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{{Stub/Ability}}
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{{cleanup|reason=This article contains '''''lots''' of duplicate items'', is too big, and is largely covered in other articles in the Easter Eggs category.}}
 
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{{Infobox ability
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|name=Raging Blow
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This page contains a '''list of pop culture references in Warcraft'''.
 
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|image=ability_hunter_swiftstrike
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|description=A mighty blow that deals 110% weapon damage from both melee weapons. Can only be used while Enraged.
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|class=[[Warrior]]
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|type=Offensive
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|school=[[Physical]]
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|cost=20
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|costunit=Rage
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|range=Melee Range
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|cast_time=Instant
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|cooldown=6 sec
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|talented=Yes
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|talent_tree=Fury, Tier 4
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|talent_req=Death Wish
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|improvement=
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|ranks=1
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|req=Melee Weapon<br />Requires Berserker Stance
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}}
   
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'''Raging Blow''' is an ability in the Fury tree, causing damage with both weapons instantly, similiar to [[Stormstrike]] or [[Mutilate]]. It can only be used while Enraged.
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=== Readme ===
 
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Please double-check before adding a reference, most subsections aren't in alphabetical order, and most importantly, please note that this page is split into the classic game and its two expansions. Additionally, references to movies that are based on books might be listed under 'Literature' instead of 'Movies', and the movie you are thinking of could just be referencing another work, too. Those might be mentioned in the case of very popular ones, but it will be listed under the original reference.
 
   
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== Talents ==
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To be absolutely sure the entry you want to add isn't already there, please perform a full search on the page (Ctrl+F) for both the name of the book/movie/game etc., and the name/quote of the NPC/location.
 
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*[[Enrage (warrior talent)]] Gives a 3/6/9% chance to become enraged, and therefore able to use this ability, every time you hit with a melee weapon.
   
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== Tips and tactics ==
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{{Tocright}}
 
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This is an extremely powerful ability, and should be used whenever possible. It can only be used when Enraged, so you may want to use abilities to Enrage yourself if an Enrage buff isn't already on. Its 6 second cooldown makes it an easy ability to use in a rotation, if you keep Enrage effects up.
   
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== Patch changes ==
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== World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King ==
 
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*{{Patch 4.0.3a|note=Now does 110% weapon damage, down from 150%.}}
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=== Games ===
 
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*{{Patch 4.0.1|note=Added.}}
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* '''{{wplink|Alone in the Dark (series)|Alone in the Dark}}'''
 
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** The achievement ''Alone in the Darkness'' ({{achievement|image=hide|Alone in the Darkness (10 player)|10}}/{{achievement|image=hide|Alone in the Darkness (25 player)|25}}) is a reference to the ''Alone in the Dark'' computer game series, which is mostly based on Lovecraft's works, just like Yogg-Saron.
 
   
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== External links ==
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* '''{{wplink|Portal (video game)|Portal}}'''
 
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<!-- Read http://www.wowpedia.org/Wowpedia:External_links before posting your links here.
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**The [[Cooking]] Achievement {{achievementlong|The Cake Is Not A Lie}} is a direct reference to the game ''Portal''. The phrase translates to a reward which is fictitious and was popularized by the game ''Portal'' found on Half-Life's Orange Box release in which you are part of a study group controlled by a computer that attempts to motivate you to complete a series of tests involving a new device created by Aperture Science.
 
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Links that do not conform to the rules will be DELETED.
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**The book ''[[Thinking with Portals - A Memorandum on Proper Portal Usage]]'' can sometimes be found in Dalaran and is a reference to the motto of the game, "Now you're thinking with portals!", used by GLaDOS after completing certain objectives.
 
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Repeat violations may result in a BAN.
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Have a nice day. :) -->
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{{elinks-spell|85288}}
   
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{{classfooter|Warrior}}
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* '''{{wplink|Sewer Shark}}'''
 
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[[Category:Warrior abilities]]
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**A sewer shark named "Segacedi" is located under the poison vendor in the sewers of Dalaran. This is a reference to the game ''Sewer Shark'', released on the {{wplink|Sega CD}} add on for the Sega Genesis, also known as the Mega CD in European and Asian markets.
 
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[[Category:Warrior talents]]
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* '''{{wplink|Final Fantasy VII}}'''
 
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**There is a flower merchant in Dalaran named Aerith Primrose. Aerith is a reference to {{wplink|Aerith Gainsborough}}, a major character of ''Final Fantasy VII'', who wears a pink and red outfit similar in appearance to that of this NPC, and is also a flower seller.
 
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* '''{{wplink|Pokémon}}'''
 
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**The achievements ''I Choose You, Runemaster Molgeim'' ({{achievement|image=hide|I Choose You, Runemaster Molgeim (10 player)|10}}/{{achievement|image=hide|I Choose You, Runemaster Molgeim (25 player)|25}}), ''I Choose You, Steelbreaker'' ({{achievement|image=hide|I Choose You, Steelbreaker (10 player)|10}}/{{achievement|image=hide|I Choose You, Steelbreaker (25 player)|25}}) and ''I Choose You, Stormcaller Brundir'' ({{achievement|image=hide|I Choose You, Stormcaller Brundir (10 player)|10}}/{{achievement|image=hide|I Choose You, Stormcaller Brundir (25 player)|25}}), all for the same boss encounter, may be a reference to a phrase used in the ''Pokémon'' franchise, however in the Pokemon franchise the name usually comes before the "I choose you!" statement.
 
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* '''{{wplink|Zero Wing}}'''
 
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** The achievement ''Set Up Us the Bomb'' ({{achievement|image=hide|Set Up Us the Bomb (10 player)|10}}/{{achievement|image=hide|Set Up Us the Bomb (25 player)|25}}) is a quote from the badly translated (Engrish) intro of the Mega Drive version of the game, including such lines as "Somebody set up us the bomb".
 
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=== Movies ===
 
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* '''{{wplink|300 (movie)|300}}'''
 
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**An early death knight quest called {{questlong||55|Tonight We Dine In Havenshire}} is a reference to the movie ''300'' when Leonidas says "Tonight, we dine in Hell."
 
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**The Scourge archers seen early on in the Death Knight quest chain are called {{npc||Scourge Sky Darkener||Sky Darkeners}}.
 
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**Also, the quest {{questlong||55|The Light of Dawn}} is considered to be a reference to the Battle of Thermopylae, since there being 300 defenders of the [[Light]] and 10,000 attackers from the [[Scourge]].
 
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* '''{{wplink|Airplane!}}'''
 
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**On occasion, the {{npc||Scarlet Peasant||Scarlet Peasants}} in the death knight [[starting area]] will say "I picked the wrong week to quit drinking" which is a memorable quote from Steve McCroskey (Lloyd Bridges). He also substitutes "drinking" for smoking, sniffing glue, and amphetamines.
 
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* '''{{wplink|Aladdin (film)|Aladdin}}'''
 
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**The comment on the buff icon when riding the {{item|Magnificent Flying Carpet|icon=}} says "Don't you dare close your eyes!" which is a quote from the song "A whole new world" sung in Disney's ''Aladdin'', while Aladdin and Jasmin are riding the flying carpet.
 
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* '''{{wplink|Aliens (film)|Aliens}}'''
 
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** The achievement ''They're Coming Out of the Walls'' ({{achievement|image=hide|They're Coming Out of the Walls (10 player)|10}}/{{achievement|image=hide|They're Coming Out of the Walls (25 player)|25}}) is a line used by Pvt. Hudson in the movie ''Aliens''.
 
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** Just after starting the encounter in [[Violet Hold]], [[Lieutenant Sinclari]] says, "Prison guards, we are leaving!". This references the line by Cpl. Hicks, "Marines, we are leaving!"
 
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* '''{{wplink|American Pie (film)|American Pie }}'''
 
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** The quest {{quest|This One Time, When I Was Drunk...}} refers to the constant anecdotes starting with "This one time, at band camp..." told by Alyson Hannigan's character Michelle in the 1999 teen comedy ''American Pie''.
 
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* '''{{wplink|Apocalypse Now}}'''
 
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** The achievement ''I Love the Smell of Saronite in the Morning'' ({{achievement|image=hide|I Love the Smell of Saronite in the Morning (10 player)|10}}/{{achievement|image=hide|I Love the Smell of Saronite in the Morning (25 player)|25}}) is a play on the famous quote "I love the smell of napalm in the morning. It smell like...victory."
 
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* '''{{wplink|Army of Darkness}}'''
 
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**The [[Stormforged War Golem]]s in the [[Storm Peaks]] drop an item that starts the quest {{questlong||80|Armor of Darkness}}, a play on the movie title.
 
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**The item {{loot|rare|Mark "S" Boomstick|icon=}} is a reference to Ash's Boomstick from the movie. The reagents {{loot|common|Walnut Stock}} and {{loot|common|Hair Trigger}} used in crafting it refer to the line, "It's got a walnut stock, cobalt blue steel, and a hair trigger."
 
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* '''{{wplink|Back to the Future (series)|Back to the Future trilogy}}'''
 
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** The item {{item|Fluxing Energy Coils|icon=}} is a reference to the {{wplink|DeLorean_time_machine#Flux_Capacitor|Flux Capacitor}} device used in the movies. A coil can function as a capacitor, which is also used in the third movie, where the Flux Capacitor of the Time Train is {{wplink|DeLorean_time_machine#Electronics|a large coil of wire}}.
 
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* '''{{wplink|Bambi}}'''
 
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** In Grizzly Hills, there are 4 NPCs located near each other with interesting names. These NPCs in question are one adult female deer named {{npc||Mother of Bambina}}, a younger female deer named {{npc||Bambina}}, also beside them there are one skunk named {{npc||Flora}} and a small rabbit named {{npc||Thudder}}, these 4 are clearly a reference to ''Bambi''.
 
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** A hunter will come out and shoot Mother of Bambina, exactly what happens in the Disney film ''Bambi''.
 
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**Whenever "Mother of Bambina", "Flora", and "Thudder" are killed, "Bambina" turns into "Vengeful Bambina" which makes her {{reputation|hostile}} to anyone and gives her a [[buff]] called "Bambina's Vengeance", increasing all her damage dealt by 2000% and attack speed by 150%.
 
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* '''{{wplink|The Big Lebowski}}'''
 
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** A questgiver named {{npc||Donny}} in Howling Fjord gives the quest {{questlong||70|Out of My Element?}}. This is a direct reference to the character named Donny (played by Steve Buscemi) in ''The Big Lebowski''. Several times in one of the major scenes, Walter Sobchak (played by John Goodman) tells Donny "You're out of your element!"
 
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**There is an NPC named {{npc||Walt}} at the [[Explorers' League Outpost]] who gives the quest {{questlong|Alliance|71|Iron Rune Constructs and You: The Bluff}} in which he says: "Walt at the Explorers' League Outpost in the Howling Fjord wants you to use the {{npc||Iron Rune Construct}}'s [[Bluff]] ability on Lebronski after you've walked on his rug". This is a clear reference to ''The Big Lebowski''. In the movie, Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski (Lebronski) is visited by 3 thugs. One of them relieves himself on "The Dude's" rug, and several references are made of the rug through-out the movie. Also, after you've completed all the quests Walt has to give, when you open his chat window he says "The Dude over yonder is pretty upset about his rug". Phone's Ringin' Dude!
 
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* '''{{wplink|Full metal jacket|Full Metal Jacket}}'''
 
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** During the Death Knight starting quests in [[Acherus]], at the early stage of creating your first rune blade, a book can be read near the [[runeforge]]s with the text "This is my runeblade, there are many like it but this one is mine." This is an obvious reference to the mantra the Marine recruits are ordered to recite in ''Full Metal Jacket'': "This is my rifle, there are many like it but this one is mine". (Although this could be a movie reference, it could just as well be to {{wplink|Rifleman's Creed|The Rifleman's Creed of the U.S. Marine Corps}}.)
 
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* '''{{wplink|Galaxy Quest}}'''
 
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**[[Grubthor]], a rare spawn in [[Silithus]] may be a reference to Alan Rickman's repeated line, "By Grabthor's Hammer, you shall be avenged!"
 
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* '''{{wplink|Glengarry Glen Ross}}'''
 
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**At the forge in [[Warsong Hold]], the Grand Master Engineering trainer is named {{npc||Chief Engineer Leveny}}, after {{wplink|Shelly Levene}}, one of the salesman in the real estate office, played in the movie by {{wplink|Jack Lemmon}}. The [[Goblin Siege Engineer]]'s complaints about tools is similar to the complaints of the real estate salesman in the film complaining about their leads: "These tools are junk!" and "How do they expect us to craft with these things?" They also ask about a meeting they are being made to attend, which turns out to be with {{npc||Blakelow}}, who abuses the [[engineer]]s ("You call yourself a crafter, you son-of-a-gnome?") and challenges them to a crafting contest ("As you all know, first prize is a {{item|Turbo-Charged Flying Machine|Turbo-Charged Flying Machine}}. Anyone want to see second prize? Second prize is some {{item|Fused Wiring|fused wiring}}. Third prize is YOU'RE FIRED!"), ending in an exortation to "Always be crafting!" similar to a speech in the film by {{wplink|Alec Baldwin}}.
 
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* '''{{wplink|Indiana Jones}}: {{wplink|Raiders of the Lost Ark}}'''
 
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**In the [[Drakil'jin Ruins]] of [[Grizzly Hills]], {{npc||Harrison Jones}} reprises his role from [[Zul'Aman]] as a tribute to {{wplink|Indiana Jones}} and {{wplink|Harrison Ford}}. His dialogue in the quest {{questlong|Neutral|75|Dun-da-Dun-tah!}} includes several movie references, and the quest name itself refers to four notes of the famous ''Indiana Jones'' theme.
 
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**The achievement [[Snakes. Why'd It Have To Be Snakes?]] has its name coming from an quote found in {{wplink|Raiders of the Lost Ark}}
 
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* '''{{wplink|Jurassic Park (film)|Jurassic Park}}'''
 
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**During the Horde version of {{questlong|Horde|74|The Battle For The Undercity (Horde)|The Battle For The Undercity}}, when you clear to the outer ring of the Undercity, Varimathras yells "Clever girl..." at Sylvanas. This is a direct quote from the film version of Jurassic Park. Just before Robert Muldoon is killed by velociraptors, those are his last words.
 
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* '''{{wplink|John Carpenter's Vampires}}'''
 
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**In the quest {{questlong|Alliance|71|Absholutely... Thish Will Work!}}, which you get in Howling Fjord, you're asked to give a [[Vrykul]] prisoner a plague cure. Eventually, he explodes and one of the guards says "I didn't know they could do that." In the movie after one of the vampires explodes one of the characters says "You didn't tell me they could do that. I didn't know they could do that."
 
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* '''{{wplink|The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King}}'''
 
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**In the quest {{questlong||80|It's All Fun and Games}}, you're asked to destroy the {{npc||The Ocular}}, which floats above [[Shadow Vault]]'s spires. The Ocular bears a strong resemblance to the eye of Sauron atop the tower of Barad-dûr from ''Lord of the Rings: Return of the King'' film.
 
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**The Lich King's helmet having spikes on top like those on Sauron's. The Lich King and his undead minions want to kill all living things not under his power, just as Sauron wants his army to take down all living things not under his power.
 
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**[[Angrathar the Wrathgate]] appears to be based on the Black Gate of {{wplink|Mordor}} the only major way of getting into Mordor, and in WoW Angrathar is the only real entrance into Icecrown. They are also both of the same design, made of a black metal with spikes coming out, and a large battle outside them.
 
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* '''{{wplink|The Matrix}}'''
 
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** The flavor text of {{loot|poor|Crude Eating Utensils}}, found in [[Rusted Prisoner's Footlocker]], says "There is no spoon."
 
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* '''{{wplink|A Mighty Wind}}'''
 
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**The zeppelin that transports you between Orgrimmar and Warsong Hold, [[The Mighty Wind]], is a reference to the Christopher Guest film "A Mighty Wind".
 
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* '''{{wplink|Pinocchio}}'''
 
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**In Dalaran, there is a placed called [[Wonderworks]]. The shopkeeper is named {{npc||Jepetto Joybuzz}}, which sounds the name of the man who made Pinocchio.
 
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*'''{{wplink|The Nightmare Before Christmas}}'''
 
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**The NPC {{npc||Alchemist Finklestein}} is a tribute to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_Finklestein Doctor Finklestein]. He gives out the quest {{questlong|Neutral|76|Lab Work}} which also references the fact that Doctor Finklestein was the Halloween Town's mad scientist.
 
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* '''{{wplink|The Princess Bride}}'''
 
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**The NPC {{npc||Father Inigo Montoy}} is involved in some quests in [[Light's Hope Chapel]] and is also hinted to be the real identity of {{npc||Thel'zan the Duskbringer}} in {{questlong|Alliance|73|An End And A Beginning}}. In the movie ''The Princess Bride'', Inigo Montoya was the name of the Spanish swordsman who helped Wesley.
 
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* '''{{wplink|Pulp Fiction (movie)|Pulp Fiction}}'''
 
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**The quest {{questlong|Alliance|70|Zedd's Probably Dead}} is a reference to the movie ''Pulp Fiction''. It is the name of one of the pieces of music from the movie, and also a character named Zedd who gets killed, after which Bruce Willis exclaims 'Zedd's dead, Baby. Zedd's dead.'"
 
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* '''{{wplink|Scarface}}'''
 
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** When you fight {{npc||Gal'darah}} he will sometimes summon rhinos. While doing that he says "Say hello to my <u>BIG</u> friend!" which is a reference to Scarface's "Say Hello To my <u>LITTLE</u> friend!".
 
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** The quest {{questlong|Horde|71|Bury Those Cockroaches!}} in the Borean Tundra is a reference to Tony Montana's line: "I bury those cockroaches!".
 
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** While fighting {{npc||Salranax the Flesh Render}} in the quest {{questlong||79|The Air Stands Still}}, the orc death knight {{npc||Munch}} also uses the line "Say hello to my little friend!" before summoning his ghoul.
 
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* '''{{wplink|The Shadow}}'''
 
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**In the quest {{questlong|Alliance|74|The Battle For The Undercity}}, King Wrynn says "I know what evil lurks in the heart of Orcs" this is a take off from the comic book, movie, and radio program called ''The Shadow''. His catch line, which still has its place in the American Lexicon, is "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men".
 
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* '''{{wplink|The Silence of the Lambs}}'''
 
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**The [[Ebon Blade Prisoner]]s in [[Jotunheim]] (freed for the quest {{questlong||80|Ebon Blade Prisoners}}) occasionally make a remark along the lines of "It takes the key and opens the cage," similar to Buffalo Bill's "It places the lotion in the basket."
 
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* '''{{wplink|Spinal tap|This Is Spinal Tap}}'''
 
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**In Howling Fjord, you receive a quest called {{questlong|Alliance|71|It Goes to 11...}} which is a reference to the movie ''This Is Spinal Tap'', in which the guitarist is asked why he doesn't just make 10 louder on his amp, he replies "But it goes to 11...".
 
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* '''{{wplink|The Terminator}}'''
 
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**In [[Wintergarde Keep]], during the quest {{questlong|Alliance|72|Flight of the Wintergarde Defender}}, your character says "Come with me if you want to live". This is a running line from ''The Terminator'' series. Kyle Reese (played by Michael Biehn<ref>http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0000299</ref> tells this to Sarah Connor (played by Linda Hamilton<ref>http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0000157</ref> in the first movie. In the second movie, a terminator (played by Arnold Schwarzennegger<ref>http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0000216</ref> repeats this line to Sarah Connor, while in the television series ''Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles''<ref>http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0851851</ref> the line is reprised by Summer Glau<ref>http://us.imdb.com/name/nm1132359</ref> in her role as Cameron Philips, a terminator modeled after captured freedom fighter Allison Young who was sent back (of course) to protect John Connor.
 
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* '''{{wplink|They Live}}'''
 
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**When Macalroy in Valgarde offers the "Hell has Frozen Over" quest, he says ''"Report to Vice Admiral Keller just northwest of here and let him know that you're all out of bubble gum"'' which is a reference to the 1988 movie ''They Live''<ref>http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0096256</ref> in which the character Nada, played by "Rowdy" Roddy Piper<ref>http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0684929</ref> announces "I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass...and I'm all out of bubblegum"<ref>http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0096256/quotes</ref>
 
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* '''{{wplink|Wing and a Prayer}}'''
 
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** The quest {{questlong|neutral|80|A Wing and a Prayer}} in the [[Oculus]] is likely a reference to the 1944 war movie of nearly the same name.
 
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=== Television ===
 
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* '''{{wplink|6 Million Dollar Man|The 6 Million Dollar Man}}'''
 
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**In Howling Fjord at the Explorer's League quest hub, an NPC named Walt gives you two quests. One is called "We can Rebuild it" and the other is called "We have the technology". In the old tv show ''The 6 Million Dollar Man'', there's a character named Dr. Walter Ellis. Also, the memorable quote from the show was "We can Rebuild you, we have the technology."
 
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** At the Scalding Pools, nearby Fizzcrank Airstrip, the Fizzcrank Mechanognomes can be seen saying: "The flesh is weak. We will make you better, stronger...faster.". This is another quote from the show's introduction.
 
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* '''{{wplink|Battlestar Galactica}}'''
 
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** [[Fizzcrank Airstrip]]'s flightmaster, [[Kara Thricestar]], is named for {{wplink|Kara Thrace|Kara "Starbuck" Thrace}}, a character from the 2004 version of the TV series.
 
−  
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* '''{{wplink|Bewitched}}'''
 
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** One of the clerks in the shop [[Sisters Sorcerous]] in [[Dalaran]] is named [[Endora Moorehead]]. On the 1960s TV show ''Bewitched'', the mother of Samantha Stevens was named Endora, and was played by Agnes Moorehead. Another sister, Hagatha Moorehead, probably refers to Samantha's (seldom-seen)aunt Hagatha. No word on where her other aunt, Enchantra, has got to.
 
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* '''{{wplink|Deadliest Catch}}'''
 
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**The fishing achievement, Deadliest Catch, is probably a reference to the popular Discovery Channel television program of the same name.
 
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* '''{{wplink|Dirty Jobs}}'''
 
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**An NPC named "Dirty" Michael Crowe appears in Dustwallow Marsh and sells fish.
 
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* '''{{wplink|Doctor Who}}'''
 
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** In [[Borean Tundra]], there is a Quest Item named [[The Ultrasonic Screwdriver (quest item)]]. This is a reference to the [http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Sonic_screwdriver Sonic Screwdriver].
 
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** The entirety of the [[Mechagnome]]s is a reference to the {{wplink|Cybermen}}. The way they're made by "Decursing" gnomes (similar to the way the Cybermen "Upgrade" people), the way [[Gearmaster Mechazod]] considers what he's doing to be a gift of immortality, to a few of the Mechagnomes quotes are all indications to this.
 
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* '''{{wplink|The Facts of Life (TV series)|The Facts of Life}}'''
 
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**A guard in the Underbelly of Dalaran is called [[Natalie Tootiblare]], a reference to three of the main characters in the series: Natalie Green, Dorothy "Tootie" Ramsey, and Blair Warner.
 
−  
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* '''{{wplink|Firefly (TV series)|Firefly}}'''
 
−
**In Amber Ledge of Borean Tundra, [[Initiate Mehrtens]] sells an item which you can use to torture a previously captured mage. One of the lines he says is "Are you trying to meet the real me?", a reference to a line Mal says while being tortured in the episode {{wplink|War Stories (Firefly episode)|War Stories}}, and this line, as the whole torture, is in turn a reference to the works of {{wplink|Xiang Yu}}.
 
−
**In Amberpine Lodge of Grizzly Hills, [[Saffron Reynolds]] can be found on the upper floor; she is a reference to Saffron, a con artist who was briefly married to Mal Reynolds. She is a poison vendor, a hint to how she drugged up Mal with a poison on her lips. Next to her is [[Yolanda Haymer]], another name later used by this woman.
 
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* '''{{wplink|Grizzly Adams}}'''
 
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**In the harbor town of [[Venture Bay]] located in [[Grizzly Hills]], you can find a male human NPC named "Grizzly" D. Adams with a Bear Cub by his side. This is a obvious reference to the original movie ''The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams'' that later became a tv series.
 
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* '''{{wplink|Top Chef}}'''
 
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**The [[Alliance]] Cooking Grandmaster Trainer in Dalaran is named Katherine Lee, a reference to Katie Lee Joel, the host of Season One of Bravo TV's hit series Top Chef and a cookbook author. Some people mistakenly believe this is a reference to Kathie Lee Gifford, who actually has nothing to do with cooking.
 
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**The Horde Cooking trainer in Vengance Landing is named Thomas Kolichio. A clear reference to Top Chef Master Judge Tom Colicchio.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Lost (TV series)|Lost}}'''
 
−
**In [[Bittertide Lake]] is a small island with a hatch with the {{wplink|Mythology of Lost#The_Numbers|Lost numbers}} incremented by one: 5 9 16 17 24 43.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|MacGyver}}'''
 
−
**In Howling Fjord (60,61) is McGoyver who is building an airplane, clearly a reference to ''MacGyver''.
 
−  
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* '''{{wplink|Saturday Night Live}}'''
 
−
** A book in [[Acherus: The Ebon Hold]] (the [[Lich King]]'s floating necropolis and starting area for [[Death Knight]] characters) lists various Death Knight trainees and their fates. The player's character is named on the last significant page with a note saying "Need more cowbell", a reference to a Christopher Walken sketch that the development team must have really, really liked.
 
−  
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* '''{{wplink|Sesame Street}}'''
 
−
** Some of the hungering dead near Wintergarde Keep in Dragonblight say "NOM! NOM! NOM!", a term used to describe eating, coined by the {{wplink|Cookie Monster}}
 
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* '''{{wplink|The Simpsons}}'''
 
−
**In the Death Knight starting area, the quest "{{quest|Nowhere To Run And Nowhere To Hide}}" sends you to kill Mayor Quimby, an obvious reference to {{wplink|Joe Quimby|Joseph Fitzgerald O'Mally Fitzpatrick O'Donnell "Joe" Quimby}}, better known as "Diamond" Joe Quimby, the mayor of Springfield. The title of the quest is also a possible reference to the {{wplink|kiss band|KISS}} song "Nowhere to Run," though it could also be a reference to the song "Slaughter your World," which is part of the LookingforGroup comic by Ryan Sohmer and Lar Desouza.
 
−
**In the Borean Tundra while questing for D.E.T.A you ride one of the neutral mammoths in the area, once mounted the Mammoth's name appears as "Stampy" a reference to Bart Simpson's pet elephant of the same name.
 
−
** The achievement ''Crazy Cat Lady'' ({{achievement|image=hide|Crazy Cat Lady (10 player)|10}}/{{achievement|image=hide|Crazy Cat Lady (25 player)|25}}) is most likely a nod to the series' infamous {{wplink|Crazy Cat Lady}}, which is in turn a reference to the stereotype of old women who own or shelter a lot of cats.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|South Park}}'''
 
−
**In Howling Fjord, the Valgarde defenders are armed with rifles. Before killing approaching NPCs they yell "It's coming right for us." A reference to an early ''South Park'' episode dealing with the Second Amendment. It was explained that with the new changes in government you could only fire your weapons in self defense, therefore, hunters could legally shoot anything by claiming self defense, but only after yelling "It's coming right for us."
 
−
**While not quite making it into The Burning Crusade (as it was renamed {{loot|Epic|Gladiator's Slicer}}), the {{loot|Legendary|The Sword of a Thousand Truths}} was introduced as a drop in the new Naxxramas, and renamed {{loot|Epic|Slayer of the Lifeless}}, complete with the flavor text, "Foretold by Salzman," both obvious nods to the "Make Love, Not Warcraft" episode.
 
−
**The PvP achievement "Make Love, Not Warcraft", is a reference to the South Park episode of the same name, where the South Park gang play World of Warcraft. The achievement requires you to the same thing that Stan did to his dad before he died.
 
−
**[[Xevozz]] in [[Violet Hold]] sometimes says "Profit!" when killing a player. This 'slay' line is the third of three in the game files. This is a reference to the {{wplink|Gnomes (South Park)|Unterpants Gnomes}} and their business plan.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Star Trek}}'''
 
−
** Sailor Picardo and Sailor Philips, deckhands of the Kraken (the boat that ferries Alliance players from Stormwind to Valiance Keep) are likely to be references to actors Robert Picardo and Ethan Philips, who played the characters of The Doctor and Neelix on Star Trek: Voyager.
 
−
**In Borean Tundra, there are gnomes called Fizzcrank Mechagnome. While they are fighting you they say "We are Mechagnome...resistance is futile" and "You will be assimilated or eliminated." This is of course a play on the Borg.
 
−
** Datalore Smallsphere, a Gnome trades good seller who resides at Harkor's camp in Grizzly Hills, is a reference to the 'twin brother' androids, Data and Lore, created by Dr. Soong.
 
−
* '''{{wplink|The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air}}'''
 
−
** The achievement ''I Could Say That This Cache Was Rare'' ({{achievement|image=hide|I Could Say That This Cache Was Rare (10 player)|10}}/{{achievement|image=hide|I Could Say That This Cache Was Rare (25 player)|25}}) is a reference to the series' theme song.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Unhappily Ever After}}'''
 
−
**In the quest {{quest|Mr. Floppy's Perilous Adventure}}, [[Mr. Floppy]], Emily's pet rabbit, is in reference to the sitcom ''Unhappily Ever After'' which ran on the WB from 1995–1999.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Voltron}}'''
 
−
**One of the phases of [[Mimiron]] is named "V-07-TR-0N", a veiled reference to the anime robot Voltron.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|X-Files}}'''
 
−
**In [[Dragonblight]] are two NPCs named Agent Skully (a female Forsaken in disguise) at [[New Hearthglen]] and Deathguard Molder (a male Forsaken) at [[Venomspite]]. These two are obvious reference to the two main characters of ''X-Files'' — Dana Scully and Fox Mulder.
 
−
**[[Brann Bronzebeard]] in [[Storm Peaks]] sometimes says "The truth is out there".
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Xena: Warrior Princes}}'''
 
−
** [[Zena]] <Wodin's Warrior Kitten>, the pet of [[Wodin the Troll-Servant]] at the Amphitheater of Anguish in [[Zul'Drak]] is a reference to the series and its main character. Additionally, {{wplink|Woden}} (Odin) is a norse god, while Xena once was a favorite of Greek war god Ares.
 
−  
−
=== Music ===
 
−
* '''{{wplink|ABBA}}'''
 
−
** Achievements {{achievementlong|Working Day and Night}} and {{achievementlong|Skills to Pay the Bills}} are likely references to song {{wplink|Money, Money, Money}} ("I work all night, I work all day, to pay the bills I have to pay...").
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Audioslave}}'''
 
−
**Farmer Torp at Warsong Farms Outpost gives you a quest called "Bring 'Em Back Alive", which is also the title of a song on Audioslave's self titled debut album. (It is at least as likely, though, to be a reference to the 1930 {{wplink|Frank Buck (animal collector)|Frank Buck}} book, or the 1932 movie, or the 1982 Bruce Boxleitner TV series, all of which have the same title.)
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Avenged Sevenfold}}'''
 
−
**Avatar of Freya gives you a quest called "Returned Sevenfold". Also, one of the rewards from this quest is called "Signet of the Avenging Heart". Taking parts from the title and the reward, you end up with the name of the band.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Emilie Autumn}}'''
 
−
**There is a male undead Grand Master Enchanting Trainer called Emil Autumn (who can be found in Howling Fjord), a possible reference to the musician.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|George Fisher (musician)|George Fisher}}'''
 
−
**The NPC [[Gorge the Corpsegrinder]] in Borean Tundra is a reference to the singer George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher of the Metal Band {{wplink|Cannibal Corpse}}.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Guns N' Roses}}'''
 
−
** The achievement ''Lose Your Illusion'' ({{achievement|image=hide|Lose Your Illusion (10 player)|10}}/{{achievement|image=hide|Lose Your Illusion (25 player)|25}}) is a reference to the double album {{wplink|Guns_n'_Roses#Use_Your_Illusion|Use Your Illusion}}.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Iron Maiden}}'''
 
−
**An Achievement named [[Hallowed Be Thy Name]] for the [[Hallow's End]] world event is probably named after the Iron Maiden song, which in turn refers to the second line of the {{wplink|Lord's prayer|Lord's Prayer}}, as published in the 1662 Book of Common Prayer.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Master and Servant}}'''
 
−
**The quest [[Quest:Master and Servant|Master and Servant]] has the same name as the 1984 single from the band {{wplink|Depeche Mode}}.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Men Without Hats}}'''
 
−
** The achievement ''The Safety Dance'' ({{achievement|image=hide|The Safety Dance (10 player)|10}}/{{achievement|image=hide|The Safety Dance (25 player)|25}}) is a reference to the best-selling single {{wplink|The Safety Dance}}.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Midnight Oil}}'''
 
−
**A subzone named [[Blue Sky Logging Grounds]] in [[Grizzly Hills]] is probably named after the {{wplink|Midnight Oil}} song "{{wplink|Blue Sky Mine}}".
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Muse (band)|Muse}}'''
 
−
**The achievement ''Supermassive'' ({{achievement|image=hide|Supermassive (10 player)|10}}/{{achievement|image=hide|Supermassive (25 player)|25}}) is a possible reference to the bands' hit "Supermassive Black Hole".
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Nelly}}'''
 
−
** The achievement ''Getting Cold in Here'' ({{achievement|image=hide|Getting Cold in Here (10 player)|10}}/{{achievement|image=hide|Getting Cold in Here (25 player)|25}}) is a reference to the song {{wplink|Hot in Herre}}, whose lyrics go "It's gettin' hot in here / So take off all your clothes"
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Ozzy Osbourne}}''' and '''{{wplink|Korn}}'''
 
−
**In Grizzly Hills, you receive the quest {{questlong|neutral|75|See You on the Other Side}}. This is a reference to both Ozzy Osbourne's song of the same name and/or Korn's 7th studio album.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Pink Floyd}}'''
 
−
**A quest given by an NPC named Walt in the Howling Fjord is called "The Delicate Sound of Thunder". This is a reference to Pink Floyd's album of the same name.
 
−
** [[Mobu]], the [[goblin]] [[engineer]] at [[Garrosh's Landing]] in [[Borean Tundra]], occasionally says "I wanna go home... Take off this uniform and leave the Horde!", which is a line from {{wplink|The Wall}} (but Pink says "show", not "Horde").
 
−
** [[Floyd Pinkus]], The Undead innkeeper at [[Thrallmar]] in [[Hellfire peninsula]] Is a very direct reference to the name of the band.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Run DMC}}'''
 
−
**In Borean Tundra, you receive a quest called [[The Nefarious Clam Master]]. In the quest you have to defeat a mob called "Clam Master K". This is a reference to the late great Jam Master Jay of Run DMC.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Siouxsie & the Banshees}}'''
 
−
**The NPC [[Siouxsie the Banshee]] in Acherus is a reference to the 80's band {{wplink|Siouxsie & the Banshees}}.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Spice Girls}}'''
 
−
**In any Cooking Daily Quests you will receive a "Small Spice Bag" for your trouble. In these bags you have a chance to get an item called "Baby Spice" which "Reduces the target's size by 50% turning them into a baby". This is a reference to Emma Bunton, one of the girls in Spice Girls, better known by the name Baby Spice.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|The Lovin' Spoonful}}/{{wplink|B. B. King}}/{{wplink|Joe Cocker}}'''
 
−
** The achievement {{achievementlong|Silver in the City}} is a reference to the 1966 song "Summer in the City" by The Lovin' Spoonful, which was also successfully covered by B. B. King and Joe Cocker.
 
−  
−
=== Literature ===
 
−
* '''{{wplink|Beowulf}}'''
 
−
**[[Drottinn Hrothgar]] at [[Hrothgar's Landing]], named after him, is a reference to the Danish King Hrothgar, a character in the epic poem Beowulf.
 
−  
−
*'''{{wplink|Bible|The Bible}}'''
 
−
**In [[Icecrown]], the [[Alliance]] and the [[Horde]] can do versions of the quest {{quest|No Rest For The Wicked}}. The title is a reference to the {{wplink|Book of Issaiah}}, from which the phrase was made famous.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Cthulhu Mythos}}'''
 
−
** The crazed dwarves in the Howling Fjord's Whispering Gulch speak of "that which must not be named". While it could be a reference to Harry Potter (see above), it might also refer to {{wplink|Hastur|The King in Yellow}} from the Lovecraftian worlds together with the various tomes of "Things Men was Not Meant to Know" found therein.
 
−
** The [[Faceless Ones]] (such as [[Herald Volazj]]) are quite similar to descriptions of Cthulhu, and are at least influenced by the mythos.
 
−
** The achievement ''In His House He Waits Dreaming'' ({{achievement|image=hide|In His House He Waits Dreaming (10 player)|10}}/{{achievement|image=hide|In His House He Waits Dreaming (25 player)|25}}) is a reference to a ritualistic chant of the Ctulhu cult: "In his house at R'lyeh dead C'thulhu waits dreaming."
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Ernest Hemingway}}'''
 
−
** The quest giver [[Hemet Nesingwary]] &ndash; an anagram of Ernest Hemingway &ndash; is the typical "great white hunter" found in many Hemingway stories. The achievement {{achievementlong|The Snows of Northrend}} is a reference to Hemingway's The Snows of Kilimanjaro.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Harry Potter}}'''
 
−
** The crazed dwarves in the Howling Fjord's Whispering Gulch speak of "that which must not be named". This is a reference to the main antagonist of the Harry Potter novels, {{wplink|Voldemort}}, who was referred to as "He Who Must Not Be Named".
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|J. R. R. Tolkien}}'''
 
−
** {{loot|Uncommon|Mrgl Blade}} is a selectable reward upon completion of the Borean Tundra quest {{questlong|Neutral|71|Escape to Winterfin Retreat}}. This is a reference to the Morgul-Blade that the Witch-King of Angmar uses to stab Frodo at Weathertop in Tolkien's novel {{wplink|The Fellowship of the Ring}}.
 
−
** Varian was the lost king of Stormwind, being taken captive by the Defias Brotherhood. Aragorn was also the lost king of Gondor, despite being gone for a different reason. Varian and Aragorn in turn have stewards in their place ([[Bolvar Fordragon]] and {{wplink|Denethor|Denethor II}} respectively). Thirdly Varian and Aragorn both take over main control over the Alliances of the lore, and both hate orcs with all their guts. They also have elf friends, and respect other friendly races.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Shakespeare}}'''
 
−
** For the quest {{questlong|Horde|71|Parts for the Job}}, you have to purchase a {{item|Fresh Pound of Flesh}} from the travelling salesman [[Anton]]. In {{wplink|The Merchant of Venice}}, the merchant Antonio guarantees for a loan of his friend Bassanio from the Jewish moneylender Shylock, who hates Antonio and demands "a pound of flesh" cut from the merchant's body should he be unable to repay the loan in time. When Antonio's ships are lost at sea, he goes bankrupt, but the removal of the pound can be prevented. The Forsaken Anton, on the other hand, doesn't seem to have any problems giving away "fresh" flesh.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|The Red Badge of Courage}}'''
 
−
** [[King Ymiron]] in [[Utgarde Pinnacle]] drops {{loot|epic|Red Sword of Courage}}, which is possibly a nod to the book's title.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|The Wizard of Oz}}'''
 
−
** The quest {{questlong|neutral|80|I'm Smelting... Smelting!}} in Icecrown is a play on the famous last words of the Wicked Witch of the West when she is doused in water: "I'm melting... melting!".
 
−  
−
===Comics===
 
−
*'''{{wplink|Order of the Stick}}'''
 
−
**In the new expansion, three characters have been introduced bearing names similar to those of the popular fantasy webcomic, Order of the Stick<ref>http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0001.html</ref>. These characters include [[Big Roy]], [[Cavalier Durkon]], and [[Haley Copperton]].
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles}}'''
 
−
** In the sewers of [[Dalaran]], beneath some pipes and near some glowing green ooze, there is a rat surrounded by four baby turtles, an obvious reference to Splinter, Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo from the ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles''.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|X-Men}}'''
 
−
** In [[Dragonblight]], during the quest [[Quest:Slay Loguhn|Slay Loguhn]], you are tasked with killing a Wolvar named [[Loguhn]]. This mob's name is a sound-alike to Logan, the civilian identity of Marvel X-Men's Wolverine character. The presence of blade-talon fist weapons (bone claws) on Loguhn's hands further enhances their similarity.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Hägar the Horrible}}'''
 
−
**Elder Muahit wants you to kill Heigarr the Horrible in the quest [[Quest:The Tides Turn|The Tides Turn]]. This is a reference to the Dik Browne comic strip character Hägar the Horrible.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Batman}}'''
 
−
**In the [[Purple Parlor]] on top of the [[Violet Citadel]] is a butler named Alfred Copperworth who walks around and sells drinks. This is a reference to {{wplink|Alfred Pennyworth}}, the Butler of {{wplink|Bruce Wayne}}.
 
−  
−
===Sports===
 
−
* The Horde flight master in Light's Breach is named Danica Saint, a reference to American auto racer {{wplink|Danica Patrick}} via {{wplink|Saint Patrick}}. Danica Saint's appearance also resembles Danica Patrick.
 
−  
−
===Other===
 
−
*The [[Surge Needle]] in western [[Dragonblight]] looks very much like the {{wplink|Space Needle}} in Seattle, including the rotating top platform.
 
−  
−
*Flask icons are based off the scientific model for a {{wplink|Klein Bottle}} or [http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3b/Boyle%27sSelfFlowingFlask.png Boyle's Self flowing Flask].
 
−  
−
* [[Element 115]], a quest item in {{questlong|Alliance|74|Riding the Red Rocket (Alliance)|Riding the Red Rocket}}, has been given the temporary name {{wplink|Ununpentium}}, and is considered to be in the center of an "island of stabililty" in the midst of volatile elements. To date (29 Jan 2009) the most stable isotope, Uup-299, has not been synthesized.
 
−  
−
*[[Annie Bonn]], an NPC at [[Scalawag Point]], is named for the 18th century Irish pirate {{wplink|Anne Bonny}}.
 
−  
−
*[[Iron Eyes]], a taunka NPC in Taunka'le, is named for {{wplink|Iron Eyes Cody}}. Cody is best remembered as the 'crying Indian' in the 1970s series of antipollution commercials sponsored by {{wplink|Keep America Beautiful}}. Iron Eyes gives the {{questlong|Horde|71|Cleaning Up the Pools}}, asking the player to help remove discarded machinery from the nearby geyser pools.
 
−  
−
*[[Algalon the Observer]] is likely named after the star {{wplink|Algol}}, also known as the "Demon Star" and traditionally considered an ill omen due to its' unusual trait of inconsistant brightness.
 
−  
−
== World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade ==
 
−
=== Classic fairy tales ===
 
−
* '''{{wplink|Little Red Riding Hood}}'''
 
−
** One of the random [[Opera Event]] encounters in [[Karazhan]] is [[The Big Bad Wolf]], where the boss is the wolf, who gives a Little Red Riding Hood debuff to players, transforming the player into a red-cloaked fast-running gnome. This event is a reference to the children's classic fairy tale, {{wplink|Little Red Riding Hood}}.
 
−  
−
=== Film and Television ===
 
−
* '''{{wplink|The A-Team}}'''
 
−
** When returning the makings of a trap to {{NPC|Alliance|Admiral Odesyus|Alliance Naval Command}}, he says "I love it when a plan comes together", a line spoken in almost every episode of '''The A-Team'' by {{wplink|Hannibal Smith}}.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Apocalypse Now}}'''
 
−
** After respawning, {{mob|Captain Arathyn}} says "I love the smell of nether in the morning. It smells like...victory" — one of the more famous quotes from above movie, originally "napalm" instead of "nether", said by Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Aliens (film)|Aliens}}'''
 
−
** Outside of the [[Skyguard Outpost]] in [[Blade's Edge Mountains]], the Skyguard gear up for their flight on the Bash'ir Landing about every two hours. During their pep talk, the Skyguard Lieutenant asks "Anyone have any questions?" to which a Ranger replies "Look, man, I only need to know one thing, where they are." This is a direct quotation from the 1986 movie ''Aliens'' where the Marines are getting a briefing from their Lieutenant and Private First Class Jenette Vasquez chimes in cockily with the above quote.
 
−
** When engaged, the rare spawn Voidhunter Yar in Nagrand says "In the void, no one can hear you scream!"
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Austin Powers}}'''
 
−
** Outside of the [[Circle of Blood]], in [[Blade's Edge Mountains]], there is a goblin named [[Meminnie]], a reference to the character {{wplink|Mini-Me}} in ''Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me'' (and subsequent films).
 
−
** When you kiss the frog [[Mojo]], he quotes Austin Powers "lookalike" phrases to you.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Babylon5|Babylon 5}}'''
 
−
** The Draenei prophet [[Velen]] is almost certainly a reference to the Minbari prophet {{wplink|Jeffrey Sinclair|Valen}}.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Battlestar Galactica (re-imagining)|Battlestar Galactica}}'''
 
−
**In the Blizzard website promoting the new Arena Tournament, the promotional pictures show a female blood elf named "Boomer" fighting against a draenei warrior named "Apollo" as well as a rogue canamedlled "Gaius", in reference to the ''Battlestar Galactica'' characters Sharon "Boomer" Valerii, Lee "Apollo" Adama, and Gaius Baltar.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Bio-Dome (film)|Bio-Dome}}'''
 
−
** Located in Netherstorm inside of the Eco-Dome stands [[Shauly Pore]], which is a reference to actor and comedian {{wplink|Pauly Shore}}, who starred in the 1996 film ''Bio-Dome''.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|The Big Lebowski}}'''
 
−
** In Hellfire Peninsula, the Horde Grand Master Engineering trainer is named "Zebig" and the Alliance one is named "Lebowski".
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|The Black Hole}}'''
 
−
** At the [[Ruins of Enkaat]], [[Bot-Specialist Alley]] {{title|B.O.O.M.}} stands with her bots [[Maxx A. Million Mk. I]], [[Maxx A. Million Mk. II|II]], and [[Maxx A. Million Mk. V|V]]. The names of her bots are a reference to the ominous {{wplink|Maximillian (The Black Hole)|Maximillian}} from Disney's ''{{wplink|The Black Hole}}''. Additionally, her robot Maxx A. Million Mk. V offers a quest entitled {{Questlong|Neutral|68G|Mark V is Alive!}} which is a nod to the robot Number 5's exclamation, "Number Five is alive!" in the movie ''{{wplink|Short Circuit}}''.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Buffy the Vampire Slayer}}'''
 
−
** {{loot|Epic|The Seal of Danzalar}}, which drops in [[Serpentshrine Cavern]], is a reference to ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer''. The phrase "From beneath you, it devours" comes from a reference in the last season of ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer''; it translates to the gateway to the Sunnydale Hellmouth. The item's name is a play on "The Seal of Danzalthar" which is the name of the seal that covers the Sunnydale Hellmouth.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Captain Planet and the Planeteers}}'''
 
−
** The Blood Elf female laugh is meant to reference the catchphrase of Doctor Blight from the TV series ''Captain Planet and the Planeteers''. Also, the image that displays next to the health bars of Blood Elf females in your party that are outside your visual range bears a distinct resemblance to the Doctor.
 
−  
−
*'''{{wplink|Close Encounters of the Third Kind}}'''
 
−
**[[Innkeeper Remi Dodoso]]'s name in [[Area 52]] spells out the notes "Re" "Mi" "Do" "Do" "So" in the {{wplink|solfege}} scale. This is a reference to the musical theme used in the movie {{wplink|Close Encounters of the Third Kind}} to communicate with the aliens which have landed on Earth.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Cruel Intentions}}'''
 
−
** "{{quest|Cruel's Intentions}}", the quest to kill [[Arazzius the Cruel]], is named for this film.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|The Dark Crystal}}'''
 
−
** The race and culture of the [[Arrakoa]] along with the [[Darkstone of Terokk]] is a reference to the Skeksis in the 1982 film {{wplink|The Dark Crystal}}
 
−  
−
*'''{{wplink|The Day the Earth Stood Still|The Day The Earth Stood Still}}/{{wplink|Army of Darkness}}'''
 
−
** Two [[Draenei]] NPCs are located upstairs of the [[Honor Hold]] Inn named [[Assistant Klatu]] and [[Anchorite Barata]], a reference to the films ''The Day The Earth Stood Still'' and ''Army of Darkness'', where the phrase "klaatu, barada, nikto" held importance.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Dirty Harry}}'''
 
−
** "Dirty" Larry is found in the lower city of Shattrath near the Aldor bank. He is standing next to "Epic" Malone. Both bear the label <Ruffian>.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Dirty Jobs}}'''
 
−
** "Dirty" Mike Crowe can be found in Theramore near the docks selling fish. This is a reference to Mike Rowe who is the star of the show.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|The Exorcist (film)|The Exorcist}}'''
 
−
** In the Inn of Honor Hold, there is a questline which ends with helping a draenei exorcise a human lying on a bed. During this exorcism, the human body floats through the room and the draenei asks you to make sure nothing interrupts the process. Flying demon mobs spawn in the room which you have to destroy. During this whole sequence, the demon possessing the human also insults you and tries to scare you off with odd noises. Occasionally the body will vomit green stuff.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Fight Club}}'''
 
−
** At Wildhammer Stronghold, outside the inn, you will find two dwarfs: [[Barimoke Wildbeard]] and [[Bron Goldhammer]]. They have a routine that starts of with "Bron! 'Ey, Bron! Hit me!". This is a reference to the first fight between the narrator and Tyler Durden.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Finding Nemo}}'''
 
−
** [[Shark Bait]] is an item pickpocketed off of various naga in Outland as well as the Isle of Quel'Danas. This is taken directly from the nickname given to Nemo by his fellow tankmates. The picture used for Shark Bait is also a {{wplink|Clownfish}}, just like Nemo. The quote "Just keep swimming..." was part of a catchy phrase said throughout the movie by Dory, voiced by {{wplink|Ellen Degeneres}}.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Firefly (TV series)|Firefly}}'''
 
−
**In Zangarmarsh, the engineering Grandmaster [[K. Lee Smallfry]] {{title|Grand Master Engineer}} is a reference to the character {{wplink|Kaylee Frye}}, the engineer on the show. Her dialog includes the word "shiny", a common adjective for "good" used on the show.
 
−
**There is a non-combat firefly pet with the flavor text "Still flying..." which is a line from the show. ({{loot|Common|Captured_Firefly}})
 
−
**During [[Brewfest]], one of the beers you can purchase is [[Mudder's Milk]], which is from the episode 'Jaynestown'.
 
−
**The reagent vendors in Ogri'la and the Lower City are named Mingo and Fanty, after the twins who engage Mal to perform the robbery from Serenity's opening sequence.
 
−
**[[Strange Engine Part]]s and [[Broken Engine Part]]s, which are fished randomly from pools of Steam Pump Flotsam in Zangarmarsh, bear the description: "It reads 'Capissen 38' on the bottom." This is a reference to Kaylee Frye's line in the film "Serenity:" "Don't ride in anything with a Capissen 38 engine, they fall right out of the sky." These items starts a quest that you turn in [[K. Lee Smallfry]].
 
−
**In the Sun's Reach Harbor, the Innkeeper [[Caregiver Inaara]] {{title|Innkeeper}} is a reference to the Companion character {{wplink|Inara Serra}}, a character portrayed by the Brazilian-American actress {{wplink|Morena Baccarin}}. Her face and outfit looks also very similar to the series' character.
 
−  
−
*'''{{wplink|Futurama}}'''
 
−
** In the [[Apothecarium]] area is a large, stitched together thing that periodically blorps a load of the green funk that fills the [[Canals]], vaguely reminiscient of the Slurm Queen's behind in the episode "Fry & The Slurm Factory"
 
−
** Outside The Exodar, a small black cat called "Nibblet" can be seen walking around. This is probably a reference to the monkey/cat-like pet alien "Nibbler" from the show.
 
−  
−
*'''{{wplink|Gale Storm}}'''
 
−
** In the [[Blood Furnace]] instance of Hellfire Citadel, the first boss, [[The Maker]] drops [[Girdle of the Gale Storm]]. This is probably a reference to Gale Storm, an actress/singer from the 1940s and 1950s. She is best known for starring in the television comedy series My Little Margie, and she probably wore girdles like most women of that period.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Heavy Metal (film)|Heavy Metal 1981}}'''
 
−
**The Blood Elf NPC speech "Death to all who oppose us!" (when left-clicking on either male or female) may be a reference to a character in the final story who says the beforementioned after the main antagonist of the film turns him and his people into ruthless killing machines.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Gladiator (2000 film)|Gladiator}}'''
 
−
**The sword {{loot|Epic|Gladiator's Greatsword}} is indicated to be built to "Proximo's specification" in the item description. Proximo was the slave trader/former gladiator who bought Maximus and trained him as a gladiator.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|I, Robot}}'''
 
−
** The a quest in Outland named "{{quest|You, Robot}}" is a reference to ''I, Robot'', see entry in Literature section.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Indiana Jones}}'''
 
−
** There is an NPC in the Zul'Aman instance named [[Harrison Jones]], an obvious reference to starring actor Harrison Ford and his role as the title character. In his dialogue, he accuses the player of only wanting to acquire Zul'Aman's treasures for themselves, instead of taking them to a museum where they belong, in his opinion (which is one of Jones' main motives for his expeditions).
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|MacGyver}}'''
 
−
** The Grandmaster engineering trainer in [[Zabra'jin]] in [[Zangarmarsh]] is named [[Mack Diver]], a reference to {{wplink|Richard Dean Anderson}}'s character MacGyver in the series of the same name.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|M.A.S.H.}}'''
 
−
** The Skyguard folk at Skyguard Outpost occasionally say "Player is an officer and a gentlewoman/man." This is the same thing Maj. Margaret "Hot Lips" O'Houlihan says in the M.A.S.H. play — but note that "X is an officer and a gentleman" is a common military catchphrase in English. Hence the name of the movie, {{wplink|An Officer and a Gentleman}}
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Masters of the Universe}}'''
 
−
** In the [[draenei]] city of [[Shattrath City|Shattrath]], The Alliance [[Arathi Basin]] [[Battlemaster]] is named "Adam Eternum" in reference to the popular ''Masters of the Universe'' character "He-Man", whose real name is Adam. He also has a [[Tiger|Zulian Battle-tiger]] as a pet, in reference to his tiger, Cringer. He also appears with a [[gnome]] behind him called "Oric Coe" in reference to Orko. When you talk to him, Adam Eternum says:
 
−
***"I came to Outland hoping to discover powerful artifacts to assist the League of Arathor against the Defilers in Arathi Basin... but all I've found is this smashing magical loincloth, a ridiculous gnome sidekick, and an egomaniacal undead stalker who insists I've stolen his grey skull, or some such. In any case, would you care to join the League in their fight while I continue my search?"
 
−
**Eternum's Horde battlemaster counterpart, [[Keldor the Lost]], continues the reference to ''Masters of the Universe''. "Keldor" was the identity of He-Man's arch-nemesis, prior to his transformation into the evil {{wplink|Skeletor}}. Being undead, Keldor the Lost's hood, glowing eyes, dark blue attire, and skull-tipped staff all bear a striking resemblance to Skeletor.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Men in Black (film)|Men in Black}}'''
 
−
** The Goblin guards in [[Area 52]] are all dressed in tuxedos resembling the business suits from the ''Men in Black'' comics and film. They also carry the huge guns that {{wplink|Tommy Lee Jones}} equipped in the first film. The fact that they guard '[[Area 52]]' is appropriate, as it is a take on 'Area 51'.
 
−
** When you leave '[[Area 52]]' you will be hit by a flash of light and you receive a buff called A-52 Neuralyzer whos tooltip say "''The flash of light you did not see did not erase your memories''". This is a reference to the "Neuralizer" device that the Men in Black used to erase and alter the memories of the people who saw an alien.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Monty Python's Flying Circus}}'''
 
−
** The [[Dark Iron Guzzler]]s who attack during Brewfest sometimes shout, "No one expects the Dark Iron Dwarves!", a reference to the recurring ''Spanish Inquisition'' sketch.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Monty Python and the Holy Grail}}'''
 
−
** At the [[Ruins of Enkaat]], [[Bot-Specialist Alley]] {{title|B.O.O.M.}} stands with her bots [[Maxx A. Million Mk. I]], [[Maxx A. Million Mk. II|II]], and [[Maxx A. Million Mk. V|V]]. The names of her bots are a reference to Monty Python and the Holy Grail, where King Arthur goes to 'cook' the Holy Hand Grenade and exclaims "One, two, FIVE!".''
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Napoleon Dynamite}}'''
 
−
** The male [[Blood Elf|Blood Elf's]] dance moves are taken directly from Napoleon's choreographed dance sequence at the end of the movie.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Once Were Warriors}}'''
 
−
** In Nagrand there is a quest given by Saurfang the Younger called ''{{quest|Once Were Warriors}}'', could very well be directly related to the popular {{wplink|Once Were Warriors|New Zealand Film}} by the same name. The emotions described within the quest text seem to confirm this more. Saurfang not returning to his home could be describing {{wplink|Jake "the Muss" Heke|Jack}} in the film (the main male character of the film), Jack (like the quest giver) has abandoned the ways of his past and is not returning to them (that being the ways of the {{wplink|Maori}}).
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Oprah Winfrey}}'''
 
−
**The [[innkeeper]] at The [[Temple of Telhamat]], in [[Hellfire Peninsula]] is named [[Caregiver Ophera Windfury]] {{title|Innkeeper}}.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Pee-wee's Playhouse}}'''
 
−
** In Bloodmaul Ravine, players can find the ghostly disembodied head of [[T'chali the Witch Doctor]] which is possibly a reference to another similarly colored disembodied head, {{wplink|Jambi (Pee-wee's Playhouse)|Jambi the Genie}}.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|RoboCop}}'''
 
−
** The lines recited by The Arcane Patrollers in the Ruins of Silvermoon are RoboCop's prime directives: "Protect the innocent", "Serve the Public Trust", and "Uphold the Law."
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Saturday Night Live}}'''
 
−
** There is a quest called {{Questlong|Neutral|69|Needs More Cowbell}}, which is obtainable from [[Kirin'Var Village]] near [[Sunfury Hold]] in southeastern [[Netherstorm]], a reference to the famous Christopher Walkin sketch.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|The Simpsons}}'''
 
−
**There is a quest NPC in [[Eversong Woods]] named [[Groundskeeper Wyllithen]], a reference to {{wplink|Groundskeeper Willie}} of ''Simpsons'' fame.
 
−
**The skinning trainer in [[Shattrath City]] is called [[Seymour]] {{title|Grand Master Skinner}}, a reference to {{wplink|Principal Skinner|Seymour Skinner}} the principal of Springfield Elementary School.
 
−
**The [[Mr. Pinchy]] item is a direct reference to the lobster that Homer raises and is forced to eat by himself when he accidentally cooks it.
 
−
**[[Millhouse Manastorm]], a gnome mage, appears and assists your party during the final boss fight in [[Arcatraz]]. This is a reference to {{wplink|Millhouse Van Houten}}, Bart Simpson's best friend.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|The Sixth Sense}}'''
 
−
**Near the entrance to the [[Auchenai Crypts]] in [[Auchindoun]], a small draenei child named [[Ha’lei]] gives the quest {{Questlong|Neutral|67|I See Dead Draenei}}, a reference to Haley Joel Osment's character in The Sixth Sense saying "I see dead people".
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Snakes On A Plane}}'''
 
−
**In Nagrand at Nesingwary Safari, there is a gnome style plane crashed into the ground. Unmoving snake critters spawn atop it.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Stargate: SG-1}}'''
 
−
** In SG-1, "[[Area 52]]" is another name for {{wplink|Stargate Command}}.
 
−
** In the Champion's Hall, players can find [[Lieutenant Karter]], [[Captain O'Neal]], and [[Guard Hammon]], each bearing likeness to their respective namesake. [[Lieutenant Jackspring]] is also a possible reference to Dr. Jackson, as he is looking at a bookshelf.
 
−
** The Arcane Portals found throughout the game, most easily found in the [[Wizard's Sanctum]], at the [[The Mage Quarter]] in Stormwind, uncannily resembles the Stargate itself. Its circular, large structure mimics it; the liquid-like consistency of the "opening" is exactly like the "event horizon" of an active Stargate and the Glyphs covering the ring resembles the carvings that indicates gate-addresses.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|South Park}}'''
 
−
** Episode "''Make Love, Not'' Warcraft": Though {{loot|Legendary|The Sword of a Thousand Truths}} was fictional at the time of the South Park tribute episode, a sword with the same name but with different, less overpowered stats, was supposed to be made available in [[The Burning Crusade]]. The name Salzman in the item's description is also a reference to the character Salzman, an accountant in that episode. However, {{loot|Legendary|The Sword of a Thousand Truths}} did not make it through to The Burning Crusade's final release, the item was replaced by {{loot|Epic|Gladiator's Greatsword}} sadly this item was crafted to Proximo's specification instead of Salzman. {{loot|Legendary|The Sword of a Thousand Truths}} was available as an arena reward during The Burning Crusade beta while the {{loot|Epic|Gladiator's Greatsword}} exists as an arena reward in the live version of The Burning Crusade.
 
−
** Episode "''Make Love, Not'' Warcraft": Ethereal NPCs near Manaforge Ultris in the Netherstorm quotes this episode saying "How do you defeat that which has no life?", referring to the Ethereum Gladiator, who's always looking for a bigger and better challenge.
 
−
** Episode "''Gnomes''": One of the draenei Male's jokes mimics the {{wplink|Underpants Gnomes}}' plan for profit.
 
−  
−
*'''{{wplink|Star Trek}}'''
 
−
**There is a quest in the Netherstorm called You're Hired, where you search for [[Etherlithium Matrix Crystal]]s, a play on the Dilithium Matrix Crystals used to redirect energy generated in warp engines.
 
−
** In Exodar, there is a group of draenei that walk around checking out the holograms, named Audrid, Curzon, Emony, Tobin and Torias. They were all hosts of the Dax symbiont in ''Deep Space Nine''.
 
−
** After completing the Netherstorm quest '''That Little Extra Kick''', the giver and receiver of this quest (B.O.O.M. Master Mixologist Boots) dies. A goblin paramedic rushes in to stimulate his heart. After a couple of shocks, the paramedic screams "Dammit Boots, I'm a doctor, not a priest!" which is a reference to {{wplink|Leonard McCoy|Lenoard 'Bones' McCoy}}'s line "Dammit Jim, I'm a doctor, not a <insert profession>" from the original Star Trek series.
 
−
** In Toshley's Station, there is a gnome standing to the north named Smiles O'Byron. {{wplink|Miles O'Brien}} is also referred to as Smiley in the alternate universe episodes of 'Deep Space Nine'.
 
−
**Warden Treelos (Cenarion Thicket, Terokkar Forest) is a Night Elf NPC who has gone insane, and sometimes says "There are FOUR lights!", which refers to the double ''The Next Generation'' episode "Chain of Command". Captain Jean-Luc Picard is captured by Cardassians, then tortured to break his will, in order to get him to admit he sees five lights where there are actually only four.
 
−
**In Booty Bay and Tanaris we find two engineers manning the teleporters named Jhordy Lapforge and Scooty, nods to {{wplink|Geordi LaForge}} for Star Trek: The Next Generation and to {{wplink|Montgomery Scott|Montgomery "Scotty" Scott}} for the original series.
 
−
**The cave below Manaforge Ara in the Netherstorm is named Trelleum Mine, from the mineral known as {{wplink|Trellium-D|trellium}} in ''Star Trek: Enterprise''. [[Azaloth]] also walks around inside the Manaforge Ara, a possible reference to {{wplink|Azati Prime}}, a planet located inside the {{wplink|Delphic Expanse}} which is a region where you can find trellium ore. Additionally, the demons placed in the manaforge and otherwise generally seen manipulating Kael's blood elves are reminiscent of the Sphere Builders manipulating the Xindi in the Delphic Expanse.
 
−
**The zone of Netherstorm has similar colors and chaotic theme as the Delphic Expanse. Prior to patch 2.4 warlocks could not summon in the Netherstorm like certain starship functions do not work in the Expanse.
 
−
**On the Isle of Quel'Danas, the draenei Dragonhawk Master is named Ohura, a tribute to {{wplink|Uhura}}, communications officer on the USS Enterprise.
 
−
**In Area 52 in Netherstorm there is a goblin named Chief Engineer Trep, a reference to Star Trek: Enterprise's Chief Engineer Charles "Trip" Tucker III.
 
−  
−
*'''{{wplink|Star Wars}}'''
 
−
** In the Badlands, Lotwil Veriatus's robot Servo says "I am well versed in over 4 languages". This is a reference to C-3PO who states "I am well-versed in over 6 million forms of communication" several times.
 
−
** The racetrack in the Shimmering Flats features a vehicle that is strikingly similar to the podracers found in '''Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace'''.
 
−
** The race announcer is a two headed ogre is named Fobeed referencing the two headed podracer announcer in ''The Phantom Menace'' whose names were Fode and Beed.
 
−
** In the hangar in the Military Ward of Ironforge sits a dwarf pilot by the name of Xiggs Fuselighter, wearing a white and orange flightsuit, black gloves, and boots strikingly similar to that of an X-Wing pilot. This is a reference to Luke Skywalker's friend Biggs Darklighter, whom you see in ''Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope''.
 
−
** The tooltip of the buff icon for the Priest ability Spirit Of Redemption reads "You have become more powerful than anyone can possibly imagine." which is an almost verbatim reference to Obi-Wan Kenobi's line in ''Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope''.
 
−
** Female dwarves and gnomes have a hairstyle similar to that of "Princess Leia".
 
−
** In Un'Goro crater, near the exit to Silithus, there is a level 1 raptor named Obi, a reference to Obi-Wan (Obi 1).
 
−
** The [[Argent Avenger]], a one-handed sword resulting from a quest in Stratholme, vaguely resembles a blue lightsaber. Also, [[Teebu's Blazing Longsword]] is it's red counterpart.
 
−
** In a quest to rescue the captured Princess [[Moira Bronzebeard]], you find her wearing an outfit that bears a striking resemblance to Leia's slave outfit in '''Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi''', as well as the same hairstyle.
 
−
** In Blade's Edge Mountains there is a place called Toshley's Station. In Star Wars there was a place called Toshe Station in which Luke Skywalker went to in the beginning of one of the Movies to pick up some Power Converters. The quest "Picking Up Some Power Converters" will reward you with a Power Converter. The two descriptions on the item are both references to Episode IV: "Use: Destroys technological terror constructs." is from Darth Vader's quote "Don't be too proud of this technological terror you've constructed," and "The next best thing to going to the Academy" is because Luke's always talking about going to the Academy. The Power Converter shoots off a red rocket that many think looks like the missile Luke fires to destroy the Death Star.
 
−
** Roll a Draenei and you'll eventually get a quest called "The Kessel Run" given to you by an NPC named Kessel. You don't have to do this quest in "less than twelve parsecs" like Han Solo was able to do with the Millennium Falcon, but you will have to complete this quest in less than 15 minutes.
 
−
** Nearby Toshley's Station stands R3D0, a remote sentry that can speak in three different languages (Human, Gnomish, and Dwarven). This is an obvious reference to C3PO, who was able to speak six million languages. The name is also a mesh between R2D2 and C3P0, the two robots in the movie.
 
−
** In the Scarlet Raven Tavern in Darkshire there is a barkeeper named "Barkeeper Han" which is a reference to Han solo in Star Wars.
 
−
** In Nagrand a Clefthoof Elite Named Mob is Called Banthar. If you drop the r off the end you get Bantha, a creature very similar to a Wooly Mammoth in the Star Wars Series, Banthar also look similar to a Wooly Mammoth.
 
−
** The Azuremyst Isles are filled with NPCs, quests, and items that reference to several science fiction stories, most notably Star Wars. For instance, the flight master of [[Blood Watch]] is named [[Laando]] (after {{wplink|Lando Calrissian}}). In addition to this, a quest on Bloodmyst Isle is named {{Questlong|Alliance|12|The Kessel Run}}.
 
−
** [[Baron Sablemane]] will give you a quest named {{Questlong|Alliance|67|It's a Trap!}} — likely a reference to {{wplink|Admiral Ackbar}}'s famous catch phrase.
 
−
** Toshley's Station also has a quest named, Cutting Your Teeth. The rewards from this quest include Vibro Shanker, Vibro Dagger, and Vibro Sword. These weapons are a reference to the Star Wars, Vibrosword, Vibroaxe, Vibrodagger, which in turn {{wplink|Vibroblade|are inspired}} by other sci-fi universes of that age. <!-- probably first used, like many other technologies, by Robert Heinlein -->
 
−
** The [[Halaa Blade Merchant]]s in [[Halaa]] in [[Nagrand]] are [[Coreiel]] when Halaa is Horde controlled and [[Aldraan]] when Alliance controlled. These are references to {{wplink|Princess Leia}}'s homeworld of {{wplink|Alderaan}} and {{wplink|Han Solo}}'s homeworld of {{wplink|Corellia}}.
 
−
** The NPC, [[Commander Duron]] may be named after Kyp Duron from the Star Wars novels.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Starship Troopers (film)|Starship Troopers}}'''
 
−
** At Toshley's Station in Blade's Edge Mountains, you can find a gnome named [[Razak Ironsides]] patrolling the station's ramparts, which is a likely reference to Lieutenant Jean Rasczak played by {{wplink|Michael Ironside}}. This reference is highlighted by the fact that he is defending the outposts against [[Ravager]]s, a kind of creature resembling the insect-aliens of the movie. There is also a guard named [[Dizzy Dina]], in reference to Dizzy Flores, played by {{wplink|Dina Meyer}}.
 
−
** Sometimes an event will start at Toshley's Station, where Ravagers attack the station. As the gnome guards rush to defend, you will hear Razak Ironsides yelling various quotes from Micheal Ironside in the Starship Troopers movie: "Come on you apes, you want to live forever?", "I have one rule: everybody fights, no one quits." and "You don't do your job, I will shoot you myself.". Also, at one point he calls in for reinforcements, a group of Gnomes on Mechanostriders who are led by a robot, the group is called "Roughriders", possibly after the self-proclaimed "Roughnecks", the name that the main characters from the movie gave themselves. More likely, it is a homage to former U.S. President Teddy Roosevelt's calvary unit The Rough Riders, which fought in the Spanish-American War.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Three's Company}}'''
 
−
** The cooking trainer in [[Shattrath City]] is named [[Jack Trapper]] {{title|Cook}}, a reference to {{wplink|Jack Tripper}}, {{wplink|John Ritter}}'s character in the TV shows "{{wplink|Three's Company}}" and "{{wplink|Three's a Crowd}}," who was a professional chef.
 
−
** There is a quest on Azuremyst Isle called "Tree's Company".
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|The Towering Inferno}}'''
 
−
** During the fight with [[Anetheron]] in [[Mount Hyjal]], demons called [[Towering Infernal]]s are summoned to attack the raid.
 
−  
−
*'''{{wplink|Transformers (fiction)|Transformers}}'''
 
−
** One of the quests in Outland summons a scripted scene involving a gigantic Fel Reaver named Negatron, a nod to the {{wplink|Decepticon}} leader {{wplink|Megatron#Transformers: Generation 1|Megatron}}.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Tremors (film)|Tremors}}'''
 
−
** In Hellfire Peninsula, there is a quest given by Foreman Biggums called ''{{quest|A Job for an Intelligent Man}}'' that has you go out and kill sand worms in the area. This is a reference to the movie "Tremors", starring Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward, in which sand worms out in the Nevada desert come up out of the ground and eat people. In this movie, Fred Ward asks Kevin Bacon "Is this a job for an intelligent man?", to which Kevin Bacon replies "Well, show me one and I'll ask him."
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Total Recall (film)|Total Recall}}'''
 
−
**When walking by the refugees in Shattrath City's lower gate, one of them can be heard saying "Hey, Man? Got some money? I got five kids to feed!" just like Bennie the cab driver from Total Recall.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|UHF (film)|UHF}}'''
 
−
** There is a quest in the [[Azuremyst Isles]] called "Red Snapper - Very Tasty!" which is a direct quote from the "Wheel Of Fish" scene in "UHF" starring {{wplink|Weird Al Yankovic|"Weird Al" Yankovic}}.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Wayne's World (film)|Wayne's World}}'''
 
−
** In Zangarmarsh, there is a Horde quest called "Nothin' Says Lovin' Like a Big Stinger", and the very first paragraph in the quest description reads, "She will be mine. Oh yes- She will be mine", a famous catchphrase Wayne uses when talking about Cassandra, the guitar, and other things.
 
−  
−
* ''''' {{wplink|The Old Man and the Sea}}'''
 
−
**With [[World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King]], there is an Achievement called "The Old Gnome and the Sea.
 
−  
−
=== Games ===
 
−
* '''{{wplink|Doom}}'''
 
−
** The sounds made by the variations of Stags is almost directly taken from the sound palette of the imps found in the game {{wplink|Doom}}.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Duke Nukem 3D}}'''
 
−
** The sound the Felboars and Helboars of outland shriek when they aggro is strongly reminiscent of the LARD pig-cops you encounter in several areas of this game. But then again, they are all based on pig squeals.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Final Fantasy (series)|Final Fantasy}}'''
 
−
** There is a random drop in Outland that is called {{loot|rare|The Gunblade}}, probably a reference to ''{{wplink|Final Fantasy VIII}}'', where main character {{wplink|Squall Leonhart}} uses a "Gunblade" as his signature weapon. The WoW weapon, however, does not look anything like the Gunblade used in ''FFVIII''.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Jorune)|Jorune}}'''
 
−
** [[Lake Jorune]] in [[Terokkar]] is a reference to the ''Skyrealms of Jorune'' pen-and-paper roleplaying game from the '80s and early '90s.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Kingdom Hearts}}'''
 
−
** In Netherstorm, there is a rare spawn called [[Chief Engineer Lorthander]], who wields a Keyblade, a reference to the weapons in the Kingdom Hearts series.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Killer Instinct}}'''
 
−
** The quest {{questlong|Neutral|69|Summoner Kanthin's Prize}}, part of the {{questlong|Neutral|68|The Archmage's Staff}} quest line in Netherstorm has you retrieve an item that summons Archmage Vargoth's familiar Glacius.
 
−
**There is an Elite level 62 [[Rare spawn]] [[sand worm]] in [[Hellfire Peninsula]] named Fulgorge. Both this and the previous quest reference the characters Glacius, an alien made of ice, and Fulgore, a cyborg, from the Rare fighting series Killer Instinct.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Metal Gear Solid}}'''
 
−
** There is a quest called "To Legion Hold" in Shadowmoon Valley, where you have to spy on enemies while you are disguised as a wooden crate, in reference to the ''Metal Gear Solid'' series, where the main character {{wplink|Solid Snake}} often uses a cardboard box to move around undetected.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Sinistar}}'''
 
−
** The Essence of Anger part of the [[Reliquary of Souls]] boss encounter in the [[Black Temple]] will shout '''"Beware - I live."''', a quote Sinistar shouts when he is fully formed and start actively seeking the player out, in the 1982 arcade game classic Sinistar.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Street Fighter (series)|Street Fighter}}'''
 
−
** The male [[Blood Elf]] [[Rogue]]'s [[Eviscerate]] animation is identical to Ken and Ryu's Shoryuken animation.
 
−
** A Tauren NPC in Camp Mojache in Feralas is named "Hadoken Swiftstrider".
 
−
** "Hadoken Swiftstrider" the Tauren NPC in Camp Mojache, Feralas gives you a quest called "Alpha Strike" which is a name combination of "Street Fighter Alpha" series and "Street Fighter 3rd Strike".
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Zero Wing}}'''
 
−
** In Shadow Moon Valley, there is a quest called [[Quest:Setting Up the Bomb|Setting Up The Bomb]] which is a reference to the mistranslated quote "Somebody set up us the bomb!"
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Magic: The Gathering}}'''
 
−
** In the [[Blade's Edge Mountains]], there is [[Gruul's Lair]]. In Gruul's Lair, there is [[Gruul]], a massive cyclopean giant, and a reference to the Gruul guild in Magic: The Gathering,which was lead by the cyclops Borborygmos.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Yogurting}}'''
 
−
** The female Blood Elf's dance moves are taken from the animated [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kv0nHEZ0Ej8 "Always"] promotional video for the Korean video game Yogurting. The video became a minor internet phenomena, spawning another popular video of a dancer using the moves with Britney Spears' "Toxic" playing in the background.
 
−  
−
=== Literature ===
 
−
<!-- This is the Lit subsection of the Burning Crusade section. Only add references here which first appeared in the Burning Crusade expansion. -->
 
−
* '''{{wplink|Issac Asimov}}'''
 
−
** The a quest in Outland named "{{quest|You, Robot}}" is probably a reference to Issac Asimov's ''{{wplink|I, Robot}}'', widely known through the 2004 film (YMMV regarding fidelity.) It may be a reference to {{wplink|I, Robot (short story)|a groundbreaking older work}} which has been adapted for {{wplink|The Outer Limits}} (both series).
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|L. Frank Baum}}'''
 
−
** One of the [[Opera Event]]s in [[Karazhan]] is the [[Wizard of Oz]], referring to the famous children's novel {{wplink|The Wonderful Wizard of Oz}}. Both the fight and the book have shared characters and costumes including the Wicked Witch, a dog named Toto, a girl named Dorothy, the Tinman, the Lion, Scarecrow, and even tornadoes.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Dale Carnegie}}'''
 
−
<!-- This DK reference should be in the Wrath section, and the book in some other section. -->
 
−
** A death knight quest [[Quest:How To Win Friends And Influence Enemies]] is a play on the title of Dale Carnegie's book '''{{wplink|How To Win Friends and Influence People}}'''.
 
−
** A gnome book [[How to Win Friends and Influence People]] shares the same title.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Robert A. Heinlein}}'''
 
−
** The quest giver [[Grok (NPC)|Grok]] is a reference to Heinlein's verb {{wplink|Grok|"to grok"}}, simplified to understand, presented in {{wplink|Stranger in a Strange Land|''Stranger in a Strange Land''}}.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Ernest Hemingway}}'''
 
−
** The quest giver [[Hemet Nesingwary]]- an anagram of Ernest Hemingway- is the typical "great white hunter" found in many Hemingway stories. The achievement {{achievementlong|Hills Like White Elekk}} is a reference to Hemingway's Hills Like White Elephants.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Frank Herbert}}'''
 
−
** The [[burrower]] mobs throughout several zones in Outland seem to be directly based on the sandworms of Dune.
 
−
** One quest in the Bone Wastes involves using an item called a "Fumper" to summon an enormous burrower called "Hai'Shulud," whose title is "The Bone Emperor", a pun on the name of the sandworms of Dune named "Shai-Hulud". The quest rewards are daggers with names based on Dune characters and weapons made from the sandworms' teeth.
 
−
** [[List of pop culture references in Warcraft#Literature_3|See also references]] to Herbert's {{wplink|Dune universe}} found in [[Silithus]].
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Robin Hobb}}'''
 
−
** The name of the tauren at the [[Nesingwary Safari]] in [[Nagrand]], [[Shado 'Fitz' Farstrider]], appears to be a reference to the character FitzChivalry "Fitz" Farseer, and possibly also to his mentor Chade, from Hobb's ''Farseer Trilogy''. In addition to the similar names, Shado wears a wolfshead helm, and FitzChivalry was bonded with a wolf. (As possibly more of a stretch, FitzChivalry was a Wit or "beast magic" user, and seen by some as half-man/half-beast, a possibly fit description for a tauren.)
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|H.P. Lovecraft}}'''
 
−
** The [[Black Morass]], an instance in the Caverns of Time set in what is to become the Blasted Lands, may refer to Lovecraft's "The Call of Cthulhu", in which Inspector Legrasse, investigating reports of strange rituals in New Orleans swamplands, is described to have "plowed on through the black morass". The design of the zone itself closely adheres to Lovecraft's description of the New Orleans marshes.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|William Shakespeare|Shakespeare}}'''
 
−
** In the raid instance [[Karazhan]], one of the boss encounters in the [[Opera Event]] consists of [[Romulo]] and [[Julianne]], playing off of Shakespeare's tragedy ''{{wplink|Romeo and Juliet}}''. Julianne can also drop {{loot|Epic|Romulo's Poison Vial}}. Romulo and Julianne also use famous quotes from Shakespeare's original play while engaging in combat.
 
−
** One of the quests in Bloodmaul Ravine is called "{{quest|A Curse Upon Both of Your Clans!}}" — a reference to Mercutio's oft repeated curse "a plague on both your houses!"
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Delmore Schwartz}}'''
 
−
** During the Prince Malchezaar encounter in Karazhan he can be heard saying "Time is the fire in which you'll burn..." which is a reference to the poem "Calmly We Walk Through This April's Day" by Delmore Schwartz (the same poem is also quoted in the "Star Trek: Generations" movie).
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|J. R. R. Tolkien}}'''
 
−
** A sword named "{{loot|Uncommon|Stung}}" is a quest reward from killing spiders in the [[Ghostlands]], taking its name from Bilbo's sword "Sting" in ''{{wplink|The Hobbit}}''.
 
−
<!--The 1 Ring was not added in Burning Crusade, thus it does not belong here. Do not put it back. -->
 
−
** In Honor Hold there is an NPC named "Marshal Isildor", a possible reference to {{wplink|Isildur}} in Lord of the Rings, the man who cut the ring from Sauron's finger.
 
−
** One of the lines spoken by the Draenei leader, [[Velen]], is "Not all who wander are lost." This is a line from the poem about {{wplink|Aragorn}} in the book.
 
−
** The history of the elven race, including the sundering of the High Elves from the Night Elves and most of Azeroth's prehistory is a close parallel to the Simarillion.
 
−
** Two worgs in [[Zeth'Gor]] are named [[Ripp]] and [[Feng]], possibly referring to {{wplink|Farmer Maggot}}'s dogs Grip and Fang.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Kurt Vonnegut}}'''
 
−
** In Hellfire Peninsula, there is a demon boss named [[Doom Lord Kazzak]], who shares a name with the hound of space, Kazak, from Vonnegut's book ''The Sirens of Titan''.
 
−  
−
=== Music ===
 
−
* '''{{wplink|Dead Kennedys}}'''
 
−
** In the Allerian Stronghold, there is a NPC named Lady Dena Kennedy.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|John Denver}}'''
 
−
**In the same discussion between the Engineering Crewmember and Experimental Pilot at Area 52 mentioned above, the Experimental Pilot also says a line from John Denver's song "Leaving on a Jet Plane". "All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go."
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Depeche Mode}}'''
 
−
**A quest in the Azuremyst Isles is called "Precious and Fragile Things Need Special Handling", taken word-for-word from the first line of ''{{wplink|Precious (song)|Precious}}''.
 
−
**The Blasted Lands quest "Everything Counts in Large Amounts" is a line from the song ''Everything Counts''.
 
−
**The title of the Netherwing daily quest "The Deadliest Trap Ever Laid" is a line from the song "Home".
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|The Eagles}}'''
 
−
**In the Violet Tower in Netherstorm, [[Archmage Vargoth]] will quote several lines from ''{{wplink|Hotel California}}'' when you talk to him multiple times.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Eminem}}'''
 
−
**There is a vendor outside of the [[Mana-Tombs]] named "Slim" -- he is a <Shady Dealer>. This is a reference to one of Eminem's stage names, ''Slim Shady'', and also to his hit song "{{wplink|The Real Slim Shady}}". Said vendor's dialog includes "No my name isn't really Slim." Thus, he isn't "The Real Slim Shady".
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|In Flames}}'''
 
−
** One of the quests on Bloodmyst Isle is called "Artifacts Of The Blacksilt", which may be a reference to the In Flames song "Artifacts Of The Black Rain".
 
−
** There's an Emblem of Heroism reward, a trinket called "Mirror of Truth", which may be a reference to the In Flames song "The Mirror's Truth".
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Elton John}}'''
 
−
**At Area 52 in Netherstorm, in a discussion between Engineering Crewmember and Experimental Pilot the last one says "Oh no no no I'm a rocket man" from the Elton John's song "''Rocket Man''". This entire conversation is comprised of paraphrased lyrics from the song—at one point, Engineering Crewmember asks Experimental Pilot why he doesn't bring his family to Area 52, to which the reply is "This isn't the kind of place to raise your kids. It's cold, and there'd be no one to raise them." This is also a reference to William Shatner's spoken word cover of the song, considering the setting of Area 52.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Kelis}}'''
 
−
** The Blood Elf female has an emote where she says "My mana tap brings all the boys to the yard." Referring to a phrase in the song "{{wplink|Milkshake (song)|Milkshake}}" by Kelis.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Metallica}}'''
 
−
**A quest in Blade's Edge Mountains is called {{wplink|Ride the lightning|Ride the Lightning}}.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Daler Mehndi}}'''
 
−
** The male Draenei's dance moves are taken from the video for the song "{{wplink|Tunak Tunak Tun}}" by Daler Mehndi<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9qvCTdBLDs</ref> which was a moderate internet phenomenon.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Ozzy Osbourne}}'''
 
−
**An NPC named Osborne the Night Man is a possible reference to the Prince of Darkness, Ozzy Osbourne. The NPC trains rogues in Stormwind city.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Carl Perkins}}''' & '''{{wplink|Elvis Presley}}'''
 
−
** A pair of shoes named {{loot|Epic|Blue Suede Shoes}} drop from [[Kaz'rogal]] in the [[Hyjal Summit]] event in [[Caverns of Time]]. Carl Perkins wrote a song with that name, famously covered by Elvis Presley, and the yellow flavor text on the shoes in the game "Keep Off" is a reference to the lyrics.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Pink Floyd}}'''
 
−
** The Innkeeper in [[Thrallmar]] is named [[Floyd Pinkus]] {{title|Innkeeper}}.
 
−
** Otonambusi, the General Goods vendor in [[Azure Watch]] says, "How can you have any pudding if you don't eat your fish?" ("Another Brick in the Wall Part 2")
 
−
** Triage Quest: When performing the Triage quest for Artisan First Aid (Theramore - Alliance / Hammerfall - Horde), soldiers who you fail to heal that are about to die say "Goodbye cruel world...I'm leavin' you today...goodbye, goodbye, goodbye..." These are the opening lines of the song 'Goodbye, Cruel World' from Pink Floyd's album The Wall.
 
−
** The NPC lying down in Nessingway's Camp in Nagrand is called Harold Lane, which could be a reference to Pink Floyd's Song Arnold Lane.
 
−
** Trash mobs inside Auchindoun's Mana Tombs will sometimes say "If you can hear this whisper you're dying." This could be a reference to the similar message that appears in The Great Gig in the Sky off Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|The Pussycat Dolls}}'''
 
−
** One of the /silly [[joke]]s for the male Blood Elf is: "Don't you wish your girlfriend was hot like me?" This is a line from the Pussycat Dolls' "{{wplink|Don't Cha}}" song.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Tenacious D}}'''
 
−
** A drop from Ramparts off the last boss, the plate belt [[Tenacious Defender]] has the flavor text, "It has the power... to move you" — itself a reference to their song "Wonderboy".
 
−
**In the German version, this item was translated as "Die Toten Hosenträger" (The Dead Suspenders) referring to {{wplink|Die Toten Hosen}}, with the flavor text "Steh auf, wenn du am Boden bist." referring to one of their songs.
 
−  
−
=== Other ===
 
−
* '''{{wplink|Area 51}}'''
 
−
** In the Outland, there is a neutral city in the [[Netherstorm]] called [[Area 52]]. (see Men In Black in the Film and Television section)
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Amelia Earhart}}'''
 
−
**The flightmaster at [[Spinebreaker Post]] is named Amilya Airheart, after the famous female pilot.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Captain America}}'''
 
−
** The [[Paladin]] ability [[Avenger's Shield]] mimics the trademark attack of {{wplink|Captain America}}, the leader of the superhero team {{wplink|Avengers (comics)|The Avengers}}.
 
−  
−
* '''Girls Gone Wild''':
 
−
**There is a quest in Hellfire called {{questlong|Neutral|61|Voidwalkers Gone Wild}}
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Granny Smith}}'''
 
−
** There is a fruit vendor in the lower city of Shattrath named Granny Smith, a reference to the apple of the same name.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Greek mythology}}'''
 
−
** At Azure Watch, there's a Hunter trainer named Acteon, who sends players on various quests to hunt down bucks and stags in the area. In Greek myth, {{wplink|Actaeon}} was a hunter who was turned into a stag as punishment by the god Artemis for seeing her bathe nude. After being turned into a stag, he was torn to pieces by his own hounds.
 
−
** Also, on the road to Azure Watch form the draenei starting area, there is a fishing trainer named Diktynna, who gives a quest to gather fish with a net. This is a play on Dictynna, a goddess of fishing and nets.
 
−
** [[Odesyus' Landing]] on [[Azuremyst Isle]], and [[Admiral Odesyus]] are references to Homer's {{wplink|The Iliad|''The Iliad''}}. The [[Blacksmith]] in the camp is named Calypso. In ''"The Iliad"'' Odysseus washes up on Calypso's island, where she forces him to be her lover for seven years before he escapes.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Gesundheit|Gzhun'tt}}'''
 
−
**In Zangarmarsh at Sporegar (19,50) is Gzhun'tt - possibly a reference to the post German and Yiddish word for health.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Marcus Aurelius}}'''
 
−
** In Shadowmoon Valley, there is quest called the Journal of Val'zareq: Portends of War, which leads you to the captured Marcus Aurelion <High General of the Sha'tar>. He is being held prison at Crimson Watch. This is a reference to Marcus Aurelius, an Emperor of Rome.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Paranoia (role-playing game)|Paranoia}}'''
 
−
**In Silvermoon, the Arcane Guardians sometimes say "Happiness is mandatory, Citizen!". This is a direct quote from the Role-Playing game Paranoia.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Paris Hilton}}'''
 
−
**One of the bar patrons in Lower Shattrath City is a blood elf female named [[Haris Pilton]] {{title|Socialite}} made to resemble the infamous heiress. Her dog Tinkerbell is also wandering around the inn.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Pep Boys|The Pep Boys}}'''
 
−
** In the quest {{quest|How to Serve Goblins}}, [[Foreman Razelcraz]] asks you to rescue Manni, Moh and Jakk from the Fel Orc camps. This is a reference to the Emanuel "Manny" Rosenfeld, Maurice "Moe" Strauss, and Graham "Jack" Jackson who are the founders of The Pep Boys auto parts supply chain. The :Manny, Moe, and Jack" characters were modeled after the founders.
 
−  
−
* '''Realm Switcher''':
 
−
**In the quest "The Totem of Kar'dash (Horde)", while rescuing the Mag'har Captive, he screams "FROST SHOCK!!!" This may be a reference to the famous "Switcher" video.<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpoGKw6L4cM</ref>
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Red Bull}}'''
 
−
**One of the quest rewards for {{questlong|Alliance|64|Secrets of the Daggerfen}}, given by [[Timothy Daniels]] in [[Orebor Harborage]], is [[Crimson Steer Energy Drink]], a reference to the energy drink Red Bull.
 
−  
−
*'''Watcher Leesa'oh''':
 
−
**In Zangarmarsh at the Cenarion Watchpost (23,65) is Watcher Leesa'oh - possibly a reference to actress
 
−
Leesa Oh {{fact}}
 
−  
−
* '''Warden Moi'bff Jill''':
 
−
**In Nagrand, the Kurenai NPC who accepts obsidian warbeads for kurenai reputation has a name that is a reference to a popularized Cingular commercial in which a girl says to her mother, "Idk, my bff Jill?".
 
−  
−
== World of Warcraft ==
 
−
=== Classic Fairy Tales ===
 
−
* A cloak called {{loot|rare|The Emperor's New Cape}} drops from Emperor Thaurissan in Black Rock Depths. The cloak is unique in that it is completely invisible. This is a reference to the classic fairy tale {{wplink|The Emperor's New Clothes}}.
 
−  
−
=== Games ===
 
−
<!-- Entries are alphabetized -->
 
−
*'''Abe's ''Oddworld'' series''':
 
−
**The [[Ravager]] bears an extremely striking resemblance to the Scrabs in the various {{wplink|Oddworld}} games.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Diablo (video game)|Diablo}}''' & '''{{wplink|Diablo II}}'''
 
−
** The weapon "[[Wirt's Third Leg]]" is a reference to the character of Wirt the peg-legged boy from Diablo, and his wooden leg which you could actually pick up and wield as a weapon after Wirt's death in ''Diablo II''.
 
−
** The "[http://www.thottbot.com/index.cgi?i=11913 Cow King's Hide]" is a piece of chest armor which is a piece of random equipment dropped from various higher level creatures across the game world, and it refers to The 'Cow King' from 'Diablo II', located on the {{wplink|Cow_Level#Secret_Cow_Level|Cow Level}}.
 
−
** The enemy "[[Razorclaw the Butcher]]" and the item "[[Butcher's Cleaver]]" are references to the overlord unique monster in Diablo 1 and the item he dropped.
 
−
** The item "[[Shadowfang]]" is a reference to the sword of the same name in 'Diablo II'. There is also the "[[Staff of Jordan]]" which is a reference to a popular item in ''Diablo II'' called Stone of Jordan.
 
−
** The weapon set [[Dal'Rend's Arms]] (consisting of Dal'Rend's Sacred Charge and Tribal Guardian) is a reference to the 'Diablo II' set Bul-Kathos' Children (consisting of Bul-Kathos' Sacred Charge and Tribal Guardian).
 
−
** The item {{loot|Rare|Naglering}} is a possible reference to "Nagel Ring".
 
−
** One of the tips displayed as the player logs in to the game is 'There is no cow level', a reference to a popular rumor about there being a secret cow level in Diablo I (after which they really DID put a secret cow level into ''Diablo II''). The phrase 'There is no cow level' is also the instant victory cheat code in the Blizzard RTS ''StarCraft''.
 
−
** WoW players who purchase the Collector's Edition receive a gift coupon in-game which can be redeemed for your choice of three pets, including a mini-Diablo pet.
 
−
** The rogue poison ingredient {{loot|Common|Maiden's Anguish}} is probably a reference to Andariel, the poison-spewing act boss in the first act boss; her "nickname" is the Maiden of Anguish.
 
−
** When you talk to a Dwarf NPC in World of Warcraft, they might say "What can I do for ya?" This is the same line used by Griswold the Blacksmith in Diablo 1, who even had an accent similar to a dwarven one.
 
−
** The area in Elwynn Forest "Stone Cairn Lake" is an obvious Reference to the 5 Cairn Stones in Diablo 2, where you open the portal to old Tristram.
 
−
**The monster, "Kaganishu", inside of a cave system in northern Borean Tundra, has a name reminiscent of Rakanishu, a Fallen guarding the Cairn Stones in Diablo II. His followers say his name as they attack, much like all Fallen in Diablo II.
 
−  
−
* '''Donkey Kong'''
 
−
** In [[Un'Goro Crater]], the gorillas sometimes drop an item named "[[Empty Barrel]]", a reference to Donkey Kong throwing barrels at "Mario" in the "Nintendo" arcade game and the continued importance of barrels in the '''Donkey Kong Country''' and '''Donkey Kong 64''' series.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Dungeons & Dragons}}'''
 
−
** In the Horde town of [[Tarren Mill]], located in [[Hillsbrad Foothills]], there is an orc NPC named [[Krusk]]. Fans of Dungeons & Dragons will recognize the name as one of D&D 3rd edition's iconic characters, Krusk the half-orc barbarian.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Fable (video game)|Fable}}'''
 
−
** In the [[Undercity]], there is a NPC named Theresa that wanders around aimlessly. She is blindfolded and is a mind slave to one of the Undead characters in the game. This could be a vague reference to a blind character of the same name in ''Fable'' (itself a reference to classical mythology).
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Fallout (video game)|Fallout}}'''
 
−
** In [[Western Plaguelands]], [[Farmer Dalson]] is part of the [[Mrs. Dalson's Diary]] quest series. From the diary we learn that his first name is Harold.[http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Harold Harold the Ghoul] is a recurring character in the Fallout series.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|The Legend of Zelda (series)|The Legend of Zelda}}'''
 
−
** In Un'Goro Crater there is a character named [[Linken]] (reference to the Zelda character 'Link') who has a bit of 'amnesia'. You will encounter [[Linken]] by finding a wrecked raft which begins the quest "It's a Secret to Everybody" a quote received in a dungeon in the original Legend of Zelda. Throughout the quest line you will receive several items including a faded photograph showing Link with a female gnome who resembles Princess Zelda standing in Stormwind (or Hyrule Castle), a compass and map which are common items in all Zelda games, a lion head key (found in the original Legend of Zelda game, which had unlimited uses), as well as a training sword. The last of Linken's quests is called "It's Dangerous to Go Alone" the line spoken by the old man in the beginning of the first Zelda when he gives you a sword. Completing the quest will reward you with [[Linken's Boomerang]] and [[Linken's Sword of Mastery]], references to Link's trusty boomerang and the 'Master Sword'.
 
−
** Near Linken there is also a [[Kodo]] named Dadanga, similar to 'The Legend of Zelda series Dodongo a monster from the ''Zelda'' series, and if you talk to its owner she will tell you that it "hates smoke", a reference to a hint given in the Legend of Zelda that "DODONGO DISLIKES SMOKE". Also during these chain of events there is an NPC named [[Miblon Snarltooth]], a reference to the enemy (Moblin) from the original Zelda game. You must buy a piece of ham for Miblon, which opens a gate to an Evoroot. In The Legend of Zelda, you must give a piece of ham to a Moblin to access another part of a dungeon.
 
−
** During the Linken chain of quests you have to bring his training sword to Donova Snowden in Everlook, were she'll then tell you about how the spring near her has special properties that make items better when you throw them into the spring. This is a reference to A Link to the Past where if you threw your sword, boomerang, or arrows into the Fairy spring they would be upgraded.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|The Lost Vikings}}'''
 
−
** In [[Uldaman]] there are three [[dwarf|dwarves]] who are the three lost Vikings from Blizzard's sidescrolling game. As a [[horde]] player you are required to kill them to fully complete the instance, and their combat abilities from the original game have been translated faithfully to the Warcraft universe. And also holding faithful to their abilities, are 3 items, Baelog drops a sword, the Nordic Long Shank, Olaf drops a shield "Olaf's all Purpose Shield" which allows the user to float for 10 seconds, and Eric the Swift drops a "Horned Viking Helmet" with a use to charge the enemy, incapacitating it, and stunning you for a short period of time. There are also two items, a staff and an amulet, that you must retrieve in conjunction with a quest called "[[The Shaft of Tsol]]" and the "[[Gni'kiv Medallion]]". These two items spell "Lost Viking" backwards.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Mortal Kombat}}'''
 
−
** The same dwarves who quote Evil Dead and AC/DC while doing target practice outside of [[Kharanos]] also shout "Mortar Combat!" in precisely the same manner "Mortal Kombat!" is shouted in the soundtrack to the {{wplink|Mortal Kombat (film)|movie of the videogame}}.
 
−
:: ''Note: these dwarves' lines consist entirely of sound files taken from the Dwarven Mortar Team unit from [[Warcraft III]], so the references are not originally from [[World of Warcraft]].''
 
−  
−
* '''Neverwinter Nights'''
 
−
** In [[Ironforge]], there is a gnome named [[Fenthwick]] who is possibly referring to the character Fenthick in Neverwinter Nights. Name is similar, race is different, sex is same.
 
−  
−
* '''Street Fighter'''
 
−
** The male [[troll]] offensive spell cast animation is identical to that of a "Hadouken".
 
−
** A [[Tauren]] NPC in [[Camp Mojache]] in [[Feralas]] is named "Hadoken Swiftstrider".
 
−
** "Hadoken Swiftstrider" the Tauren NPC in Camp Mojache, Feralas gives you a quest called "Alpha Strike" which is a name combination of "Street Fighter Alpha" series and "Street Fighter 3rd Strike".
 
−
** Low level [[imp]]s called [[Grell]]s will sometimes perform Ken and Ryu's Dragon Punch motion when attacking.
 
−
** Female [[Human]] [[Paladin]]s perform a shoryuken animation when casting [[Hammer of Justice]].
 
−  
−
* '''StarCraft'''
 
−
** Across the gameworld are disabled shredders with a picture of Infested Kerrigan on the screen.
 
−
** The [[Silithid]] hives and the surrounded infested areas are strongly reminiscent of the Zerg hives.
 
−
** WoW players who purchase the collectors edition receive a gift coupon in-game which can be redeemed for a [[Zergling]] pet.
 
−
** During the opening of the Dark Portal event, an NPC who is fighting the demon invaders is named "Marshal Raynor", a reference to the Terran character Jim Raynor who is a marshal.
 
−
** One of the NPCs found at the Sha'tari Skyguard base outside Skettis is named Adaris, a potential reference to Aldaris.
 
−
** The Vindicator in the Ammen Vale crash site is named Aldar, possibly another reference to Judicator Aldaris.
 
−  
−
* '''Super Mario Bros.'''
 
−
** In Un'Goro Crater two characters named [[Muigin]] and [[Larion]] can be found (if you remove the n on Larion and Muigin and trade the letters L and M you get Mario and Luigi). Larion, who is clad in red and blue, is based on 'Mario' while Muigin, in green and blue, is based on his brother 'Luigi'. Also, Muigin (Alliance side) and Larion (Horde) begin quests where the player must hunt Bloodpetals, which look suspiciously like the 'Piranha Plant's from the various Super Mario Brothers games. Upon quest completion, Muigin references previous injuries when attempting to jump on the Bloodpetals, stating "Plants shouldn't be so strong!" Several times, Larion insists that, "It's Muigin's fault we're lost!" and "He told me to take the tunnel!" This is a reference to the Super Mario Brothers movie, where Luigi tells him to take the tunnel which strands them in the desert.
 
−
** A food item can be discovered in various sections of the game called the Red Speckled Mushroom. The image of the mushroom is supiciously similar to the Super Mushroom from Super Mario World et al.
 
−  
−
* '''Ultima'''
 
−
** At the [[Darkmoon Faire]], a periodic world event, there is a fortune teller who will ask you morality questions that are almost directly pulled from the morality questions asked at the beginnings of ''Ultima''s 4, 5, and 6.
 
−  
−
* '''Ultima Online'''
 
−
** A certain quest has the player delivering a book called [[Studies in Spirit Speaking]]. When read, the book contains series of Os (OOOoOoo), just as the dialogue of player ghosts appeared in Ultima Online. The Os in the book also represent text in binary that reads "Ultima Online Napa Valley Knights of Chaos" (referring to a player guild on an ''Ultima Online'' shard). The title of the book is a reference to the necromancer-related skill required to understand ghosts.
 
−  
−  
−
=== Film and television ===
 
−
<!-- Entries are alphabetized -->
 
−
* '''{{wplink|Ace Ventura: Pet Detective}}'''
 
−
** An NPC named [[Finkle Einhorn]] can be found in [[Blackrock Spire|Upper Blackrock Spire]] after skinning [[The Beast]]. This is a reference to the dual lives of Ace Ventura's antagonist, Ray Finkle/Lois Einhorn.
 
−
** There is also a mace called 'Finkle's Lava Dredger' and a dagger called 'Finkle's Skinner'.
 
−
** Also, there is mention about a "Captain Winky" and the term "shikaka".
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension}}'''
 
−
** In [[Shimmering Flats]] there are tire tracks that go up to a wall of rock. The tracks appear on the other side of the cliff, in [[Tanaris]], along with the ill-fated vehicle that made the journey.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Alias (TV show)|Alias}}'''
 
−
** One of the female Human's silly emotes says "I can't wait till this quest is done and I can look for another Garibaldi artifact," a reference to the Rambaldi artifacts pursued by Sydney Bristow. It has been suggested that this is also a reference to 'Michael Garibaldi', a character from the TV series '''{{wplink|Babylon 5}}''' portrayed by actor '''{{wplink|Jerry Doyle (actor)|Jerry Doyle}}'''.
 
−
** In Stormwind, the thieves guild hall is named SI:7, assumed to be a play on both SD-6, which is the orginzation Sidney Bristow works for in the show, as well as {{wplink|MI6}}, which is best known as the British intelligence agency {{wplink|James Bond}} works for.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Aliens (film)|Aliens}}'''
 
−
** In the human barracks west of the town of Goldshire there are two NPCs named Quartermaster Hicks and Quartermaster Hudson, who are named after Corporal Hicks and Private Hudson from Aliens.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|American Idol}}'''
 
−
** One of the male Orc's silly emotes is "Man, dawg, you know, it's like I'm feeling you, but I'm not feeling you, you know?", a reference to the phrases used by judge Randy Jackson.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|An American Werewolf in London}}'''
 
−
** In the Mage District of Stormwind, the Warlock trainer can be found in the basement of a pub called "The Slaughtered Lamb". This is a reference to the pub two lost American hitchhikers stumbled upon before their unfortunate encounter with the local werewolf in this film.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Apocalypse Now}}'''
 
−
** In Stranglethorn Vale, there is a boss named Colonel Kurzen, who went insane and raised an army from a small, hidden compound. This is a reference to Colonel Kurtz, played by Marlon Brando. The two Colonels' backstories are very similar. It is, by extension, a reference to Kurtz from ''{{wplink|Heart of Darkness}}'', the novel whose story ''Apocalypse Now'' was based.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Aqua Teen Hunger Force}}'''
 
−
** An NPC named ''Oglethorpe Obnoticus'' can be found in [[Booty Bay]]. He's a reference to ''Oglethorpe'', one of the unbelievably stupid Plutonian aliens, and their source of knowledge, the ''Orbnaticus'', a giant mirrored disco ball that Oglethorpe insists is actually a supercomputer. The NPC is an engineering trainer who gives the quests ''The Pledge of Secrecy'' and ''Show Your Work''.
 
−  
−
* '''Army of Darkness'''
 
−
** Around the dwarven capital there are some dwarves doing target practice. If one waits there long enough eventually one will say "THIS IS MY BOOMSTICK!", a reference to ''Army of Darkness''. (This is the same dialogue used for the 'Dwarven Rifleman' in '''Warcraft III'''.)
 
−
** The gunshop outside the Auction House in 'Orgrimmar' is named "Boomstick Imports".
 
−
** There are also several Gun items in the game with the word "Boomstick" in them.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Austin Powers}}'''
 
−
** Part of the quest to open [[Ahn'Qiraj]] involves a gnome named ''Doctor Weavil'', who sends a [[gorilla]] named ''Number Two'' to attack the player working on the quest when his ransom demand fails.
 
−
** Inside Naxxramas, there is a cat near the entrance named "Mr. Bigglesworth" which was the name of Dr. Evil's cat. Killing this cat will enrage Kel'Thuzad.
 
−
** One of the female Human's /silly emotes says, "Sometimes, I have trouble controlling the volume OF MY VOICE!", which is a direct quote after Austin's reanimation from cryostasis.
 
−
** Both male and female gnome dancing resembles Mini-me's dance in the second movie, '''The Spy Who Shagged Me'''.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Bewitched}}'''
 
−
** A troll in [[Sen'jin Village]] is named [[Bom'bay]] {{title|Witch Doctor in Training}}. In the show from the 1960s, when a witch or warlock needed help, they would call "Doctor Bombay" by chanting "Calling Dr. Bombay, Calling Dr. Bombay. Please come right away."
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Big Trouble in Little China}}'''
 
−
** The ''Six Demon Bag'' is a trinket; its tooltip text says it "Blasts enemies with the power of wind, fire, that kind of thing!", quoting Egg Shen's description of the contents of his Six-Demon Bag in the film.
 
−
** There is a hidden area under one of the lakes in [[Deadwind Pass]] that is referred to as the hell of "upside down sinners" where you can view floating corpses chained to the lake floor.
 
−  
−
* '''<i>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whassup%3F Budweiser Commercial]</i>'''
 
−
** Lunnix Sprocketslip in Everlook sometimes greets players with a hearty, "Whassuuup?!" as made popular in a [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVk9WTXcDbk Budweiser Commercial].
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Caddyshack}}'''
 
−
** There is an NPC in [[Darnassus]], [[Jenal]] {{title|Ditch Digger}}, behind one of the large trees that houses the Druid trainers surrounded by piles of dirt. When the Jenal asked [[Arch Druid Fandral Staghelm]] what his purpose in life would be, he was told "that the world needs ditch diggers too." This line was spoken by the Judge in the movie when the main character Danny expressed his doubt at having enough money for college.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Cannonball Run}}'''
 
−
** A trinket called the [[Cannonball Runner]] drops in [[Stratholme]].
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Carlito's Way}}'''
 
−
** In [[Westfall]], there is a [[Defias]] NPC called [[Benny Blaanco]], a similar name as the {{wplink|John Leguizamo}} character Benny Blanco in the film.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Chasing Amy}} '''''/''''' '''{{wplink|Congo (film)|Congo}}'''
 
−
** A quest in Un'Goro crater is named "Chasing A-Me 01", and tasks the player with finding and rescuing a mechanized female gorilla from a pack of wild apes.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Caveman (film)|Cavemen}}'''
 
−
** When targeted, one of the random messages an NPC orc will say is "zug zug," a word used in this film intended to mean "sex." (This dialogue was used in previous Warcraft games as well.)
 
−
** One of the female Orc "flirting" lines is "You had me at zug zug," which is also a reference to one of the final lines of ''{{wplink|Jerry Maguire}}''.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Chris Farley}}''', '''''Saturday Night Live'''''
 
−
** The dance moves of the [[Ogres]] in [[Dire Maul]], as well as the Druid [[Moonkin form]], are the same as those made famous by Chris Farley during the 'Chippendales' sketch on ''Saturday Night Live''.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Cheers}}'''
 
−
** In the Mage Quarter in [[Stormwind]], one of wandering NPC [[Erich Lohan]]'s phrases is "Head on over to the Blue Recluse. Where everybody knows your name!" "Where everybody knows your name" is also the ''Cheers'' theme song.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Commando (film)|Commando}}'''
 
−
** During the second boss encounter in the Ruins of Ahn'Qiraj, Lt. General Andorov makes the same threat to Rajaxx that Arnold Schwartzenegger's character Matrix made to Sully: "Remember when I said I'd kill you last? ''I lied''."
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Conan the Barbarian (film)|Conan the Barbarian}}'''
 
−
** In the [[Badlands]] there is a cave with the corpse of the warrior king sitting on a throne and propping up a sword that Conan retrieves.
 
−
** [[Saru Steelfury]], the Artisan [[Blacksmith]] in Orgrimmar, says (if you are qualified for Expert Blacksmithing and not Artisan) "No one, no one in the world can you trust. Not men, not women, not beasts ... this you can trust, steel," which is a quote from the movie.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Daria}}'''
 
−
** There is a female goblin NPC in [[Gadgetzan]] named [http://www.wowhead.com/?npc=11756 ''Quinn''], whose name and clothing are a reference to Quinn Morgendorffer, Daria's younger sister.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb}}'''
 
−
** In the description of the [[Ashenvale]] quest "{{questlong|Horde|24|Between a Rock and a Thistlefur}}", the questgiver says to you "<character name>, we must not allow... an expansion path gap!" intended to be a reference to a line in the movie talking about a mine shaft gap.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Doctor Who}}'''
 
−
** In [[Elwynn Forest]], there is a NPC named [["Auntie" Bernice Stonefield]]. This is a reference to "Bernice Summerfield", a companion of the Doctor.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|The Dukes of Hazzard}}'''
 
−
** In the [[Shimmering Flats]] area there is a Race Starter named [[Daisy]] wearing a tank top and "Daisy Dukes".
 
−  
−
* '''Dracula'''
 
−
** The Guild Master of the Undercity is named ''Christopher Drakul'', possibly a reference to {{wplink|Christopher Lee}}, who played the vampire lord more than any other man in film.
 
−  
−
* '''''The Exorcist'''''
 
−
** In the [[War Quarter]] of the Undercity, there waits a Level 40 [[Priest]] trainer named ''Father Lankester'', named after the priest ''Lankester Merrin''.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Farscape}}'''
 
−
** The Accessories Quartermaster NPC in the [[Old Town]] section of [[Stormwind]] is named Officer Areyn. She resembles {{wplink|Claudia Black}}'s character, Officer "Aeryn Sun" from the television series.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Fight Club (film)|Fight Club}}'''
 
−
** In the War Quarter of the Undercity there are two NPCs named [[Tyler]] and [[Edward]] that fight NPCs. The undead around them also have names from the movie, such as [[Marla Fowler|Marla]] and [[Chloe Curthas|Chloe]].
 
−
** There is also a mace in the game appropriately named {{loot|Rare|Fight Club}}".
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Forrest Gump}}'''
 
−
** A dwarven fisherman named ''Gubber Blump'' can be found on the beach near [[Auberdine]]; he is a reference to both Forrest and his friend Bubba. His dialogue is similar to both characters; he introduces himself "My name's Gubber, Gubber Blump" and later recites a list of all the different ways to cook "crab".
 
−
** In the human capital of Stormwind, the flower shop is run by Florist Gump.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Fraggle Rock}}'''
 
−
** There is a NPC in Un'Goro Crater who is similarly named Spraggle Frock.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Friday the 13th (series)|Friday the 13th}}'''
 
−
** The lake next to the town of [[Goldshire]] is called [[Crystal Lake]]. In the early morning hours, six children, standing at the points of a pentagram, will wander around Goldshire in a spooky fashion.
 
−
** An Undead in the town of [[Brill]] will give you directions to the lake to the east in Lordearon but warns you to be careful because some guy in a mask killed a bunch of people near there.
 
−
** A Human named Jason Mathers stands on a small pier on the shores of Crystal Lake, and sometimes when a player asks a Stormwind Guard about the fishing trainer, they will tell that the fisherman once fished up a strange mask from Crystal Lake.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Full Metal Jacket (film)|Full Metal Jacket}}'''
 
−
** Ghede, in [[Thunder Bluff]], upon talking to him while doing the Un'goro Soil quest says: "Be advised, Jackson - I am in no mood for any comment that you think is cute or funny. I am here to make sure that the Arch Druid's research proceeds as planned, and I will weed out all non-hackers who do not pack the gear to serve my beloved Cenarion Circle."<br>When turning in the quest, he tells you not to make any effort to help him unload the soil, and that "if the Great Spirits had wanted it done they would have miracled it up there", a reference to Sgt. Hartman and Pvt. Pyle.
 
−
** The [[Booterang]], given in the Netherwing daily of the same name, has printed on it the first two lines of the {{wplink|Rifleman's Creed}}. The Creed pre-dates Full Metal Jacket by about 45 years, but was popularized by this movie.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Gamera}}'''
 
−
** The [[Blackfathom Deeps]] [[instance]] features a giant [[turtle]] named [[Ghamoo-ra]], a clear reference to Gamera.
 
−
** In the [[Hinterlands]], there is a turtle called [[Gammerita]].
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Ghostbusters}}'''
 
−
** There is a NPC in the [[Eastern Plaguelands]] named Egan that gives you {{loot|Common|Egan's Blaster}}. The blaster will release the souls trapped inside the ghostly and spectral citizens of Stratholme, and then can be used again on the souls to free them. A direct reference to ''Ghostbusters'' character Egon Spengler.
 
−
** There is a NPC in Death Knell named Harold Raims which spoofs Harold Ramis, one of the writers of the movie, and also the actor who played Egon.
 
−
** In The Hinterlands, one can find The [[Altar of Zul]]. Zuul was the minion of Gozer in the first ''Ghostbusters'' movie.
 
−
** There is also a [[mage]] quest in the Undercity (and a similar one in Stormwind) which involves the investigation of disturbances and the capturing of ghosts in Containment Coffers.
 
−
** In Stormwind there are three NPC mages that walk around and talk about "crossing the streams," and that it would be bad.
 
−
** One of the goblin engineers working at the race track in the Shimmering Flats cites, "We have the tools, we have the talent!"
 
−
** When turning in a quest in the [[Western Plaguelands]] regarding a ghost, the NPC will sometimes respond, "Listen. Do you smell something?"
 
−
** An NPC at [[Chillwind Point]] near the entrance to the Plaguelands will say "This job is not worth another sixteen-five a year!" The character Winston said a similar line in the movie.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Gilligan's Island}}'''
 
−
** The now unused zone [[Gillijim's Isle]] (located far west of [[Stranglethorn Vale]]) is a reference to the 1960s TV series. The in-game zone hosted an island in the alpha stages of WoW.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|The Godfather (film)|The Godfather}}'''
 
−
** The NPC Tirion Fordring says "Look what they did to my boy" upon seeing his son dead, which is what Don Corleone says after Sonny is assassinated in the movie.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Godzilla}}'''
 
−
** In [[Zul'Farrak]], players can summon and fight a giant [[hydra]] named [[Gahz'rilla]], an obvious reference to the giant behemoth of Japanese movie fame.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Goodfellas}}'''
 
−
** In Goldshire there is a NPC named Remy "Two Times", who states "I'll give you the best price in town...best price in town!" This is a reference to Jimmy Two Times in the movie ''Goodfellas'', who has a similar tendency to repeat himself in dialogue like "I'm gonna go get the papers, get the papers."
 
−
** The Master Smith in Booty Bay, Brikk Keencraft, says "You think I'm a clown here to amuse you. Is that what you think? That I'm a clown? Huh, is it? You think I'm a clown don't you!" which is one of Joe Pesci's more memorable lines from the movie.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|The Goonies}}'''
 
−
** In The [[Deadmines]], [[Edwin VanCleef]]'s pirate ship's location inside a cave bears a resemblance to that of One Eyed Willie's ship.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|The Great Race}}'''
 
−
** The face on the front cone of the goblin racer in the Shimmering Flats bears a striking resemblance to the artwork on a couple of the vehicles operated by Professor Fate.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Rutger Hauer}}'''
 
−
** In the Undercity War Quarter at the west side near the sewers entrance, there are two NPC guards named Sergeant Rutger and Sergeant Houser, in homage to the famous actor.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Highlander (film)|Highlander}}'''
 
−
** A master swordsman named ''Klannoc Macleod, the Islander'' can be found on Fray Island near [[Ratchet]], a reference to "Connor MacLeod".
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|History of the World, Part I|Mel Brooks' History of the World, Part I}}'''
 
−
** In Dire Maul North, after killing the Gordok King, you receive a buff that says "You're the king - it's good to be the king!" which is a reference to the famous line repeated by "King Louis XVI".
 
−  
−
* '''Indiana Jones'''
 
−
** An Uldaman quest uses an amulet which must be fitted onto a staff and placed so that light will pass through it to open a door; in 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' Indy performs a similar maneuver to find a the hidden cave in which the Ark was stored.
 
−
** In Searing Gorge, there is a quest found on a wounded dwarf archaeologist named Dorius which concerns the 'Suntara Stones', a reference to the fictional 'Sankara Stones' sought by 'Indiana Jones' in the "Temple of Doom".
 
−  
−
* '''James Bond'''
 
−
** Stormwind's covert operations and military intelligence service is named SI:7, which is a reference to MI:6, the organization that James Bond works for. (This could also be referring to the real British Secret Intelligence Service.)
 
−  
−
* '''Jaws'''
 
−
** The fishing trainer in Lakeshire is named Matthew Hooper. Matt Hooper is the name of the character 'Richard Dreyfuss' played in Jaws. He was an expert on fish and sharks.
 
−
**To open the Gates of [[Ahn'Qiraj]], the player kill a large shark named Maws.
 
−  
−
* '''Joe Dirt'''
 
−
** One of the ghostly citizens of Caer Darrow is called "Joseph Dirte." He also makes a comment referencing to Bruce Lee's '''Fist of Fury'''.
 
−  
−
* '''Judge Dredd'''
 
−
** The plate PvP reward armor shoulder piece bears a striking resemblance to the armor worn by Sylverster Stallone in the 1995 movie Judge Dredd.
 
−  
−
* '''Karate Kid'''
 
−
** One of the bosses in Naxxramas instructs his students to "Sweep the leg", a line from the movie.
 
−  
−
* '''Kill Bill'''
 
−
** There is a weapon called the {{loot|Rare|Hanzo Sword}}. This may be a reference to the man who the character from Kill Bill was based upon, "Hattori Hanzo", an actual ninja who was trained from childhood and first fought in combat at 16. He lived from 1541-1596.
 
−  
−
* '''Krull'''
 
−
** Inside Onyxia's Lair, there is a skeleton laying near the edge of the lava pool with its arm reaching into the lava towards a shuriken. This plays homage to the scene where Prince Colwyn had to retrieve the Glaive from a lava pool.
 
−  
−
* '''Labyrinth'''
 
−
** In the [[Ironforge]] side of the [[Deeprun Tram]] that connects the two main Alliance Cities, there's a gnome NPC named "Haggle" who bears a distinct resemblance to Hoggle from the movie.
 
−  
−
* '''Land of the Lost'''
 
−
** Un'goro Crater is a steep walled valley filled with dinosaurs. Two NPCs here are Williden Marshal and Hol'anyee Marshal, direct refences from LotL's characters: Marshal, Will, and Holly. Also, there are crystal pylons which use red, green, blue, and yellow power crystals, visual references to the crystals used in Land of the Lost's pylons.
 
−  
−
* '''Lawnmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace'''
 
−
** The weapon {{loot|rare|Phantom Blade}} has an identical item mesh to the sword Jobe uses in the cyberspace sword fight at the end of the movie.
 
−  
−
* '''The Last Starfighter'''
 
−
** In the Orgrimmar's Cleft of Shadow, there is a level 35 Troll near the Rogue Trainer named Zando'zan, a reference to the Assassins that go after Alex's Beta Unit back on Earth in the movie.
 
−  
−
* '''The Little Mermaid'''
 
−
** When pickpocketed, [[Naga]] can yield an item called a "Shiny Dinglehopper," a reference to one of the items misclassified by "Scuttle".
 
−  
−
* '''Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome'''
 
−
** [[Gadgetzan]], in [[Tanaris]], is obviously inspired by Bartertown from the third 'Mad Max' movie. The town has a large caged dome in the center where fighting between Horde and Alliance is permitted, which is the exact same concept as Bartertown's Thunderdome. ''(This feature has been removed as of 1.11.)''
 
−
** Tanaris is a desert area that is very similar in appearance to the one in the movie (arguably, some players also contend that Gadgetzan is very similar in style to "Mos Eisley" in '''Star Wars''').
 
−
** [[Katrina Turner]], an NPC in Gadgetzan, is a reference to Tina Turner and her roll in the movie.
 
−  
−
* '''Masters of the Universe'''
 
−
** When Winna Hazzard's kitten, Saber, is exposed to the Tainted Moonwell of the Ruins of Constellar in Felwood, he becomes a huge green tiger with yellow stripes, similar to Cringer/"Battle Cat".
 
−  
−
* '''The Matrix'''
 
−
** The guards in Ironforge sometimes say they wished they had taken the blue potion instead of the red potion when a player asks for the location of the Alchemist.
 
−
** An NPC by the graveyard at Light Hope's Chapel occasionally says that he wished he had taken the translucent pill.
 
−
** A NPC named Juston in the Cathedral district in Stormwind City often says "There is no spoon", a phrase that is also a cheat code in [[Warcraft III]] for unlimited Mana.
 
−
** One of the boys who is fishing in Stormwind's Canal District sometimes says "There is no spoon".
 
−
** {{loot|poor|Bent Spoon}}, pickpocketed from Level 10-20 NPCs, is another reference to the spoon scene.
 
−  
−
* '''Mission: Impossible'''
 
−
** A rogue quest in the Barrens is titled "Mission: Possible But Not Probable."
 
−
** In [[Quest:Covert Ops - Alpha|Covert Ops - Alpha]] and [[Quest:Covert Ops - Beta|Covert Ops - Beta]] quests, the pages that [[Gaxim Rustfizzle]] gives you in the {{loot|Common|Covert Ops Pack}} end by saying to destroy these pages, and "if I could figure out how I'd make these pages self-destruct after you read them". <!-- Approximate wording from memory - please replace with the real words if you have access to them --> This is a parody of the opening of most episodes of the "Mission: Impossible" TV series where the taped instructions end with, "This tape will self-destruct in five seconds."
 
−  
−
* '''Monty Python's Flying Circus'''
 
−
** In the Eastvale Logging Camp in Elwynn Forest is a lumberjack named Terry Palin, who sometimes says "I'm a lumberjack, and I'm OK. I sleep all night and I work all day." These are the lyrics to the chorus of Monty Python's Lumberjack Song, originally performed by 'Michael Palin'. The song was composed by 'Michael Palin', 'Terry Jones' (another member of Monty Python), and Fred Tomlinson.
 
−
** There is a consumable item purchasable at the Darkmoon Faire called {{loot|Common|Crunchy Frog}}, a reference to the unpalatable chocolates described in the sketch of the same name.
 
−  
−
* '''Monty Python and the Holy Grail'''
 
−
** There's a rep quest from Gzhun'tt in Sporeggar called 'Bring Me A Shrubbery!" The Knights of Ni demanded that King Arthur bring them a shrubbery before they'd let him pass. The repeatable part of this quest is called 'Bring Me Another Shrubbery!,' which is a reference to when the Knights of Ni demanded another shrubbery. Ni!
 
−
** In the town of Stormwind, a couple of children fishing make a reference to the bunny in the movie by saying "And then he ate their heads off!" which is the same action to the bunny in the movie.
 
−  
−
* '''The Music Man'''
 
−
** Meggi Peppinrocker in Everlook gives out the quest "Trouble in Winterspring!" which borrows heavily from the lyrics of 'Meredith Willson''s song "Ya Got Trouble" from ''The Music Man''. In the musical, Professor Harold Hill sings of how playing pool requires "judgement, brains and maturity," and how he's developed "a cool head and a keen eye." Meggi uses these same phrases and other direct quotes from the song's lyrics when talking about her experiences in the wilderness of Winterspring.
 
−  
−
* '''Mystery Men'''
 
−
** "The Shoveler" is a two-handed mace weapon named after the character of "William H. Macy".
 
−  
−
* '''The Neverending Story'''
 
−
** There is a mountain giant in the region of Feralas named "Rockbiter".
 
−
** The region [[Swamp of Sorrows]] is likely a reference to the Swamp of Sadness, where Atreyu loses his horse, Artax.
 
−  
−
* '''Old School'''
 
−
** When performing the quest "Alliance Trauma" for Dr. Gustaf VanHowzen, the injured soldiers occasionally say the line "...I...I think I see Blue.." This is a reference to a scene from Old School where Will Ferrell's character has been badly beaten and is slightly delirious. Once Ferrell's friend comes to help him, Ferrell says the lines "I'm so cold Mitch....I think I see Blue. He looks glorious." Blue being another character in the movie that had previously died.
 
−  
−
* '''Oz'''
 
−
** In the Black Rock Depths instance of Blackrock Mountain there is a jail. Several prisoners in this jail cell (evident in the jailbreak quest) bear names and semblances to characters on the TV show ''Oz'' i.e. Tobias Screecher is a reference to Tobias Beecher, a prisoner and protagonist in ''Oz''.
 
−  
−
* '''Petticoat Junction'''
 
−
** At the to entrance to Dustwallow Marsh there is a burned out inn called "The Shady Rest" home of the TV show Petticoat Junction.
 
−  
−
* '''Pinocchio'''
 
−
** In the Badlands is a gnome with a small mechanical servant called Servo, itself a reference to '''Mystery Science Theater 3000'''. Servo will occasionally say things like "someday I'll be a real boy!"
 
−  
−
* '''Popeye'''
 
−
** A beggar in Stormwind occasionally says "I will gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today," a frequent quote from the character Wimpy.
 
−  
−
* '''The Princess Bride'''
 
−
** The object that brands a player to 'attune' them to Blackwing Lair says "Have fun storming the castle" when you touch it. This is a quote from Max the Miracle Worker in the movie ''The Princess Bride''.
 
−
** In Menethil Harbor there is a stable master with the name Wesley.
 
−
** As of patch 1.11, in Light's Hope Chapel in the Eastern Plaguelands there is an envoy of the Argent Dawn named Father Inigo Montoy.
 
−
** [[Nefarian|Lord Victor Nefarian]] will sometimes yell "Inconceivable!" when members of the [[Chromatic Dragonflight]] are defeated in the arena event of [[Blackrock Spire|Upper Blackrock Spire]].
 
−
** When you are fishing up coins in Dalaran's fountain, you will sometimes receive Inigo's Copper Coin, which has inscribed on it "I wish I had my father back..."
 
−  
−
* '''The Prisoner'''
 
−
** There is a quest in Everlook involving a mob named "Number Two", which is a gorilla. "Number Two" was the antagonist of this influential British sci-fi program, and a gorilla mask factored very heavily into the show's final episode.
 
−
** Goblin NPCs often say the farewell, "Be seeing you!" which was the mandatory farewell for all citizens of The Village, accompanied by a sort of salute using the (American) "OK" sign. In The Prisoner, the farewell was a thinly veiled reference to the lack of privacy and constant surveillance in The Village.
 
−  
−
* '''Psycho'''
 
−
** The undead innkeepers in the Undercity and in Silverpine forest are named Innkeeper Norman and Innkeeper Bates.
 
−
** A warlock trainer in Brill is named Rupert Boch. Writer Robert Bloch is the author of the novel ''Psycho'', on which the movie is based.
 
−  
−
* '''Pulp Fiction'''
 
−
** In Ravenholdt Manor, there is a mysterious human with the name Winston Wolfe with the tag "The Wolf." This is a reference to Harvey Keitel's character in ''Pulp Fiction''.
 
−
** Lord Ravenholdt can give rogue players a quest to recover a sealed azure bag "the contents of which are a private matter," a possible reference to the mysterious briefcase of Marcellus Wallace whose glowing content is never revealed to the viewers.
 
−  
−
* '''Red Dwarf'''
 
−
** At Refuge Point there is a character involved in the Hints of a New Plague quest line called Apprentice Kryten. Presumably he is named after the robot in this series.
 
−  
−
* '''Sanford and Son'''
 
−
** In the city of Orgrimmar one may visit Droffers and Son Salvage where orcs Dran Droffers and his son Malton are proprietors. Their names are anagrams for Fred Sanford and Lamont.
 
−
** Their quest "Ripple Recovery" is an obvious reference to Fred Sanford's wine of choice on the show.
 
−
** Dran calls people "dummy", one of the show's catch phrases.
 
−  
−
* '''Saturday Night Fever'''
 
−
** The male Human dance resembles one of John Travolta's dances in the movie.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Saturday Night Live}}'''
 
−
** {{loot|common|Happy Fun Rock}} is a reference to a skit commercial for a product named Happy Fun Ball. ''"Do not taunt happy fun ball." "Happy Fun Ball sticks to some types of skin,"'' etc.
 
−
** {{questlong|Alliance|30D|The Only Cure is More Green Glow}} is a reference to the popular skit about 'More Cowbell', which had the famous line: "I have a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell."
 
−
** There is another quest in Tanaris called simply {{questlong||60R|The Only Prescription}}, which may be a reference to the same sketch.
 
−  
−
* '''Scarface'''
 
−
** In the Eastern Plaguelands, an NPC by the name of Tirion Fordring lives in a small house in the wilderness. When a monster approaches him, he gets out his hammer and says, "Say hello to my little friend." This is a quote from the movie ''Scarface'' from 1983 starring Al Pacino.
 
−
** The Goblin NPC, Kibler, says "Are those spider eggs in your pack or are you just happy to see me?" upon completing the quest ''En-Ay-Es-Tee-Why''.
 
−  
−
* '''Scooby-Doo'''
 
−
** The icon [[:File:INV Jewelry Necklace 21.png|INV Jewelry Necklace 21]], used e.g. for {{loot|Uncommon|Alterac Valley Mark of Honor}} and {{loot|Rare|Talisman of Protection}}, is identical to Scooby Doo's collar. The initials "SD" are clearly visible.
 
−  
−
* '''The Bone Collector'''
 
−
** There is a quest in the Desolace called "Bone Collector" where you have to collect kodo bones from the kodo graveyard.
 
−  
−
* '''The Shawshank Redemption'''
 
−
** In Tanaris, there is a quest called "The Scrimshank Redemption". While the content has little to do with the movie, the quest title is a rather obvious reference to the movie.
 
−  
−
* '''The Silence of the Lambs'''
 
−
** In Dire Maul North, there are a series of quests that involve the creation of an {{loot|Uncommon|Gordok Ogre Suit}}; one of the components of the suit is an {{loot|Uncommon|Ogre Tannin}}, which is found in a basket. When you obtain the Tannin, an ogre (Gordok Bushwacker) comes charging down the stairs screaming "It puts the tannin in the basket or it gets the mallet again!!" This is a reference to the Buffalo Bill killer in the film (and novel), who instructed his victim, "It places the lotion in the basket" and threatened, "or else it gets the hose again." Another link with the same quest is that Buffalo Bill was making a suit out of human skin.
 
−
** In a cave in Thunder Bluff is a character named Clarice Foster. This is a reference to the FBI agent in the film (Clarice Starling) and the actress who played her (Jodie Foster).
 
−
** In Darkshire there is an NPC by the name of Clarise Gnarltree (a reference to Clarice Starling). If you talk to her often enough, she says a dialogue pertaining to the screaming of the lambs at night.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|The Simpsons}}'''
 
−
** A worker for the Darkmoon Faire is looking for her lost frog, Jub-Jub, which shares a name with the pet iguana owned by Selma Bouvier.
 
−
** In the Library instance of the Scarlet Monastery, a miniboss named Houndmaster Loksey yells out "Release the hounds!" when attacked in a voice very similar to that of "Mr. Burns", the greedy owner of the Springfield nuclear power plant. The two characters also have similar hair styles.
 
−
** In Dire Maul, after killing King Gordok and causing the ogres to become friendly, some quote ''The Simpsons'', such as "I am so smart! I am so smart! S-M-R-T!"
 
−
** A farmhand just north of Southshore is named "Caretaker Smithers," a reference to Waylon Smithers, Mr. Burns' Assistant."
 
−
** Occasionally, one of the children fishing off the docks in Stormwind will yell out that he has caught a big, three-eyed fish just like the famous one from the series.
 
−  
−
* '''The Six Million Dollar Man'''
 
−
** In the Badlands, Lotwil Veriatus's robot Servo says "We can make it better, stronger, faster. We have the technology. We have the magic." This is a reference to the opening credits of the '1970s' TV show ''The Six Million Dollar Man''.
 
−  
−
* '''The Sixth Sense'''
 
−
** In Aunchindoun, outside of The Auchenai Crypts, there is an npc boy named [[Ha'lei]]. He gives a quest named {{quest|I See Dead Draenei}}.
 
−  
−
* '''Sling Blade'''
 
−
** In Dustmallow Marsh, there is an NPC named Jarl that gives a quest called "Jarl Needs a Blade," in which you must get him a {{loot|Uncommon|Moonsteel Broadsword}}. He states while giving the quest, "Some people call it a moonsteel broadsword. I call it a swing blade." This is an obvious reference to Billy Bob Thornton's character in ''Sling Blade'', Carl, who says almost the same thing about a kaiser blade.
 
−  
−
<!--Non-bot proofing by ~~~~ ends here for Part 1-->
 
−
* '''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'''
 
−
** One of the male Dwarf's silly emotes produces a phrase similar to the song "Heigh-Ho", although the character forgets the words.
 
−
** In the instance Black Rock Depths, the player will fight against some ghost dwarves named "The Seven". While most of them just have mean sounding names, one, Dope'rel, confirms the reference.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|South Park}}'''
 
−
** In the Instance Stratholme is a boss named Timmy the Cruel. He yells his name again and again similar to the ''South Park'' character of the same name. Timmy the Cruel is also a reference to the first human mission in ''Warcraft III'' where Arthas saves a boy named Timmy from a pack of gnolls, and was turned into a ghoul when the plague spread.
 
−
** One of the guards in Stormwind is named "Officer Brady", possibly a reference to Officer Barbrady.
 
−
** Hemet Nesingwary in Nagrand will occasionally fire his gun at nearby talbuk and yell "It's coming right for us!" This is a clear reference to an early episode of South Park where Jimbo and Ned took the boys hunting.
 
−  
−
* '''''Stargate SG-1'''''
 
−
** In the Stormwind Champion's Hall, there are two NPCs by the names of Captain O'neal and Lieutenant Karter, a possible nod to the characters Colonel Jack O'Neill and Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter, played by Richard Dean Anderson and Amanda Tapping.
 
−
** There are also Stormwind NPCs named Lieutenant Jackspring (Daniel Jackson), Guard Hammon (General Hammond), Guard Quine (Jonas Quinn), and Sergeant Major Clate which is an Anagram for Teal'c.
 
−  
−
* '''''Starship Troopers'''''
 
−
** In Blade's Edge Mountains there is a place called Toshley's Station where it is set up with guards on towers shooting at the Rip-Blade Ravagers that bear a similar resemblance to the Arachnids in Starship Troopers.
 
−
** There is also 2 NPCs that are alike to characters in Starship Troopers. The first NPC is named Dizzy Dina, there was a soldier named Dizzy Flores in the movie, played by actress Dina Meyer. She also mentions Razaks Roughriders and in the movie it was Rasczak's Roughnecks.
 
−
** The second NPC is named Razak Ironsides. Micheal Ironside played a character named Jean Rasczak who constantly talked of Citizenship. When you talk to Ironsides in the game he mentions being a responsible citizen helping out. He also wears an eyepatch like Ironside's character did.
 
−  
−
* '''''You don't mess with the Zohan'''''
 
−
** Rohan the Assassin in Light's Hope Chapel in the Eastern Plaguelands has a name very close to the Zohan, and the clothes he wears are also very similar. HOWEVER, This NPC showed up a good couple of years before the movie, so this is most likely just a coincidence.
 
−  
−
*{{wplink|Star Trek}}
 
−
** In Booty Bay, there is a goblin named Scooty who operates the "Transporter 3000". Completing the quest and using the transporter takes you to Gnomeregan, where a goblin named Sprock waits on the other side, with his faction labeled as "Away Team".
 
−
** In Gadgetzan there is a gnome named Jhordy Lapforge who stands next to a similar Transporter which serves as the destination for the Ultra-Safe Transporter available to Engineers of the Gnomish persuasion.
 
−
** In Orgrimmar the NPC Engineer's name is Nogg, a '''Deep Space Nine''' reference to young engineer Nog, the first Ferengi in Starfleet.
 
−
** In Orgrimmar in the Valley of Honor there is a goblin named Sovik which is reminiscent of the Vulcan 'Saavik' first introduced in '''The Wrath of Khan'''.
 
−
** In Stormwind in the Old Town district, there is a human named Lenny "Fingers" McCoy, a reference to Leonard "Bones" McCoy from '''The Original Series'''.
 
−
** Warden Treelos (Cenarion Thicket, Terokkar Forest) says 'There are FOUR lights!' when first talking to him. Captain Jean-Luc Picard said the exact same thing in the double episode "Chain of Command".
 
−
** In Area 52 in Netherstorm there is a goblin named Chief Engineer Trep, a reference to Star Trek Enterprise's Chief Engineer Trip.
 
−  
−
* '''Star Wars'''
 
−
**In the [[Priest]] Quest: [[Quest:Blood of Morphaz|Blood of Morphaz]], Ogtinc tells the player "many druids died to bring us this information." This is a clear tip of the hat to Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, where the Rebel leader tells the gathered Rebel Alliance of the second Death Star's fatal weakness, claiming that "many Bothans died to bring us this information."
 
−  
−
* '''The Terminator'''
 
−
** The final Hunter talent in the Beast Mastery tree is called Bestial Wrath and in its description is "your pet doesn't feel pity or remorse or fear" which is a line taken out of Terminator, ''"Listen. And understand. That terminator is out there. It can't be bargained with. It can't be reasoned with. It doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are dead!"''
 
−
** In Marvon Rivetseeker's workshop in Ratchet, there is a mechanical arm upright in an elongated jar on an end table. This is a reference to '''Terminator 2: Judgment Day''', where a microchip and mechanical arm were recovered by Cyberdyne Systems Corporation from the remains of the first terminator.
 
−
** There is an "unmelted metal hand" outside the lava in a small room behind bunch of crates in LBRS.
 
−
** Ossirian the Unscarred, the last boss in The Ruins of Ahn'Qiraj, yells "You are terminated" when he kills a player, which is a quote from '''Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines'''.
 
−
** The Human Warlock's minion, the FelGuard, sometimes says "I'll be back" when being dismissed.
 
−  
−
* '''That '70s Show'''
 
−
** In the blue shard section of the quest line that opened the doors to AQ, the player must find and speak to the ghost of Azuregos. After a long dialog, the blue dragon spirit gives you a quest. If you attempt to talk to the spirit again, after he gives you the quest, he says,"I SAID GOOD DAY!", and repeats it, as Fez does in ''That '70s Show''.
 
−  
−
[[Image:INV Jewelry Amulet 03.png|frame|ThunderCats, Ho!]]
 
−
* '''ThunderCats'''
 
−
** The small inventory icon for several necklaces utilizes the ''ThunderCats'' logo.
 
−
** There is also a horde quest in the Scarlet Monastery where one of the reward items is The {{loot|Rare|Sword of Omen}}, the sword of The ThunderCats.
 
−
** In addition, the "Samophlange" quest chain starting in the city of Ratchet is likely a reference to a moderately famous series of outtakes from the show.
 
−  
−
* '''Top Gun'''
 
−
** In Alterac Valley the Wing Commanders on Alliance side are Ichman, Slidore and Vipore, and on Horde side are Guse, Jeztor and Mulverick. The names are similar to the pilots Iceman, Slider, Viper, Goose, Jester and Maverick from ''Top Gun''.
 
−  
−
* '''The Toxic Avenger'''
 
−
** The rare weapon Toxic Revenger inflicts special damage to its target that makes it glow radioactive green, much like the hero of the ''Toxic Avenger'' movies.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Trading Places}}'''
 
−
** In Stormwind City is a poor begger near the Auction House who quotes, "Spare some change for a blind man? What?...I'm not blind? It's a miracle!" This is a quote from the movie where Eddie Murphy is confronted by two police when trying to scam pedestrians in the park.
 
−  
−
* '''Transformers'''
 
−
** An NPC named Grimlok may be found in Uldaman, named after the leader of the 'Dinobots'. Grimlok says "Me Grimlok, king!", one of the original character's lines from the Transformers TV show.
 
−  
−
* '''Trigun'''
 
−
** On many wanted posters in the game there is a man in a long trench coat that looks like the character Vash, from the popular anime series.
 
−  
−
* '''Troy'''
 
−
** At the opening event for the [[Dark Portal]], one of the NPC's fighting the invading demons shouts out "Brothers and sisters of the sword! I would rather fight alongside you than any army of thousands! We are lions! Do you know what's waiting through these demons and beyond that Dark Portal? Immortality! Take it!" Brad Pitt says almost the same thing in the 2003 movie "Troy".
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Under Siege}}'''
 
−
**The cooking trainer named Stephen Ryback in Stormwind's Pig & Whistle Tavern in the Old Town district is a reference to the 1992 movie "Under Siege" starring Steven Seagal as Casey Ryback. The Stormwind guards also allude to this by saying "From the way he handles a knife, I don't think he was always a chef." Furthermore, next to the cooking trainer NPC, there is a cooking supplier NPC named Erika Tate, also an actor/character combination from the same movie (Erika Eleniak as Jordan Tate).
 
−  
−
* '''Christopher Walken'''
 
−
** The senior warrior trainer of the undead race is called Christoph Walker, apparently named after either the actor Christopher Walken, or Christopher Walker aka "The Phantom".
 
−  
−
* '''Xanadu'''
 
−
** At the Stormwind bank, the three banker NPCs are named Olivia Burnside, Newton Burnside, and John Burnside. Putting their names together yields the name of singer/actress Olivia Newton-John. The aforementioned Olivia Burnside touts the security of the bank by stating, "No one's ever stolen anything out of here. Not in the whole history of... the whole history!" 'Olivia Newton-John''s character Kira makes an almost identical comment to Sonny when he tells her he's going to take her out of 'Mount Olympus'.
 
−  
−
* '''Yuen Woo-ping'''
 
−
** Woo Ping, the Weapon Master in Stormwind City is named after the martial arts choreographer and director.
 
−  
−
=== Literature ===
 
−
<!-- Entries are alphabetized -->
 
−
* '''The Anarchist Cookbook'''
 
−
** A late level mage quest begins with a tome known as "[[The Arcanist's Cookbook]]". This is a reference to The Anarchist's Cookbook, a collection of articles on explosives, hacking, and other shady business.
 
−  
−
* '''The Bible'''
 
−
** The Journeyman leather trainer in Stormwind is called Simon the Tanner, a reference to someone Paul the Apostle stayed with in the "Book of Acts".
 
−
** Outside the Gates of Ahn'Qiraj is an NPC named John the Revelator, a reference to the last book of the Bible (Revelations).
 
−  
−
* '''The Camels are Coming'''
 
−
** An NPC named Bingles can be found east of the lake in Loch Modan. This is a reference to Major James Bigglesworth, known to all as "'Biggles'", is a fictional pilot and adventurer created by 'W. E. Johns'. The first collection of Biggles stories, 'The Camels are Coming', was published in 1932. Characters named "Biggles"--also a reference to the Johns character—were a running joke in a couple of 'Monty Python' sketches. The "Spanish Inquisition" sketch featured 'Terry Jones' as a "Cardinal Biggles" (complete with goggles), while the "Biggles" sketch featured 'Graham Chapman' in the titular role.
 
−  
−
* '''Chronicles of Narnia'''
 
−
** There is a pair of boots called "Dawn Treaders," an obvious reference to "C. S. Lewis"' '''The Voyage of the Dawn Treader'''.
 
−  
−
* '''Crime and Punishment'''
 
−
** There is an NPC in Stormwind City named Nikova Raskol, a play on the name Raskolnikov, the protagonist of 'Fyodor Dostoevsky''s '''Crime and Punishment'''.
 
−
** There is also a quest of the same name where a character must kill an NPC named Dextren Ward.
 
−  
−
* '''Damon Knight'''
 
−
** [[An Exotic Cookbook]] found in some areas of the game through killing NPCs or pickpocketing them has the flavor text "How To Serve Man", a reference to Damon Knight's short story "To Serve Man", which was later made into a '''Twilight Zone''' episode and parodied in one "Treehouse of Horror" special on '''The Simpsons'''.
 
−  
−
* '''The Divine Comedy'''
 
−
** A signpost on the western edge of Deadwind Pass bears the words "Abandon hope, all ye who enter here". In some translations of Dante's ''Inferno'', these same words are written on the gates of Hell.
 
−  
−
* '''Discworld'''
 
−
** In Dustwallow Marsh there is a Watchman called Captain Vimes, a direct reference to Captain Vimes of the Night Watch, one of Terry Pratchett's popular Discworld characters. Another reference to this character might be [[Commander Samaul]].
 
−
** There is also a series of quests in Duskwood for a group of NPCs belonging to The Night Watch.
 
−
** Mayor of the Darkshire, Ebonlocke, might be a minor reference to Patrician of Ankh-Morpork, Lord Have'''lock''' Vetinari.
 
−  
−
*'''{{wplink|Dragonlance}}'''
 
−
** [[Hall of Thanes]] can easily be a reference to the Hall of the Thanes that was the throne room in Pax Tharkas. It also can be a reference to the Valley of the Thanes where the kings of Thorbardin are laid to rest.
 
−
** [[Iron Forge]] is similar to the family name of a Hero of the Lance, Flint Fireforge.
 
−
**A forsaken warrior trainer in Brill called [[Ratslin Maime]] is a play on words on the famous character {{wplink|Raistlin Majere}}.
 
−  
−
* '''Dune'''
 
−
** Obviously, the mobs called "Sandworms" are a reference to the huge worms in Dune.
 
−
** The worm boss [[Ouro]] in [[Temple of Ahn'Qiraj|AQ 40]] has a 6% drop chance on an item called {{loot|Epic|Jom Gabbar}}. The icon resembles a mysterious box. In the Dune book Muad'dib was tested with a box and a poisoned needle. The box was simply called 'the box,' but the needle was called {{wplink|Gom jabbar}}. In the test you place your hand in the box and it will cause unimaginable pain until the test ends. However, if you take your hand out too early the one testing you will stab you with the needle and you will die instantly.
 
−
** As of patch 1.12, the desert of [[Silithus]] features a collectible item called "Silithyst" which appears in "blooms" throughout the desert just as Spice does in the novel. The catch phrase for this is "He who controls the Silithyst, controls the desert" which is a play on the novel's catch phrase "He who controls the Spice, controls the universe."
 
−
** A sleeping Druid named "Kerlonian Evershade" will occasionally say "The sleeper has awakened" when you blow a horn to wake him up. The quote was also used by the Druids in "Warcraft III."
 
−
**In Trisfal Glades along the Whispering Shore and the North Coast two rare Murlocs will spawn named Maud and Deeb. Together the names are a reference to Muad'dib from the novel.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Ernest Hemingway}}'''
 
−
** The quest giver [[Hemet Nesingwary]]- an anagram of Ernest Hemingway- is the typical "great white hunter" found in many Hemingway stories. The quest {{questlong|Neutral|40| The Green Hills of Stranglethorn}} is a reference to Hemingway's The Green Hills of Africa. Also, two NPCs in this camp also have names that are anagrams of authors' names, Sir S.J. Erlgadin (J.D. Salinger) and Ajeck Rouack (Jack Kerouac).
 
−  
−
* '''Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser'''
 
−
** The dagger {{loot|Rare|Heartseeker}} may be a reference to Fafhrd, who always named his offhand dagger "Heartseeker".
 
−  
−
* '''Farseer Trilogy'''
 
−
** The NPC Shado 'Fitz' Farstrider at Nesingwary's Expedition in Nagrand is a reference to the assassin Fitz Farseer from the '''Farseer Trilogy''' written by Robin Hobb.
 
−  
−
* '''Five Deadly Venoms'''
 
−
** Within the city of Stormwind lies a poison shop called "The Five Deadly Venoms", which is a reference to the Kung-fu cult hit of the same name.
 
−  
−
* '''Flowers for Algernon'''
 
−
** An undead man in the Apothecarium of the Undercity named Algernon stands holding a peacebloom, a reference to the aforementioned novel.
 
−  
−
* '''Hades' Daughter'''
 
−
** There is an NPC in Teldrassil named Asterion who is trapped and must be set free. This is a reference to Sarah Douglass' character in the Troy Game series.
 
−  
−
*'''Heart of Darkness'''
 
−
** In Stranglethorn Vale, near the northern edge of the map, there is a camp named Kurzen's Compound, with adds such as medicine men. This is a reference to the character Kurtz who befriended an African tribe deep in the jungle and eventually went mad.
 
−  
−
* '''Harry Potter'''
 
−
** A quest from the Mor'Ladim series of quests in Darkshire is named "The Daughter Who Lived," a reference to "The Boy Who Lived," which Harry Potter is referred to in the series.
 
−
**There is a [[Karazhan]] quest called [[Quest:Chamber of Secrets|Chamber of Secrets]] which is a title of a Harry Potter Book. Also for this quest you have to kill [[Tenris Mirkblood]], her surname is a reference to a 'mudblood', which is an insult against muggle-borns or wizards/witches with no magical parents.
 
−  
−
* '''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'''
 
−
** In Deeprun Tram, there is a Leper Gnome by the name of Haggle who walks around and says, "Forty-two... forty-two what? It could be anything..." This is a reference to the '''Douglas Adams''' classic where the answer to "The Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and Everything" is "'Forty-two'". Two popular Questions to the Answer of Forty-Two are "At what number on a certain street in New York City is the club known as Stavro Mueller Beta located at?" and "What do you get if you multiply six by seven?", as well as "How many roads must a man walk down?".
 
−  
−
* '''Xaviera Hollander'''
 
−
** In Booty Bay, the fishing trainers shop is named The Happy Bobber, although the sign outside shows a fishhook. This is an allusion to 'The Happy Hooker', an autobiography published in 1971 and written by former Dutch madame and prostitute 'Xaviera Hollander'.
 
−  
−
* '''The Island of Doctor Moreau'''
 
−
** The (so far inaccessible) [[Island of Doctor Lapidis]] is a reference to the science-fiction novel by H.G. Wells.
 
−  
−
* '''How the Grinch Stole Christmas'''
 
−
** During the holidays in December, a series of quests are opened up and one involves a giant green yeti named "The Greench." He has stolen a delivery of gifts. The name of the quest is "You're a Mean One..." All from the book by Dr. Seuss.
 
−  
−
* '''The Jungle Book'''
 
−
** In the last phase of the quest "Panther Mastery" for Sir S. J. Erlgadin of Nesingwary's Expedition, you are required to hunt and kill a black panther named Bag'thera whose name closely resembles the black panther 'Bagheera' from 'Rudyard Kipling'’s 'The Jungle Book'.
 
−  
−
* '''The Lorax'''
 
−
** Located in Winterspring patrolling a broken temple to the south east, The [[Lorax]] is a reference to a Dr. Seuss book of the same title.
 
−  
−
* '''H.P. Lovecraft'''
 
−
** During the quest "The Star, the Hand and the Heart" in Dustwallow Marsh the god of murlocs is summoned. The god of these fish-men is called Dagun, which is an obvious reference to 'Dagon', one of the Great Old Ones. Dagon is featured in Lovecraft's ''Shadow Over Innsmouth''. Similarly, the murlocs are, perhaps not only in the given context, a reference to the novel's frogfish-like worshippers of Dagon, the denizens of Y'ha-nthlei. A movie with the same name has also been made.
 
−
** In the quest Crime and Punishment, Councilman Millstipe of Darkshire wants you to bring him the hand of Dextren Ward. This is a reference to '''The Case of Charles Dexter Ward'''.
 
−
** C'Thun, the final boss in the Temple of Ahn'Qiraj raid instance, bears a striking resemblance to Lovecraft's creation, 'Cthulhu', a horrible being, with a notable feature of tentacles.
 
−
** The progress text for the quest for the tier 2.5 set (requiring you to kill C'thun reads "At his dwelling at Ahn'Qiraj, dread C'thun awaits in slumber, similar to the "In his house at Rl'yeh dead Cthulhu waits dreaming", the mantra of the Cthulhu cultists.
 
−
** Doctor Herbert Halsey, Artisan Alchemist (Undercity). This NPC is a reference to H.P. Lovecraft's, Reanimator. Herbert Halsey is actually a mix of two characters from Lovecraft's story, Herbert West and Dr. Allen Halsey. Blizzard keeps to the Lovecraft theme by giving Dr. Herbert Halsey an Artisan Alchemist role residing in the Forsaken capital of the Undercity surrounded by dissection tables and body parts.
 
−
** A quest "Solution to Doom" requires you to retrieve Tablet of Ryun'eh from Uldaman. In Lovecraft's works, R'lyeh is the sunken city where Cthulhu is said to dwell in hibernation.
 
−
** The surname of a Warlock trainer Richard Kerwin in Undercity bears resemblance to Curwen, another reference to ''The Case of Charles Dexter Ward'', along with the surnames of Undercity rogue trainers being Charles, Dexter and Ward.
 
−  
−
* '''Karl May'''
 
−
** The [[Shattered Hand Clan]] may or may not be an obscure reference to {{wplink|Old Shatterhand}} (though the names have completely different meanings)
 
−  
−
* '''The Metamorphosis'''
 
−
** In Tarren Mill, there is an NPC named Deathguard Samsa, who asks you to collect human skulls - the protagonist of 'Kafka's novel was named Gregor Samsa.
 
−  
−
* '''A Modest Proposal'''
 
−
** A Netherstorm quest that begins near the Etherium area, the title is a reference to Johnathan Swift's essay "{{wplink|A Modest Proposal}}".
 
−  
−
* '''The Old Man and the Sea'''
 
−
** In Booty Bay, there is a fishing trainer named Old Man Heming, an allusion to 'Ernest Hemingway' and his novella. Also, there is a hunter in Stranglethorn Vale called Hemet Nesingwary — an anagram for the writer's name.
 
−  
−
* '''The Right Stuff'''
 
−
** There is a warlock quest in Felwood called "The Wrong Stuff" which is likely a reference to "Tom Wolfe''s 1979 novel" which itself was later adapted into a film in 1983.
 
−  
−
* '''Shakespeare'''
 
−
** In Undercity, the four bankers have the last name Montague. This is a reference to one of the feuding families in '''Romeo and Juliet'''. This is more certainly derived from Mercutio's line, when mortally wounded "A plague o' both your houses!", that plague, of course, being the one of undeath, in this case.<br />While three of the Montagues are "alive"/corporeal, Ophelia is a ghost, surely a reference to the Ophelia in '''Hamlet''' who drowns herself.
 
−
** A butcher called Dirge Quikcleave in Tanaris says "Get thee to a cheesery!" when sending you on a quest to gather cheese and other cooking ingredients. This is a reference to "Get thee to a nunnery", a line from '''Hamlet''' to Ophelia.
 
−
** Some undead creatures drop a 'pound of flesh', a reference to 'The Merchant of Venice'.
 
−
** In Silverpine Forest there are two undead characters named Rane and Quinn Yorick. This is a reference to a famous scene in '''Hamlet''', wherein Hamlet holds the skull of a dead childhood friend and mourns, "Alas, poor Yorick. I knew him, Horatio."
 
−  
−
* '''A Song of Ice and Fire'''
 
−
** There is a gnome in the gardens of Castle Stormwind by the name of Tyrion, probably a reference to Tyrion Lannister, the Imp.
 
−
** It is possible that Duskwood's "The Night Watch" refers to the faction of the same name in the George R.R. Martin books, particularly since both battle the undead.
 
−
** There is also a wolf pup named "Lady", a reference to Sansa Stark's pet wolf, running around the Blacksmith in Arathi Basin.
 
−
** There is Jon Jon the Crow in Stranglethorn Vale, which may refer to Jon Snow, a member of the Night Watch, who are commonly referred to as "crows".
 
−  
−
* '''A Tale of Two Cities'''
 
−
** In Booty Bay, there is a tailoring shop with a sign outside proclaiming the shop name to be "A Tailor to Cities", an obvious reference to the Charles Dickens novel.
 
−  
−
* '''The Time Machine'''
 
−
** Morlocks are a fictional species created by H. G. Wells for his 1895 novel "The Time Machine". It's possible that Murlocs are named for these creatures.
 
−  
−
* '''J.R.R. Tolkien'''
 
−
** ''{{loot|uncommon|The 1 Ring}}'' — An item in reference to 'The One Ring' of '''''Lord of the Rings''''' ('''''LotR''''') fame. It gives +1 to Strength, Agility, Stamina, Spirit and Intellect. It's reportedly not as good as ''The 2 Ring''. It can be obtained through fishing, a reference to how 'Gollum' finds the ring in a river.
 
−
** A quest obtained in Gnomeregan to return a ring to a gnome in Ironforge has the name 'Return of the Ring', a pun of the name of the last book in the ''LotR'' trilogy.
 
−
** One of the /silly emotes for a human male talks about an 'idea for a movie' (that movie being the story of ''LotR'', replacing "ring" with "bracelet", and other thoughtful changes.)
 
−
** The /silly emote mentioned above seems to highlight many visual similarities to the art direction of the ''LotR'' films, such as ''Blackrock Mountain'' and the surrounding ''Burning Steppes'' bearing a striking resemblance to '''Mount Doom''' and the surrounding country of '''Mordor'''.
 
−
** A dwarven reimagining of the '''Argonath''' exists in southern ''Loch Modan''.
 
−
** ''Beren's Peril'', an area of ''Silverpine Forest'', is possibly named for '''Beren''', a man from the past of ''LotR''. His story is more fully told in '''''The Silmarillion'''''.
 
−
** A dying Blood Elf in the Ghostlands gives a quest called Anok'suten. One of the rewards for killing this elite (a giant spider) is a one-handed sword called Stung. This is an obvious reference to Sting, which is Bilbo's sword in '''''The Hobbit''''', used effectively against spiders in the book. He later gives it to Frodo in ''LotR''.
 
−
** [[Mount Blackrock]] appears to be based on {{wplink|Mount Doom}} they both overshadow the areas surrounding them, {{wplink|Mordor}}, and [[Searing Gorge]] and [[Burning Steppes]]. They both contain giant magma chambers where certain items can only be forged e.g. In Mount Doom it would be ring whilst in BRD it would be Dark Iron.
 
−
** The mines of Moria is not just a mine, but also a small underground town where dwarves live. Blackrock Depths is similar, except being bigger. A stunningly close example between the two is the room with pillars in LotR when they enter, and in WoW the [[The Lyceum|Lyceum]] room before the final boss. The Mines also guarded by the {{wplink|Balrog}}, and BRD is guarded by many fire elementals and giants similar to Balrog.
 
−
** The [[Burning Steppes]] and the [[Searing Gorge]] are very similar to Mordor, for starters Mordor, just like the two zones, is a burning hellhole overshadowed by a gigantic volcano. There is also evil orcs in both Mordor and Burning Steppes, who simply want to take things for themselves. Mordor is ruled by Sauron, whilst Burning Steppes and Searing Gorge are ruled in practice by [[Ragnaros]], an [[elemental lord]] hellbent on destruction.
 
−  
−
* '''Treasure Island'''
 
−
** Every time the chest in Stranglethorn Vale is placed in the arena someone named Short John Mithril announces it. Short John Mithril is a reference to the pirate Long John Silver from Robert Louis Stevenson's famous novel.
 
−  
−
* '''Walt Whitman'''
 
−
** In Duskwood, in a house near the alliance Gryphon there is an NPC named Whit Wantmal which is an anagram of 'Walt Whitman'
 
−  
−
=== Music ===
 
−
<!-- Entries are alphabetized -->
 
−
* '''ABC (band)'''
 
−
** A dwarf in Eastern Plaguelands gives a quest called "When Smokey Sings, I Get Violent", a reference to ABC's song ''When Smokey Sings'' which contains the line, "When Smokey sings, I hear violins."
 
−  
−
* '''AC/DC'''
 
−
** While taking target practice up in Dun Morogh, Shorty of the Dwarven Mortar Team will say/sing '{{wplink|T.N.T. (song)|"I'm T.N.T. - I'm dyn-o-mite!"'}}
 
−
** There is a Rogue talent called "Dirty Deeds".
 
−  
−
* '''Alizée'''
 
−
** The female night elf dance styles are taken from the French pop singer.
 
−  
−
* '''Bad News'''
 
−
** "Burning, looting, burning and a shooting." &ndash; Dwarven Mortar Team. Reference to the song "Warriors of Genghis Khan" by the parody band "Bad News" The original lyrics are "Burning, looting, raping and a shooting".
 
−  
−
* '''Bob Dylan'''
 
−
** A quest in the Eastern Plaguelands that begins at Chillwind Post is called ''All Along the Watchtowers'' is named for the Bob Dylan song '''All Along the Watchtower''', made famous by "Jimi Hendrix".
 
−  
−
* '''Bon Jovi'''
 
−
** There is a quest in Stranglethorn Vale called "Bad Medicine" a number one song off the band's '''New Jersey''' album.
 
−  
−
* '''Bauhaus'''
 
−
** [Royal Overseer Bauhaus] of the Undercity Census Bureau may be named for the seminal goth band. This could also be a reference to the German Staatliches 'Bauhaus' school of architecture and art which deeply influenced the modernist period.
 
−  
−
* '''Barber of Seville''' and 'Marriage of Figaro'
 
−
** A human in Southshore is named Bartolo after a character in these operas (he gives the quest Bartolo's Yeti Fur Cloak).
 
−  
−
* '''The Beatles'''
 
−
** ''Michelle Belle'' at the inn in Goldshire is very similar to the lyrics of the song 'Michelle' &ndash; "Michelle my belle, these are words that go together well." See also Ringo Starr, below.
 
−  
−
* '''Beck'''
 
−
** The rare staff "Odo's Ley Staff" is a reference to the artist's Grammy winning 1996 album titled "Odelay."
 
−  
−
* '''Blind Willie Johnson'''
 
−
** In Silithus, outside the gates of Ahn'Qiraj is a priest named Jonathan the Revelator, referencing the popular Johnson song "John the Revelator".
 
−  
−
* '''Chaka Khan'''
 
−
** A quest in Desolace from the chief of the centaur is called simply "Khan Shaka".
 
−  
−
* '''Depeche Mode'''
 
−
** In the Blasted Lands, there is a quest giver that wants to collect crystals which drop in the zone, and the name of the quest is "'Everything Counts' in Large Amounts".
 
−
**The Night Elf rogue pickpocket quest extensively references "The Bottom Line" from the album "Ultra". When you meet the rogue trainer in Dolanaar to start the quest chain, he is saying/singing a paraphrased version of the opening words from the song. His quest, which sends you to the Rogue Trainer in Darnassus, is "The Apple Falls", and her quest (to pickpocket a satyr) is called "Destiny Calls", which are lyrics from the song.
 
−
** In Bloodmyst Isle, there is a quest called 'Precious and Fragile Things Need Special Handling.' The lyrics are identical to the first lines of the song "Precious."
 
−
** 'The Deadliest Trap Ever Laid' is the name of an Aldor/Scryer daily quest giving Netherwing reputation, and a line from the song "Home".
 
−  
−
* '''Neil Diamond'''
 
−
** Players can obtain a buff called Songflower Serenade, an allusion to the song Longfellow Serenade by "Neil Diamond".
 
−  
−
* '''The Doors'''
 
−
** Lord Serpentis, one of the bosses in the Wailing Caverns says "I am the Serpent King..I can do anything." This is a reference to 'Jim Morrison' of 'The Doors' whose alter ego was known as 'The Lizard King'. The line is taken verbatim (minus the substitution) from the song "Not To Touch The Earth", one of seven songs that make up a medley known as 'The Celebration of the Lizard'.
 
−  
−
* '''The Electric Slide'''
 
−
** The current female tauren dance cycle is the electric slide.
 
−  
−
* '''Emerson, Lake and Palmer'''
 
−
** The ogre [[Torkus]] in Ogri'la is a possible reference to the hit Emerson, Lake and Palmer album "Tarkus".
 
−  
−
* '''Genesis'''
 
−
** The Western Plaguelands quest "Counting Out Time" is from the title of a song on their 1974 album 'The Lamb Lies down on Broadway'
 
−  
−
* '''Grateful Dead'''
 
−
** There is a quest in Redridge which yields a "Bouquet of Scarlet Begonias", a Grateful Dead song.
 
−
** The bartender in the Lakeshire Inn quotes the lyrics from their song 'Brown-Eyed Woman' , "The bottle was dusty but the liquor was clean."
 
−
** The bartender in Goldshire quotes, "If your cup is full, may it be again," from 'Ripple.'
 
−
** An achievement is titled, "What a Long Strange Trip It's Been," a famous lyric from 'Truckin''
 
−  
−
* '''Gregory Charles'''
 
−
** There is a Rogue Trainer in Undercity named after the popular artist and imitator from Quebec, Canada
 
−  
−
* '''Guns N' Roses'''
 
−
** There is a quest in Stranglethorn Vale called "Welcome to the Jungle" a very obvious reference to the opening song of the '''Appetite for Destruction''' album.
 
−  
−
* '''Hammerfall'''
 
−
** The Horde town in Arathi Highlands is named after the 'Power Metal' band of the same name. This can be attributed to the fact that [[Samwise]], one of the lead Blizzard artists is not only a fan of the band, but creates their CD covers.
 
−
**A quest given by [[Danath Trollbane]] is called The Legion Reborn, which might be a reference to the HammerFall song, The Legend Reborn.
 
−
**A song from the HammerFall album "Chapter V: Unbent, Unbowed, Unbroken" is named Hammer of Justice, possibly as a nod to Blizzard and the Paladin ability [[Hammer of Justice]].
 
−  
−
* '''Harry Belafonte'''
 
−
** There is an item in the game called ''Tel'Abim Banana'', which might be a reference to the Harry Belafonte song ''Banana Boat'', with the lyric "Come mister tally man, tally me bananas".
 
−  
−
* '''Jay-Z'''
 
−
** During the Halloween special event, a quest from a needy orphan requires you to perform emotes to NPCs to collect candy. The Tauren innkeeper in Thunder Bluff asks you to dance, and once you do she also dances and states "I may have ninety-nine problems, but dancin' ain't one of them!" This is a reference to 'Jay-Z''s popular song, "99 Problems" in which he says "I got 99 problems but a bitch ain't one". (This line is also directly lifted from an 'Ice-T' song of the same name, though it is unclear which song Blizzard is referring to).
 
−  
−
* '''Jethro Tull'''
 
−
** The quest "Bungle in the Jungle" received in Gadgetzan is a reference to the song of the same name from the band's 1974 album '''War Child'''.
 
−  
−
* '''Led Zeppelin'''
 
−
** A quest for the Instance Dungeon Stratholme called ''Houses of the Holy'' is an obvious reference to the band's 1973 album of the same name.
 
−
** A quest in Shadowmoon Valley is named "Crazed and Confused", similar to the band's song "Dazed and Confused", of their famous debut album.
 
−  
−
* '''Macarena'''
 
−
** The human female dance style is the Macarena.
 
−  
−
* '''MC Hammer'''
 
−
** The male orc dance style is the same as seen in the rapper's videos, most notably "'U Can't Touch This'".
 
−  
−
* '''Metallica'''
 
−
**An NPC in Stratholme is named "The Unforgiven" a reference to one of their songs.
 
−
** There's a quest named Ride the Lightning in Blade's Edge Mountains, at Toshley's Station. This is after their second album, and Ride the Lightning is also the second song on that album.
 
−
** The Paladin spell Hammer of Justice could be a reference to the lyrics "Hammer of justice crushes you, overpower", from the Metallica song "...And Justice For All" featured on the album of the same name.
 
−
* '''{{wplink|Men at Work}}'''
 
−
** ''Caretaker Alen'' in Eastern Plaguelands says "I come from the land down under... where women plague and men sunder" every now and then as a reference to the "Men At Work" &ndash; Song "'Down Under'"
 
−  
−
* '''Michael Jackson'''
 
−
** The male night elf dance moves are very similar to those of pop-singer Michael Jackson's.
 
−  
−
* '''The Muppets'''
 
−
** If the "/silly" command is used as an Orc player, the character will sometimes state "[[w:c:muppet:Bein' Green|It's not easy being green]]", a reference to a song of the same title performed by Jim Henson's most famous Muppet, "[[w:c:muppet:Kermit the Frog|Kermit the Frog]]".
 
−  
−
* '''Oingo Boingo'''
 
−
** The Undead quest ''Dead Man's Party'' refers to a song by Oingo Boingo and features NPCs named after band members [http://wow.allakhazam.com/db/mob.html?wmob=1916 Steve Bartek], [http://wow.allakhazam.com/db/mob.html?wmob=1918 Carl Graves], and [http://wow.allakhazam.com/db/mob.html?wmob=1917 Danny Elfman]. [http://wow.allakhazam.com/db/mob.html?wmob=1919 Sam Phipps] can also be found close by.
 
−  
−
* '''Olivia Newton-John'''
 
−
** In 'Stormwind' the three bankers are named Olivia, Newton and John. This is a reference to the singer/actor from the 1980s.
 
−  
−
* '''Peter Gabriel'''
 
−
** The quest ''The Family and the Fishing Pole'' in Darkshore references a song from the singer's song ''The Family And The Fishing Net''.
 
−  
−
* '''Peter Murphy'''
 
−
** The quest ''Deep Ocean, Vast Sea'' in Darkshore references a song from the "Bauhaus" singer's solo album, "Deep".
 
−  
−
* '''Pink Floyd'''
 
−
** In 'Hammerfall', there's a First Aid-quest. While patching up dying soldiers, one of the will sing the song 'Goodbye Cruel World' by "Pink Floyd".
 
−  
−
* '''Pomeroy'''
 
−
** In Stormwind City there is a guard named "Patroller Pomeroy" possibly a reference to the band Pomeroy.
 
−  
−
* '''Queen'''
 
−
** In Hillsbrad Foothills there is a level 32 Horde quest to prove your ability to protect the Hammerfall outpost in Arathi by killing ogres. The quest shares the title with Queen's song "Hammer to Fall".
 
−
** A male Night Elf /silly emote states "Who wants to live forever?" which is also the title of a Queen song from the film "Highlander", which in turn is about immortals.
 
−  
−
* '''Rammstein'''
 
−
** In the Stratholme instance, one of the final encounters before fighting 'Baron Rivendare' on the 'Baron run' or 'Undead side' of the instance is a powerful abomination called Ramstein. This may also, conceivably, be a reference to the German town called 'Ramstein-Miesenbach' or even the air-show disaster that took place at the nearby 'Ramstein Air Base', which inspired the name of the band, Rammstein.
 
−  
−
* '''R.E.M.'''
 
−
** The two councilmen in the Town Hall of Darkshire are named "Berrybuck" and "Millstipe", a reference to the classic "R.E.M." lineup of "Bill Berry", '"Peter Buck", "Mike Mills", and "Michael Stipe".
 
−  
−
* '''Ringo Starr'''
 
−
** A quest in Un'Goro Crater called "With a Little Help from My Friends" has the player rescue a Goblin named Ringo. The quest is named for the song sung by Ringo on "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band".
 
−  
−
* '''Run-D.M.C.'''
 
−
** At the [[Brewfest]] near Ogrimmar stands an NPC named [[Ram Master Ray]], a reference to Run-D.M.C.-bandmember '''Jam Master Jay'''.
 
−  
−
* '''Rush'''
 
−
** A quest in Un'Goro Crater called "Roll the Bones", the name of a song by the hit Canadian rock band, Rush.
 
−  
−
* '''Siouxsie and the Banshees'''
 
−
** In the Dire Maul West instance there is a rare spawn called Tsu'zee and there are two Wailing Banshees right behind her.
 
−  
−
* '''The Smashing Pumpkins'''
 
−
** During Hallow's End, you will find a pair of Human Commoners in Stormwind City, who offer the quest "Costumed Orphan Matron". Their gossip states, "When Hallow's End is over we'll smash all these pumpkins. That'll be the greatest day I've ever known!" This is a reference to both the band and a lyric from their 1994 hit "Today".
 
−  
−
* '''The Toyes'''
 
−
** If the "/silly" command is used as a male Troll player, the character will sometimes recite, in a heavy Jamaican accent, "I kill two dwarves in the morning, I kill two dwarves at night. I kill two dwarves in the afternoon, and then I feel alright. I kill two dwarves in time of peace and two in time of war. I kill two dwarves before I kill two dwarves, and then I kill two more," a direct reference to 'the Toyes' song "Smoke Two Joints". The band 'Sublime' did a cover of the song; it's unknown which version Blizzard was making reference to. This was apparently removed as of Patch 1.11, for copyright reasons. [http://forums.wow-europe.com/thread.html?topicId=3405161654&sid=1]
 
−  
−
* '''Sid Vicious'''
 
−
** An NPC on the shores of Lake Lorderon is named Nancy Vishas, possibly an allusion to 'Nancy Spungen', deceased girlfriend of former "Sex Pistols" bassist 'Sid Vicious".
 
−
** When Level 70 Elite Tauren Chieftain played outside Shattrath during BlizzCon 2007, the band lineup featured a Blood Elf guitarist named Sig Nicious.
 
−  
−
* '''Warrant'''
 
−
** There is a merchant in Ironforge named Sraaz who quotes random lines from Warrant's song Cherry Pie, like "Cherry Pie, tastes so good it makes a grown gnome cry". He wanders around near the Gryphon master. Sraaz only has one item for sale, Homemade Cherry Pie.
 
−  
−
=== Comics ===
 
−
* '''{{wplink|Hulk (comics)|The Incredible Hulk}}'''
 
−
** Inside the Troll instance of [[Zul'Gurub]] is a boss by the name of [[Bloodlord Mandokir]]. While fighting him, random players will get a message from him saying "Don't make me angry. You won't like it when I'm angry," which is a quote from Bruce Banner before he transforms into the Hulk. If the player decides to attack the Bloodlord after he has given this message, the Bloodlord will charge forward and beat the player to death.
 
−
** One of the voice emotes for Orc characters is "Orc smash!", a reference to the Hulk's catchphrase, "Hulk smash!"
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Iron Man (comics)|Iron Man}}'''
 
−
** South of [[Dun Garok]] in [[Hillsbrad Foothills]], east of [[Southshore]], on the cliff overlooking the coastline, there is an epitaph to "Anthony Ray Stark (1961-2005)." It should be noted that Iron Man's real name is Anthony Edward Stark and his character was created in 1963. On July 7, 2006 it was confirmed to be an [http://blue.cardplace.com/cache/wow-general/9133474.htm in game memorial] to a friend of a developer and not a reference to Iron Man.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Fist of the North Star}}'''
 
−
** [[C'Thun]], the final [[boss]] of the [[Temple of Ahn'Qiraj]], will whisper the words ''"You... are... already... dead..." and "Your... heart... will... explode..."''. Kenshiro, the lead character of Fist of the North Star, is extremely famous for the initial line, and often through his fighting style would cause massive internal damage to his opponents, including making their heart explode in an extremely violent fashion.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Superman (comics)|Superman}}'''
 
−
** There is an [[NPC]] on the docks of [[Southshore]] named [[Farmer Kent]], a reference to 'Clark Kent' and his childhood of growing up on a farm with his adopted Earth parents, Ma and Pa Kent.
 
−
** There is an [[NPC]] called [[General Zog]] {{title|Horde Ambassador}} who resides slightly northeast of the [[Crossroads]] in [[The Barrens]], a possible reference to General Zod in Superman I and II.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|FoxTrot}}'''
 
−
** A reward from the quest "{{quest|The Perfect Poison}} is called ''[[Doomulus Prime]]''. This references a FoxTrot strip from January 29, 2006 in which Jason obtained the most powerful item in all of "World of Warquest" (in the strip, Jason lost the item before he could pick it up when he was disconnected from the server for which he gave a scream so loud, it was heard all the way to BlizCraft headquarters prompting someone there to ask if [[Leeroy Jenkins|someone]] had tripped over the cord again.) The name of the item itself seems to be a reference to ''Transformers'' character {{wplink|Optimus Prime}}.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Wonder Woman}}'''
 
−
** A female [[Night Elf]] named "[[Arko'narin]]" is held captive in a cage in the [[Felwood]]. When freed and led back to her armor and weapons, she will spin in place a few times and will suddenly appear to be wearing her armor. She then says "All I need now is a golden lasso." In th 1970's, Linda Carter played "Wonder Woman" and would spin in place to change into her costume.
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Alien Legion}}'''
 
−
** A Horde Desolace questline, [[Quest:The Corrupter|The Corrupter]], eventually leads to a request to kill [[Jugkar Grim'rod]]. This character references Jugger Grimrod of the {{wplink|Alien Legion}}, an early {{wplink|Epic Comics}} title.
 
−  
−
===Sports===
 
−
* '''Capoeira'''
 
−
** The male troll /dance emote actually consists of moves from 'Capoeira', an Afro-Brazilian martial art.
 
−  
−
* '''Hockey'''
 
−
** Countless names given to [[NPC]]s are direct lifts of prominent NHL players.
 
−  
−
* '''Karl Malone'''
 
−
** One of the [[NPC]]s in [[Stratholme]] goes by the name of [[Postmaster Malown]], a reference to Karl "The Mailman" Malone of the Utah Jazz. He drops a rare mace named [[Malown's Slam]].
 
−  
−
* '''Lindsay Davenport'''
 
−
** Two vendors in [[Lakeshire]] in [[Redridge Mountains]] are named [[Lindsay Ashlock]] and [[Amy Davenport]], an obvious reference to a tennis player Lindsay Davenport.
 
−  
−
* '''San Francisco Giants'''
 
−
** In the [[Hillsbrad Foothills]], there are two [[NPC]]'s by the name of [[Ott]] and [[Foreman Bonds|Bonds]]. '''Mel Ott''' and '''Barry Bonds''' are two sluggers who played for the Giants.
 
−  
−
* '''World Wrestling Entertainment'''
 
−
** In [[Shattrath City]], one of the [[NPC]]s is named [[The Rokk]] (Master of Cooking), a reference to '''Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson''' . The Rock's most popular catch phrase was "Do you smell what the Rock is cookin'?".
 
−  
−
===Real Life Holidays===
 
−
Some real life holidays and observances are reflected in the game. Events are sorted by date. Info is taken from [[Event]].
 
−
* '''New year'''
 
−
** Celebrated on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day with fireworks and free alcohol.
 
−  
−
* '''Chinese New Year'''
 
−
** Known as [[Lunar Festival]] in the game, it is celebrated early February. (Between January 27 to February 14 in 2006). Some events of interest:
 
−
::* On January 29th (the date of the actual lunar new year in 2006). Celebrations occur in Stormwind, Thunder Bluff, Booty Bay and Moonglade.
 
−
::* On February 13th, one last firework show will be held in [[Moonglade]]. This parallels the Chinese 'Lantern Festival'; extra lanterns are spawned around Lake Elune'ara (the firework show occurs over the lake).
 
−
::* Red Lockboxes (Red packets) are given out from various NPCs (especially elderly).
 
−
::* A special boss named [[Omen]] only appears in this festival, inspired by the Chinese creature of myth, {{wplink|Nian}}. It is actually named 'Nian' in the Chinese version.
 
−  
−
* '''Valentine's Day'''
 
−
** Known as ''[[Love is in the Air]]'' in the game, it is celebrated between February 11 and 15. Candies and 'love tokens' are given out by guards.
 
−  
−
* '''Easter'''
 
−
** Known as ''[[Noblegarden]]'' in the game, it is celebrated around Easter and symbolized by finding easter eggs.
 
−  
−
* '''Independence Day'''
 
−
** Known as ''Engineer's Explosives Extravaganza'' in the game and marked by fireworks, it is celebrated on July 4 on all servers.
 
−  
−
* '''Halloween'''
 
−
** Known as ''[[Hallow's End]]'' in the game, it is celebrated between October 18 and November 1. Players can go 'trick or treat' at the innkeepers around this time.
 
−  
−
* '''Christmas'''
 
−
** Known as ''[[Feast of Winter Veil]]'' in the game, it is celebrated between December 15 and January 2. Denoted by 'Christmas Trees' and decorations in some cities, and the appearance of [[Greatfather Winter]], an obvious reference to 'Santa Claus'.
 
−  
−
=== Other ===
 
−
<!-- Entries are alphabetized -->
 
−
* '''Alexander Calder'''
 
−
** Alexander Calder, a warlock trainer in 'Ironforge', is likely a reference to the artist of the same name known for his large, sheet metal mobiles.
 
−  
−
* '''Abercrombie & Fitch'''
 
−
** Near 'Darkshire' an old man is named Abercrombie, as in the popular clothing company. He presents a series of quests, during the culmination of which he produces a hideous monster of his own creation named "Stitches" (resembling the Abomination creature in Warcraft 3). It's widely accepted that "Abercrombie and Stitches" is not an accidental near-homonym for the "'Abercrombie and Fitch'" brand.
 
−
** A Stormwind auctioneer is named "Fitch".
 
−  
−
*'''{{wplink|Aberdeen}}'''
 
−
** Seems likely that 'Auberdine' is named after ''Aberdeen'', a city in Scotland. Both the Dee and Don rivers in Scotland Aberdeen strike a high resemblance to the Cliff-spring River and Wildbend River in Darkshore, and the long sandy beach of both Aberdeen and Auberdine confirm that the warcraft area was modeled after a similar area in Scotland.
 
−  
−
*'''[[Blackwater Raiders]]'''
 
−
** This band of turtle-riding goblin body guards hang around [[Booty Bay]] as an extra peace keeping force, which seem to be a reference to the real-life private military organization {{wplink|Blackwater Worldwide|Xe}}, formerly named Blackwater Worldwide when the game was released.
 
−  
−
* '''Blood Elf Architecture'''
 
−
** The strange armillary sphere-like structures atop some Blood Elf structures closely resemble Disneyland's ''Astro Orbitor'' ride.
 
−  
−
* '''C-4'''
 
−
** Engineers in the game can learn to craft "Seaforium", an explosive device that can open locked doors.
 
−  
−
* '''Circus'''
 
−
** In Ironforge, the three bankers are named Barnum, Bailey, and Soleil. This is a reference to "Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus" and "Cirque du Soleil".
 
−  
−
* '''Golden Dawn'''
 
−
** The 'Argent Dawn' group may be a reference to the late 19th century metaphysical order of the Golden Dawn.
 
−  
−
* '''Edwin Van Cleef'''
 
−
** Possible reference to the Dutch organized crime leader, George Van Kleef, strikingly similar in terms of name and profession. Even more extraordinary is it that George Van Kleef was assassinated in November 2005, grimly ironic as his namesake is constantly killed by players ingame as part of a quest series in The Deadmines.
 
−
** He could also be named after the well-known spaghetti-western star, Lee Van Cleef, who became famous for playing notoriously ice-cold villains.<ref>http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001812</ref>
 
−  
−
* '''Gregory Charles'''
 
−
** The undercity rogue trainer's name is the same as French Canadian singer/actor/entertainer Gregory Charles.<ref>http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregory_Charles</ref>
 
−  
−
* '''{{wplink|Hatfield-McCoy feud}}'''
 
−
** In Elwynn Forest are farms owned by two feuding families, the Stonefields and Maclures. This is a reference to the Hatfield-McCoy feud from American history.
 
−  
−
* '''Haunted Mansion'''
 
−
** Players battle Thule Ravenclaw in Fenris Keep in Silverpine Forest, he is believed to be named after the famous voice actor {{wplink|Thurl Ravenscroft}} who is the lead vocalist in the Disney attraction's theme song ''Grim Grinning Ghosts''.
 
−
** Outside the instance [[Scholomance]], a hearse is visible in a similar fashion as the one outside the Disneyland version of the ride.
 
−  
−
* '''Hickory Farms'''
 
−
** There are goblin vendors in various places working for "Smokywood Pastures" that offer cheeses and sausages. They also set up sales wagons in the major cities during the Winter Holiday events.
 
−  
−
* '''Hindenburg'''
 
−
** One of the zeppelin goblins near the 'Undercity' is named Hin Denburg, after the famous crashed German blimp.
 
−  
−
* '''Homestar Runner'''
 
−
** At Thorium Point in Searing Gorge, there is an NPC named "Master Smith Burninate", a reference to Strong Bad's dragon, "Trogdor the Burninator" — the NPC appears in an area near a large dragon, and will commonly drop dragon skin if killed.
 
−  
−
* '''Honeywell'''
 
−
** In Southshore there is an NPC named "Apprentice Honeywell". She also shows up in the [[Caverns of Time]] instance [[Old Hillsbrad]]. Interestingly, though visibly a female, Apprentice Honeywell has the gender male (as reported by the UnitSex API call).
 
−  
−
* '''Immovable Object/Unstoppable Force'''
 
−
** Two of the items which can be obtained as PvP rewards in Alterac Valley are [[The Immovable Object]] (a shield) and [[The Unstoppable Force]] (a mace). These are references to a logical conundrum which goes, "What happens when an unstoppable force strikes an immovable object?". Since the release of the Burning Crusade, two grey (poor) quality items were included; a mace called "The Stoppable Force" and a shield called "The Moveable Object".
 
−  
−
* '''JATO Rocket Car'''
 
−
** In the Shimmering Flats one of the racer cars has crashed and embedded halfway up the cliff face, a reference to the Darwin Award urban legend of the 'JATO Rocket Car'.
 
−  
−
* '''Jerky Boys'''
 
−
** There is an NPC in Ironforge named Talvash del Kissel. This is a reference to the infamous phone prank group The Jerky Boys. Two of the personas the Jerky Boys used while doing pranks were named "Kissel" and "Tarbash the Egyptian Magician". The latter name probably explains why the NPC hangs out in The Mystic Ward, the mage area of Ironforge.
 
−  
−
* '''Jose Cuervo'''
 
−
** A Tanaris quest called Cuergo's Gold references this popular alcoholic beverage.
 
−  
−
* '''Kym Wilde'''
 
−
** There is an NPC at Thunder Bluff named Kym Wildmane, which is possibly a reference to the actor Kym Wilde or the singer "Kim Wilde".
 
−  
−
* '''Leroy Jenkins'''
 
−
** The Classic Dungeons and Raids Achievement "Leeeeeeeeeeeeeroy" is based from the player video of Leroy Jenkins charging into a room full of rookery whelps during a raid, while screaming his name through the microphone. The title received from this quest, killing 50 rookery whelps in 15 seconds, is his last name, Jenkins (Appears as <Name> Jenkins).
 
−  
−
* '''Morning Glory Dew'''
 
−
** A high level and expensive mana restore drink that players can find is called "Morning Glory Dew". Blizzard employees have been quoted as saying they drink a lot of Mountain Dew so this item may reference the soda.
 
−
** It has also been suggested that the initials "MGD" stand for Miller Genuine Draft, an American brewed beer. Given that most employers frown upon drinking alcoholic beverages in the workplace, the connection is tenuous at best.
 
−  
−
* '''Ngorongoro Crater'''
 
−
** It seems likely that 'Un'goro Crater' was named after 'Ngorongoro Crater', 'Tanzania', the largest perfect caldera in the world. The geography of Un'Goro also bears a striking resemblance to Ngoro Ngoro.
 
−  
−
* '''O RLY?'''
 
−
** After the saying became popular among players, one of newly added Goblin Auctioneers in Booty Bay was named "O'Reely".
 
−
** There is also a white owl that flies around a hut near Steamwheedle Port in Tanaris named "O'Reilly".
 
−
** An Undead auctioneer by the name of "Yarly" has been added in the [[Undercity]] Auction House.
 
−  
−
* '''Pirates vs. Ninjas'''
 
−
** Eating a [[Savory Deviate Delight]] will cause your character to turn into either a Pirate or a Ninja. The effect is purely cosmetic. The effect will read as "Arrrrr" for pirates or "Flip Out" for ninjas, the latter a reference to the phrase "The purpose of the ninja is to flip out and kill people"<ref>http://www.realultimatepower.net/index4.htm</ref>
 
−  
−
* '''Peanut Butter Jelly Time'''
 
−
** One of the Tauren Male's dance cycles is based on the famous 'Dancing Banana' that appears in the popular Internet Flash.
 
−  
−
* '''Cristo Redentor'''
 
−
** In Booty Bay there is a statue of a goblin with its arms outstretched, very similar to the Cristo Redentor statue above Rio de Janeiro. The statue is on "Jainero's Point".
 
−  
−
* '''Smith & Wesson'''
 
−
** In Ratchet a High Elf sailor will give you a mission to travel down the coast and kill the cannoneers Smythe and Whesson, an obvious reference to firearm company Smith & Wesson.
 
−
**The German names of these NPC, cannoneers Hecksler and Knoch refer to the German firearm company {{wplink|Heckler & Koch}}.
 
−  
−
* '''Sweeney Todd'''
 
−
** There is a traveling salesman who wander around Elwynn Forest and Darkshire named Antonio Perelli, a reference to the traveling hair elixir salesman in the musical version of Sweeney Todd. Also, upstairs from the Stormwind barber shop are two gnome skeletons, referring to Todd being a barber and using his shop to murder people.
 
−  
−
* '''Tonka'''
 
−
** The Darkmoon Faire has several remote-controlled cars known as Tonks.
 
−  
−
* '''Tortuga'''
 
−
** In the Tanaris desert, there is a quest to help a tortoise named "Tooga" to get back to his wife "Torta." "Tortuga" means "turtle" in Spanish.
 
−
** Tortuga is also the name of a famous pirate's haven in the Caribbean. The eastern shores of Tanaris are thick with pirates.
 
−  
−
* '''Wickerman'''
 
−
** During the 2005 Halloween season, Blizzard introduced the festivities of Hallow's End, which includes the burning of an effigy of a man (named Wickerman) in front of 'Undercity'. This references the ancient pagan practice of sacrifing men inside giant burning wicker constructs, called Wicker Men, as well as the movie of the same name<ref>http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070917</ref>. It is possibly also a reference to the annual 'Burning Man' festival held in Nevada.
 
−  
−
* '''The Pig & Whistle'''
 
−
** In Stormwind there's a tavern called "The Pig & Whistle" in the Old Town district. This is a reference to a bar in Hollywood called "The Pig & Whistle Tavern". It is probably a more direct reference to the book series Dragonlance, where Raistlin performs magic acts.
 
−  
−
* '''The Holocaust'''
 
−
** In the orc Internment camps, in the [[Caverns of Time]] dungeon [[Escape from Durnholde]], The occasional guard will yell "I was just taking orders!", a reference to the common excuse used by Nazi labor camp guards, during the Nuremberg Trials.
 
−  
−
* Where are the Cheetos?
 
−
** There's a quest in Bloodmyst Isle called "I Shoot Magic into the Darkness." Those who don't spend their entire lives on the internet might not catch this one, but it's referencing a comedy skit done by the Dead Alewives about Dungeons and Dragons roleplayers. "Why are you casting magic missile, there's nothing to attack here!" "I'm... attacking the darkness!"
 
−  
−
== Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos/The Frozen Throne ==
 
−
In the credits sequence, there are many pop culture references to various movies and games.
 
−  
−
=== Comics ===
 
−
<!-- Entries are alphabetized -->
 
−
* '''Batman'''
 
−
** "Nananananananana... ME!!" &ndash;Troll Batrider.
 
−  
−
* '''Spider-Man'''
 
−
** "Spider sense. Tingling" &ndash;Crypt Fiend.
 
−  
−
* '''Superman'''
 
−
** "Look in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's me!" &ndash;Windrider.
 
−  
−
=== Games ===
 
−
<!-- Entries are alphabetized -->
 
−
*'''Banjo-Kazooie'''
 
−
** "Eekum Bokum" - Troll Witch Doctor. Said by Mumbo Jumbo when he casts spells.
 
−  
−
* '''Diablo'''
 
−
** "Wings, Horns, Hooves, what're we saying, Is this Diablo?" &ndash;'Illidan Stormrage'.
 
−
** An Item on one of the missions, and can be found on the Campaign Editor, is "Wirt's OTHER Leg". A "Butcher", based on the famous Diablo monster, is guarding it.
 
−  
−
* '''Games Workshop'''
 
−
** Steam tanks and Gyrocopters are also both near identical units in Warhammer Fantasy Battles.
 
−
** Repeatedly clicking on a gryphon rider replies with 'This Warhammer cost 40K' referring to {{wplink|Warhammer 40,000}}.
 
−
** Games Workshop made Blizzard remove these references for the expansion pack, hence the renamed units and missing quote.{{fact}}
 
−  
−
* '''The Lost Vikings'''
 
−
** In the Blizzard-produced bonus mission Monolith, the three possible names for the Dark Troll hero are Erik the Swift, Baleog the Fierce, and Olaf the Stout, the names of the three Lost Vikings.
 
−  
−
* '''Mortal Kombat'''
 
−
** "Mortar Combat!" &ndash;Dwarven Mortar Team.
 
−
** "Your soul is mine!" &ndash;Dreadlord
 
−  
−
* '''StarCraft'''
 
−
** "Clearly, Tassadar has failed us! You must not!" &ndash; Mortar Team. Quotation from Judicator Aldaris in the first Protoss scenario.
 
−
** "My life for Aiur... er-r-r I-I mean Ner'Zhul." &ndash; Acolyte. Refers to the line said by the Protoss Zealot whenever a new one is created.
 
−
** In the second Night Elf level, there is a Hydralisk hidden behind the trees, which you can control after you appoach it.
 
−  
−
* '''Zero Wing'''
 
−
** allyourbasearebelongtous and somebodysetupusthebomb are both cheat codes for the game, referencing the Zero Wing game and well-known internet phenomenon.<ref>http://www.planettribes.com/allyourbase/video1_view.shtml</ref>
 
−  
−
=== Literature ===
 
−
<!-- Entries are alphabetized -->
 
−
* '''A Song of Ice and Fire'''
 
−
** The final chapter of 'Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne' is called "A Symphony of Frost and Flame."
 
−  
−
* '''Atlas Shrugged'''
 
−
** Enabled research cheat &ndash; WhoIsJohnGalt &ndash; Refers to the novel 'Atlas Shrugged' by Ayn Rand. "'Who is John Galt?'" is a slang/colloquialism used throughout, but actually refers to the mysterious engineer, John Galt, ''the man who stopped the motor of the world''.
 
−  
−
* '''The Lord of the Rings'''
 
−
** "I stole your precious." &ndash;Spellbreaker. The character 'Gollum' called 'The One Ring' "my precious" in 'the Lord of the Rings' series of books.
 
−
** Kel'Thuzad was a currupted human mage, who succumbed to the will of the Lich King. The Witch King of Angmar is also similar, except for being a human king, as he fell to the ring of Sauron. Secondly, Kel'Thuzad is second in command to the Lich King, and the Witch King is second in command to Sauron.
 
−  
−
=== Movies ===
 
−
<!-- Entries are alphabetized -->
 
−
* '''Alien'''
 
−
** "In the depths, no one can hear you scream. Well.. they can, but it's really muffled." &ndash;Naga Royal Guard. Reference to "In space no one can hear you scream".
 
−  
−
* '''Army of Darkness'''
 
−
** "This... is... my... BOOMSTICK!" &ndash;Rifleman. This is a line said by the rifleman with multiple clicking. This is a line from Ash in "Army of Darkness" when he explains to the medieval people what a shotgun is.
 
−  
−
* '''The Big Lebowski'''
 
−
** Cheat code to remove spell cooldown was 'TheDudeAbides', a line from the main character.
 
−  
−
* '''Braveheart'''
 
−
** "Every man lives. Not every man truly dies." &ndash;Necromancer, reference to William Wallace's (Mel Gibson) line in Braveheart: "Every man dies. Not every man truly lives."
 
−  
−
* '''Cool Hand Luke'''
 
−
** "What we have here is a failure to communicate." &ndash;Bandit. Also said by Warden.
 
−  
−
* '''Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon'''
 
−
** "Crouch, tiger, I sense a hidden dragon." &ndash; Priestess of the Moon.
 
−  
−
* '''Full Metal Jacket'''
 
−
** "Me so horned, me hurt you long time!" said by the orc grunts, is a reference to the prostitute's declaration of "me so horny, me love you long time!"
 
−
** "Only two things come from Texas... and I got horns.", says a Tauren when clicked. Reference to the Kubrick movie where officer Hartman shouts at the soldiers: "Texas? Only steers and queers come from Texas!"
 
−  
−
* '''Ghostbusters'''
 
−
** "There is no Banshee, only 'Zuul'!" &ndash;Banshee. This is a reference to a 'Sigourney Weaver' line.
 
−  
−
* '''Gladiator'''
 
−
** "What I do in death echoes in eternity." &ndash;Shade. Similar to a line spoken by Maximus.
 
−  
−
* '''Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines'''
 
−
** "You are terminated".-Goblin Tinker. T-850 (Arnold Schwarzenegger) said to T-X in Terminator 3.
 
−  
−
* '''The Jungle Book'''
 
−
** "Ale is my bear necessity." &ndash;Pandaren Brewmaster. A major song in ''The Jungle Book'' is called "The Bear Necessities". "The Bear Necessities" is also a quest in Bloodmyst Isle.
 
−  
−
* '''The Matrix'''
 
−
** The cheat for unlimited mana; "There is no spoon" is taken from the film 'The Matrix'.
 
−  
−
* '''Monty Python and the Holy Grail'''
 
−
** "I never say NI!" &ndash;Knight. A reference to The 'Knights who say Ni' from 'Monty Python's Quest for the Holy Grail|The Holy Grail'.
 
−
** "My favourite colour is Blue! No! Yeelloow-" &ndash;Knight. A reference to The Bridge of Death from 'Monty Python's Quest for the Holy Grail|The Holy Grail'
 
−
** "You're the king? Well I didn't vote for you." &ndash;Peasant. A reference to The Filth Harvesting Peasants from 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail'.
 
−
** "We have a witch! May we burn her?" &ndash;Peasant. A reference to the witch burning scene in 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail'.
 
−
** "Help! Help! I'm being repressed!" &ndash;Peasant. A reference to the constitutional peasant Dennis in 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail'.
 
−
** "It's only a flesh wound!" &ndash;Footman. A reference to Black Knight in 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail'.
 
−  
−
* '''"O Brother, Where Art Thou?"'''
 
−
** "I don't want FOP, damn it! I'm a dapper dan man!" Said by Bandit, said by Ulysses in the movie.
 
−  
−
* '''Peter Pan'''
 
−
** "Uh-oh, my Tinker bell." &ndash;Tinker. Reference to the character "Tinkerbell".
 
−  
−
* '''Predator'''
 
−
** "Let's move. Five meter spread, no sound." &ndash;Archer.
 
−  
−
* '''Scarface'''
 
−
** "Say hello to my little friend!" &ndash;Troll Headhunter. The same words were said by "Al Pacino's" character in "Scarface (1983 film)|Scarface".
 
−  
−
* '''The Sixth Sense'''
 
−
** "I see undead people." &ndash;Necromancer.
 
−
** "Me eat dead people." &ndash;Ghoul.
 
−
** "I see dead people." &ndash;Far Seer. Said by 'Haley Joel Osment'. "Iseedeadpeople" is also the cheat for fully explored map/remove fog of war.
 
−  
−
* '''Star Trek'''
 
−
** The cheat warpten is a possible reference to Star Trek.
 
−  
−
* '''Star Wars'''
 
−
** "Me don't sound like 'Yoda'. Do I?" &ndash;'Orc Grunt'. A reference to 'Yoda'.
 
−
** "Once you head down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny. Plus you got dental." &ndash;Acolyte. Reference to turning to The Dark Side.
 
−
** "She'll hold together. (quietly) Hear me, baby? Hold together." &ndash;Tinker. Reference to 'Han Solo''s request for the 'Millennium Falcon' to continue flying.
 
−
** "We aren't the dryads you're looking for" &ndash;'Dryad'. A reference to a phrase by 'Obi-Wan Kenobi' from '''Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope''', "These aren't the droids you're looking for."
 
−
** "They came from... behind..." &ndash;the Flying Machine says this when it's destroyed, a reference to what Gold Five says when he dies in '''Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope'''.
 
−
** "Stay on target..." &ndash;the Flying Machine says this when clicked on too many times, a reference to what Gold Five says when he and Gold Leader are pursued by Darth Vader.
 
−
** "At last we shall have revenge" &ndash;Demon Hunter. Reference to Darth Maul's only line in '''Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace'''
 
−
** "I find your insolence... disturbing" Blood Mage when clicked too many times, referring to Darth Vader's classic "I find your lack of faith... disturbing" from '''A New Hope'''
 
−  
−
* '''Thumb Wars'''
 
−
** "Touch your tongue to mine." &ndash;Far Seer. A reference to the quote made by both Oobidub Benubi and A Puppet in Thumb Wars, a Star Wars parody.
 
−  
−
* '''The Usual Suspects'''
 
−
** Cheat code keysersoze for obtaining extra gold refers to the mythical crime figure Keyser Soze, whose very existence is a source of mystery and debate.
 
−  
−
* '''Where Eagles Dare'''
 
−
** One of the missions in the Orc Campaign of Reign of Chaos is called "Where Wyverns Dare" named after the movie.
 
−  
−
=== Music ===
 
−
<!-- Entries are alphabetized -->
 
−
* '''Britney Spears'''
 
−
** "Click me baby, one more time." &ndash;Sorceress. 'Britney Spears'' first hit was "Hit Me Baby, One More Time".
 
−  
−
* '''Guns n' Roses'''
 
−
** Bandit "What we have here is a failure to communicate.", a famous intro in the song called "Civil War".
 
−  
−
* '''Sting & The Police'''
 
−
** "We're all spirits in the material world." &ndash;Spirit Walker. From the Sting & The Police song of the same title.
 
−  
−
* '''Iron Maiden'''
 
−
** The bonus campaign "Founding Durotar" chapter one is named "To Tame a Land", reference to a song on the album Piece Of Mind.
 
−
** There is a level in the campaign called "Where Wyverns Dare", a reference to the Iron Maiden song "Where Eagles Dare", or also possibly a reference to the movie 'Where Eagles Dare'. Where Eagles Dare is Also a song by Horror Punk band The Misfits.
 
−  
−
* '''Jon Bon Jovi'''
 
−
** "Shot through the heart, and I'm to blame." &ndash;Archer. One of Bon Jovi's songs begins with "Shot through the heart, and you're to blame."
 
−  
−
* '''Megadeth'''
 
−
** The Frozen Throne bonus campaign contains a mission named 'Countdown to Extinction' after the Megadeth song and album of the same name.
 
−  
−
* '''Pantera'''
 
−
** A part of the orc campaign is called "By Demons Be Driven", this a reference to the Pantera song of the same name.
 
−  
−
* '''Metallica'''
 
−
** Rexxar, The Beastmaster, says "Where I lay my head is home! You see that rock? That's my pillow!". "Where I lay my head is home" is one of the lines in Metallica's song "Wherever I May Roam" from the Black Album.
 
−
** Bandit: "I'm a rover, wanderer, nomad, vagabond... Call me what you will!". Another reference to "Wherever I May Roam".
 
−  
−
* '''The Beatles'''
 
−
** "I'm the fifth Beatle." - Crypt Lord. A reference to that many people claim certain people deserve being called a "fifth" member of The Beatles, or a term used to reference people who at some point had a strong association with The Beatles.
 
−  
−
* '''The Doors'''
 
−
** The campaign [[Riders of the Storm]] probably is a reference to the Doors song of the same name.
 
−  
−
=== Other ===
 
−
<!-- Entries are alphabetized -->
 
−
* '''Kelloggs Frosted Flakes'''
 
−
** "My tiger is trained for war. He's grrrrreat!" &ndash; Priestess of the Moon. Frosties/Frosted Flakes' mascot 'Tony the Tiger''s signature line is "They're grrrrreat!".
 
−  
−
* '''Iron Chef'''
 
−
** "Fukui-san! Yes, go ahead. What the Iron Troll is doing right now is putting heads in a pot. They have to boil for 20 minutes so the eyes can be used in a second dish, an eye and raspberry sorbet. Mmmm, Sounds good!" &ndash; Troll Witch Doctor.
 
−  
−
* '''The Simpsons'''
 
−
** "My eyes! The goggles do nothing!" &ndash; Foot soldier. Uttered during the "filming of Warcraft III" blooper reel of the end credits. This is a reference to the Radioactive Man movie episode of the Simpsons, when actor Rainier Wolfcastle tries to protect himself from a giant wave of acid by putting on a pair of tiny protective goggles.
 
−
** "D'oh!" Annoyed Peasant or Dryad. It's Homer Simpson's most famous catchphrase. In the case of the Dryad, "D'oh!" is spelled "Doe" which is a female deer which technically, is what a Dryad is.
 
−  
−
* '''Homestar Runner'''
 
−
** In one of the levels, a soldier guarding Prince Kael's cell is named "Trogdar". Referencing the Dragon, "Trogdor". In a twist of irony, he is killed (i.e. burninated) by Lady Vashj.
 
−  
−
* '''Rifleman's Creed'''
 
−
** "This is my owl. There are many like it, but this one is mine." &ndash; Huntress. This line is also famously used in the movies '''Full Metal Jacket''' and '''Jarhead'''.
 
−  
−
* '''I Love Lucy'''
 
−
** "Lucyyy" &ndash; Troll Headhunter. Said in the same manner as 'Ricky Ricardo'.
 
−  
−
* '''Smokey the Bear'''
 
−
** "Only you can prevent forest fires." &ndash; Druid of the Claw.
 
−
** "This bear with the forest hat keeps following me around!" &ndash; Firelord
 
−  
−
* '''Weakest Link'''
 
−
** "You are the weakest Lich, Goodbye!" is one of Lich's annoyed phrases.
 
−  
−
* '''Who Wants to be a Millionaire'''
 
−
** "No? Is that your final answer?" -Paladin annoyed phrase
 
−  
−
== Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness ==
 
−
=== Music ===
 
−
<!-- Entries are alphabetized -->
 
−
* '''The Police'''
 
−
** "Every little thing she does" is the cheat code for unlimited mana and all spells researched; in reference to The Police's song "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic".
 
−  
−
===Film and television===
 
−
<!-- Entries are alphabetized -->
 
−
* '''Star Trek: The Next Generation'''
 
−
** The map cheat code of "onscreen" and the fast build cheat of "makeitso" are references to 'Star Trek: The Next Generation'. They are both commands often given by Captain Picard.
 
−
** The invulnerability cheat of "It is a good day to die" is also from the show; it is a 'Klingon' proverb. Its root origin was from the battle of Thermopylae. It was one of the responses Leonidas gave to the Persian emissary when he was asked to surrender as he had no chance of winning. Star Trek gets it from this historical reference.
 
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* '''Monty Python and the Holy Grail'''
 
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** The sword fighting sound effect is lifted directly from the Black Knight scene in the Holy Grail.
 
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== Warcraft: Orcs and Humans ==
 
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* '''The Chronicles of Amber'''
 
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** To enable cheat mode, you type Corwin of Amber. Corwin is a character from the "The Chronicles of Amber", a series of books by "Roger Zelazny".
 
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* '''Sally Shears'''
 
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** To reveal the entire map (much like black sheep wall in StarCraft), you type this. It is a reference to Sally Shears, a recurring character from the "Sprawl" series of books by "William Gibson".
 
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==References==
 
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{{Reflist}}
 
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{{Injokes}}
 
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{{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Pop Culture References In Warcraft}}
 
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[[Category:Easter eggs]]
 
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[[Category:Silly]]
 
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[[Category:Lore]]
 
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[[Category:Blizzard Entertainment]]
 

Revision as of 03:10, 27 March 2011

Raging Blow
Ability hunter swiftstrike
  • Raging Blow (1 rank)
  • Warrior ability
  • Melee Range yd range
  • 20 Rage
  • 6 sec cooldown
  • Instant
  • Requires Melee Weapon
    Requires Berserker Stance
  • A mighty blow that deals 110% weapon damage from both melee weapons. Can only be used while Enraged.
Properties
Class Warrior
School Physical
Cooldown 6 sec
Talents
Talent tree Fury, Tier 4
Talent required Death Wish

[[Category:warrior abilities]][[Category:warrior abilities]]

Raging Blow is an ability in the Fury tree, causing damage with both weapons instantly, similiar to Ability shaman stormstrike [Stormstrike] or Ability rogue shadowstrikes [Mutilate]. It can only be used while Enraged.

Talents

  • Spell shadow unholyfrenzy [Enrage] Gives a 3/6/9% chance to become enraged, and therefore able to use this ability, every time you hit with a melee weapon.

Tips and tactics

This is an extremely powerful ability, and should be used whenever possible. It can only be used when Enraged, so you may want to use abilities to Enrage yourself if an Enrage buff isn't already on. Its 6 second cooldown makes it an easy ability to use in a rotation, if you keep Enrage effects up.

Patch changes

External links