Why do you keep touching me // Warcraft [MS-DOS, 1994]
12The original Warcraft: Orcs & Humans, released in 1994, is a classic real-time strategy game that laid the foundation for Blizzard Entertainment’s later success with the Warcraft franchise. While the game itself was groundbreaking in terms of gameplay mechanics and world-building, one of its most memorable features was the voice acting and sound effects. These elements added a layer of charm, humor, and personality that has become iconic in gaming culture.
Funny Voice Sound Effects
The unit responses in Warcraft: Orcs & Humans became especially famous for their quirky, exaggerated delivery. Both the Human and Orc factions had units that, when clicked repeatedly, would respond with increasingly humorous or annoyed remarks, a feature that Blizzard would expand upon in future games. The combination of deep, over-the-top voices, combined with sometimes nonsensical or comedic lines, created moments that were unintentionally (or perhaps intentionally) hilarious.
Here are a few highlights of the most memorable and funny sound effects from Warcraft:
Orc Grunts
The Orc Grunts had some of the funniest and most iconic sound bites in the game. Their deep, guttural voice gave them a tough appearance, but when you clicked them too many times, they’d start complaining, breaking that tough image. One of their lines sounded like “Dabu,” a nonsensical phrase that was both mysterious and amusing at the same time. The grunt's “Stop poking me!” was another classic that added a touch of humor to the otherwise serious battlefield.
Peasants (Humans)
The Human Peasants were also a goldmine for funny sound effects. As basic worker units, they were the ones tasked with gathering resources or building structures, and their voices perfectly captured the tone of downtrodden medieval laborers. Every time you selected or clicked them repeatedly, they’d say in their miserable, nasally voice, “Yes, me lord,” “Righto,” or “Off I go, then.” As with many units, repeated clicks would result in them sounding increasingly irritated or ridiculous.
Orc Peons
The Orc Peons had their own unique charm. Like their Human counterparts, these units also collected resources and constructed buildings. With a gravelly and somewhat dimwitted tone, they’d respond with “Zug zug” whenever given an order. The phrase, which would go on to become synonymous with orcish labor, was not only a defining part of their character but also a source of much amusement for players who’d constantly click them just to hear it again and again.
Other Units
Other units in the game also had funny, memorable responses. The Human Knights had a pompous, overly serious tone, and the Orc Raiders had a savage, wild delivery to their lines. Both of these unit types would get increasingly absurd with repeated clicks, with Knights becoming overly polite, and the Orcs getting more nonsensical.
Legacy of the Sound Effects
The humor behind the Warcraft unit voices became such a beloved part of the game that Blizzard expanded on the concept in future installments, most notably in Warcraft II and Warcraft III, where units would deliver even more outlandish responses if clicked multiple times. This tradition carried over into other Blizzard games like StarCraft, Diablo, and even World of Warcraft, creating a signature style of quirky, hidden dialogue.
In hindsight, the funny voice sound effects of Warcraft helped define the game’s personality. They balanced the serious, strategic gameplay with lightheartedness, making the experience enjoyable not just for competitive players, but also for those who appreciated the humor tucked into the details. The sounds were low-fi, slightly awkward, and entirely charming, perfectly fitting the early era of PC gaming.