The Void Elves

We now move from the core playable races to the allied races that became playable in the end of Legion and into Battle for Azeroth. In most cases, allied races are offshoots, subraces, or otherwise related to an existing core race. As such, for some of them their background is mostly covered in the related core race’s background.

First up, we have the void elves, or ren’dorei. Void elves are the newest group of elves on the scene, as they are blood elves (and Alliance high elves) who have been exposed to void magics and changed to beings infused with the Void’s power.

Magister Umbric was one of Quel’danas’ ruling magisters; the magocracy that runs many aspects of Blood Elf society. Umbric believed that the elves’ mastery of the arcane would allow them to be able to resist the maddening effects of eldritch magics, and began experimenting and searching for ways to use void magic effectively. Umbric and his followers would eventually be banished from Silvermoon for continuing to dabble with void magic, and find themselves with nowhere to go.

During the events of Legion, we are reintroduced to two important lore characters, Alleria Windrunner and her husband, the paladin Turalyon. Both disappeared decades ago fighting on Draenor, and were presumed missing or dead. It turns out they were rescued by a second group of draenei who had fled Argus. These draenei, led by nauru as well, organized into a military force and began striking at Legion worlds, taking the fight to them as the Army of the Light. Alleria and Turalyon would fight alongside the Army of the Light, with Turalyon becoming a high-ranking commander. Alleria had been infected with void energy while assaulting a demon world, and began to explore her new void powers. The nauru Xe’ra would forbid Alleria from delving further into the void, as the Light and Void are the most fundamental rivalry in the universe in World of Warcraft. 

Alleria sought out an ethereal named Locus-Walker who was famed for his knowledge and control of void energies, while not succumbing to them. He began to train her in her new powers.

However, while assaulting a Legion world, Alleria and Turalyon would find themselves overrun by demons. Alleria exploded with video energies, killing all the demons around them. As they flee through a void portal Alleria opens, Turalyon reaches out and touches his wife, only to recoil, racked with horrible pain. Turalyon had been infused with Light energy, making his wife painful to touch due to her Void energy. Alleria then leaves through another portal, to seek out Locus-Walker.

Together they escaped a Legion prison-world, and for a time Alleria learned about her new powers in a realm of pure shadow, within the Void itself. Here Alleria learned many secrets of the void, but ultimately had to leave when she felt Turalyon in danger. Alleria used her now-increased void powers to save her husband and his troops. However, even with Turalyon’s pleaing, Xe’ra ordered Alleria imprisoned. When the Xenedar would go on to crash on Argus, Alleria was freed to help the Army of the Light.

After the events on Argus, Alleria returned to Azeroth and found her people, the high elves, had essentially switched sides and joined the Horde. After a tragic attempt to visit Silvermoon went wrong, Alleria learns of a group of blood elves banished for experimenting with void magic. She sought out Umbric, and tracked him and his followers to the Ghostlands, and found they had opened a portal to the remnants of a void-scarred world called Telogrus. Alleria opens her own portal there and finds Umbric and his people exploring Telogrus and preparing for a ritual to unlock a mysterious cube they had found. With Alleria’s help, the cube is unlocked, leading to an explosion of void energy as the being inside, an ethereal prince, launches an attack on Alleria and the other elves. The ethereal begins pouring void energy into the elves, to mutate them into creatures of the void, this leaves Alleria (and you) to stop him. Afterwards, Umbric sees first-hand through Alleria how the Void can be used for good. However, he and his followers are left changed from the ritual, many of them now show signs of void-based mutations; changes in skin color, hair growing into tendrils, and the faint whispers of the Void always in their minds.

Alleria, being loyal to the Alliance, offers to get Umbric and the ren’dorei (children of the void) into the Alliance, and back in Stormwind, the ren’dorei formally join the Alliance, eager to prove themselves and the value of the Void to those who have the will to control it without succumbing to it.

Void elves can play as warriors, death knights, hunters, monks, rogues, mages, priests, and warlocks.

Void elf racials are all tied in to their connection to the Void and the changes it brought about in them.

1. Chill of Night. Ren’dorei have been thoroughly exposed to shadowy void energies, giving them 1% less damage taken from all shadow-based attacks.

2. Entropic Embrace. Void elves have a chance with every attack or spell to be overcome by void energies and do extra damage with their attacks and spells for a brief window.

3. Ethereal Connection. No one can explore the void without running into ethereals. Void elves, being kindred spirits to these shadowy wanderers, always get half off on the services provided by ethereals such as transmogrification and void bank storage.

4. Preternatural Calm. Void elves have an otherworldly calm to them, allowing them to cast their spells without spell interruptions by taking damage.

5. Spatial Rift. Every three minutes, a void elf can open a rift to the void that travels forward, activating it a second time will teleport the elf to the location of the rift.

There you have the ren’dorei. They’re a great choice if you want some Lovecraftian eldritch horror mixed in with your character. Void elves have a very distinct aesthetic, being the only void-touched race in the game. They’re also great if you just want to play a dark, shadowy elf. They’ve quickly become a popular choice among the allied races added to the game, so if you decide to join their ranks, just watch out for the whispers of the Void!