Wretched The Wretched were once blood elves , but they failed to control their magical addiction . The Wretched are thin elves with a large , bony forehead , claw - like fingers and toes , blue eyes and strange growths on their backs that glow with an eerie blue light . Recently , with the events of the Sunwell and Kael ' thas summoning the Burning Legion , a new type of Wretched has appeared . After the events of the War against the Lich King , some high elves became Wretched . Background . The Wretched are currently scattered throughout Eversong Woods and lack any general leadership , but a few notable Wretched have stepped up and organized raids . The Wretched have infiltrated the Ruins of Silvermoon , Sunsail Anchorage and even Falthrien Academy on Sunstrider Isle . This " kind " of blood elf is believed to be relatively new , considering the fact that they can only have existed since after the corruption of the Sunwell . Gershala Nightwhisper feared this transformation might occur before the events of the Burning Crusade . He even sent adventurers in Blackfathom Deeps to get corrupted brain stems from naga and satyr . The Wretched can be compared to both naga and satyr because their magical dependence caused them to undergo physiological changes . Unlike those two races , this transformation can occur in an instant as soon as the blood elf succumbs to his or her thirst for magic ( as Magistrix Elosai ' s transformation into the Wretched shows ) . Some people might think of them as Broken counterparts , both are shunned by their original species , both were changed by magic , the difference being that the Wretched had a choice , while the Broken did not . However , the fact that she only stayed a Wretched for a short period might imply that the mutation is reversible or even curable . On the other hand , this may have been a game play mechanic . New Wretched . With the events of the Sunwell being used to summon the Legion , a new type of Wretched has been created . These Wretched have worse physical changes . While some of them have mild symptoms of this advanced mutation , they are still pretty bad . Symptoms they have are bulging green eyes , black rot - like mouths with what looks like black drool coming from them , less hair , green growths , feet and hands that are more claw - like and are an almost demon - like brown color , and small holes where growths should be from their Wretched transformation . Others , however , are more monstrous , having all of the already mentioned symptoms including , deep sucked - in chests , more holes that look like they appeared from popped growths , markings near their eyes , and more of a monster - like appearance , barely resembling their former selves . These more serious mutations have appeared from tapping into the energies granted by the Burning Legion ; in fact , some blood elves trying to become felbloods have become Wretched due to absorbing too much fel energy . These Wretched serve Kael ' thas fiercely , and he rewards them by supplying them with mass amounts of fel energy for them to feed on . So far , these Wretched have only appeared on Quel ' Danas and the throne of Kil ' jaeden , likely because this mutation is fairly new still and can only exist after a blood elf or Wretched has absorbed mass amounts of fel energy — which is mainly located in those two areas . With the Legion ' s defeat at the Sunwell and Kael ' thas ' death , it seems that this new breed of Wretched won ' t be spreading anytime soon . Cataclysm . The High Elves of the Quel ' Lithien Lodge have become Wretched ; revealing that both High and Blood Elves can become Wretched . Wretched Speculation . The Sunwell has been restored providing a constant supply of magical energy to Blood Elves and High Elves sating their magic addiction , which brings up many questions regarding how this impacts the Wretched . Regarding the current population of Wretched , the question is raised whether they also have access to the energies of the Sunwell or has their transformation turned them into a new species cut off from this supply . The nature of the Wretched ’ s transformation , which is possibly the result of using corrupting Fel energy to feed their addiction , might mean they cannot access the Sunwell as stated in the Sunwell article : " “ The Sunwell ' s new energies are derived from both the arcane and from M ' uru ' s powers of the Light ” " Considering Fel and Light energy are opposing forces , the Wretched might not be able to tap into the Sunwell ’ s power . If all or some of the Wretched are able to use the Sunwell ’ s energies , is their transformation reversible , or is it like Night Elves , who , upon using magic , are irreversibly turned into Highborne in the space of a week ? If the Wretched can access the Sunwell ’ s power and cannot turn back , is it possible for there to be “ good Wretched ” seeking redemption especially considering the Light infused power of the Sunwell . Regarding the future of the Wretched it can be assumed no more Blood Elves will give into their magical addiction , as they are now supplied by the Sunwell , so no more Wretched will be created . One could argue this mean that the Wretched are heading towards extinction not being able to replace their numbers . Another question is have any Wretched procreated giving birth to Wretched or Half Wretched children . To further this question on Blood Elf lands there are areas infested with Wretched , have they been able to form breeding populations in these areas .