Why are Elves so ugly?

AnduinTryggva · May 2023

To be honest I think Elves, specifically High Elves are pretty ugly as we can create them in ESO while in the overwhelming majority of the fantasy literatures Elves are considered to be of extraordinary beauty. How did that happen?

AScarlato · May 2023

Elder Scrolls Elves to me always looked pretty alien rather than beautiful. We are actually spoiled in ESO where they were made to be a bit more palatable than in other games. That said, it can take very careful angles, lighting, and clothing to make my elves look attractive even here.

Screenshotting my altmer guy must feel to me what instagram models go through to curate their accounts lol.

Credible_Joe · May 2023

It's really, really difficult to convey an alien contrast to humans and inhuman beauty at the same time.

Making them beautiful makes them look human. We see this in all the cinematic trailers where the elves are hard to spot without zooming in on their head and shoulders to show their pointed ears. Then people mostly complain that they don't look elven enough.

But at the same time, giving them elven features (larger, extremely canted eyes, mainly) makes them look alien, and then people complain that they're ugly.

I've seen artists hit the sweet spot, but usually in 2D mediums. Digital art, mainly. For some reason, people are more accepting of the features I described when it's not in 3D, even going as far as exaggerating them to the point of caricature. Extremely long, pointed ears (hylians), over-the-top anime eyes, etc.

So unless we want to shift the whole aesthetic to something closer to a cartoon or anime, the elves we have are what we've got.

And it's worth mentioning that they're getting better every release. If you compare Morrowind, Oblivion, Skyrim, and ESO elven faces, an upward trend in quality is very apparent.

robwolf666 · May 2023

I tend to agree that they're not especially attractive, however, I'm not sure how you'd get that attractiveness to be visible in a game. It's one thing using your imagination while reading a book, another to actually see it with your eyes.

rpa · May 2023

It's easier to claim someone is beautiful in writing than actually make models and animations 'of extraordinary beauty'.

Castagere · May 2023

All Elves in TES game have been kind of fugly.

amig186 · May 2023

If you think they look ugly, then I wonder which race you would consider attractive. High elves in ESO look better then they ever did since the series went into 3D. I would go as far as to say that they're the race that is the least in need of a visual update. The only time they look ugly is when there is a light shining directly in their face, but that's a problem every race has.

Cheveyo · May 2023

Elves in Elder Scrolls have always been fugly. The only way to get pretty elves in these games is through mods.

Braffin · May 2023

AnduinTryggva wrote: »

To be honest I think Elves, specifically High Elves are pretty ugly as we can create them in ESO while in the overwhelming majority of the fantasy literatures Elves are considered to be of extraordinary beauty. How did that happen?

It's a punishment for their lack of faith in lorkhan.

Mesite · May 2023

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

I think my altmer nightblade's features look very angular , his ears are large, his hair short but the colour of his eyes is cool. He's the sum of all the parts. I always thought my Bretons looked good when I created them but they seemed babyish later.

Soarora · May 2023

AnduinTryggva wrote: »

To be honest I think Elves, specifically High Elves are pretty ugly as we can create them in ESO while in the overwhelming majority of the fantasy literatures Elves are considered to be of extraordinary beauty. How did that happen?

First mistake is comparing elder scrolls to majority of fantasy literatures. Elder scrolls marches to the beat of its own drum. Elves here are not mythical aetherial highly attractive beings with some greater knowledge of the universe, as much as they may want you to think so. They are not all crafted to be conventionally attractive. Also, maybe you should take a look at what you consider to be ugly. Most elves I see look fine.

ZOS_Kevin · May 2023

Cheveyo wrote: »

Elves in Elder Scrolls have always been fugly. The only way to get pretty elves in these games is through mods.

You didn't have to call out Thoronir like that

. He's just minding his business, trying to sell his wares.

AzuraFan · May 2023

I think the high elves look fine. I have an altmer character and see nothing wrong with her looks. The same goes for the NPCs. I can't think of anyone who's particularly unattractive.

Aztrias · May 2023

I don't think Altmer(High Elves) in ESO look that ugly, but I guess beauty is in the eye of beholder.

Personally I'm not that much of an elf fan in general, but I really like Elder Scrolls Elves especially the Dunmer.
I prefer the more alien/strange looking Elves, the flawless beautiful(in human eyes) and immortal elves are boring to me.

TaSheen · May 2023

This is one of my latest Bosmer:

I quite like the way she turned out.... The only elven race I have issues with is Dunmer; I just have never been able to get them to look right. *shrug* It's okay, I don't want to play them anyway - changed the ones I had to Altmer.

Kendaric · May 2023

I may be in the minority, but I like the appearance elves have in ESO/TES.

cyclonus11 · May 2023

AzuraFan wrote: »

I think the high elves look fine. I have an altmer character and see nothing wrong with her looks. The same goes for the NPCs. I can't think of anyone who's particularly unattractive.

Usually, but Camyaale in Marbruk is pushing it.

vsrs_au · May 2023

This thread just demonstrates that beauty is subjective. I find the elves in ESO to be beautiful, and I'm very satisfied with the look of my ESO character. I was never completely satisfied with the characters I created for ES 3, 4 and 5.

Soarora · May 2023

cyclonus11 wrote: »

AzuraFan wrote: »

I think the high elves look fine. I have an altmer character and see nothing wrong with her looks. The same goes for the NPCs. I can't think of anyone who's particularly unattractive.

Usually, but Camyaale in Marbruk is pushing it.

She looks fine. Just shouldn't wear yellow lipstick.

Thee_Cheshire_Cat · May 2023

As mentioned, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. What one may find unattractive, another may find the opposite.

i've seen some fugly elves in ESO, but i've also seen some i wouldn't mind chewing on for a while. Giggity.

Besides, not everyone wants to play a snowflake barbie doll 'pretty' character.

As a role-player, i like to think too, how the other races would view humans (bretons) for example... as likely being 'ugly', because their features don't look like theirs.

emilyhyoyeon · May 2023

TES elves are beautiful (fact not opinion) and their alien look is what makes them not cringe like stereotypical elves

opalcity · May 2023

Eh beauty is subjective. It depends on which fairy tales you want to believe, too.

FayJolyn · May 2023

I kind of like that Altmer in TES games got this very pronounced cheekbone and overall pointiness going on. To me they could push the alienlike feature even more, but the sliders as they are now can pretty much go both ways you can make them look pretty ok, but also really push the Mer features.

My sorc character was my first Altmer character. She looks more conventionally pretty than Altmer pretty. The Mer look had to grow on me first. If I where to remake her today I would have tried to make her look more Mer like.

If anything I think all the mer races look pretty similar to each other. I think some extra variation in eyebrows would help a lot. most of them are just barely there and really tiny. The girls need to chill out with the tweezers imo. they all have 90's eyebrows.

Tessitura · May 2023

Elder Scrolls elves are some of my favorite elves in fantasy. The idea of elves just being beautiful human with pointed ears isn't just old to me, it's boring and dumb. The weird eyes, strange face structures, and odd cultures make TES better then Tolkien and D&D and most other elves in settings to me.

I dislike the concept of a whole race of people being Marry Sues, and Gary Stews.TES elves are very much not that and I am here for it.

phaneub17_ESO · May 2023

Bosmer are adorable, maybe because they're so small. The rest have too sharp angled faces like you can throw them like a javelin and land chin first.

NotaDaedraWorshipper · May 2023

emilyhyoyeon wrote: »

TES elves are beautiful (fact not opinion) and their alien look is what makes them not cringe like stereotypical elves

This.

Also, beauty is subjective thing, so you OP think they are ugly, while I for example think they are attractive. Although I do think altmer is the least attractive of the mer, but that's because to me they look the most human and I find mer attractive and intersting with their angular and more alien looks. I take a dunmer with features so sharp they can cut glass over some baby faced breton any day.

LunaFlora · May 2023

ugly is subjective so you can only ask yourself why you think they're ugly

ArchangelIsraphel · May 2023

On the contrary, I find High Elves to be the most attractive and delightful of the races, with bosmer and dunmer coming in at a close second. I find their inhuman beauty extremely compelling. When sculpted just right, they can be very beautiful with their unnerving gaze and sharp, eagle-like features.

For instance, I created my Templar with the palest, silvery-blue eyes so that his stare would be both unsettling and commanding. Even so, there is an element of gentleness and protectiveness evident in his stance, and in the way I choose to portray him, that one might not readily see at the outset. I like that about him. He's inhuman, seemingly unapproachable, otherworldly. I enjoy knowing what lies in the heart of his character while others don't.

ESO has an eldritch quality to their characters that has sadly been lost to most modern fantasy, something a bit feral, frightening and strange to most. While I do enjoy Tokien-Elves and their softer beauty, I have always found my eyes drawn to those whose features were more well defined. Scarred, even. Hardened warriors, with gazes that could melt a mortals resolve where they stand.

In short, Altmer is the most beloved of races to me. They excite my imagination, which has always been drawn to that which looks just a bit dangerous and strange.

McMasterx · May 2023

There are some edge cases, but yes, it's mostly eye of the beholder stuff.

TaSheen · May 2023

McMasterx wrote: »

There are some edge cases, but yes, it's mostly eye of the beholder stuff.

She's gorgeous!

Lena_HJ · May 2023

I love how regular elves look in ESO. .. but obviously Orismer are the prettiest, no doubt!

(could be a tad greener though)