What’s the number one thing the World of Warcraft community is bad at? Organizing a successful pug might come to mind, but the right answer, this time, is keeping secrets. World of Warcraft contains many Easter eggs and secrets and as soon as someone discovers them you can be sure that they’re not going to keep quiet about it.
You Are Now Prepared!
Eat your words, Illidan! If you have the Warglaives of Azzinoth equipped in the Well of Eternity Cataclysm dungeon, Illidan Stormrage notices them and says “You seem prepared”. It is a reference to the famous line “You are not prepared!” when facing him as the final boss of The Burning Crusade raid, The Black Temple.
All those hours farming for the fabled blades mean nothing compared to other players’ envy and Illidan’s approval.
Final Fantasy VII x WoW
Aerith and Cloud are well-known Final Fantasy VII characters and also Dalaran NPCs in disguise. Aerith Primrose is a human flower seller NPC in Wrath of the Lich King Dalaran. She was also a flower seller in Final Fantasy VII.
In Legion’s Dalaran, she is accompanied by an NPC named Koraud which is clearly a reference to Cloud Strife, the main FFVII character. Koraud is a Blood Elf with blue glowing eyes similar to FFVII’s Mako eyes and a hairdo which reminds players of Sephiroth, the Final Fantasy VII villain.
Mr. Ryan, How Did You Get out of Rapture?
Anderov Ryon is a Gilnean found in Windshear Hold in the heart of the Stonetalon Mountains. His name derives from BioShock’s antagonist, Andrew Ryan. Ryon’s lines are similar to Ryan’s quotes. In addition to being an excellent game, BioShock has interesting quotes and an amazing story. Would you kindly check it out?
Next to Anderov Ryon, you will see a mech NPC called Big Papa and a human girl called Alice. Both are BioShock references to Big Daddies and Little Sisters.
Yer an Azerothian, Harry!
World of Warcraft has several Harry Potter references. One of the most obvious, and also quite hard to find, is in Warlords of Draenor dungeon, Grimrail Depot. There’s an invisible wall you can jump through to end up on a beam where you will see a cart stuck in a wall, a trunk, and a white owl. It’s a reference to Platform 9 ¾, the hidden boarding spot for the Hogwarts Express.
Toss a Reference to Your Witcher
While questing in Ardenweald, you will come across two NPCs: Daffodil and Gwynceirw, the Winter Wolf. They are based on characters from the Witcher universe.
Gwynceirw is WoW’s version of Geralt, the Witcher protagonist who is also known as Gwynbleidd which means White Wolf in Elder Speech. Daffodil is his friend, the bard Dandelion.
Fun fact: Witcher 3: Blood and Wine also contains a WoW reference. It’s found on a tombstone that mentions Azeroth as the birthplace of the person buried there.
Baa’l and the Waist of Time
Baa’l is a cute demonic goat that will guide you towards the Waist of Time. It sounds like a B-movie script, but it’s in fact one of the biggest Battle for Azeroth secrets.
Baa’l, the battle pet, is obtained at the end of a very long journey that takes you through Kul Tiras and Zandalar as you find pebbles that hide clues. Baa’l gives you the first indication on how to get the Waist of Time, a cosmetic belt featuring a giant watch.
Leave a Trail of Sparkle Wherever You Go
On the second floor of the Toy Store in Legion’s Dalaran is an NPC named Sheddle Glossgleam and a Shoeshine Seat. Sit down and Sheddle will polish your shoes and give you the Shiny Shoes buff that make your footsteps sparkle.
In the evening, the hard-working gnome goes to the Legerdemain Lounge for a well-deserved drink and leaves his chest unsupervised. Open it and the Shoe Shine Kit toy will forever be in your collection, just like the shame of stealing Sheddle’s trade tools.
Who’s That Lumberjack!
Remington Brode, the Traveling Lumberjack, is an NPC that can be found in Grizzly Hills. He walks between Ashwood Post and Aspen Grove. Speak to him and he will sell you a music roll for your garrison.
Remington Brode wears a red flannel shirt just like his father Benjamin Brode who is an NPC in the Draenor garrison. They are both based on Ben Brode, the former Hearthstone director, and his fondness for flannel shirts.
Enjoy Relaxing Moments at the Wanderer’s Festival!
The Wanderer’s Festival is a Mists of Pandaria mini-event that takes place every Sunday evening. Head to the Turtle Beach and seek out the Wandering Herald NPC who tells you when the event starts.
It’s a wholesome little celebration with turtles and Pandaren music. If that’s not enough to get you there, maybe the Wanderers, Dreamers, and You achievement and the chance to get a Wanderer’s Festival Hatchling pet will.
Illidari Fashion Never Goes Out of Style
Next time when you’re in Shadowmoon Valley, make your way towards the Sanctum of the Stars. It’s just a small detour from the road to The Black Temple. Between the Sanctum and Eclipse Point, Val’zareq the Conqueror wanders around carrying a quest starter item. Kill him and begin the questline that will eventually reward you with the Tabard of the Illidari.
The tabard goes great with the Warglaives of Azzinoth which you probably don’t have yet, otherwise, you wouldn’t be en route to The Black Temple.
Is That Your Pet Singing?
Peacebloom VS Ghouls is a mini-game based on Plants VS Zombies, the tower defense game that was very popular in the 2010s.
The Brazie Farmland in Hillsbrand Foothills is the place where you can play WoW’s version of it. The game is simple enough and you can find several guides detailing winning strategies.
The reward includes the Singing Sunflower pet which randomly starts singing the theme song from the original game. It’s cute and slightly annoying at the same time so, naturally, a must-have.
He Shoots, He Scores, He Drops Items
In WoW retail, Postmaster Malown is a pet battle boss in Stratholme Pet Battle Dungeon. He is summoned by clicking on the Discarded Letter items.
He is a reference to NBA player Karl “The Mailman” Malone. In WoW Classic, Postmaster Malown is a difficult optional Stratholme boss that appears after opening three mailboxes in the dungeon.
He drops items from The Postmaster set, an attire he must be very fond of as the drop rate is quite low.
What’s Behind the Smile
Mythic group flopped? Finished the raid with no loot? Forgot war mode on and got ganked? There are days when the World of Warcraft seems to work against you but remember there are always reasons to smile.
We mean that in the literal sense because WoW has several smiley faces hidden all around Azeroth and beyond. There’s one under Karazhan, one in the Searing Gorge, one in Stranglethorn Vale, and one on the Alliance ship called The Kraken. No one actually knows why Blizzard put them in the game.
Ride in Style
The Grey Riding Camel is a mount obtained by those who have the patience to find and interact with critter-sized Mysterious Camel Figurines in Uldum.
Click them – might take a while depending on your luck – until you get the one that teleports you to Feralas in the Steam Pools. You will get the Dormus’ Rage buff that allows you to see Dormus. Kill him and take his camel! Be wary as if you let the buff expire you won’t see Dormus anymore.
Probably the Most Hated 2021 WoW Reference
Pandemis is an NPC found in Maldraxxus around the House of Plagues. He tells players to wash their hands and wear a mask which he kindly provides in the form of the Personal Air Filtration 10-minute buff that makes you invulnerable to the local Caustic Fog debuff.
Thanks for the reality check, Blizzard! Looking forward to the times when this reference becomes a thing of the past.
What is your favorite WoW secret or easter egg? Leave a comment and we might add it to the list!