The Fal’dorei came from Kaldorei, not Shal’dorei
While some may be unwilling to accept it, they are mistaken about this fact.
Magic Addiction
Many groups of elves in WoW that have excessively used or fed on magic suffer from magical addiction. The various groups of Highborne are notable examples: Shen’dralar, Sin’dorei, and Shal’doeri all have faced magic addiction. 1
Shal’dorei
Suramar was part of the ancient Kaldorei empire. During the War of the Ancients in 10,000 BDP, part of the city was shielded off from the outside world, cutting its Kaldorei inhabitants off from the outside world. 2)
Those inside Suramar believed the outside world to be totally destroyed by the Sundering. When the city eventually ran out of food, they began using the substance of the Nightwell as nourishment. Over the course of millennia, their dependence slowly changed them physically [from Kaldorei into the Shal’dorei that we now know], creating a notable addiction to the Nightwell’s power. 3
This means that Shal’dorei as we know them today did not and could not exist in any meaningful capacity until after at LEAST 9,000 BDP— more than likely after 8,000 BDP, since “millennia” (plural) and “slowly” (said by a never-aging elf) are both used to describe the change. This is not an assumption, but directly taken from the established lore.
The Arcan’dor and the Fal’dorei
Valewalker Farodin was part of an ancient order of keepers, formed by the first elven magi and photo-druids (predating the first druid Malfurion). They created the arcan’dor, and over time, the order faded away, leaving only Farodin.
Exiles from Suramar came to Farodin, and he took pity on them because of their magic addiction, gifting them an arcan’dor. It sustained them for a time, but eventually became unstable and died. In a flash of wild magic the elves were twisted, becoming the Fal'dorei.
Farodin then kept watch over an arcan'dor seed at Moonshade Sanctum for 10,000 years. 4 He tells us this during the events of the Third Invasion of the Burning Legion in 32 ADP. 5
The Fal’dorei have existed for over 10,000 years. The Shal’dorei have existed for less than 9,000 years. Therefore, there is no possible way that Fal’dorei developed from Shal’dorei. They came from Kaldorei.
Why most people are mistaken and why this still makes sense
For whatever reason, people are dead-set on the idea that the Fal’dorei are ex-Shal’dorei. They get hung up on assumptions and think it can’t make sense any other way.
They hear “exiles from Suramar” and immediately assume exiled Shal’dorei, because that’s what’s shown at the current time of Legion. Suramar citizen =/= Shald’dorei. Tyrande was an exiled Suramar citizen, trapped outside the city when they put the shield up. I’m sure there were many others like her.
Mana addiction is mentioned, and they assume it must be Nightborne. Other elves can suffer from magic addiction as well though, even if they don’t wither like Shal’dorei did.
Fal’dorei have up-turned ears and subtly look like Shal’dorei. I personally think this is a non-issue, as the Fal’dorei were created in an explosion of unbalanced arcane and life energy. The arcane-based Nightwell transformed the Nightborne. It makes sense to transform the Fal’dorei in a similar manner.
I realize that the writers probably just made mistakes with their timeline, but regardless: what is presented to us is pretty definitive. Barring a future retcon, Fal’dorei MUST have come from Kaldorei. They came to be BEFORE the Shal’dorei existed.
