The probably most absurd NPC in World of Warcraft was only around for a short time. However, to this day, the “Wild Three-Assed Mantaur” is still in the game’s database.
In the over 16 years of World of Warcraft, there have been many Easter eggs or crazy ideas from the developers that have appeared in the game data but were never properly implemented. One of them is the “Wild Three-Assed Mantaur.” That sounds as strange as it is. And the sight could certainly cause some very peculiar dreams.
What is it about? In the World of Warcraft subreddit, the user retardchef posted a screenshot from the very early days of the Cataclysm beta. The image garnered some attention and probably also caused a few nightmares. As of the current date (May 10, 09:30 AM), the post has received over 5,000 upvotes.
What kind of NPC is this? The “Wild Three-Assed Mantaur” is a creature composed of three male human models. While two men form the front and back of the creature, they are connected by a third man, who apparently should represent the torso of the being.
Nightmare fuel Cataclysm alpha Tol’vir models from r/wow
It clearly served as a placeholder for the later implemented Tol’vir.
On wowhead, some players recall the creature in the comments. Tahuma writes:
A legendary beast that was supposedly native to the rivers of Uldum. It is half man, half centaur, with the head of one man and the body of another man. Two men, to be honest. PTR monsters from Cataclysm.
Elrox also has some information about it:
I remember sneaking into Uldum during the alpha of Cataclysm before it officially opened, where you could find them. They counted as siege weapons and could be ridden. That made exploring the zone easier since you didn’t take fall damage with them.
Especially amusing: This “creature” was even translated into several languages in the game files. The “Wild Three-Assed Mantaur” is, for example, called “Wilder Drei-Hintern-Mantaurus” in the German client. Even the various localization teams at Blizzard must have laughed when they had to translate the name of such a creature.
Can you still encounter the NPC in the game? No. These “things” only existed during an early beta stage of the Cataclysm expansion. Anyone who ventured into the Uldum area before it officially opened could encounter the beings from which the Tol’vir later emerged.
However, early on in Uldum, there is still a quest where players escape together with other captives and disguise themselves as Tol’vir by positioning themselves – very similar to the peculiar mantaur – and escaping with the armor of the four-legged creatures.
So if you want to show off some useless WoW knowledge during the next raid on Discord, you now have the story of the peculiar Wild Three-Assed Mantaur.
You’re welcome, no need to thank.
