Summary
- The infamous Corrupted Blood incident from World of Warcraft has unexpectedly reappeared in the Season of Discovery.
- The Zul'Gurub raid, introduced in Phase 5 of Season of Discovery, reintroduced the Corrupted Blood spell, causing widespread chaos.
- Players are recreating the 2005 Corrupted Blood incident by intentionally spreading the plague in Stormwind City, mirroring the original event's uncontrolled spread.
A notorious chapter in World of Warcraft's history, the Corrupted Blood incident, has resurfaced, albeit unintentionally, in the Season of Discovery servers. Videos circulating online show the deadly plague wreaking havoc in major cities. While some players find the situation amusing, others express valid concerns about its potential impact on Hardcore realms.
Initially introduced in September 2005 with Patch 1.7, Rise of the Blood God, the Zul'Gurub raid (a 20-player instance) featured Hakkar the Soulflayer, a powerful deity. His Corrupted Blood spell inflicted damage over time and spread to nearby players. Normally, this damage was manageable for healers like Priests and Paladins.
However, for almost a month after Zul'Gurub's release, Corrupted Blood affected both players and their pets/minions. This allowed players to spread the plague beyond the raid, creating widespread pandemonium. A recent video on r/classicwow, posted by Lightstruckx, depicts the debuff spreading rapidly in Stormwind City's Trade District, strikingly similar to the 2005 incident where "pet bombs" were used to spread the plague across the game world.
World of Warcraft Players Unintentionally Recreate the Corrupted Blood Incident
Some players attribute the reappearance of Corrupted Blood to unresolved issues, while others worry about its weaponization in Hardcore mode. Unlike Season of Discovery, Hardcore mode features permadeath, making the Corrupted Blood bug a significant threat.
Despite past attempts to address the issue, the legacy of the Corrupted Blood incident persists. With Season of Discovery's seventh phase slated for early 2025, the timing of Blizzard's fix for this latest outbreak remains uncertain.
