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Blizzard and Community References in WoW
Live
Posted
2014/01/18 at 7:47 AM
by
perculia
This guide looks at Blizzard staff and WoW players who have their names referenced in WoW in some form--items, NPCs, quests, locations. We've added some references we've found in WoD's alpha as well!
Did you know the NPCs placating the angry townsfolk in
The Culling of Stratholme
are named after the Customer Service team? Perhaps you've tamed
Ghostcrawler
in Vash'jir, answered Blizzard Historian
Senior Historian Evelyna
's questions on the Timeless Isle, bought battle pets from
Breanni
, or found
Perculia's Peculiar Signet
in Pandaria :)
We're happy to include additional references, but we've deliberately left out some items and details based on privacy concerns and requests.
For previous installments, check out the following:
Pop Culture References in WoW Achievements
Pop Culture Item References: Videos, Movies, and TV
Pop Culture Item References: Comics, Books, Music, and Poetry
Also be sure to check out Kemaria's guide to
in-game memorials
, covering touching tributes like
Ashes of Al'ar
to players who have passed away.
Click the cut to read the guide!
Blizzard Employees
When reading this section, it's good to note that designers name items after each other for fun--they don't usually name items after themselves.
Alex "Furor" Afrasiabi
Alex "Furor" Afrasiabi, now the Creative Designer for WoW, has a number of items stretching back to vanilla WoW:
The
Ezra Grimm
encounter in
Stratholme
is filled with references. The former quest
The Great Ezra Grimm
used to send players to explore the old cigar shop, which was revised in Cataclysm to be
The Great Ezra Grimm
. Players can open a mailbox near his shop with
Fras Siabi's Postbox Key
, read about his shop in
Ezra Grimm's Advertisement
, and kill him for
Grimm's Premium Tobacco
. A live version of him,
Ezra Grimm
, can be found in
The Culling of Stratholme
.
Players who wanted to obtain the original
Quel'Serrar
had to first get
Nostro's Compendium of Dragon Slaying
from Dire Maul.
Foror and Tigole as a pair are found in the Children's Week delicacy
Tigule's Strawberry Ice Cream
and the AV item
Autographed Picture of Tigule
. The original Zul'Gurub also had
Lizardscale Eyepatch
and
Tigule's Harpoon
as drops.
Field Marshal Stonebridge
is a clear reference to his name, there are also NPCs referencing one of his characters, Kariel.
Pathstalker Avokor
is a Rogue trainer and
Skeletal Remains of Telmius Dreamseeker
is an old Dire Maul NPC that was the author of many librams like
Libram of Constitution
.
Brazie Getz
sells
Fras Siabi's Barely Bigger Beer
in limited supply, which increases the size of the player.
Lord Devrestrasz
gives the daily quest
Defending Wyrmrest Temple
for
Rapid Defense
in Dragonblight, and appears in Dragon Soul for the rogue quests
Proving Your Worth
and
A Hidden Message
.
He can be found in several unobtainable items:
Alex's Ring of Audacity
and the removed flavor text in
Peep's Whistle
. His name is also on several PTR items like
A Very Large Bag
and
Foror's Wipe Neutralizer
.
Alexander "Xelnath" Brazie
Former Encounter Designer Alexander Brazie had an eclectic series of items named after him:
In the Plants vs Zombies tribute game,
Brazie the Botanist
is the NPC who runs the event. Rewards include
Brazie's Plant Light
and the battle pet
Brazie's Sunflower Seeds
.
Alliance players in Icecrown Citadel come across the pervy vendor
Brazie Getz
who sells
Brazie's Black Book of Secrets
for . This contains
Brazie's Dictionary of Devilish Draenei Damsels
,
Brazie's Document on Dwarven Dates in Dun Morogh
,
Brazie's Guide to Getting Good with Gnomish Girls
,
Brazie's Handbook to Handling Human Hunnies
,
Brazie's Notes on Naughty Night Elves
. When talking to Brazie, he has interesting dialogue options hinting at creepy and non-legal wares he has to sell (possibly the unused item
Brazie's Gnomish Pleasure Device
?).
Quartermaster Brazie
is the Alliance quartermaster for Tol Barad.
Ben Brode
Tome of the Lost
may reference several songs in the flavor text, but "The Brode to Nowhere" also references Senior Game Designer for Hearthstone Ben Brode.
Blizzard Historians
Three historians part of Blizzard's
Creative Development team
were honored on the
Timeless Isle
.
Senior Historian Evelyna
represents Senior Historian Evelyn Fredericksen, who quizzes players on their lore knowledge in
A Timeless Question
.
Accompanying here are
Historian Llore
, named after Sean "Loreology" Copeland and
Historian Ju'pa
, after Justin Parker. Copeland also appears in Stormwind as
Sean Copeland
.
To learn more about the life of a Blizzard Historian, check out
WoW Insider's interview with Sean Copeland
.
Brian "Desvin" Holinka
PvP Designer
Brian Holinka
is an Alliance PvP vendor (
Armsmaster Holinka
) and the Horde PvP vendor,
Roo Desvin
, is named after his
forum nickname
.
Chris Kaleiki
Game designer Chris Kaleiki has an awesome twink weapon,
Kaleiki's Lost Training Staff
, and Wrath NPC (
Foreman Kaleiki
) named after him. Check out more of his thoughts on game design on his
MMO game design blog
.
Chris Metzen
Chris Metzen
, the Senior VP of Story and Development at Blizzard, is a Winter Veil reindeer you are required to save for
On Metzen!
.
Metzen is also a member of the Argent Dawn in Northrend:
Avenger Metz
,
Dispatch Commander Metz
Community Management
Timbal's Focusing Crystal
: Senior Community Rep
Zarhym
was originally known as Timbal on the WoW forums. Many players name their
Ghostly Skull
battle pet after Zarhym since it closely resembles his forum avatar, and
Zarhym Altogether
is the most recent tribute to him on the Timeless Isle.
Crygil's Discarded Plate Panel
: Crygil was one of the forum Community Managers from Wrath. When asked about why he discarded the item, he responsed on the forums "Fel-Reavers can't read. I didn't discard it, it was stolen from me while I slept."
Drysc
: Drysc, now known as
Bashiok
, is well-known to forum goers from his Diablo III and Warcraft posts. His NPC is a neophyte Shaman seeking instruction in the Exodar.
Crithto
: This perky pug is the Gamon of Stormwind--although he wears a variety of fashionable hats, he'll attack you. When killed, he drops
Empty Puppy Collar
. Crithto's avatar on the WoW forums is a Perky Pug, and
CM Crithto
is an avid pet-battler, writing the weekly
Major Payne blog
. The pugs with fashionable hats have also been seen in
Crate of Kidnapped Puppies
.
Eyonix
: This Netherstorm innkeeper is named after longtime Community Manager Eyonix, who left Blizzard in 2010 for SEGA.
Cory Stockton
Lead Content Designer
Cory Stockton
shows up as
Innkeeper Coryth Stoktron
, the Zangarmarsh innkeeper with an interesting sense of style (
Stylin' Adventure Hat
,
Black Swashbuckler's Shirt
, purple cape) and the unique beverage
Cenarion Spirits
with
Strong Alcohol
effect.
Relatives of Cory Stockton can be seen in Stormwind (
Tyler Stockton
and
Nathan Stockton
), Shrine of Seven Stars (
Marsha Stockton
and
Ann Stockton
), Undercity (
Auctioneer Stockton
), and Dalaran (
Christi Stockton
).
Christi Stockton
's wine shop selling items like
Cask of Aged Dalaran Red
also fits in well with his interest in fine drinks, documented on Twitter.
Customer Service in Culling of Stratholme
In
The Culling of Stratholme
, several townsfolk are named after Blizzard Customer Service. Ironically, much of their dialogue is tied to placating angry citizens about the grain shipment.
Brock Thriss
: Vrakthris is one of the original Customer Service posters. He also has the tribute NPC
Skycaller Vrakthris
.
Stephanie Sindree
: Syndri is a former Customer Service rep who is now
Lylirra
, a Community Manager for Diablo III.
Mechanical Greeter RY7R
: Named after former Customer Service rep Reythur, whose avatar was a robot quite similar to this NPC's model.
Olivia Zenith
: Named after former Customer Service rep Zenylith, who is now a Latin Community Manager.
Michael Belfast
: Named after former Customer Service rep Belfaire, who now writes at
WoW Insider
.
Additional NPCs include
Edward Orrick
for Auryk,
Patricia O'Reilly
for Orlyia,
Mal Corricks
for Malkorix, and
Brandon Eiredeck
for Aredek.
Dave "Fargo" Kosak
Before working at Blizzard, Lead Narrative Designer Dave Kosak worked at Gamesply and wrote the Flintlocke comic series, featuring Fargo and Flintlocke, a confused Warrior who wants to be a Hunter and rides a dead ram mount and has annoyed Ironforge in spite of being a dwarf.
Gravy
: One of the main characters in
Flintlocke vs The Horde
, currently serving as a bartender in Orgrimmar.
Fargo Flintlocke
sends Alliance players to Twilight Highlands, which is an odd choice after he's nuked Stormwind in a previous installment of
Flintlocke's Guide to Azeroth
.
Rok'tar
sends Horde players to Twilight Highlands and is the main character of the follow-up series
Flintlocke vs. The Horde
.
Flintlocke has a number of items named after him, such as
Flintlocke's Blasthammer
which looks like a melee weapon and fits with Flintlocke's combat style.
Flintlocke's Woodchucker
references his signature "Chuck-Shot" which was made with blasting powder and an angry woodchuck. This enchant makes your ranged weapon periodically spit out a critter.
Flintlocke's Chuckshooter
: When looting corpses, Flintlocke also had to remember to pick up the Chuck-Shot dislodged in his enemies. It was quite dirty, leading to the flavor text "This weapon has clearly never been cleaned. Ever."
Flintlocke's Piloting Pants
: References Flintlocke's debatable skills in flying a "diridgerdabler-able... diriger-jib-gibjer-lobbler... BLIMP" which eventually crashes.
Commander Lo Ping
: This badge vendor is named after Lo Ping, who enjoyed hoarding tons of items.
Eric Dodds
A few weeks ago on Twitter, it was revealed that Lead Designer for Hearthstone Eric Dodds was the reference for all the purposely mismatching Edward the Odd items:
Hand of Edward the Odd
,
Will of Edward the Odd
,
Signet of Edward the Odd
,
Pauldrons of Edward the Odd
,
Treads of Edward the Odd
.
Greg "Ghostcrawler" Street
Ghostcrawler
: Former Lead Systems Designer Ghostcrawler is a rare spawn in Vash'jir, a zone he liked due to his background in oceanography. This rare spawn has the infamous
Nerfbat
ability and looks like a spectral version of Ghostcrawler's crab forum avatar.
I Was Promised a Pony
: Pokes fun at players complaining Ghostcrawler didn't give them what they asked for.
To the Ground!
: Back in 2008, Ghostcrawler mentioned that
ret paladins could be nerfed to the ground
.
Jeffrey "Tigole" Kaplan
Former Game Director Jeffrey Kaplan (now working on Titan) has some humorous test items:
Tigole's Trashbringer
and
Tigole's Boomstick (TEST)
. He also has the
Tigule's Harpoon
from old Zul'Gurub. He's paired up with Foror in the Children's Week delicacy
Tigule's Strawberry Ice Cream
and the AV item
Autographed Picture of Tigule
.
Jonathan LeCraft
Crafty's Pole
: Sr. Game Designer
Jonathan LeCraft
is referenced in this unused legendary fishing pole which matches
Old Crafty
. He also shows up in Shrine of Seven Stars:
Charles Etienne
(a tribute to his original hardcore Diablo III character, whose dialogue is the death message) and as
Tomas Riogain
before he racial changed to gnome.
Kevin Jordan
Former Game Designer Kevin Jordan, now at Cryptozoic, worked on Diablo and WoW. There's a series of items named after him like
Sash of Jordan
and the popular
Elder Staff of Jordan
.
Lake Dumont
Lake Dumont is home to a group of NPCs from the same Blizzard team, according to BlizzCon 2010. They are stranded on an island with a crumbling tower--some NPCs are dancing, while others are on the lookout or asleep.
The NPCs include the following:
Brandan Vanderpool
,
Brian Horn
,
Casey Fulton
,
Jake Patton
,
Judah Mehler
,
Jonny Throop
,
Larissa Bussell
,
Lucas Merino
,
Mary Ann Skweres
,
Matias Volkert
,
Ryan Sly
,
Som Vanderpool
.
Monte Krol
The BoE
Krol Blade
has grown up each expansion:
Krol Cleaver
,
Krol Decapitator
,
Krol Scimitar
, and finally an elite
Krol the Blade
. Possible reference to Lead Tools Engineer
Monte Krol
.
New Hearthglen
The Horde questline in Dragonblight taking players to New Hearthglen references many Blizzard employees.
No Mercy for the Captured
: This captured prisoners you need to kill are named after Blizzard Game Designers.
The followup quest,
Torture the Torturer
, refers to
Torturer Alphonse
after Jonathan LeCraft.
The Diary of High General Abbendis
: Players on
The Truth Will Out
loot this book, which has many detailed pages talking about members of the Scarlet Crusade that overlap with Blizzard designers, like
Bishop Street
.
The Night Watch
This series of guards in Duskwood is named after Blizzard employees, such as
Watcher Dodds
for Lead Hearthstone Designer Eric Dodds,
Watcher Keller
for Lead Level Designer Aaron Keller, and
Watcher Petras
for Art Director Bill Petras.
Pat Nagle
Pat Nagle is a Senior Game Designer who is the namesake of everyone's favorite fisherman:
Nat Pagle
was originally found in Dustwallow Marsh, offering the quest
Nat Pagle, Angler Extreme
to those with 225+ Fishing, which rewarded
Nat's Lucky Fishing Pole
.
Nat alzo sold
Mudskunk Lure
, which was used to lure
Gahz'ranka
in old Zul'Gurub. This had the themed loot
Nat Pagle's Broken Reel
and
Nat Pagle's Guide to Extreme Anglin'
Nat is also the namesake for one of the STV rare fish rewards:
Nat Pagle's Extreme Anglin' Boots
Players can read the tantalizing end of a story involving Nat and the resting place of Ashbringer:
Nat Pagle's Guide to Extreme Anglin'
, as well as a worn out copy:
A Thoroughly Read Copy of "Nat Pagle's Guide to Extreme Anglin'."
In Mists of Pandaria, players can become Best Friends with Nat, in
Learning from the Best
, which rewards
Nat's Fishing Chair
. He also serves as The Angler's Quartermaster, selling
Nat's Hat
and
Nat's Fishing Journal
among other fishing-themed items.
Players of both factions can pick up
Nat Pagle's Extreme Angler FC-5000
from a Hinterland's quest.
A
younger version of Nat
shows up in Old Hillsbrad Foothills, where he has prophetic dreams about Azeroth's tragedies.
Quality Assurance Ship
The NPCs on
The Assurance
, a ship docked in Stormwind Harbor due to bugs, are tributes to the Wrath of the Lich King QA team.
Captain Paul Carver
was the lead QA Analyst and has funny observations on the ship related to QA:
"We were all set to sail into Northrend, but we've noticed a severe number of pests aboard our ship."
"Before we can set sail to Northrend, we've got to eliminate our pest problem aboard the Assurance."
"The Assurance has somehow become inundated with bugs and we are unable to set sail to Northrend."
Other members of the team are present:
Assistant Lead QA Analysts:
Edgar Flores
,
Kurtis Paddock
,
Rian Trost
QA Content Specialists:
Justin Boehm
,
Michael Corpora
,
Meghan Dawson
,
Benjamin Elgueta
,
Dan Kramer
,
Paul Kubit
,
Serban Oprescu
,
Art Peshkov
,
Bob Richardson
,
Candace Thomas
Russel Brower
Russell Brower
: In the creative quest
Words and Music By...
, players help
Russell Brower
write a song and pick the lyrics. Russel Brower is the Director of Audio/Video and his music can be heard in WoW, Diablo, and StarCraft.
Samwise Didler
Sam the Wise
:
Samwise Didler
is the Art Director at Blizzard and was responsible for the Pandaren concept art.
Scott "Daelo" Mercer
Scott "Daelo" Mercer was the former Lead Encounter Designer for WoW. Around the time he switched departments,
Daelo's Final Words
was added. Several NPCs also are named after him, such as
Elder Daelo
in Jade Forest.
Terran Gregory
Terran "Justice" Gregory
: Terran Justice Gregory works on the cinematic team, and notable projects include the South Park episode "Make Love Not Warcraft" and the Demon Hunter cinematic. Relatives include
Judy Gregory
,
David Gregory
, and
Deva Marie
.
Tom "Kalgan" Chilton
Auctioneer Chilton
: Lead Game Designer Tom Chilton shows up as an auctioneer. He also has the highest level and most expensive cheese:
Chilton Stilton
.
PvP vendor
Doris Chiltonius
and her series of capes (
Dory's Pageantry
,
Dory's Finery
,
Dory's Embrace
) may be related as well.
William Warnecke
Bile Warneck
: This WoD flightmaster is named after Lead Software Engineer
William Warnecke
.
WoW Community
Death Knight
Devium's Eternally Cold Ring
is named after Devium, a tank in <Premonition> which achieved many
World/US firsts in Wrath
. From
Valithria Dreamwalker
in
Icecrown Citadel
.
The Air Stands Still
has quest rewards named after Wrath beta testers:
Leiah's Footpads
,
Cobalt's Shoulderguards
,
Jayde's Reinforced Handguards
,
Sixen's Skullcap
.
The Death Knights of Acherus
: This series of books the Death Knight starting area humorously references many Wrath testers and their gruesome fates. Depending on your phased state you will see one of four different books at different points in their lives. The books cover Jayde, Sixen, Munch, Cobalt, Harmony, Melt, Milton, and Minitalis.
Davidian's All-Seeing Eyes
: Tribute to the remarkable story of a blind player, Hexu, who raids with the help of a guildmate, Davidian, which is honored in the flavor text "Sharp enough to see for two men." Read more about this touching story on
WoW Insider
.
Ordos Loot
Magdalena's Murderous Crown
:
Magdalena
is the owner/moderator of the #Acherus IRC for Death Knights and blogs at
Son of a Lich
.
Druid
Toskk's Maximized Wristguards
: Named after
Toskk
, a feral DPS theorycrafter in previous expansions. Drops from
Deathbringer Saurfang
.
Phaelia's Vestments of the Sprouting Seed
: Phaelia was the author of
Resto4Life
, a popular Resto Druid blog. The "Sprouting Seed" part refers to her decision to retire when
expecting a baby
.
Martiean's Splitleaf Girdle
:
Martiean
is a Youtuber who made a popular series of rare spawn videos, some of which can be seen on Wowhead.
Astrylian's Sutured Cinch
,
Astrylian's Cheerful Charm
: Astrylian created
Rawr
, a theorycrafting tool.
Fasc's Preserved Boots
: Fasc was a notable Druid tank theorycrafter and author of
BearCAD
.
Ordos Loot
Hamlet's Wind-Whipped Leggings
:
Hamlet
is a
druid theorycrafter
who maintains guides and spreadsheets for balance and resto druids, created an instructional series of
Challenge Mode videos
, and
blogs about a variety of game topics
. Originally this had a Monk Tier 16 model that I asked to be changed to a Druid one :)
Arielle's Ancient Legwraps
:
Arielle
writes at
The Inconspicuous Bear
and is one of the
Team Waffle Podcast
hosts.
Pamela's Muuscat Wrap
:
Pamela Horton
was Playboy's Miss October 2012 and a long-time WoW player that got
Realm First Herbalist
on her Tauren Druid in MoP.
Zoo-Per's Superior Chestguard
: Vee, or Zoopercat, is one of the team members behind
Ask. Mr Robot
, a site for gear optimization.
Hunter
BRK-1000
: Big Red Kitty was a popular hunter poster, with a
Hunter column on WoW Insider
. The flavor text refers to a long-running joke/obsession he had with raspberries.
Gerp's Perfect Arrow
: Gerp, an Orc Hunter, is
Scott Johnson
's character--one of the co-hosts of
The Instance
podcast. This is a great trinket for twinks, as you only need to be 84 to equip it but the item level is 442.
Dills' Primal Leggings
:
Dills
is one of the co-hosts of
The Instance
podcast too.
Zeherah's Dragonskull Crown
: Zeherah maintains the Hunter DPS analyzer tool
Female Dwarf
.
Recovered Cloak of Frostheim
: Frostheim was a longtime author of the WoW Insider column
Scattered Shots
and founder of the
Warcraft Hunter's Union
.
Gedrah
: Gedrah wrote a notable guide on how to play Hunters in classic WoW. He wears iconic classic items including
Giantstalker Armor
,
Crown of Destruction
, and
Rhok'delar, Longbow of the Ancient Keepers
.
Great Hunter Gonk: According to troll druid trainer
Zen'tabra
, Greater Hunter Gonk is a raptor loa responsible for teaching trolls how to serve nature spirits, leading to the rise of Troll Druids. Gonktarget is a Hunter and Elitist Jerks forum poster that harshly criticizes druids. He also has the snarky trash items
Knog's Bow of Clumsiness
and
Knog's Bow of Ineptitude
.
Ro-Ger's Brown Diamond Seal
:
Rogerbrown
is a Hunter in <Method>, which was ranked #1 in the world throughout MoP.
Loremaster Skosiris
: Skosiris is the co-founder of Wowhead and as such runs the "organized and clearly labeled" library in Shattrath that makes "the grand libraries of Silvermoon City pale in comparison," according to his in-game dialogue. Each bookcase in the library serves as a different profession trainer.
Mage
Kavan's Forsaken Treads
: Kavan is a theorycrafter on Elitist Jerks, contributed to modeling SimC for arcane mages, and develops the mage module on Rawr.
Li Vera
:
Lhivera
is a forum MVP, develops sims for mages, and maintains
Lhivera's Library
.
High Arcanist Savor
,
Signet of High Arcanist Savor
: Savor was one of the original mages in the guild <Nurfed>. He wears classic elite caster items from vanilla, including
Necro-Knight's Garb
and
Staff of the Shadow Flame
.
Ordos Loot
Venruki's Venerable Sash
:
Venruki
has gotten Gladiator numerous seasons and was on the winning
Battle.net World Championship Team
in 2012.
Damien's Ice-Vein Mask
: Damien is one of the co-founders of
Icy Veins
featuring class and raid guides.
Monk
Tikari & K.A.Y.T.
: This beverage is named after
Tikari
who blogs at
Tikari's Tricks of the Trade
and
Kristin
, who runs
BlizzList
and has a Monk named Kayt.
Paladin
Theck's Emberseal
:
Theck
is a protection paladin theorycrafter and blogger, who writes at
Sacred Duty
and
Maintankadin
.
Zoid
is a game developer who has worked on Metroid Prime, QuakeWorld, L4D2, and Dota 2. If you watched Awesome Games Done Quick 2014, he provided commentary during the
Metroid Prime
speedrun. He has several items across expansions:
Zoid's Firelit Greatsword
,
Zoid's Scorched Bracers
,
Zoid's Molten Gauntlets
.
Ordos Loot
Vanguard's Burly Bracers
:
Vanguard
is a notable PvP who has achieved Gladiator and Rank 1 numerous times.
Aladya's Spiritfire Greathelm
:
Aladya
is a holy paladin in <Method>, which was ranked #1 in the world throughout MoP.
Anafielle's Spiked Choker
:
Anafielle
is a co-host of
Final Boss
and blogger at
Sacred Duty
.
Priest
Althor's Abacus
: Althor/Delmortis is a Priest theorycrafter--ironically this is a healing trinket although he focused on Shadow theorycrafting in Wrath.
Giorgio's Caduceus of Pure Moods
: Josh Eustis of Telefon Tel Aviv, who also performed on NiN's
recent tour
, came to CM Zarhym's attention when a picture was posted of him beating Infernal Diablo on tour. Also a heroic raider, Josh was honored with a weapon that pays tribute to his and his girlfriend's character names as well as the vineyard Caduceus Cellars, owned by musician Maynard James Keenan who performed in Puscifer along with Eustis.
Chelley is a podcaster on
Video Game Outsiders
. She has two BoEs named after her:
Chelley's Sterilized Scalpel
and
Chelley's Staff of Dark Mending
.
Ordos Loot
Derevka's Gleaming Girdle
:
Derevka
runs the blog
Tales of a Priest
and is one of the moderators at
How to Priest
.
Rogue
Aldriana's Gloves of Secrecy
: Aldriana was a theorycrafter and the longtime maintainer of the Rogue spreadsheet on Elitist Jerks.
Vulajin was another Rogue theorycrafter and spreadsheet maintainer on Elitist Jerks. He has a series of items:
Avool's Sword of Jin
from Wrath,
Avool's Incendiary Shanker
in Cataclysm, and
Vulajin's Vicious Breastplate
in MoP. He later switched mains to a Mage, which explains why
Avool's Ancestral Bracers
is a cloth item in Siege of Orgrimmar.
Namlak's Supernumerary Sticker
: Kalman was a Rogue theorycrafter in early WoW on Elitist Jerks. "Namlak" is Kalman's name spelled backwards. When the item first came out, all the stats were 32 which makes the
numerology reference to 23
in "supernumerary" clearer.
Tikari & K.A.Y.T.
: This beverage is named after
Tikari
who blogs at
Tikari's Tricks of the Trade
and
Kristin
, who runs
BlizzList
and has a Monk named Kayt.
Wodin the Troll-Servant
is another Elitist Jerks poster and theorycrafter, who shows up at all the Ring of Blood events--Nagrand, Zul'Drak, Twilight Highlands, and Kun-Lai Summit. There are several weapons named after him:
Wodin's Mantid Shanker
,
Wodin's Lucky Necklace
, and
Wodin's Second-Best Shanker
. In addition, Wodin has a pet cat
Zena
who also gets a special item,
Zena's Ridiculously Rich Yarnball
. There is a new datamined NPC ID for Wodin in WoD, but his location is not yet found.
Perculia's Peculiar Signet
: Item named after me during MoP's beta! I was very excited as early items named after players inspired me to do more in WoW--you can read more about my reaction on my personal blog
here
.
Ordos Loot
Stickney's Grey-Shade Hood
:
Anne Stickney
is WoW Insider's resident lore expert and worked on the
World of Warcraft Ultimate Visual Guide
.
Shaman
Shield of Sonorous Resonation
:
Turpster
is one of the co-hosts of
The Instance
podcast. This BoE shield is great for leveling, as it's ilvl 450 but requires level 85 to equip.
Hexu's Amplifying Helm
: Tribute to the remarkable story of a blind player, Hexu, who raids with the help of a guildmate, Davidian, which is honored in the flavor text "A man with a friend is never without vision." Read more about this touching story on
WoW Insider
.
Gurgthock
runs the Ring of Blood events, and
Gurgthock's Garish Gorebat
is a possible reward from the Twilight Highlands event. Gurg is the guild master of Elitist Jerks.
Ordos Loot
Binkenstein's Burnished Belt
: Binkenstein was the founder of
Totemspot
and an Elemental Shaman theorycrafter.
Moshne's Keen Kilt
:
Moshne
is an elemental shaman theorycrafter who frequently posts on Elitist Jerks.
Olivia's Graceful Gaze
:
Olivia
is WoW Insider's PvP and add-on columnist, plus she hosts Legendary at Gamebreaker TV and Talk Azeroth for us! Her Ordos item has a PvP model instead of an expected PvE one, and she also has the amusing object
I.O.U. Note
, which references a running
joke on twitter
that Olivia would bake the devs one million cookies each if they implemented cross-realm arenas.
Warlock
Ritssyn has a series of caster items across expansions:
Ritssyn's Lost Pendant
,
Ritssyn's Ring of Chaos
,
Ritssyn's Wand of Bad Mojo
,
Rittsyn's Ruinblasters
, and
Ritssyn's Ruminous Drape
. Ritssyn is an anagram for Nisstyr, once the GM of
Nurfed
. His brother, Indalamar, was an active WoW beta tester and went on to work at Blizzard (covered below in the Warrior section). Rittsyn also shows up in the Green Fire questline for warlocks, as part of the Council of the Black Harvest. In
Legacy of the Masters (Part 1)
, we learn that Rittsyn is an orc enchanter who saw Ragnaros vanquished and is assigned to explore Sulfuron Keep in the hopes of learning even more powerful secrets. Warlocks who have completed the questline get a special Rittsyn quote on their
tooltip.
Zinnin is another member of the Council of the Black Harvest, who is based on a warlock in
Blood Legion
.
Nadagast's Exsanguinator
:
Nadagast
has obtained Gladiator in numerous seasons. The 3D model on his item is notable as it shares the look with Season 14 PvP weapons even though it drops from a raid.
Mia the Rose
:
Mia Rose
is a former adult film star who was a
long-time WoW player
and now popular streamer. While she wears modified rogue gear, she has the ability
Seduction
.
Warrior
Satrina's Impeding Scarab
: Satrina was a warrior theorycrafter and author of several popular addons, like Satrina Buff Frames.
Landsoul's Horned Greathelm
: Landsoul is a Warrior theorycrafter who maintained the Warrior spreadsheet on Elitist Jerks back in Wrath.
Indalamar
was an influential pre-release beta tester who later was hired by Blizzard. He has several original Naxxramas items named after him (
Fate of Ramaladni
,
Ramaladni's Icy Grasp
), as well as
Ramaladni's Blade of Culling
from Icecrown Citadel and the unused joke item
Indalamar's New Holy Hand Grenade
.
Sutiru's Brazen Bulwark
: Sutiru was one of the
maintainers of the EJ Warrior FAQ
.
Blockade's Lost Shield
: Blockade loves collecting shields--at the time of this item's creation, he had 46, which explains the flavor text referencing 47. This shield also has a unique model, making it a worthy transmog item.
High Warlord Uro
: Uro was a Rank 14 Warrior in vanilla who contributed extensively to Warrior PvP discussions. His character in Dalaran is a High Warlord and is dressed in mismatching Fury Warrior gear, including pink
Chromatic Boots
and purple
Gauntlets of Annihilation
. His dialogue references the theorycrafting behind his outfit: "Only a fool would mock the appeance of my battle-garb! This raiment of well-worn steel is from an ancient place of learning!"
Jamus'Vaz
: This badge vendor was named after JamesVZ, a vocal critic on Elitist Jerks of the badge catch-up system.
Xi, Friend to the Small
: Former Death and Taxes member Xi is often abrupt and intolerant of new players on the Elitist Jerks forums, so "Friend of the Small" and a Monk wearing pink flowers is an ironic tribute.
Ordos Loot
Hoodrych's Bloodied Chestplate
:
Hoodrych
has achieved rank 1 and gladiator on his warrior an impressive number of times.
Omegal's Crushing Carapace
:
Omegal
is one of the main developers on Deadly Boss Mods as well as a Tech Support MVP for the WoW forums.
Rossi's Rosin-Soaked Shoulderplates
:
Matthew Rossi
is known for his
warrior and lore columns
at
WoW Insider
.
General
Breanni
: Expert battle-pet site
WarcraftPets
founder Breanni runs the Dalaran pet shop, which features adorable pet cages and aquariums. Breanni sells a few unique pets as well,
Albino Snake
,
Obsidian Hatchling
,
Cat Carrier (Calico Cat)
, and mails players achievement pets like
Stinker
.
Carpnado
is a later WoD tribute to the
April Fool's Joke
by WarcraftPets.
Brittany's Ceremonial Spaulders
: Brittany makes a variety of
Blizzard-themed crafts
like
plush frostsabers
which explains the flavor text, "This beautiful piece of ceremonial leather armor is skillfully woven and marked with its creator's symbol."
Bleached Bones
: Bleached Bones is a PvP group that sent a team to BlizzCon in 2013. They are now part of
ProGameX
.
Dirkee
: This rare spawn is a tribute to the GM of <Nurfed> in Wrath, a guild which received many player tributes in that expansion. Dirkee is a large gnome robot that can punt players and drops
Dirkee's Superstructure
.
Salty El
:
El
from fishing resource
El's Extreme Anglin'
has finally joined the elite ranks of The Anglers. El can be found with the other Fish of the Day NPCs in Pandaria, wearing her trademark overalls and fishing hat with the expert
Arcanite Fishing Pole
.
Gloria's Glorious Gliding Goodies
: Lets grounded companion pets fly with you. Inspired by
this comic
by
gloriaboboria
.
Kamui's Crystalline Staff of Wizardry
: Svetlana Quindt, or
Kamui
, is a well-known cosplayer who makes amazing weapons. She was the
Grand Prize winner
of the 2013 BlizzCon Costume Contest, for which she created a Protoss Wizard costume. The weapon's model reflects the crystals of the Protoss while being usable by casters, the classes that are most similar to Diablo Wizards.
Lil' Leftovers
, from Cooking. Reference to a
comic
by
Cadistra Grasshoof
. TheCrafticus
tweeted a picture
of this pet, which looks quite similar to the one in the comic and carries around a half-eaten drumstick.
Maghia and Volde
dressed up as the Eredar Twins for BlizzCon 2008
and Alexstraza and Sylvanas in BlizzCon 2009. They have Icecrown badge items named after them:
Maghia's Misguided Quill
and
Volde's Cloak of the Night Sky
.
Michelle De Rum
: This NPC sells the special pet
Winterspring Cub
. Michelle (aka Drrum) has a
lovely collection of pets, mounts, and armor
, documented with great screenshots on her blog. Check out
her reaction on her blog
.
Nairn
: Actor Kristian Nairn, best known as Hodor in
Game of Thrones
, has a battle pet with abilities that reference his character's Northern heritage and fight against undead:
Nairn!
,
Call of Winter
, and
Giant's Blood
. Also on the battle pet team is his real-life friend Jake
Stormoen
and
Summer
the direwolf. Check out his interview with
WoW Insider
!
Lessons in Lore:
Watcher Megana
and
Warden Chadrik
are based on Chad and Megan, a husband-wife team on Earthen Ring Horde who run
Lessons of Lore
, hold weekly events, "Lore-y Time," interactive events exploring Warcraft's lore, as well as musical lore shows at DragonCon. For more about Lessons in Lore, check out
WoW Insider's article
!
Olibith has made a series of
popular machinimas
including the Never Stay Tuned series, featuring a troll chef who likes to cook gnomes. This troll model shows up as the Horde cooking trainer in Dalaran,
Awilo Lon'gomba
. His assistant,
Misensi
, shows up as a troll singer in
Never Stay Tuned 2
.
Oxhorn
creates World of Warcraft Machinima, such as ROFLMAO!
Lunk
and
Grand Executor Mortuus
reference
Mortuus
is an l33t undead ninja with distinctive speech patterns. When he talks to you, he always inserts "nub" after your name.
Red Snapper
: Reference to
Red Snappah!
which features the line "There IS no Red snapper in Azaroth!"
One of the capes towards the legendary questline,
Oxhorn Bladebreaker
, is named after Oxhorn.
Lunk
the pacifist ogre references
Thunk
, who is a polite ogre who loves turkeys.
Robble: Robble/Incoherence was the Something Awful WoW subforum moderator and has two humorous trash items,
Robble's Wobbly Staff
and
Robble's Stabilized Staff
.
Grimthorn Redbeard
: Kevin Stallard, longtime WoW player, directs the MMORPG Fan Track at
Dragon Con
. His NPC sells
Dragon P.I.E.
which is a reference to the con's signature drink which he introduced to Sr. Game Designer Jonathan LeCraft in 2012.
Darkmoon P.I.E.
is another spinoff of the signature drink.
Wildhammer Fact Checker
: The Wildhammer Fact Checker is an in-game reference to the notorious
Red Shirt Guy
, known for pointing out a lore discrepancy at BlizzCon 2010 during a Lore Q&A panel. He has since become a geek icon and his question has extended into the realm of meme, spawning
an auto-tune remix
of the conversation. The actual NPC sits alongside
Falstad Wildhammer
, the NPC for which the lore correction was made, in the throne room of
Ironforge
.
Mei Chele
: Represents
Michele Morrow
from BiteSizeTV, HelloGiggles & Nerdist, along with her boyfriend
Lamplighter Mu
and cats
Samus
and
Azrael
in a cozy house on the Wandering Isle. Check out WoW Insider's two interviews with Michelle
here
and
here
Kaydee Threesong
: Named after the
Wowpedia
admin
Kaydeethree
.
Ordos Loot
Circlet of the Panser
:
Panser
, aka TradeChat, has a
popular YouTube
channel and creates
weekly recaps for WoWInsider
.
Greatbelt of the Crendor
:
Wowcrendor
also has a popular
YouTube
channel featuring many funny WoW Machinimia.
Ulmaas' Robes of Crushing Magma
:
Ulmass
is thanked in the Wrath of the Lich King credits. He also has the Wrath item
Sightless Crown of Ulmaas
.
Poxleitner's Leggings of Lights
:
Lights (born Valerie Poxleitner)
is a Juno-award winning singer and huge WoW fan--she even has
Twinblade of the Phoenix
tattooed on her arm. Check out her interview with
WoW Insider
.
Paululum's Doodled Wraps
:
Doodlegnome
creates charming sketches of Blizzard life, coming to people's attention in the
infamous Zarhym and Ghostcrawler baby
thread.
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Comment by
Adamsm
on 2014-02-08T17:09:15-06:00
They were mentioned in the other ones.
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