Obscure references

[Milmoko_Gemoko]

FATE 'Restistence is Futile', 'The Truth is Out There' etc - awesome sci-fi references
I'm looking forward to the puns and references in expansion pack, also hopefully some new FATE chains/open world mechanics like a hamlet defence or something.

[OlyverW]

They also had a Hendrix inspired main story quest towards the end called All upon the watchtowers and it was equally interesting is that the place is in a bluish purple haze so a double touce

[Neuflune]

[Black_Wing]

He's Got a Ticket to Ride - Part of the chorus from The Carpenters song "Ticket to Ride"
A Bridge Too Full - Play on words "A Bridge Too Far"
Let Us Cling Together - title of the Super Famicom game, Tactics Ogre
The Wrath of Qarn - SciFi referrence, Star Trek: Wrath of Kahn.... QAAAAAAAAAAARN!

Orange Crush - song by REM
Primal Fear - Metal Band though probably just a coincidence
Red, Red Wine - song by Neil Diamond, later performed by UB40 (the more familiar Reggae style)

[OlyverW]

the level 35 WHM quest Only you can prevent forest ire

[kyuven]

I think it's easier to find ones that AREN'T horrible obscure puns :P
And that's why I love it
I mean I'm pretty sure every fisher quest in the image above is a reference to something.

[Hayward]

"Straight Outta Abalathia" (Mor Dhona sidequest) was almost too much for me (of course, referring to "Straight Outta Compton" by NWA).

"Them" (Eastern La Noscea FATE), referring to the obscure horror movie of the same name.

"What's on Your Mind" (Coerthas FATE, whose enemies are called Pure Energy), referring to the song by Information Society

[AskaRay]

I still like the "Schism" FATE, called that moreso because it involves tools (if you dont know, Schism is a song by the band Tool) than having to do with any kind of schism.....

[KaedrianLiang]

All i gotta say:

Dune film references. There's like 10 of them.

Most of them occur in the desert region of Thanalan which in itself is a reference to dune.

Also,Arnold Schwarzenegger Quotes.

"Ifrit bleeds, we can kill it"

[Enkidoh]

'Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger' in Southern Thanalan makes me smile - being the Daft Punk fan that I am. And '9 to 5' in Eastern La Noscea is an obvious reference to the Dolly Parton earworm of the same name (and the film it was the theme music for). Every time that FATE is up I can't help but sing the lyrics to that.

In a more serious vein though, two FATEs in Western La Noscea are actually references to real-world events that occurred in the late 1970s, early 1980s - the 'Iron Contra Affair' naturally is a reference to the Iran-Contra Affair, and 'The Killing Fields' references the terrible massacres that occurred in Cambodia under the brutal Khmer Rouge regime (which became a movie of the same name as the FATE).

So it shows that 'pop culture referencing' in FFXIV doesn't necessarily mean films, TV shows, music and literature, but also real events as well.