Warcraft

	The following section contains information from the Warcraft series and is not canon.

Warcraft is a game series created by Blizzard Entertainment. It is Blizzard's oldest mainstream game series, most expansive in terms of lore and, in light of the financial success and spread of the MMORPG World of Warcraft, arguably its most successful. Originally, Warcraft was an RTS series akin to StarCraft, though it has since embraced an MMORPG format.

Relationship to StarCraft[]

Warcraft: Orcs & Humans and Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness were Blizzard's first RTS games in the series. In these games the two sides had units and buildings with identical statistics, save for the spells for casters. Thus, both sides played more or less the same way.

StarCraft represented a departure from the first Warcraft games. While there were now three sides, the major difference was each had units and buildings with unique statistics. This meant each played differently. In addition, one has to play all of the races to get the whole story. This concept was adopted for Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos although now with four sides.

During early development, StarCraft used the Warcraft II engine. The initial cold reception, demonstrated by the phrase "Orcs in Space", led to shifts in design and gameplay.

Both StarCraft and Warcraft games make use of Blizzard's Battle.net online gaming service, with the exceptions of Warcraft I and the DOS version of Warcraft II. Warcraft II: Battle.net Edition was released to support Battle.net, run under Windows, and include many features introduced in StarCraft.

Cross-Influence[]

StarCraft and Warcraft products have included similar gameplay concepts and references to each other as Easter eggs and in-jokes. Historically, there has been overlap between the StarCraft and Warcraft playerbases—a player might start with one IP, then shift to the next as the next RTS was released.^[1]

Warcraft References in StarCraft[]

Gaming, Culture and Assets[]

• Assets from Warcraft III have been released for use in the Galaxy Map Editor.^[2]

• The Warcraft III map Worm War is named similarly to the StarCraft II map Worm Wars.

• The StarCraft II multiplayer map Defense of the Ancients is named after the popular fan-made Warcraft III multiplayer maps with the same names.

• The stalker possesses the "Blink" ability, identical to the one used by the night elf warden hero in Warcraft III. Also, the StarCraft II zealot's blink-then-strike ability can be found in the Warcraft III World Editor, and has been used for some Warcraft III mod-games.

In-Game References and Easter Eggs[]

• A special easter egg unit named the Tauren Marine appears in the back of the "Zero Hour" mission of Wings of Liberty, then disappearing into a Tauren outhouse. The outhouse also appears out the window of the Hyperion and in the background of space maps during the campaign. Inputting "Up, Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right" on the platform command card in the Legacy of the Void map "Templar's Charge" will spawn a controllable Tauren Marine. The Tauren Marine also appears in Level 800 Elite Tauren Chieftain ads during the campaign, and on ads in the city tileset.

• In Joeyray's Bar, one of the sticky notes reads "1. Raid Night 2. Level Druid 3. Farm Gold 4. ... :)" These are references to common activities in World of Warcraft, as well as the druid class.

• The StarCraft II cheat code SpectralTiger (which grants the player 5000 minerals), is a reference to the World of Warcraft mount the Swift Spectral Tiger, and likely a poke at its real world value as it was an exclusive prize from the World of Warcraft Trading Card Game.

• The StarCraft II cheat code MoreDotsMoreDots (remove building and unit costs) is a reference to a famous World of Warcraft raid wipe video of the raid Onyxia's Lair.

• The development model of the StarCraft II merc compound had a holographic woman doing the night elf dance. The model was later used as a neutral structure in StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, as well as a map doodad and a hologram in the cantina.

• A newspaper clipping in Joeyray's Bar talks about an attack on Viewport Beach by bipedal fish monsters that shouted "MRGLEMRGLE," a reference to the murloc race from Warcraft.

• The vulture in StarCraft II has a large Horde tattoo on his shoulder.

• Egon Stetmann wears an undershirt with the Horde logo printed on it.

• In the window of Toshi's, there is a poster for the original World of Warcraft.

• In the level The Infinite Cycle of Legacy of the Void, the symbol of the Burning Legion can be seen engraved on one of the stone planets.

• A bottle in the Hyperion cantina is named Moonwell Tequila, and features the image of a moonwell.

• The StarCraft II medic mercenary Skibi's Angel is likely a reference to the Skibi's Castle TD custom map in Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos.

• In "Harvest of Screams," a model of Arthas Menethil frozen in ice can be seen on the western side of the map.

• On the rear of the planet texture for Korhal in Heart of the Swarm, a Horde symbol can be seen made from the planet's lights.

• The Co-op Missions mutator during the week of the launch of World of Warcraft: Legion was named "Burning Legion," named after the antagonists of the expansion, the w:c:wowpedia:Burning Legion Burning Legion.

• A Co-op Missions mutator was named "By Fire Be Purged," the famous line of Kael'thas Sunstrider in Warcraft III and the boss of the Molten Core Ragnaros.

• A Co-op Missions mutator was named "Like Swatting Insects," a line used by the raid boss Al'Akir the Winlord in World of Warcraft: Cataclysm and Hearthstone.

• The Co-op Missions mutation named "Boom Bots" is likely a reference to the Boom Bots spawned by Dr. Boom in World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade, and later popularized by Hearthstone.

• On the Korhal City tileset, one of the advertisements is for Stubborn Bull a restaurant that uses a tauren as its picture. Its slogan is "bull from the grass prairie of Mulgore," Mulgore being the center of tauren society. On the side of the ad is a Horde symbol.

• In StarCraft: Ghost, there are dropships with callsigns Doomhammer and Lightbringer, a reference to Warcraft's Orgrim Doomhammer and Uther the Lightbringer, respectively.

• On the map Cutthroat, on the converyer belt in the bottom right corner of the map, a copy of Warcraft Adventures: Lord of the Clans will occasionally appear in the scrap.

• The nation of Lordaeron exists in Warcraft. A Cineplex 5000 film is named after it.

• The Emporio Ormoni ads situated through the Korhal City tileset show a picture of a shirtless Tauren.

• A dumpster with the Alliance waste disposal symbol can be found in StarCraft II, a reference to the Alliance.

• In concept art for the cinematic "Believe In Me," a Horde symbol is drawn on the wall behind Raynor. However, this is absent in the final cinematic.^[3]

• In "With Friends Like These...," several gyrocopters can be found among the debris on the map.

• Grunty is a murloc in marine armor, and appears during the missions "Piercing the Shroud" and the roach evolution mission in Heart of the Swarm.

• In StarCraft: Cartooned, the bengalaas critter is changed to resemble the Carbot Animations interpretation of the murloc race.

Achievements[]

• The achievement "Hurry Up, It's Raid Night!" is a reference to the World of Warcraft concept of raiding, and doing so on specific nights of the week. A variation of the quote is also said by the terran battlecruiser.

• A achievement for the mission "Dark Whispers" is named "World of Warpcraft," a reference to the series World of Warcraft.

• A achievement for the mission "Brothers in Arms" is named "For the Alliance," which is the motto of the Alliance in Warcraft.

• A 10th anniversary achievement for the mission "Temple of Unification" is named "Unity, Precision, Perfection," which is the phrase said by the card Zilliax when it is summoned in Hearthstone.

Quotations[]

• In StarCraft: Brood War, Artanis has a poke quote of "This is not Warcraft in space!" (a reference to a derogatory phrase for the StarCraft alpha, which bore great resemblance to Warcraft II). In addition, Artanis also has the quotes "Stop poking me!" (a quote from the Warcraft 1 grunt) and "What do I look like, an orc?"

• Artanis and the protoss observer repeat the Warcraft I grunt gag line "Stop poking me!"

• The stalker in StarCraft II shares many of the same unit responses as the shade and satyr in Warcraft III.

• Gabriel Tosh has two click-on quotes, "What'chu want?" and "Stay away from the Voodoo", which are from Trolls in World of Warcraft and the Warcraft universe in general.

• Maar, upon being defeated, will sometimes say "Merely a temporary setback!" This is a reference to a quote made by Kael'thas in the dungeon Magisters' Terrace.

• The battlecruiser in StarCraft II has a quote of "Let's hurry up and finish this attack, it's raid night," a reference to organized raids in World of Warcraft and in MMORPGs in general.

Rewards[]

StarCraft II[]

Portraits

Decals

Sprays

Consoles

StarCraft: Remastered[]

Consoles

StarCraft References in Warcraft[]

Hearthstone x StarCraft[]

Main article: Heroes of StarCraft

Heroes of StarCraft is an upcoming miniset for the Great Dark Beyond set of Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft, and featuring major characters from the setting of StarCraft such as Jim Raynor, Sarah Kerrigan and Artanis. It it set to be released in January 2025.

Gaming, Culture and Assets[]

• Zerging is a World of Warcraft term describing attacking one group with an even larger group. The term is inspired by the zergling rush.

• The Warcraft III map Lost Temple shares its name with a StarCraft map.

• The Warcraft III map Worm War is named similarly to the StarCraft II map Worm Wars.

• StarCraft units like the hydralisk, dark templar, marine, and medic make appearances in some famous Warcraft III mod-games like Defense of the Ancients and "DDay: Judgment".

• Marines, orc firebats, zerglings, and hydralisks appear in Warcraft III as Easter eggs. They are accessible in the Warcraft III World Editor. The hydralisk appears as a controllable hidden unit in the campaign's fourth episode.

• The Warcraft III map Bomber Command uses many StarCraft units.^[4]

In-Game References and Easter Eggs[]

• Zhar'doom, Greatstaff of the Devourer is an item in World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade. The staff looks like a zergling and may also be a reference to Devouring Ones.

• In the concept art for the Scourge fighting the Night Elves for Warcraft III artist Samwise Dilder included a hydralisk in the background as he was "tired of drawing dozens and dozens of skeletons."^[5]

• In Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft, when searching for a game one of the options on the "Looking for Player" roulette wheel that can appear other than "Worthy Opponent" is "StarCraft pro."

• In Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft, infested terrans are referenced through the card Infested Tauren in the "Whispers of the Old Gods" expansion. The card's flavor text makes reference to the Overmind.^[6]

• In Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft in the "Whispers of the Old Gods" expansion, the Flamewreathed Faceless|Flamewreathed Faceless has the summon quote "Need a Light?" which may be a reference to the build quote of the firebat.

• In the Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft expansion "The Boomsday Project," the card Crazed Chemist has the summoning line "Ah, that's the stuff," a reference to one of the quotes that plays with stimpacks are triggers in StarCraft.

• In the Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft expansion "Kobolds and Catacombs," the flavor text for the Cave Hydra card is "Can be upgraded into a Cave Lurker." This is a reference to the hydralisk, which can evolve into a lurker.

• In the Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft expansion "Knights of the Frozen Throne," the card Druid of the Swarm has the attack quote "For the Swarm!" which is the battlecry of the Zerg Swarm.

• In the Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft expansion "Madness at the Darkmoon Faire," the card Darkmoon Tonk has the flavor text "Ready to roll out!" which is the build quote of the siege tank.

• In the Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft expansion "United in Stormwind," the card Devouring Swarm has the flavor text "Collect... essence..." which is a reference to the zerg aim of collecting essence to evolve, and a common line from Dehaka.

• In the Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft expansion "Fractured in Alterac Valley," the card Templar Captain has the flavor text "You can combine two of these into a Captain Archon" which is a reference to the merging of two high templar into an archon.

• The homeworld of Warcraft's draenei and eredar is Argus. Argus is a name used for a variety of StarCraft artifacts.

• The capital of the Warcraft nation of Kul Tiras is w:c:wowpedia:Boralus Boralus. The capital of the StarCraft planet of Braxis is Boralis.

• World of Warcraft's felhunters resemble zerglings. The zergling model in Warcraft III is also a reskin of the felhunter.

• Bob's Guns and Tracey's Armory establishments can be found as Easter Eggs in Warcraft III.^[7]

• Nova's tomb has been spotted in a World of Warcraft location (a strange stone in the Netherstorm).^[8] Drysc, a Blizzard World of Warcraft Community Manager later stated that "Some say that under certain conditions you can see her ghost... Pun not intended."^[9] A cloaked blood elven figure resembling Nova can also be found near the tomb.^[10]

• A character bearing similarity to Alexei Stukov, Alexi Barov, can be found in World of Warcraft. Barov died and arose as a Forsaken, similar to how Stukov died and arose as an advanced infested terran.

• Lord Marshal Raynor is a character in World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade. He is a reference to former Mar Saran marshal Jim Raynor, the main terran hero in the StarCraft series.

• A character named Ling of the Six Pools appears in World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria, a reference to the StarCraft "6 pool" strategy of building a spawning pool off of six supply, and rushing the opponent with zerglings (or "lings").

• Samir is a dark skinned shopkeeper who appears in a variety of zones, and a possible reference to Samir Duran.

• Kim Won Gi is an NPC with the title "The Fruit Dealer," and is likely a reference to former StarCraft II professional player Kim Won Ki, known as FruitDealer.

• World of Warcraft has a panther mob named King Bangalash, a possible reference to the panther-like bengalaas.

• The portrait of Kerrigan appears in the control panel of Goblin Shredders. In the cockpit of the Sky Golem mount, the picture is changed to that of Primal Kerrigan.

• The boss Primordius in the Throne of Thunder raid has several abilities referencing zerg abilities and upgrades from StarCraft, including Ventral Sacs, Pathogen Glands, and Metabolic Boost.

• The Worgen have a book named Purity of Essence, a possible reference to the xel'naga concept.

• A cook named Joeyray appears in World of Warcraft, a possible reference the various characters named Joeyray.

• The transporters in the zone Suramar use a retextured model of the protoss pylon from StarCraft II.

• The boss Nythendra in the Emerald Nightmare uses an ability named "Heart of the Swarm," likely a reference to the StarCraft expansion of the same name.

• In Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft's Mean Streets of Gadgetzan expansion, the card text of White Eyes reads "My life for Aya!" a play on the protoss saying "My life for Aiur.^[6]

• In Mardum, a skeleton of a zerg creature resembling a hydralisk can be seen, with the skeleton of a Warcraft marine with a blunderbuss sitting next to it.

• In celebration of the 20th anniversary of StarCraft, Hearthstone released a special "Tavern Brawl" themed around StarCraft named "Portals to Another Dimension." At the start of a match, players would be given the choice of "Tech," "Swarm" or "Mind" portals (made to be similar to the Terran, Zerg and Protoss), with each giving cards that matched the theme of the three concepts.

• In the Descent of Dragons expansion of Hearthstone, the card "Disciple of Galakrond" has the description "Raising Galakrond will cause thurible, thurible damage," a reference to the StarCraft II running joke of terrible, terrible damage. A Hearthstone: Battlegrounds achievement for dealing 15 damage to enemy heroes in one hit is also named "Terrible Terrible Damage."

• In the Fractured in Alterac Valley expansion of Hearthstone, the card "Templar Captain" has the flavor text "You can combine two of these into a Captain Archon." This is a reference to StarCraft's archon, which is created from combining two high templar.

Battle Pets[]

• Zerglings are non-combat pets in the World of Warcraft Collector's Edition. As a battle pet the zergling possesses the abilities "metabolic boost" and "adrenal glands" (both upgrades for the zergling) and one named "zergling rush" (a common tactic utilizing zerglings).

• Grunty the murloc marine is available as a pet in World of Warcraft to attendees of BlizzCon 2009, purchasers of the DirecTV pay-per-view of the event, and purchasers of the Internet streamed video of the event.^[11] Grunty is a skin for the murloc hero Murky in Heroes of the Storm. As a battle pet Grunty possesses the abilities "gauss rifle," "stimpack" and "U-283 Rounds," all attacks and upgrades for the marine.

• A mini-thor pet exists in World of Warcraft for owners of StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty Collector's Edition or the later released Digital Deluxe Campaign Bundle.^[12]
  • The mini-thor model later reappears in Battle for Azeroth as one of the items needed to be matched in the quest "Shell Game."

• A baneling pet is available World of Warcraft for those who purchased the digital deluxe or collectors edition of StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm.^[13] As a battle pet is possesses the abilities "centrifugal hooks," "burrow" and "adrenal glands" (references to zerg upgrades), and a final attack named "baneling bust" (a common strategy utilizing banelings).

• An archon pet named Zeradar and Legacy of the Void cardback is available for World of Warcraft and Hearthstone players who purchased collector's or digital deluxe edition of Legacy of the Void.^[14] The archon battle pet possesses the abilities psionic shockwave (the archon basic attack) and psionic storm (a protoss area of effect spell). Its name is a combination of Zeratul and Tassadar, and may be a reference to the cut Tassadar/Zeratul archon found in Staredit.

Quests[]

• There is a quest in World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor named "We Must Construct Additional Pylons", a reference to the quote of the protoss advisor.

• There is a quest in World of Warcraft: Cataclysm named "In The Rear With the Gear", a reference to a quote by the terran SCV.

• There is a quest in World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria named "Heart of the Swarm", a reference to the StarCraft II expansion Heart of the Swarm. A quest of the same name appears in World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth.

• The Lion's Landing quest chain in Mists of Pandaria has several references to StarCraft culture and common sayings, including We Require More Minerals!, Good Luck, Have Fun, Hard Counter, and Worker Harassment.

• There is a quest in World of Warcraft: Dragonflight named "Deconstruct Additional Pylons", a reference to the quote of the Protoss advisor.

Achievements[]

• The Mists of Pandaria achievement "Heart of the Mantid Swarm" is likely a reference to StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm.

• The Mists of Pandaria achievement "For the Swarm" is likely a reference to a common battlecry of the Zerg Swarm.

• The Warlords of Daenor Hellfire Citadel raid achievement "Pro Toss" is likely a reference to the protoss race.

• The Legion player vs player prestige achievements "Hell, It's About Nine" and "Hell, It's About Nineteen" are likely references to the Tychus Findlay line "hell, it's about time."

• In celebration of the StarCraft 20th Anniversary, players who saluted a StarCraft themed battle pet (zergling, Grunty, mini-thor, or Zeradar) between March 31st and April 7th, 2018 would get the "Salute to Starcraft" achievement.

• The Shadowlands achievement "Goliath Offline" is a reference to the build quote of the goliath, "Goliath online."

Quotations[]

• Acolyte: "My life for Aiur...er I mean Ner'zhul!" (a quote of the zealot taking precedence over an Acolyte's worship of the Lich King)

• Dwarven Mortar Team has the quote "Clearly Tassadar has failed us. You must not." This is a reference to Aldaris in the first mission briefing of StarCraft Episode III)

• When Scourgelord Tyrannus is killed, he will say "Power... Overwhelming..." which is a the reference to the unit response of the protoss archon.

• "Power Overwhelming" appears as a Warlock card in Hearthstone, and is the reference to the unit response of the protoss archon. Power Overwhelming can be heard from a variety of other characters in the series, including the Voidwalker and Dreadlord.

• In the town of Toshley's Station, the sharpshooters will occasionally say "Somebody call for an exterminator," a reference to a quote of the terran ghost.

• Sunreaver Constructs in the Isle of Thunder zone will occasionally say the line "CARRIER HAS ARRIVED," a reference to the quote by the protoss carrier.

• Lightforged draenei have the "/silly" emote quote "My life for Aiur- er, Argus. My life for Argus."

• In Battle for Azeroth, calling down the Abrasive Reconfigulator 8000 will quote the terran ghost when activated, with a number of lines such as "Someone call for a reconfigulator?" and "Never know what hit 'em." It also quotes the dropship with "in the pipe, five by five" and "hang on! Makin' some chop," and Tychus Findlay with "Big dog is off the leash."

Other[]

• A mythical rock band that plays in-person at BlizzCon occasionally and in-game in World of Warcraft has a Warcraft-themed name. In 2008, the incarnation of the band called Level 80 Elite Tauren Chieftain played a song called Terran Up the Night with an exclusively StarCraft-oriented set of lyrics.
  • In StarCraft II, a TV advertisement viewable in the Hyperion's cantina shows that they will rename themselves "Level 800 Elite Tauren Chieftain", and will actively tour the galaxy.^[15]

References[]

↑ 2023-06-12, The Perfect Mix of Warcraft & Starcraft? Stormgate Developers Deep Dive. YouTube, accessed on 2023-06-14 ↑ 2015-01-31, WARCRAFT III ASSETS NOW AVAILABLE ON THE PTR. Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2015-02-02 ↑ Brooks, Robert. The Cinematic Art of StarCraft (hardcover). Blizzard Entertainment, October 18, 2018. ↑ 2006-09-20. Bomber Command. Battle.net Bonus Maps. Accessed 2009-04-26. ↑ Neilson, Mickey. Forging Worlds: Stories Behind the Art of Blizzard Entertainment (hardcover). Blizzard Entertainment, January, 2022. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Blizzard Entertainment. Hearthstone (Blizzard Entertainment) (in English). April 25, 2016 ↑ Warcraft III. Blizzard Entertainment. The Defense of Strahnbrad. ↑ Medievaldragon. 2007-07-20. Wow Easter Egg - Starcraft: Ghost Blizzplanet Accessed 2007-07-21. ↑ Drysc. 2007-07-20. Strange Blue Shrine Floating in Netherstorm (page 2) World of Warcraft General Discussion Forums. Accessed 2007-07-21. ↑ 2007-02-15. Nova Terra. WoW Head. Accessed 2008-04-23. ↑ BlizzCon, BlizzCon 2009 Exclusive Pet 05/11/09 ↑ Business Wire staff. 2010-04-08. StarCraft® II: Wings of Liberty™ Collector's Edition Announced. Business Wire. Accessed 2010-04-08. ↑ Heart of the Swarm Collector's Edition, Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed on 2012-12-03 ↑ Starcraft II: Legacy of the Void - Collector's Edition, Amazon.com. Accessed on 2015-03-13 ↑ Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Level 800 Elite Tauren Chieftain. Commercial after "A Sinister Turn." (in English). 2010.

External Links[]

• Wowpedia, the Fandom Warcraft wiki