Artcraft—Blood Elf Update

Hello and welcome to the Blood Elf edition of Artcraft! We know that many of you have been waiting for this update, so I’ll just provide some quick background and then get straight into the imagery.

We’re aware that it’s not ideal to see a mix of older player character models next to newer player character models, especially when you happen to be a player of the Blood Elf variety—and we’re working as diligently to remedy that situation as quickly as possible without sacrificing quality. We don’t have an exact ETA for when you’ll see these in-game, but we’re happy with the direction of this update with regards to the model and textures; we’re now focusing on model and texture variations, as well as rigging and animating. We’ve streamlined the process quite a bit, so hopefully (knock on wood) those things will go smoothly and we’ll be able to roll these out quickly.

Senior Artist Dusty Nolting is focusing on the female model—here are his thoughts:

The Horde has classically been about brutes, blood, and thunder. The Blood Elves bring a bit of subtlety to the Horde, and I think that was one of the most important aspects of the Blood Elves to maintain. For the female specifically, something we did often was move things around in small but deliberate increments, to make sure everything was just right. It’s the delicate details like her nose shape or fingertips that represent the most challenging parts of upgrading the female.

Senior Artist Joe Keller is focusing on the Blood Elf male model. Here’s what he had to say about his approach:

The male Blood Elf already has a lot of character with his easily recognizable pose and stylish hair. Our update just gives us a chance to define and focus on that. His anatomy, facial features, and hair will all get an update while still maintaining his iconic look, bringing him to the level of the other new character models.

Thank you for taking the time to check out where we are with these updates. We’re excited to get these models in the game, and are working hard to make that happen as quickly as possible—though as ever, quality is paramount, and presenting the best, most highly polished work we can will always come first. 

Thank you, and Shorel’aran!