Warcraft

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 &amp; 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.

Gaming

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


 * Night elf wisps in Warcraft III transform into structures and are lost like zerg drones (except when constructing the Moon Well, Hunter's Hall, and Altar of Elders).


 * Undead structures in Warcraft III can only be built on blight, similar to the zerg and creep.


 * Undead acolytes in Warcraft III are able to summon multiple structures like protoss probes.


 * Many night elf buildings in Warcraft III are mobile like terran buildings; similarly, they must suspend their regular functions while in mobile mode.


 * A human dragonhawk rider in Warcraft III can cast a fog to cloud over an enemy battlement, which is similar to a corsair's Disruption Web.


 * The orcs in Warcraft III can build burrows like terran bunkers.


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


 * 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.


 * 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.


 * Warcraft III has a similar campaign structure to StarCraft. The initial release game starts with the "humans", followed by the "evil" side, with "ancients" wrapping the game up positively. The expansion starts with the "ancients", followed by the "humans", and ending with the "evil" side and a negative note.


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


 * Pandaren are a panda-like race in Warcraft. The Panda Marine unit portrait exists as a Medal of Valor achievement reward in StarCraft II.


 * Wolves are a common Warcraft species, serving both as Horde mounts and the playable race of werewolves called worgen introduced for the Alliance in World of Warcraft: Cataclysm. The Wolf Marine unit portrait exists as a Medal of Honor achievement reward in StarCraft II.


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


 * "Eye of the Storm" is both a campaign mission and a multiplayer map in StarCraft, while in World of Warcraft, it is both a battleground and a shaman talent.


 * The StarCraft II multiplayer maps Defense of the Ancients and DotA Allstars are named after the popular fan-made Warcraft III multiplayer maps with the same names.


 * The Internet meme "All your base are belong to us" from the poorly translated Japanese video game Zero Wing is referenced in StarCraft by the map All Your Base, in Warcraft III by the cheat codes "AllYourBaseAreBelongToUs" (for instant victory) and "SomebodySetUpUsTheBomb" (for instant defeat), in World of Warcraft by the Alliance quest and Horde quest that both share the name "Setting Up the Bomb", and in an elaborate April Fool's joke by Blizzard about a StarCraft II unit called the Terra-tron which says "All your base are belong to us."

Units and Portraits

 * s, orc firebats, s, and s appear in Warcraft III as Easter eggs. They are accessible in the Warcraft III World Editor.


 * The tauren marine, based on the Warcraft's tauren, is a gag unit used by Blizzard as an April Fool's joke, and can be found in StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. It will appear in Blizzard DotA as well.


 * Zerglings are non-combat pets in the World of Warcraft Collector's Edition.


 * The Terra-tron unit for StarCraft II from an April Fool's joke by Blizzard resembles the goblin shredder from WarCraft III and World of Warcraft when it is fully assembled. It appears in the Lost Viking mini-game.


 * 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. Grunty will also appear in Blizzard DotA.


 * 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".


 * The Warcraft III map Bomber Command uses many StarCraft units.


 * A mini-thor pet exists in World of Warcraft for owners of StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty Collector's Edition.


 * Portraits of the tauren marine and night elf banshee are available for StarCraft II players who bought the Collector's Edition of Wings of Liberty. Portraits of the Goblin Marine and Worgen Marine are available for those who bought the Collector's Edition of World of Warcraft: Cataclysm in addition to StarCraft II.


 * Muradin is based on the character of Muradin Bronzebeard.


 * A miniature version of a thor unit (Mini Thor) is available as a pet in World of Warcraft to purchasers of the Collector's Edition of StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty.


 * Za'Muro is an orc blademaster.


 * Sylvanas is based on the character of Sylvanas Windrunner.


 * Stitches is essentially 'ported' from his counterpart.

Lore

 * Warcrafts Alliance opposes the Horde. StarCrafts Alliance opposes the zerg.
 * 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 Boralus. The capital of the StarCraft planet of Braxis is Boralis.
 * World of Warcraft's felhunters resemble zerglings.
 * Both universes have an advanced culture working in the background interested in ordering the universe, the titans in Warcraft and the xel'naga in StarCraft.
 * Both universes include great arch-villains who are fallen beings, namely the dark titan Sargeras and the Dark Voice.
 * A picture of Sarah Kerrigan can be seen in the cockpits of goblin shredders in World of Warcraft.
 * In StarCraft: Ghost, there are dropships with callsigns Doomhammer and Lightbringer, a reference to Warcraft's Orgrim Doomhammer and Uther the Lightbringer, respectively.
 * The "ancient" cultures of both Warcraft and StarCraft, the night elves and protoss, each spawned exiled offshoots. The night elves spawned the high elves (who later became blood elves) and the naga, and the protoss spawned the dark templar. Both night elves and protoss have extremely long lifespans, living for thousands of years.
 * Bob's Guns and Tracey's Armory establishments can be found as Easter Eggs in Warcraft III.
 * Nova's tomb has been spotted in a World of Warcraft location (a strange stone in the Netherstorm). 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." A cloaked blood elven figure resembling Nova can also be found near the tomb.
 * The evil factions in both games tried to summon incredibly powerful characters in sacred places. The Zerg Swarm in StarCraft summoned the Overmind at the first xel'naga temple on Aiur, while the Undead Scourge in Warcraft III summoned the eredar demon lord Archimonde at the mage city of Dalaran.
 * The evil factions in both universes always need a leader to prevent them from running rampant and slaughtering mindlessly. Eventually, there are several changes for this position. In StarCraft, the Second Overmind succeeded the First Overmind as leader of the Zerg Swarm, and then Infested Kerrigan succeeded the Second Overmind. In World of Warcraft, Bolvar Fordragon is the successor of Arthas Menethil, who was the successor of Ner'zhul in Warcraft III (all 3 of them holding the title of Lich King when ruling the Undead Scourge).
 * 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.
 * The psyblades used by ghosts bear great structural similarity to the warblades used by demon hunters.
 * In Warcraft III and StarCraft, a character from the human faction is betrayed by a former ally and becomes the leader of an evil faction (Sarah Kerrigan and Arthas Menethil).
 * The nation of Lordaeron exists in Warcraft. A Cineplex 5000 film is named after it.
 * Dark Templar are also known as Nerazim in StarCraft lore. The Nathrezim, or dreadlords, found in Warcraft III and World of Warcraft, have a very similar name, and both of them are considered dark.
 * In StarCraft lore there are energy creatures that hatch out of "wild" xel'naga temples. In Warcraft lore and World of Warcraft there are dimension-traveling sentient energy beings known as naaru who have deep affinity for the Holy Light, are the benefactors of the draenei, and are determined to stop the Burning Legion.
 * Grom Hellscream is a major Warcraft character. His forename is the same as that of a cut terran hero from StarCraft.

Quotations
Most of these are "gag quotes" which can be heard after clicking a unit several times.


 * 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)


 * Artanis: "This is not Warcraft in space!" (a reference to a derogatory phrase for the StarCraft alpha, which bore great resemblance to Warcraft II)


 * Artanis: "What do I look like, an orc?"


 * Dwarven Mortar Team: "Tassadar has failed us. You must not." (A gag quote in Warcraft III and a repeat of Aldaris in the first mission briefing of StarCraft Episode III)


 * 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.

Blizzard DotA

 * Numerous heroes in Blizzard DotA come from Warcraft: Arthas, Grunty, Thrall and Uther.

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.