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5 Best Easter Eggs in World of Warcraft (2022)

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World of Warcraft is an MMORPG that boasts dozens of miles of scorching canyons, tropical rainforests, and fantastical islands. With a nexus of locales as dynamic and as extensive as this, it's only natural that it would house a myriad of secrets and stashed away Easter eggs for travelers to unearth. And boy, if there's a single developer that knows how to hide away Easter eggs — it's Blizzard.

Of course, as an evolving platform that goes under the hammer more times than any other MMORPG on the planet, it comes as no surprise that Easter eggs, like other small features, are constantly being swapped out in exchange for new ones. Question is, which witty footnotes have Blizzard left behind since releasing the long-awaited Shadowlands expansion? Well, here are the five best ones we've discovered so far.

5. Final Fantasy VII's Cloud and Aerith

Anyone who's ever waltzed through the bitterly cold quarters of Northrend would have more than likely explored the City of Dalaran and its chain of floating market districts and all-powerful spires. That said, not many would have encountered two of the city's most influential citizens, Koraud and Aerith, both of whom wouldn't have been available to meet prior to the launch of the Legion expansion pack.

Of course, this is a blatant nod to Square Enix's Final Fantasy VII and its two leading heroes. And, true to their original selves, Koraud sports an oversized sword and Mako-infused eyes; and Aerith has her floral bouquet and accompanying flower cart. To the people of Dalaran, they're just your everyday Blood Elves with regular part-time jobs. But to RPG fans, they're two of gaming's most legendary protagonists. Kudos to you, Blizzard.

 

4. Friends' Ross and Rachel

Friends was perhaps one of the most popular and influential US sitcoms of the nineties. In fact, it harbored such an immense popularity, that it wound up inspiring countless other filmmakers and video game developers to add one or two of its well-known features. Blizzard, for example, ended up putting none other than Ross and Rachel in one of World of Warcraft's capital cities. And in a coffee shop, of all places.

The City of Dalaran houses far more than sword-wielding body guards, that's for sure. Thanks to another one of Blizzard's tongue-in-cheek Easter eggs, players can catch Friends' Ross and Rachel engaging in conversation in the Legerdemain Lounge. As for what they're talking about is anybody's guess. Though, if we had to take a stab at it, it'd probably be about something to do with, you know, being on a break.

 

3. Nicholas Cage

We know for a fact that Blizzard would've enjoyed putting this one in. Nicholas Cage, or Nicholaus Page, going by his Forsaken name, locked within a cage, on a quest to steal Azeroth's watered-down version of the Deflection of Independence. Ring any bells? It should do, as it's basically the premise of the movie National Treasure.

Funnily enough, this isn't the only reference to Cage's movies that gets brought up in World of Warcraft. In fact, if you enrol in the character's quest chain in Hellfire Peninsula, then you're also tasked with rifling through felboar muck for a set of lost keys. This is, of course, a direct reference to Gone in 60 Seconds, a movie in which Cage has to retrieve his car keys after a dog swallows them. And so, it's pretty clear Blizzard has a soft spot for the Hollywood star's works, otherwise half of his works wouldn't have made it into The Burning Crusade.

 

2. Bioshock's Big Daddy

The Big Daddy is arguably one of the most memorable characters in gaming, as is Andrew Ryan, Bioshock's original antagonist who used the power of hypnosis to lure players into completing a series of life-threatening tasks to help further his own private agenda. The bad news is, both foes are back, and they're pretty content in the Windshear Hold of Stonetalon Mountains.

Of course, as this is an Easter egg, Blizzard has done all in its power to cover up what can only be seen as a blatant reference to the beloved survival horror saga. Anderov Ryon, Alice, Big Papa? It's as black and white as you could possibly get, and we're not even the slightest bit annoyed at the devs for doing it, either. Now, would you kindly do us a favor and throw Elizabeth in?

 

1. Harry Potter's Platform 9 3/4

World of Warcraft certainly loves to cram as many cult classic movie references into Azeroth as remotely possible. The wizarding world of Harry Potter, for example, has been utilized on a few occasions, most notably in the Warlords of Draenor dungeon, Grimrail Depot. In the dungeon, players can warp through a certain wall, which then takes them to a beam where a cart, a trunk, and a white owl are stuck in a wall. This is, of course, a direct reference to Kings Cross' Platform 9 3/4.

Unfortunately, this isn't the easiest Easter egg to unearth. In fact, only a select few of Azeroth's Alliance and Horde diehards have been able to locate it. Thankfully, this is what platforms like YouTube are for. If, however, you're a major Potterhead and quite simply live and breathe Gryffindor, then it's definitely worth going out of your way to find. Platform 9 3/4 it is not, but then, it doesn't really need to be. It's a Harry Potter reference, what more could you want?

 

So, what's your take? What do you make of our top five World of Warcraft Easter eggs? Have you been able to uncover any around Azeroth yet? Let us know over on our socials here or down in the comments below.

Jord is acting Team Leader at gaming.net. If he isn't blabbering on in his daily listicles, then he's probably out writing fantasy novels or scraping Game Pass of all its slept on indies.