Morality of the High Elves
The main difference between a Blood Elf and a High Elf is their morals about magic
“And so I say to you that, as of this day, we are no longer high elves!”
— Kael’thas Sunstrider about the Sin’dorei
The sudden loss of the Sunwell made the thalassian elves realize they had become addicted to magic. After generations feeling that power coursing through them, the elves were caught both physically and mentally weakened at their darkest hour.
“It is days like this I miss using fel magic. Sure, it was evil, but it got the job done.”
— Sunreaver Magus
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The blood elves, following Kael’thas’ teachings, took any means necessary to survival. Not only they delved into darker types of magic to rebuild their home, but they also start leeching off mana from living beings, in order to quench their thirst for magic.
“I’m a HIGH elf, not a blood elf. Don’t worry, I’m not going to suck all of the magic out of you.”
— High Elven Ranger Taela Everstride
The high elves, on the other hand, refused to follow practices they considered immoral. They felt such behavior would eventually doom their people, even if they meant salvation in the short run, and thus advocated to fight the addiction, through meditation and restraint, instead of indulging in it.
“Such a low rate of attrition might be considered an argument in favor of simply forgoing magic and suffering through the consequences. Indeed, a few high elves are said to have succeeded in taking this route through sheer willpower: they survived the process, however unpleasant.”
— Official World of Warcraft Encyclopedia
