List of pop culture references in Warcraft/Cata

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World of Warcraft: Cataclysm

Comic and manga

  • Oglaf — The description of the Archaeology item  [Skull Drinking Cup], especially the line "So thirsty...." is a reference to Skulls!, one rare SFW strips of the mostly NSFW webcomic Oglaf.

Gaming

  • Alone in the Dark —  [Alone in the Darkness - Guild Edition] is a reference to the Alone in the Dark computer game series, which is mostly based on Lovecraft's works, just like Yogg-Saron.
  • Assassin's Creed — The quest name N Rogue [35] Assassinate Creed is a reference to the series.
  • BioShock
    • The quests H [10-30] Mr. D's Wild Ride and A [10-30] Mr. P's Wild Ride reference Big Papa and Big Daddy--you must control the shredders to kill a variety of enemies. As you complete the quests, Clarissa and Alice follow and cheer you on. The shredders don't look like normal shredders as well--they are wearing helmets and have a drill for one arm and a huge claw for the other, just like the Big Daddies.
    • Clarissa and Alice are references to the Little Sisters, who are accompanied by shredders representing the Big Daddies. Their dialogue echoes the Little Sisters dialogue where they would cheer on the Big Daddies to kill their enemies:
      • Clarissa whispers: Get 'em, Mr D!
      • Clarissa whispers: Hooray, Mr. D! You're back! Do you remember how to shoot all your guns? Why don't you take a minute to learn how to fight again! Just in case.
      • Clarissa whispers: Hurt 'em some more! MORE!
      • Clarissa whispers: Make 'em sorry for hurting you, Mr. D!
      • Clarissa whispers: YAY!
    •  [Mr. Bubble's Shockingly Delicious Ice Cream]: Nickname for the Big Daddies that protect the Little Sisters.
    • Anderov Ryon shouts out modified quotes from Andrew Ryan, Rapture's founder.
      • Fools! Simpletons! Look at you milling about, oblivious to the coming of the end!
      • Allow me to ask a simple question: Is a man allowed - entitled even - the sweat of his brow?
      • "No," says the orc in Orgrimmar, "it belongs to the Horde!"
      • "No," says the human in Stormwind, "it belongs to the Alliance!"
      • I knew a man once that rejected those answers! A man that chose the impossible!
      • That man was Genn Greymane and that impossible choice was Gilneas!
      • Oh Gilneas, I miss you so!
  • Joust — The quests in the Firelands Hatchery play like a 3D version of the arcade game Joust, including similar enemies and controls.
  • Parasite Eve — The achievement  [Parasite Evening] is a reference to the Parasite Eve series.
  • Plants vs. Zombies
    • There's a quest chain in Hillsbrad Foothills started by Brazie the Botanist that is a homage to the game. The name of the last quest in the chain, N [7-30] Lawn of the Dead, was also the original name for Plants vs. Zombies.
    • The Singing Sunflower non-combat pet received for completing the quest chain is a reference to Plants vs. Zombies music composer Laura Shigihara, who was represented as a singing sunflower in the Plants vs. Zombies theme song's music video. At Blizzard's request, Shigihara also voiced the Singing Sunflower non-combat pet.
  • Star Fox 64 — The achievement  [Do a Barrel Roll!] is a reference to Star Fox 64. The line, which was delivered by Peppy Hare as advice to the player, became an internet meme.
  • Street Fighter — Alliance Commander Jarrodenus in Azshara fights with the abilities Flaming Dragon Kick and Hadouken.
  • Team Fortress 2 — The quest H [5-30] Segmentation Fault: Core Dumped located in a Secret Lab in Azshara is a reference to the Payload game mode from Team Fortress 2. In addition, upon initiating the quest, Hulking Labgoblin will say "We must push little cart!", a reference to the Heavy, one of the playable characters in the game.
  • The Legend of Zelda — While on the quest N [35 Daily] The Protectors of Hyjal, Linken will sometimes say either "Oh, boy! I'm so hungry, I could eat a fire elemental!", which is a play off of a line said by Link in the infamous Legend of Zelda CD-i games, or "Excuuuuse me, princess!", which is Link's catchphrase in the Legend of Zelda cartoon.
  • Touhou Project — The quest A [5-30] A Tiny, Clever Commander to kill "Commander" Nazrim references both the name of a character from the Touhou game Unidentified Fantastic Object as well as her stage song (Nazrin and The Tiny, Tiny, Clever Commander respectively)
  • Xenogears — Neutral Fleet Master Seahorn in N [35 Daily] The Protectors of Hyjal says "I am... a tauren... of the SEA!", which is a reference to a line said several times by the Captain of the Thames.

Literature

Movies and television

  • 24 — During the Twilight Investigation quest line in Stormwind, a quest A [84] The Old Barracks will have you meet with Jack Bauden (Jack Bauer) who says "I'm Jack Bauden, this is the longest day of my life."
  • Clash of the Titans — Near the end of the Vashj'ir questline when the Naga assault Neptulon, Lady Naz'jar cries out "Release the Kraken!" to call upon the aid of the Leviathan Ozumat in defeating Neptulon.
  • CSI: Miami — The main quest chain in Westfall has players interacting with wisecracking Lieutenant Horatio Laine, assisting him while investigating several crimes in the area. Horatio Laine is based off of Horatio Caine, a character from CSI:Miami. In episode teasers, Caine would begin to speak a particularly ominous (or humorous) line, pause for a moment to put on his sunglasses, and then finish the sentence.
  • Doctor Who
    • When entering Nespirah during N [30-35] Nespirah, Earthmender Duarn says "Her body appears even larger from the inside." (you can hardly grasp Nespirah's size from the outside while being rather close to it) which is a reference to the TARDIS actually being larger on the inside, which is often stated by characters in the show. Also, the shape and color scheme of Nespirah's inside seem similar to that of the TARDIS in series 1-4 of the 2005 relaunch.
    •  [No'Kaled, the Elements of Death], a weapon dropped by Madness of Deathwing, seems to refer to the Daleks, the original name of which was "Kaled"
  • Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman — Witch Doctor Qu'in <Medicine Woman> in the level 85 heroic version of Zul'Gurub is a reference to the title character of the series.
  • First Blood — The John J. Keeshan questline in Redridge Mountains is a reference to the Rambo series. John J. Keeshan is modeled after John Rambo, and Colonel Troteman is based off of Colonel Samuel Trautman.
  • Futurama
    • The Jewelcrafting Cataclysm dailies in Orgrimmar/Stormwind reference characters and events from the series heavily:
      • B Jewelcrafting [30-35 Daily] A Present for Lila - Lila has purple hair, is a ship captain and apparently only has one eye (left) but is still attractive, which are attributes of Turanga Leela as well. Bonder (Curver in the Alliance version) is apparently a thief, which his friends are oblivious about, and likes drinking, which describes Bender. "Bonder" was also how a fraud psychic called him in a séance.
      • B Jewelcrafting [30-35 Daily] Elemental Goo and B Jewelcrafting [30-35 Daily] The Latest Fashion! mention (A) Professor Barnsworth and (H) Dr. Vernstrom, which stand for Professor Farnsworth and Dr. Wernstrom, rival scientists and mortal enemies. While The Latest Fashion! mentions disregard for the dangers of science/magic, as well as finding "other" uses for inventions that have proven to be dangerous, a trait of Farnsworth, the "hand stuck in jar" joke in Elemental Goo's completion text might refer to the series' "heads in jars".
      • B Jewelcrafting [30-35 Daily] Nibbler! No! - Nibbler is a direct reference to Leela's pet of the same name, which can (and will) devour and digest anything, while its droppings are too heavy to lift.
      • Both the quest name and description text of B Jewelcrafting [30-35 Daily] Ogrezonians in the Mood reference the title and plot of the episode Amazon Women in the Mood, and also mentions "Azeroth Express", a play on Planet Express, the delivery company of the series' protagonists.
  • Hell's Kitchen — In Southern Feralas, near the Steam Pools, you can find a Goblin resort. This is where you can find Gordon Tramsay, <Head Chef>, which is a clear reference to Gordon Ramsay, the host of the American cooking competition show.
  • House — In the Horde camp of Dragonmaw Port in the Twilight Highlands there is an NPC named Gregor that is a Dragonmaw Medicine man, named after Dr. Gregory House.
  • Indiana Jones — The entire Uldum questline revolving around Harrison Jones, Belloc Brightblade, Commander Schnottz and concluding with finding the Coffer of Promise in N [30-35] Harrison Jones and the Temple of Uldum is based loosely on Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, (though the final quest's name is a tribute to another Indiana Jones movie, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom). The Coffer of Promise is similar to the Ark of the Covenant, both in appearance and powers in the movie, as well as the secret it holds.
  • Inglourious Basterds
    • In Uldum, Commander Schnottz has you run a series of quests and asks for 8 Idols. When you bring them to him, he cries out that he needed not 8 but "Nine, Nine, Nine, Nine, Nine!" (sounding like "nein", German for "no")
    • In Azshara, Blood Guard Aldo Rockrain delivers a speech to eight Horde soldiers that very closely resembles the recruitment speech given by Lt. Aldo Raine in the movie, including the line "We're gonna march in there and do one thing, and one thing only: KILLING ALLIANCE!" (a reference to the line in the film "We're gonna be doing one thing and one thing only: Killing Nazis!"). Two of his recruits, Sergeant Dontrag and Scout Utvoch, are references to the movie's characters Sergeant Donny Donowitz and PFC Utivich.
  • Jaws — A questline presented by Budd at Budd's Dig in Kelp'thar Forest revolves around a huge shark called Gnaws, a play on the movie title. The names of two quests, N [30-35] Dah, Nunt... Dah, Nunt... and N [30-35] DUN-dun-DUN-dun-DUN-dun reference the movie's musical theme, imitated with a human voice. An albeit unsuccessful attempt to kill Gnaws is to lure it into eating grubs loaded with gunpowder, which explodes when he bites it, a reference to the end of the movie, where the shark is killed by an oxygen tank exploding in its maw. Another obscure reference might be the fact that Gnaws' Boneyard is filled with orca remains. The boat in the movie was named after the orca, considered the only natural enemy of the great white shark.
  • Jem — At the Darkmoon Faire, there are four children that run around the premises: Jerrica (a draenei), Aja (a goblin), Kimber (a blood elf), and Shana (a human). These are the names of the original members of The Holograms.
  • Jersey Shore — When clicked upon, male Goblin NPCs sometimes say "G.T.L, friend...Gambling, Tinkering, Laundry!" This is a reference to the cast members of Jersey Shore, who use the acronym G.T.L to stand for "Gym, Tanning, Laundry."
  • Pirates of the Caribbean
    • N [30-35] A Bone to Pick mentions a cursed treasure that "makes everyone who touches it a skeleton" - a reference to the cursed Aztec gold in The Curse of the Black Pearl.
    • At the beginning of the Vashj'ir questline the ship the player is riding on is attacked by the giant kraken-like Leviathan Ozumat. The manner in which the scene begins, as well as the player falling the water and seeing the creature are all reminiscent of a similar scene in Dead Man's Chest.
    • In Merchant Coast, there is a dog named Charlie holding keys to a jail cell. In the jail cell are 2 southsea pirates. This is a reference to the jail sceen in the first movie.
  • Point Break — The Blackhorn encounter in Dragon Soul references this movie, with the skydiving motif. Also, there are two NPCs called Sky Captain Swayze and Ka'anu Reevs, which are references to two members of the cast: Patrick Swayze and Keanu Reeves.
  • Starship Troopers — The quest N [15-30] A Great Idea in Tanaris will have the player catch a silithid bug. Upon quest completion, the questgiver Zeke Bootscuff calls over Narain Soothfancy to commune with the bug. Narain states "It's afraid." then yells "It's afraid!", a direct quote from the end of the movie, following the capture of the 'brain bug'. The follow-up quest N [15-30] Just Trying to Kill Some Bugs, another direct quote, features a large explosion in a hive like the corresponding scene in the movie.
  • Star Trek: The Original Series — When you talk to the Horde Negotiator which you accompany for H [30-35] Madness, he says "Hey, does this red shirt make me look expendable?", a reference to the Redshirt cliche, a term coined for stock characters in the series that die early on in the episode.
  • Star Wars
    • The faction-respective versions of B [30-35] The Hammer of Twilight state: "More important than that, the cultists have made a critical error: Cho'gall is personally overseeing its final construction. Many SI:7/Kor'kron died to bring us this information", an allusion to a similar line in Return of the Jedi.
    •  [Don't Get Cocky Kid] is a (paraphrased) reference to a remark Han Solo made to Luke Skywalker in Episode IV: A New Hope.
    • During H IconSmall Goblin Male.gifIconSmall Goblin Female.gif [1-20] Surrender or Else! quest in Lost Isles Faceless of the Deep yells: "And now, young goblin, you will die!", which is similar to what Emperor Palpatine says to Luke Skywalker in "The Return of the Jedi".
    • N [15-30] The Perfect Horns: In a reference to Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, the Adventurer will awake suspended upside-down in the same cave that the Adventurer were just hunting yetis in, referencing the scene at the beginning of the movie where Luke is captured by the wampa on Hoth and suspended in a cave.
  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles — During quests in the Crucible of Flame the buff indicating you are accompanied by a Child of Tortolla is called "Turtle-Power!"
  • The Lord of the Rings
  • The Simpsons — The quest N [30-35] A Bone to Pick (most likely) references the episode Treehouse of Horror III where Homer attempts to purchase cursed frozen yogurt. The episode features a dialogue repeating an alternating "that's good" followed by a "that's bad" set of statements. Both the episode and the quest refer to a cursed item.
  • Twin Peaks — The achievement  [Fire, Walk With Me] is a reference to David Lynch's movie (Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me).

Music

People

  • Antoine Dodson — When completing the quest N [30-35] Crisis Management in Uldum, Schnottz's Bodyguard yells during an attack by several collosi to "Hide your vives! Hide your children! Zhey're killink everyone up in he'ah!". This is a reference to Antoine Dodson, who became an internet celebrity from a viral news video in which he was discussing an attempted rape on his sister. Said video included Dodson uttering the line "Hide your kids, hide your wives, and hide your husbands, because they're raping everybody out there."
    • In Patch 4.2, a second reference was added to the daily quest N [30-35 Daily] Vigilance on Wings. After mounting up, it will say "Hyjal kids, Hyjal wives! They're lancing everyone in here!"
  • Ghostcrawler
    • Ghostcrawler is a rare spectral crab and spirit beast located in the Abyssal Depths of Vashj'ir. He uses the ability Nerfbat.
    • When doing the quest  [Forged Documents] on the Alliance side, there is an option to turn the quest in to the horse trainer Darlene Stokx in Stormwind. Upon turning in the quest, one of the things she says is "I must have been tipsy the night I promised you a pony. Take your money and no hard feelings, okay?" This a possibly a reference to the "Ghostcrawler promised me a pony" meme that sprung up on the official forums.
    •  [To the Ground!] is another Ghostcrawler reference, this time in reference to a joke on how hard he would be nerfing Paladins.
  • Russell — A dwarf NPC at Kirthaven in the Twilight Highlands that shares the quest A [30-35] Words and Music By... who is a reference to his real life counter part of the same name: Russell Brower, who is the Director of Audio at Blizzard.

Other

  • Double Rainbow — The achievement  [Double Rainbow] is a reference to a viral video of a man commenting in awe while filming footage of a double rainbow. Also, the freaked out imps in the quest N [15-30] Open Their Eyes quote the same video.
  • Homestar Runner
    • In Deepholm, the quest N [30-35] Troggzor the Earthinator is an obvious reference to Trogdor. Both the quote "Stop him before he earthinates the countryside!" and the reward  [Earthinating Peasant Leggings] further the pun.
    • The Unstable Magma fire elementals found in the Firelands raid sometimes yell out "BURNINATE!" before attacking.
  • Ragnar-O's — The achievement  [Ragnar-O's] is a reference to a World of Warcraft meme that parodies both Ragnaros and the cereal brand Cheerios.
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