system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
[Lord of the Rings] Why did the elves leave Middle Earth?

My understanding is that they would regain their bodies in Valinor after their death. If they were going to Valinor either way, why not stay and fight? The rings were crafted by elves so you could easily argue they had responsibility to help.
gpt
As an Elf, living in Middle-earth for long enough becomes an emotional/spiritual struggle. Imagine never dying, never aging, watching everything your people achieved withering away in the wake of constant war and entropy. Time becomes your primary villain, and nothing save the “stillness” of the Undying Lands can mitigate this constant sensation of unstoppable decay.

This is also why the three rings were so useful/problematic, as they granted a handful of lingering elves the ability to maintain kingdoms without fear of temporal decay. These “heaven on earth” realms were inexorably tied to the powers of Sauron, establishing the concept of the long defeat: no matter the outcome, the elves lose.

Getting to Valinor is technically the only option, given enough time. Any elves lingering in Middle-earth would fade over the eons, descending into wraithery or worse.