and also a trait or so.
It levels up when you do in that the amount of buff you get increases.
Also has a different name from other starting rings. For example, my Hunter's ring is named "Tyelca".

[couderes]

Thanks EB these bits of data are hard to find!!

[SirVile]

Also, whenever you are about to fall off a Cliff and break both legs, you do a cute little somersault first
on the way down, and might even shout something like "OhmyGodNOnottheLEGSagain!!!" in Sindarin.

[Remileth]

Also to add high elf fighting animations for certain classes are slightly different from other races'.

The most obvious I noticed is that the high elf warden will do a spin while hitting Persevere or Restoration, similar to the spin any warden does when using Desolation out of combat. (Cool, though they're a bit slower as a result.)
And it could be due to their battle shouts firing, but I find high elves' shouting skills for any class just a bit slower than the other races, even dwarf.
High elf runekeeper animations seem more fluid than elf/dwarf runekeepers.

But I didn't try every class with high elf, so there could be something else.

[couderes]

Interesting comment by SirVile.
I have noticed, with respect to legs, that whenever my High Elf jumps a fence or tree trunk or the like, on landing the right knee buckles most alarmingly.
Un-nerving when carrying pies for instance.

[EB64]

I just went through the Shire the other day getting all the deeds taken care of on my latest High Elf character.
It amused me to no end when running pies and doing a little flip while running downhill!
I really should have recorded a montage of that or something...