Possessed of innate beauty and easy gracefulness, they are viewed as both wondrous and haughty by other races in-universe; however, their natural detachment is seen by some as introversion or xenophobia.

Gary Gygax claimed Dungeons & Dragons elves draw very little from Tolkien's version of the elf.

[7]: 34  Tresca described the Tolkien style of elf as "a burden for game designers" as they were seemingly "more capable than humans".

[7]: 34  Tresca commented that "Gygax worked hard to curb their power, by giving the race a weak constitution and putting limitations on how high they could level.

[13] The grugach, valley elf, and cooshee (an elven dog) first appeared in Dragon issue #67 (November 1982) in "Featured Creatures", an ongoing series of articles where Gary Gygax released information on official creatures before their release in the upcoming Monster Manual II.

In subsequent revisions, in order to streamline the game, the non-humans (including the elf) were presented as distinct classes.

[7]: 34  Tresca opined that the introduction of eladrin "restored elves in Dungeons & Dragons to the mysterious, sometimes dangerous, and altogether powerful status they enjoyed in Middle-earth".

In early editions of Dungeons & Dragons, elves had spirits instead of souls which impacted some game mechanics such as various resurrection spells.

[26] Christian Hoffer of ComicBook.com commented that "while there are lots of theories about the technical reasons (many believe that D&D co-creator Gary Gygax was not a fan of non-human characters, and thus placed the restriction on them when writing up Advanced Dungeons & Dragons,) the only 'official' explanation appears in Deities & Demigods, a D&D supplement released in 1980.

[26] In several campaign settings, elves have their own pantheon often known as the Seldarine; this pantheon usually consists of the leader Corellon Larethian, as well as Aerdrie Faenya, Deep Sashelas, Erevan Ilesere, Fenmarel Mestarine, Hanali Celanil, Labelas Enoreth, Rillifane Rallathil, Sehanine Moonbow, and Solonor Thelandira.

The shadow elves are somewhat smaller and thinner than their surface cousins, standing about five feet tall and weighing about 100 pounds.

Their own history tells that they were cowards at the great battle of Corellon Larethian and Lolth, fleeing the combat and taking refuge far below ground.

"[27][28] The deep elves are found in 1996's Monstrous Compendium Annual Volume Three, but originated in the Night Below boxed set campaign published in 1995.

In a subplot of Night Below, the player characters can reintroduce the exiled Rockseers to the rest of elvenkind and reconcile them with their god, Corellon Larethian.

One of the major character types in the setting, they are presented as aloof and isolationist as a group, but also as caretakers of the natural world.

The history of the elven race as portrayed in this setting is marked by great empires and a gradual decline and retreat from the mainland Faerûn.

After the second wave of elven immigrants arrived, the Time of Dragons ended and the period known as the First Flowering of the Fair Folk began.

To the south, in present-day Vilhon Reach, the green elves also created the nations of Thearnytaar, Eiellûr, and Syòpiir.

The elven subraces of Faerûn include the following: Once the slaves of the giants of Xen'drik, the elves of Eberron are said to have immigrated over time to the continents of Aerenal and Khorvaire, establishing nations and distinct cultures on both.

[38] Athasian elves are portrayed as hostile nomads, marked by savage dispositions and a deep distrust of outsiders.

Their features are deeply etched into their weather-toughened faces, and their skin is made rough by the windblown sands and baking sun of the wilderness.

While each tribe is very different culturally, the elves within them remain a race of long-limbed sprinters given to theft, raiding, and warfare.

The 2nd edition product Mind Lords of the Last Sea introduced a new offshoot of Dark Sun elf.

The people of Saragar call them "ghost elves" for their fair complexions, light blonde hair and pale blue eyes.

To maintain a pure bloodline, they have inbred for millennia, resulting in their lighter appearance and halving their lifespan compared to other Athasian elves.

While the Birthright Campaign Setting makes a clear difference in the rules between five Cerilian human cultures, such a distinction is not made for the elves.

The 2nd edition setting allows player characters to be elves or half-elves as adventurers but also as regents, giving them control of provinces, law holdings, guilds and magical sources.

[42] Classics scholar C. W. Marshall positively remarked on the "wide diversity of genetically unique groups" of elves found in the game, "which can energize fans".