In Warcraft history, the High Elves had ultimately fallen to the Scourge, largely because of their complicated politics and sluggish response.
To be fair, the High Elves' true strength was still immensely formidable.
Though their lifespans did not match those of the Draenei, High Elves still lived for thousands of years. Longevity brought elves flaws such as laziness, a lack of drive, and an indulgence in pleasure, but it also largely ensured their high average caliber.
To High Elves, the human way of life was incomprehensible. They found it unbelievable that humans rose at dawn and rested at sunset, spending entire days studying and working.
In their eyes, time was the cheapest and most expendable form of wealth. There was simply no need to live so arduously every day.
For elves, art and enjoyment were the focus of life. They generally spent no more than six hours a day studying and working, with the rest filled by hobbies such as music, handicrafts, and fine arts—allowing the High Elves to lead Azeroth's fashion trends for generations. The clothing and lifestyles popular among noble ladies in Lordaeron, Gilneas, Kul Tiras, and other human kingdoms were often outdated fashions that had spread from Quel'Thalas.
But elves were, after all, a long-lived race.
Even the dullest fool could become a scholar after studying one or two hours a day for a century, let alone a High Elf.
In human eyes, the High Elves were incomparably powerful. Their armies could arrange themselves into formations as neat as works of art; their weapon strokes were as splendid as a dance, yet utterly lethal. Their bows often had twice the range of their human counterparts while retaining their accuracy. They wielded magic as deftly as their own fingers, capable of feats that many human mages could not