Project Lore

Not even two hours after I turned in yesterday's post on toilet humor, I found another quest in Northrend that took it to the max. Due to the fact that the topic is fresh on my mind, and that the quest contains more depth, so much that it made me laugh out loud, I cannot pass up on the opportunity to discuss poop again. SolidSamm finally ventured into Grizzly Hills yesterday afternoon (after scoring the I've Toured the Fjord achievement) and joined the struggle at Amberpine Lodge. In case you failed to pick up on it, or haven't been, the Horde, Alliance and local wildlife in the immediate area are all searching for food. As with any hungry populaces struggling for the same foodstuff, conflict is sure to ensue. Many of the opening quests offered in Amberpine deal with collecting food or protecting resources from carnivorous beasts and even the wildlife. With all the running around you do for these people your avatar is bound to get hungry and indulge in the mouth-watering Amberseeds stored in the inn. Once you do, your life may change forever. After chowing on the tasty seeds you find out that they possess magical properties that could save the town from starvation! Oh noes, whatever shall you do?! The chain continues with Master Woodsman Anderhol demanding you get the seeds back, by any means necessary. He sends you off to collect ingredients for Azeroth's version of Ex-Lax before you head out to the local outhouse, where the fun begins. The line culminates in a usable outhouse, complete with an area effect, sound effects, visual effects and a debuff. Being the shy defecating person that I am, I was a bit embarrassed when I stepped outside to see a line of players behind me. To make matters worse, the next in line /cheer-ed me as I stepped out. I did what any other gaseous Gnome would do, I /fart-ed against her, then /bow-ed to the line before I stealthed away in shame. The image does not do the hilariousness justice. If you haven't participated in the chain, go do it ASAP. I looked quickly and did not manage to find a Horde equivalent. My horde buddy said he did not find a quest like that during his rush to 80, so you evildoers might be out of luck. At least you can enjoy the funny quest names and text? Playing with an animal's bowel movements is one thing, but my own? That is just nasty Blizzard!

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Blizzard Entertainment gets their audience. This is one of the main reasons that their titles – all of them – are so incredibly popular. From clicking on mobs in their RTSs for the funny one-liners, exploding critters, or the Cow Level in Diablo II, the developer has created or honored pop culture for years. Their latest release, Wrath of the Lich King is no different.

All those level 80s out there who grinded their way up via quests have surely come across a few different pop references as rewards, NPCs, events, titles or achievements. You have Predator, Zelda, and even a somewhat subtle nod to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I could go on and on, especially when if we count achievements, as there are a ton of references hidden in those goals.

The thing is, we have known Blizzard to be a witty bunch of nerds for a few years now. What I have enjoyed the most so far is the fascination the quest developers had with making us pick up crap. Most of us probably came across a poo-based quest back in The Burning Crusade, but in the first two territories in Wrath, I came across a pair of them.  My initial experience with the substance was for Iggy “Tailspin” Cogtoggle (another pop reference). Just an FYI.  Wolves howl when they drop the kids off at the pool, not at the moon. Second time was more “fun,” as the goal was to literally scare the shit out of Darkclaw Bats using firecrackers.  Pyrotechnics and cowpies, awesome.

I would like to believe that there is a reference in that quest too, as I learned the definition of Guano from one of the greatest movies of all time. That is probably a stretch, but please, do not call me a looooooooooooooooooo-seeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeer. I had to.

To top things off, whoever designed these quests is sitting at their desk snickering to themselves, "I am totally getting millions of people to play with animal droppings."

Unlike some of my ProjectLore cohorts, I have not dinged 80 yet. So let me know if I get to play with brown clay later on!

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