Since the debut of The Lord of the Rings, elves in fiction are typically described with magical and often angelic qualities to distinguish them from mundane, short-lived humans. However, these traits can easily be twisted, creating haughty, stuck-up individuals, sometimes with racial supremacist values (and being as old as they are, they should probably know better).
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While there are plenty of good elves in video games for fans of glittering capes and pointy ears to enjoy, their evil counterparts have played heel for countless titles, tampering with virtual worlds or just outright annoying gamers with their eye-rolling arrogance and pride over winning the cosmic lottery.
7 Dragon Age - Fen'Harel
Technically, Fen'Harel from the Dragon Age series is not just an elf but a god of the Dalish elves, specifically the god of trickery and betrayal. His actions were said to have resulted in the separation of the gods from their worshipers, including the banishment of the mother goddess, Mythal, which explains why they didn't intervene during the elven civilization's fall.
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Regardless of the truth, those who remember the old ways refer to Fen'Harel as the "dread wolf." Unlike their other gods, whom they carry with them, Dalish elves leave statues of white wolves outside their settlements as a sign of fear, respect, and a reminder to their kin to always be vigilant.
Dragon Age
- Released
- November 3, 2009
WHERE TO PLAY
6 Baldur's Gate 3 - The Drow
Here's an example of evil that doesn't necessarily come from an individual but from a society. The subterranean-dwelling Drow of the Dungeons and Dragons franchise comes in two flavors in the exceptional Baldur's Gate 3: Those who worship Lolth, the evil goddess of spiders and scuttling things, and those who reject her, who wish to overthrow the reign of the spider.
Lolth worshippers are marked by glowing red eyes as a sign to all who see them to cower in fear. Naturally, players who choose the Drow as their character's race will notice more NPCs giving a reaction. After all, while most surface dwellers know little about the Drow and their underground dwellings, they are certainly familiar with their practice of taking as many slaves as they have members of their household.
Baldur's Gate 3
- Released
- August 3, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Larian Studios
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC, macOS
- Genre(s)
- RPG
5 Neverwinter Nights - The Valsharess
The Drow is known for their cruel and merciless society in the Dungeons and Dragons universe. Of these subterranean corrupted elves, none are more feared than the Queen of the Drow and the Shadows of Neverwinter Nights, who was so vicious that she even managed to lure and trap a great arch-devil, Mephistopheles, granting her and her forces powerful rule over fire magic.
The Valsharess is a title in itself, as it means "ruler" or empress," and her true name is kept hidden from her subjects. Even without the power of Mephistopheles, she was known to be as powerful as she was cruel and hubristic, even commanding her own elite team of assassins known as the Red Sisters.
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4 The Elder Scrolls Online - Mannimarco
Like most elves in fiction, the mer of the Elder Scrolls universe live much longer than their human counterparts, meaning that they have much more time to complete great works before they perish. Then again, they also have much more time to perform great acts of evil or just figure out how to sidestep mortality altogether.
The Lich King, Mannimarco, attempted such deeds during his time in Tamriel, and in some of his ventures, he succeeded, becoming a lich and then a god. He also attempted to lure and absorb the essence of one of the great Daedric princes to take his place, kick-starting Molog Bal's invasion.
Elder Scrolls Online
- Released
- April 4, 2014
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- ZeniMax Online Studios
- Platform(s)
- PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Stadia, PC, macOS
- Genre(s)
- MMORPG
3 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Eredin
This king-slaying, slave-taking, dimension-hopping elf serves as the overarching antagonist to The Witcher trilogy. Before taking the Elven throne for himself, Eredin primarily spent his time abducting humans and subjecting them to forced labor. He would always ride with his abduction party in events people would come to refer to as "wild hunts."
These riders would use magic to augment their appearances and voices, giving them a horrific, skeletal appearance. Since Eredin always led the charge, he became known to humanity as the "king of the wild hunt." Their phantasmic visages would take on an even more spectral effect as their ability to pass through worlds diminished, and they had to rely on astral means to transfer between the planes.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
- Released
- May 19, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- CD Projekt Red
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
2 Deep Rock Galactic - Management
While elves never actually appear in person in Deep Rock Galactic, there are hints here and there that the whole space mining corporation is run by the "knife-ears," also known as elves, which many fans have speculated to be true. The sobering sap available at the bar, Leaf Lover's Special, could confirm the existence of elves, as it is only there to "appease management."
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Draining a cup of the stuff instantly removes all alcoholic effects. Why else would management put such a vile brew at the bar than to subtly insult the dwarves? Elves often live in lofty structures, but it's never clear how they sourced their materials (or wealth, for that matter). The answer: Dwarfish exploitation! Mission Control's haughty accent also betrays a tint of disdain for the rock and stone, working-class heroes, although it's possible he's a human who simply picked up management's parlance.
Deep Rock Galactic
- Released
- May 13, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Ghost Ship Games
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One
- Genre(s)
- FPS
1 The Elder Scrolls Skyrim - The Thalmor
Stormcloaks and Imperials may have their differences, but one thing that probably unites them both is their hatred for the Thalmor, the smug, uppity supremacists intent on tearing down the divinity of Talos and subjugating the races of humanity. As well as creating a civil war in Skyrim, the Thalmor were known for targeting members of the High Elf population in their homeland or those that they considered to be of "impure blood."
They deceptively claimed sole responsibility for ending the Oblivion crisis and set a great war with the Imperial Empire in motion. The Thalmor are willing to plunge the world into chaos on the off chance that they might somehow reclaim their former godliness. Members of the Thalmor can be encountered all across Skyrim and, for players of a high enough level, are ripe for beheading after suffering a few predictably obnoxious insults from their golden gobs.
Skyrim
- Released
- November 11, 2011
WHERE TO PLAY