How to roleplay a night elf No one can tell you exactly how to roleplay anything , so take below as a helping hand and a guide - not a rulebook . Overview . Something fun about night elves is that they are more - or - less self - sovereign , independent ; they do not see the Horde as totally evil ( most like Tauren , except when attacked ) , and had a long debate about joining the alliance ; they ' ve basically joined out of necessity , and though are very good to their allies , they more or less govern themselves and go about their own business unless when it is necessary to join forces with other allies or often even the horde ( this is especially true of druids and those affiliated with them , and some sentinels - many others as well , generics , and so on , so forth ) . . . the horde in places where they must defend against the Burning Legion or other things that threaten the whole world and the fate of all , for example ; they are indeed a part of the alliance . This has made them popular , perhaps . They speak Darnassian and also know common , and many know many other languages , though this is not an option in the game . The purpose of this guide . This night elf roleplaying guide ' s purpose is to improve your roleplaying experience , whatever your server . There are some things that you can take apply in your other characters . The purpose of this guide is not to be exhaustive , but to be complete with the basics . It does not include every single possibility and derivative of night elves , but only the ones relevant here and now . We hope you find it helpful . What to do . For starters , your character should not be boring . It should not be so generic that you sound just like the next guy . Develop your character ' s personality and its personality will shine . Try to stay away from the obvious cliches . There is nothing new in that area . It does not mean that your character cannot be nice , or that it cannot be happy ( or like flowers . . . probably every night elf does , as they adore nature ) . The youngest ones are likely to be happy as well as the oldest ones as the younger ones have hope in a new dawn for their people and the world in general and haven ' t experienced as much suffering ( and are perhaps comfortable enough with immortality - some of them , anyway ) , and the oldest ones have seen the events of the very world unfold and have learned meditation , inner peace , and to be happy with the blessings they have and the good in the world . But what it means is that your character should be believable . They can be feral , sure , but talking in cat doesn ' t make sense , nor being totally savage . The can be " hippie " , sure , but they will defend and even fight when they feel it ' s necessary . On the other hand you should not try to be so unique that it get too out of touch with lore . A good example is being a paladin as a night elf or a dragon . Although they are not strictly against the lore , they are stretches and as such need a lot of work to be believable . What not to avoid . Don ' t avoid the slightly " weird " characters just because people are giving you weird looks . As the great Essence of RP hosts said , you can RP anything as long as it ' s convincing . Remember that the purpose of RP is to create an experience for you and those around you . The more convincing and engaging the experience is , the better . Background and characteristics . Night elves as we know them these days originate from Kalimdor and in fact the first to originate from Azeroth - born at the waking of the world . In the post - Sundering Azeroth following the Well of Eternity ' s destruction " Kalimdor " refers to the western continent . Naming . Night elf first names are usually two to four syllables long . Generally speaking , feminine and masculine names are not generally very different although certain consonants and suffixes are more generally associated with one . Night elf names typically do not have the letters Z , J or X . Those are also absent from the known samples of the modern Darnassian language . In general , names with those letters were only used by pre - Sundering elves . For instance , the names Xavius and Azshara , both pre - Sundering names from the lore , feature some unusual letters . Names of this sort do not appear in post - Sundering names whatsoever , probably due to a slight linguistic change in the kaldorei tongue . Though night elf names do appear to have certain feminine and masculine suffixes , the differences between masculine and feminine names are minute if at all existent . Origins . As far as being born pre - Sundering is concerned , your only choice of origin is Kalimdor . The old continent was the only one , and naturally , most of it was a vibrant forest . Of course , back then , many elves were born in one of the awe - inspiring city - states , such as Zin ' Azshari , Eldarath , Loreth ' aran , Bashal ' aran or Ameth ' aran to name a few . This is also a chance for you to make up a lesser - known city and roll with it , maybe to break your character from historical limitations a little bit . Take all things in consideration , now . When you decide your character was born after the Sundering , your choice is limited to northern Kalimdor , at best descending to the Barrens before they became a semi - desert they are now . The forests are a likely choice , such as those of Ashenvale . A common mistake would be to choose Teldrassil . Keep in mind that Teldrassil ( and thus Darnassus ) is only roughly 45 years old , and your character could not have come from there originally . Night elves reach maturity / adulthood at 320 years of age . Lifestyle . First off , night elves refer to themselves and one another as " kaldorei " , which means children ( dorei ) of the stars ( kal means star or stars ) . As one would expect from their race ' s name , night elves are nocturnal , generally sleeping during the daytime and waking at dusk or later . Just like with humans , there will be some night elves who break from this generalization - - perhaps " morning dove " could mean the same thing as " night owl " does in the real world . An average night elf would be more likely to favor quieter , darker places , such as the shaded forests of Ashenvale or the tranquil glades within Teldrassil , and probably would not enjoy midday in Tanaris , so be sure to consider " where " your character happens to be located and " when " he or she is active . All night elves meditate to heal their minds and even bodies , to culminate mental , spiritual , and emotional serenity , peace , grace , happiness , wisdom , strength . . . and this of course can translate to physical and makes for a very self - reflective and stable people as a whole . Culture . Night Elven culture takes its association with Nature and the natural world very seriously . The two pillars that govern Night Elf society revolve around nature in one way or another : the elf members of the Cenarion Circle and the Sisterhood of Elune . Officially , the Sisterhood is the government of Darnassus , but the Cenarion Circle holds a great deal of influence . Druids are deeply respected by all Darnassian night elves , and even many Highborne treat them with courtesy , so it is natural that they would join their sister priestesses ( and recently , brother priests ) in positions of authority . There have been many druid females throughout the ages , though not as many as male , and traditionally all priests ( priestess ' ) were female , though that has changed recently as well . Warriors , sentinels , and such have been almost exclusively female ; sentinels are still exclusively female , though male warriors have been seen always and are being seen more often and more closely affiliated with them . Gender roles are not mattering much anymore . Night elves are also extremely long - lived , even without considering that they have been immortal for at least the past ten thousand years . They are considered ' adults ' at 300 years of age , and many individuals with power or authority are old enough , or nearly so , to remember the Sundering . The length of life among many night elves means that they frequently take a wider perspective on matters than younger , shorter - lived races . A few days spent thinking over a single decision may seem excessive for a human from Stormwind , but many night elves would think it perhaps too little time to truly consider all outcomes . At the same time , some , such as Archdruid Fandral Staghelm , are much less patient and are often called " rash " by their colleagues , so don ' t feel that every night elf must have infinite patience . Night elves tend to be very well - read and knowledgeable . All night elf children learn to read and write , or the vast majority ( of course you could roleplay yours as being an exception , but this would be extremely odd and rare ) . Diet . Like every playable race on Azeroth , night elves are omnivorous . Many , however , have a distaste for meat , preferring to eat purely vegetarian foods ; fish and eggs are also fairly commonly eaten . This is not to say that they do not hunt - - although they do not share the Tauren reverence for the Great Hunt , night elves are generally known for being excellent hunters . Furthermore , their reverence for nature compels them to waste as little as possible of any creature killed for food or materials . Faith . Reverence of Elune is universal among night elves , partially because she has revealed herself to them on more than one occasion in living memory . They may also hold belief in the raw forces of Nature , or the Dragon Aspects , though this would be more respect than worship . Cenarius , Ysera , Aviana , Goldrinn and the Ancients are very well - respected and sometimes revered ; occasionally Malorne as well . Night elves are generally a very highly spiritual people , yet highly pragmatic , an often sophisticated paradox . Some view the Light as an aspect of Elune ( and indeed all the gods , ancients , and most they highly respect or sometimes revere ) ; some truly believe in the Light , for it is a force that has existed for a long time ; though the vast majority do not really revere it , they will respect it . Though this is highly unlikely , bordering on non - existent , night elves may not even worship anything at all ; they recognize the power in beings such as Elune , druid magics , and the Dragon Aspects , but might not see them as being worthy of religious belief per se . Do be aware , however , that any Night Elf that does not worship Elune may not be well - received among his or her peers : worship of Elune is by far the most common faith , to the point that the priesthood " is " their government , and refusing to worship Elune may be socially unacceptable . If you choose to play an ' agnostic , ' ' atheist , ' or any other non - traditional Night Elf , make sure to consider these points when writing and playing your character . These things become more accepted , too , over the years as culture develops , however . So again - it ' s not a rule , just a guide . Personality . Like all sentient beings , each night elf will have a unique and individual personality . However , there are many trends that can be observed by looking at the night elves who appeared in Warcraft III , the official Warcraft novels , or while playing World of Warcraft . Common personality traits , both before and after the Sundering , include : Night elves , while wise , can be proud . They are often viewed by other races as haughty and supremacist , though in truth very few are so ; most show great compassion , such as in the case of toward the worgen and gilnean humans ; the night elves sought to aid them and saved countless lives , and have even offered their capital of Darnassus as a new home for all of them , a refuge for the refugees . They have showed great compassion toward most tauren particularly druids , Draenei ( they were the first to welcome them after the crash on Azuremyst Isle ) , and if you look closely , you ' ll see that while they do take pride in themselves , they don ' t feel an air of superiority - they ' re likely to befriend any creature who is good and in need . Still , they wish to maintain their independence ; independent at heart , they seek to preserve their culture , so outsiders are let in to a degree but not fully , generally speaking . This is understandable . It will take a lot , I mean a lot , to anger a Night Elf but once angered a Night Elf will hold on to the grudge for a long time . The fact they are not quick to anger doesn ' t mean they don ' t care ; it just means they seek solutions and don ' t see anger as a solution in the vast majority of situations . Night elf society as we know it now is different from what it was before the third war . Traditionally , sentinels and priests were exclusively female , while druids were exclusively male . Following the third war this is no longer the case and there is very little in the way of gender bias . When making your character , look where your abilities fit into the frames of the night elf society . Below are some of the " niches " a character might find itself in : Personality is Personal , even in Night elf society . Being a druid does not mean you have to be a Malfurion copy who respects ALL life , being a priestess does not mean you have to be Tyrande - trying to save everyone . People differentiate from each other , and this is what makes a character interesting . Everyone being the same makes for a very boring environment , and unrealistic , too . Family . The kaldorei family cell is not cohesive , compared to the community as a whole . The nuclear family is practically non - existent and is replaced by the wider community , neighborhood and friends . I see people making this mistake all the time . The family of a night elf are , yes , their parents , aunts , uncles , cousins , siblings , children , and so on . . . but their even greater " true " family are the night elf people as a whole and the community , who they surround themselves with . Generally blood family remain close all their lives yet " adopt " themselves into other " families " or the " great family " as well . It is common that night elves refer to strangers as " brother " or " sister " . The Darnassian word for sister is " falore . "