All is fair in love and Warcraft, even visiting the afterlife. The eighth expansion to the definitive MMORPG was released sixteen years after the original, allowing players to finally explore the Shadowlands. With new dungeons, an overhauled level system, and the Death Knight class available to many races for the first time, players have a lot of new content to explore.
After diving into the maw, players were welcomed with a treasure trove of quests, secrets, and lore. With so much to take in, it's easy for fans of the franchise to miss some of the finer details scattered throughout the expansion.
10 World Of Overwatch?
Leave it to Blizzard to toss in a few references to their other games. On the surface, King Tor doesn't look like that auspicious of a name. Neither is King Bjorn. Wait a minute... one of these two kings, which can be spotted standing near each other, is even holding a giant hammer. This is the closest players will get to finding Torbjorn in the Shadowlands, but it is a nice nod nonetheless.
9 A Forgotten Boss's Fate
Houndmaster Loksey was such a minor character in the original World of Warcraft that even veterans of the game likely forgot he existed. A minor boss found early on in the Library Wing of the Scarlet Monastery, he was removed from the game when World of Warcraft: Cataclysm was added to the game. A specific quest has players helping torture Loksey's soul for the horrible things he did in life. This "death" quite literally existing in the game is not only humorous but a loving nod from the game's creators to long time fans.
8 Old Blanchy Rides Again
How far can one horse NPC in a game go? Old Blanchy once could be found in Westfall with her owners where players could bring her oats to eat and get two unique items in return: Old Blanchy's Blanket, and Old Blanchy's Food Pouch. The horse could be found in further expansions but was eventually murdered during the events of Cataclysm.
Blanchy may have looked innocent on the surface but she apparently committed some seriously evil acts in life as she was condemned to Revendreth. Players can befriend her once more through a complex quest over the course of six days. If they succeed, they get the unique mount Blanchy's Reigns.
7 Back To The Beginning
Fans may not know that the old Amiga puzzle game, Lemmings, inspired the first-ever Warcraft game. As Warcraft: Orcs and Humans may not have existed without its influences, it might not come as a surprise the game gets a cheeky reference in the Shadowlands. Players may have found a conspiratorial group of ground squirrels that look like real-life lemmings having what looks to be an important meeting on a cliff ledge.
6 This Is The Way
Star Wars fans may have caught on right away but not all players may have picked up on this reference in the game. In Ardenweald, players can take on a quest titled "This Is The Way" which is a common saying for Mandalorians. Players will be tasked with helping escort a young baby who seems to have mysterious powers to a safe place. As the baby also is transported in a floating bed, the reference to Baby Yoda from The Mandalorian couldn't be more apparent.
5 A Game Dev In The Game
Brian Holinka has been the Lead Combat Designer of the game since 2018 and began his career with Blizzard all the way back in 2012. It seems the fabled designer was tired of just playing the game and wanted to be in the worlds he designed himself in the closest way he could. Players may be able to spot Hellinka while roaming Maldraxxus. Holinka? Hellinka? It can't just be a coincidence
4 Under The Sea
Players exploring the beaches of Exile Reach's Isle can stumble upon a dark scene that references the classic Disney movie The Little Mermaid. Players can find what looks to be a long-dead mermaid, holding a fork, next to a dead crab on the beach. Players panning out the camera can see a yellow fish with green stripes looking at the bodies from the water.
This references Ariel, holding a signature "Dinglehopper" on the beach next to Sebastian as Flounder looks on. This is quite the morbid way to reference a Disney film in a video game. Perhaps Blizzard should leave the world of Disney to Square Enix.
3 A Game Of Hearthstone
Players may have found a reference to Blizzard's card game Hearthstone when adventuring through Revendreth. Players can find two NPCs playing a hearty game on a physical board. The board has four castles, one in each corner, made to look like the special parts of boards players can interact with when playing a Hearthstone match.
2 My Heart Will Go On
In the alternate universe known as World of Warcraft, Kate Winslet didn't make it out alive. Or at least, her character Rose didn't. Players may have missed this subtle reference to the movie Titanic where a skeleton lies on a door with an anchor emblem. If that's not enough, the skeleton holds a necklace similar to the Heart of the Ocean seen in the film.
1 Toss A Coin...
It seems a developer at Blizzard has been binge-watching Netflix just like the rest of us. The Witcher was one of Netflix's most successful series to date, and while fans wait for Season 2 they can find some love for their favorite franchise in the Shadowlands.
Players going to Ardenweald can find a quest to help The Winter Wolf (a not so subtle reference to the White Wolf) and his singing companion Daffodil. Upon completing the quest, Daffodil offers to sing "Toss A Seed To Your Hunter" as a reward. This amusingly references the famous bop from the Netflix series Toss A Coin To Your Witcher.