Now that there has been strict errata saying an Elf DOES indeed finish a Long Rest after 4 hours if they decide to meditate through Trance, I assume this also means they are forced to gain the benefits of that long Rest after only 4 hours?
If this is indeed the case, if a party with one Elf and 3 humans are interrupted by a combat after 6 hours and the Elf has already benefitted from their 4 hour Long Rest, what happens if each member of the party used 1 spell slot each?
The 3 humans go back to sleep to finish their Long Rest and recover their slots and HP, while the Elf who Tranced hours ago…. doesn't?
This seems like a step down suddenly.
Best Answer
The elf gains the benefits of a long rest immediately after being in a trance for four hours.
Trance states:
So if the elf spends 4 hours in the trance, then they gain the benefits of a long rest. They benefit from the rest immediately at the end of the 4 hours. Remaining hours of light activity are not necessary, as explained in my answer here:
4 hours of trance is a sufficient condition for an elf to complete a long rest. At the end of 4 hours of trancing, their long rest is complete, and all the associated benefits, such as spell slot and hit dice restoration, are realized.