Online:Easter Eggs

This page is for Easter Eggs only. Easter Eggs include inside jokes, pop culture references, and any similar reference to something outside the Elder Scrolls games. For other points of interest, like references to other games in the Elder Scrolls series, please see the appropriate pages.

Easter Eggs are secrets that the developers put in the game to give people a laugh when they find them. Elder Scrolls Online has a large number of such jokes. Easter Eggs differ from in-game references in that they have been intentionally hidden from the player and are unusual with regards to their surroundings.

Cultural References are objects, characters, or events in the game that refer to a specific element of popular culture; they differ from Easter Eggs in that they are usually integrated into the game world, and strong parallels can be drawn between the in-game event and the specific work being referenced. Cultural references also include allusions to elements of real-world culture, such as historical events and folklore.

If you think you have found an Easter egg or reference, please post your idea on this article's talk page before adding it to this article.

Easter Eggs

Belle

• The default name of the Great Daenian Hound pet is "Belle", a reference to ESO Creative Director Rich Lambert's dog.
• Following the passing of Rich Lambert's dog, a custom Belle pet was added to the game for him and his wife.

Community Members

• Deca Dezno is an NPC based on a player character belonging to the winner of the 10 Million Stories sweepstakes.
• Resting Semaj is a memorial to the Ebonheart Pact player Semaj, who passed away.
• Sleep-at-Fires is a reference to the Argonian player "Sleeps-on-Bridges", who was known for logging in just to sleep on a random bridge. The official ESO Twitter gave him a shoutout, and PC Gamer wrote an article about him.
• The following player guilds won prizes as part of the 2020 #TamrielTogether contest. As a result, the following items were added to the game world:
  • Dauntless Bananas (PC-EU): The book A Tale of the Dauntless Bananas, Bonds of Battle Destrier mount, and Guild Banner, Dauntless Bananas furnishing.
  • Goldleaf Acquisitions (PC-NA): The book Goldleaf Acquisitions, Manager's Notes, Guild Pride's Charger mount, and Guild Banner, Goldleaf Acquisitions furnishing.
  • Nomads of Nirn (PC-EU): The book The Nomads of Nirn and the Guild Banner, Nomads of Nirn furnishing.
  • Aetherius Art (PC-EU): The book The Sonnet of Aetherius Art and a Guild Banner, Aetherius Art, on display at Zanil's Luxury Good.
  • Museum (PC-EU): The book Museum Guild Letter and Guild Banner, Museum furnishing.
  • The Disenfranchised (PC-NA): The book An Ode to the Disenfranchised and the Guild Banner, the Disenfranchised furnishing.
• The character Relan Daevath is named after artist Relan Daevath, who was the author of the original texture for Mercymother's Body Art. The design was directly lifted from fan art drawn by her that was published in July 2020. Following this revelation of plagiarism, ESO's official Twitter posted a statement saying it was never their intention to include any community fan art without proper credit, and that they are in contact with the artist and will work with them to make sure that there is a proper resolution.

COVID-19

• The Wash Your Damn Hands emote (with the flavor text, "No. Seriously.") is a reference to common health advice during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was given away as a daily login reward during the month of October 2020.

KINMUNE

• Karifa al-Tahud, a Tel Var Armorer found in the Daggerfall Covenant base in the Imperial Sewers, can be heard spreading several conspiracy theories. One of them is: "Queen Ayrenn is a miniature Dwemer construct from the next era. Everybody knows it". This is a humorous reference to KINMUNE, a synthetic sentient being from the future featured in Michael Kirkbride's short story by the same name. In an expansion of the story entitled "Ayrenn", Queen Ayrenn is said to be an identity assumed by KINMUNE.

Fibonacci numbers

• The Fibonaccus Spiral Hat is named after and bears a strong resemblance to the Fibonacci spiral.

First Church of the Holy Sweetroll

• Thogalda in The Lonely Troll makes a reference to the First Church of the Holy Sweetroll, a cult following founded in real life at PAX Australia 2016. Domonoid reports the first 1000 attendees were given sweet rolls to consume. ESO's Loremaster Leamon Tuttle commented that he has considered joining the cult.

Game Mechanics

• During the quest Back in Time, you discover that the Ayleid ruin of Rubble Butte is caught in a Dragon Break. Lady Edwyge's Notes reveal that the events of the quest keep replaying for those trapped inside. This is a nod to the MMO mechanics of delves, which involve supposedly unique, important bosses respawning repeatedly for the next player to kill.
• Captain Alphaury's Journal states: "We dispatched a couple of the creatures before we were forced to turn tail and run. For some reason, however, as we got close to the forest, the atronachs stopped chasing us. They suddenly seemed to lose interest in us and returned to the ruin." This is a reference to the leashing mechanic, whereby mobs will cease combat if a player gets far enough away from their starting position.
• During the quest Room to Spare, a Breton landlord named Felande Demarie says: "I've had tenants cram their rooms with the wildest things. Mounts, foliage, assistants - I mean, it's an inn room!" This is a reference to the multitude of strange things you can do with furnishings in the player housing system, such as decorating your free inn room with large mounts.

Jason's Hair

• In October 2014, a craze began within the ESO community surrounding former ZOS Community Coordinator Jason Leavey's hair, which was notably flamboyant. Some years later, the developers created two in-game hair styles (The Standing Flame and The Standing Wave), which were released in November 2017 and January 2018 respectively, for players to equip on their own characters. These were then confirmed by Jason himself on his Twitter page to be references to his hair.

Justin, Scott, and Speigel

• Justino, along with his two companions, Sott and Spagel and Pumpernickle, are based on the hosts Justin, Scott, and Speigel on the local Baltimore, Maryland station 98 Rock, near Bethesda Softworks's headquarters. Matt Firor worked with the station to implement their voices into the game.

Sweetrolls and Fish Sticks

• High level provisioners can cook both fishy sticks and sweetrolls, references to both of the running gags in the Elder Scrolls series. "Sweetroll" and "Fishystick" are also the default names for the Sorrel and Palomino horse mounts, respectively. More information about the Fishy Stick phenomenon can be found here.

The Onion

• Finding a note directing you to a secret stash found in a "Suspicious Barrel" upstairs at The Gem & Flask will grant you the achievement "Earthly Possessions", which is a reference to the sponsored article Townsperson In Online RPG Universe Figures Shield, Gold Pieces Should Be Safe In Barrel written by The Onion. The barrel in question actually contains a sample of millet, which replaced onions as a crafting ingredient in Update 6.

Those Who Stood at Chalman Keep

• The book Those Who Stood at Chalman Keep can be found on a pedestal in Chalman Keep. It is a reference to the final battle that took place during a closed PvP beta event, where the first Emperor was crowned.

Vitruvian Man

• The icon for Character Creation depicts the Vitruvian Man.

Cultural References

Alice in Wonderland

• The Provisioner hireling Gavin Gavonne's message saying "Another delivery for you. Rough day. I barely escaped another Brigand attack. Despite what the locals might tell you I did not 'run like a scared rabbit'. More like a brave and noble rabbit, who happened to be late for an appointment." This is an homage to the White Rabbit character in Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
• During Daughter of Giants, The Prophet upon hearing you encountered Abnur Tharn says: "Curiouser and curiouser", the opening words from Chapter II, The Pool of Tears.

Arthurian Lore

• The Mundus Stone for The Lady in Auridon is located in the middle of a lake, similar to the Lady of the Lake character.

Beowulf

• According to Lead Content Designer Jeremy Sera, Hrogar's Hold is based on Beowulf, which features a character called Hrothgar who ruled over the mead hall of Heorot.

Borat

• Rigurt the Brash leads the "Glorious Expedition for the Nord Cultural Exchange to the Dark Elves", reminiscent of the title of the movie Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. Both Borat and Rigurt are comically oblivious to the cultures they are trying to learn about, their command of language is similarly stilted, and Rigurt travelling all the way to Wrothgar to propose to Lazdutha is a reference to Borat traveling to America to propose to Pamela Anderson.

The Brothers Grimm

• The Nord folktale Legends of the Forest was written by The Sisters Glumm, a reference to the German Brothers Grimm, who were responsible for chronicling many popular folktales including Cinderella and Snow White.

Cats

• When you speak to Kireth Vanos while she is employed in Enrick's Public House, she says "Oh, you just missed it! My rendition of 'Rememberings' from the Dark Elf musical 'Guars' brought the house down. It's a sad, touching number a few light moments, but I've never seen the crowd laugh so hard. I guess I really nailed the high notes." This is a reference to the famous song "Memory" from the Tony award-winning musical Cats by Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Chuck Norris Facts

• The book Glories of the Pirate Queen contains several unlikely tales about the amazing feats of the Pirate Queen of Anvil. This is a reference to Chuck Norris Facts, a style of similarly outlandish jokes told about ex-action hero Chuck Norris.

Dark Souls

The Bonfire in the Crystal Tower

During the tutorial on the Isle of Balfiera (in the room where you choose your weapon), you can look into a cell to find a knight's spirit beside a bonfire with an Ancestral High Elf Style sword in it. This is a reference to the bonfires from Dark Souls, which allow you to rest, fast travel and level up your character. The knight is wearing heavy armor in the Nighthollow Style, granting him some resemblance to the warrior from the game's promotional material.

Dear John Letters

• The Dear Johun Letter, a woman's breakup letter to her distant lover Johun, is a reference to Dear John letters.

Donkey Kong reference in the Imperial City Sewers

Donkey Kong

• A Donkey Kong Easter egg can be found within the Lambent Passage section of the Imperial City Sewers (right before entering the Vile Drainage section), where several platforms and barrels have been set up in a reminiscent style to the first level of the original 1981 arcade game.

Dr. Seuss

• The book One Dragon Two Dragon is a reference to One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss. In a video posted to the official ESO Twitter account, former loremaster Lawrence Schick read a physical copy of the story, featuring several illustrations. The illustrations were of several Dragons, as well as Khamira and Abnur Tharn.

Fawlty Towers

• During the assault on the Great Shackle, Cadwell exclaims that the group is going to give "a damn good thrashing". These are the same lines Cadwell's voice actor John Cleese says to his broken down car in Fawlty Towers.

Game of Thrones

• The name of the quest The Watcher in the Walls is a reference to the oath of the Night's Watch, from the fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire and its TV adaptation Game of Thrones: "I am the sword in the darkness. I am the watcher on the walls. I am the shield that guards the realms of men."
• The book Rise of the Red Sails contains the line, "Brace yourself Abeceans. A storm is coming." This is a play on a common Internet macro involving the character Ned Stark and the phrase "brace yourself, [x] is coming".

God Save the Queen

• The name of the quest Gods Save the King is a reference to the British anthem God Save the Queen/King.

Goodnight Moon

• Goodnight Mundus is a copy of the classic children's book Goodnight Moon, with the normal characters and objects replaced by things from the Elder Scrolls series.

Harry Potter

• The Academy Supplies letter is a reference to the acceptance letter and supply list that first year Hogwarts students receive.

Herp Derp

• The kwama in How the Kwama Lost His Shoes "hurps and durps". This is a reference to the slang phrase herp derp (sometimes spelled hurp or harp) that is used in response to something extremely stupid or clumsy.

Highland Fling

• The female version of the Breton racial dance is a Scottish Highland dance called the Highland Fling.

I Should Buy a Boat Cat

• Sea-Dreamer is a seated Khajiit found reading a book at Woodhearth docks. If spoken to, he will reply with, "This one should buy a boat." This is a reference to the I Should Buy a Boat Cat, an image macro featuring a suited cat having the same thought while reading a newspaper.

The Incredible Hulk

• In ESO Live: 6/24 Update 11 Preview Special #1 it is mentioned that animations, attacks, dialogue etc. of Xal-Nur the Slaver is based on Hulk from Marvel Comics. They speak very similarly ie "Smash the rats! Smash!" to "Hulk smash!" and "Xal-Nur crush puny wamasu!" to "Puny god!" etc, and Fred Tatasciore who often voices Hulk also lends his voice to Xal-Nur.

Indiana Jones

• According to Lead Content Designer Jeremy Sera, the explorer Narsis Dren is a play on Indiana Jones, in that his first name is a place and his second is a common surname.

Kindergarten Cop

• There is a drunken Nord near the Windhelm wayshrine who occasionally says "It's not a rumor!" in perfect imitation of Arnold Schwarzenegger's famous line ("It's not a tumor!") from the movie Kindergarten Cop.

Hazanah

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

• Hazanah, an outlaw sneaking around the hedges where an Abah's Landing guard is patrolling, is dressed in what appears to be Link's outfit, as evident in her choice of green clothing and her shield, which resembles the Hylian Shield. Furthermore, the guard's linear patrol path, the character hiding and the location is a reference to Hyrule Gardens, a location in Ocarina of Time, which Link sneaks through to meet Princess Zelda.

The Little Mermaid

The Little Mermaid

• A reference to Disney's The Little Mermaid can be found in northeastern Galen, on a rock near Llanshara's docks. Here, the arrow-pierced skeleton of a lamia can be seen striking a similar pose to Ariel, with two seashells nearby resembling her bra.

Men's Wearhouse

• Fredevieve Jeanne, a tailor in Elden Root will say "You'll like the way you're dressed! I can guarantee that, I think." That is likely an homage to this line, spoken by Men's Wearhouse founder George Zimmer, that used to appear in commercials for the men's dress clothes retailer.

Monty Python

• The first two lines of Cadwell's Personal Anthem is a reference to the first two lines of The Lumberjack Song by the British comedic troupe Monty Python. Cadwell is also voiced by John Cleese, who was a member of the troupe, though Cleese didn't actually perform that song.
• In one of the later quests in Coldharbour, Cadwell wonders if you wish to know his "favorite color", among other things. This is a reference to the Bridgekeeper scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, in which John Cleese's character, Sir Lancelot, was the only one of the main characters to successfully answer the question: "What... is your favorite color?"

One Fine Day...

• The ditty Cadwell recites when you first meet him or when he is summoned with the Cadwell's Surprise Box memento is an adapted version of the nonsense poem "One Fine Day..." (aka "Two Dead Boys"):

Cadwell	One Fine Day
"One fine day in the middle of the night, two dead kings got up to fight. Back to back they faced each other, drew their bows... and stabbed themselves!"	"One bright morning in the middle of the night, Two dead boys got up to fight. Back-to-back they faced one another, Drew their swords and shot each other."

Over the Hills and Far Away

• Aldmeri Dominion bards in the game may sing a song entitled Over the Seas and Far Away. This is a reference to the George Farquhar version of the traditional English song Over the Hills and Far Away.

Paul Revere

• The name and objectives of the quest If By Sea are a reference to Paul Revere's famous midnight ride during the American Revolutionary War.

Pied Piper

• An NPC named the Rat Whisperer can be found commanding a legion of skeevers in the Wayrest Sewers. A copy of The Piper can be found close by. This is a reference to the Pied Piper of Hamelin, who used a flute to control rats and kidnap children.

Reticulating Splines

• The Reticulated Spine subzone in Shadowfen is a reference to "reticulating splines", a phrase commonly found in Maxis games since its first appearance in SimCity 2000. It refers to one of the steps involved when a computer creates a 3D image out of a math function.

Running of the Bulls

• The loading screen description of the House of the Silent Magnifico makes reference to the "running of the Dunerippers", a dangerous pastime similar to the Running of the bulls that occurs each year in Spain.

Sabrina the Teenage Witch

• The default name of the Black Cat pet was originally "Salem" (later changed to "Mimi"). This was a reference to the character Salem from the Sabrina the Teenage Witch franchise, popularized by the live action sitcom adaptation.

Salt Bae

• The salty emote is a reference to the popular Salt Bae meme, featuring Turkish chef Nusret Gökçe.

Seinfield

• An Argonian chef named Makes-Many-Soups can be found in Jorunn's Stand in Eastmarch. If you ask her how many soups, she will say, "Today, only one soup." If you complain, she will declare, "If you are too greedy, you get no soup at all!" This is a reference to The Soup Nazi from the TV show Seinfeld, who would declare, "No soup for you!" and refuse to serve the person at the slightest complaint.

Shortest Short Stories

• The contraband item Calf-Skin Baby Shoes has the description, "A pair of baby shoes, never worn." This is a reference to the well-known six-word story "For sale: baby shoes, never worn".

The Simpsons

• The default nickname of the Black Senche-Lion is "Umbrage Two", a reference to the Simpsons' black cat, named "Snowball Two".

Titanic reference

Titanic

• There is a scene featuring two Orc skeletons and a boat west of Bright-Throat Village. It is a reference to the 1997 film Titanic, towards the end where Jack and Rose are clinging to a piece of debris in the ocean after they escape the sinking ship.

Star Wars

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  There are two references to the scene in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back in which Luke Skywalker finds himself trapped by a Wampa in a cave and uses the Force to reach for his lightsaber. A similar reference appeared in the Morrowind expansion Bloodmoon and in Skyrim.
  • After defeating the troll Skullcrusher (similar to the wampa) towards the end of Broken Helm Hollow, to your right is a small alcove with another troll. To the left of the frost troll is a skeleton hanging upside down from the icy ceiling and a sword protruding from the ice beneath it.
  • In a Wrothgar Ice Cave, there is a skeleton hanging from the ceiling, sword on the ground just out of reach, with animal bones scattered all around.
• At Thizzrini Arena, Feluni will give you the stage name of "The Mysterious Stranger" after reaching the final round of the arena. This is a reference to a similar competition on the planet Taris in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, where the player would be given the same stage name.

Stranger Things

• The quest The Taste of Fear features a monster known as the Insatiable which can cross over and back from a hellish alternate reality known as the Gorge. This is a reference to the first season of Stranger Things, which featured a similar creature called the Demogorgon which could cross over from an alternate dimension known as the Upside Down.

Sunstone

• The NPCs Allysin Cartier, Liisan Cartier and Alan-Tei are a reference to the characters Allison Carter, Lisa and Alan from the erotic webcomic series Sunstone by Stjepan Šejić.

Theodore Roosevelt

• The default name of the Cave Bear mount is "Theodore", likely after Theodore Roosevelt due to his association with teddy bears.

They Live

• Guards may say "I love to crush skulls and eat sweetrolls, and I've no more sweetrolls", an Elder Scrolls universe version of Rowdy Roddy Piper's line "I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass, and I'm all out of bubblegum" from the 1988 movie They Live.

William Shakespeare

• Marcy's Kawala Tea is a contraband item with the following flavor text: "This packet of tea comes with its own tea strainer, because the Kawala Tea of Marcy is not strained." This is a reference to "The quality of mercy is not strain'd", a line from Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice.

William Tell

• To the east of the ritual site in the Lineage of Tooth and Claw quest is a corpse with an arrow sticking out of its head and an apple lying on the ground nearby. This is a reference to the legendary archer William Tell, who was tasked with shooting an apple off of his son's head.

Winston Churchill

• In Port Hunding, Qadrima can be overheard saying, "In the morning, I'll be sober but you'll still be stupid." This is a classic rejoinder often incorrectly attributed to Winston Churchill.

See Also

• M'aiq the Liar, the recurring character whose comments are references to events and features of the game (both new and removed), jokes, and Easter Eggs.
• Elder Scrolls Online Subforum — A place on the UESP forums where you can discuss Easter Eggs related to ESO.

Gallery

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  Thogalda and her sweetrolls at The Lonely Troll in Solitude

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  One Dragon Two Dragon book, held by Lawrence Schick