World of Warcraft's Corrupted Blood Incident Returns in Season of Discovery
The infamous Corrupted Blood incident, a notorious chapter in World of Warcraft's history, has unexpectedly reappeared in the Season of Discovery servers. Players have recreated the 2005 event, unintentionally unleashing a deadly plague in major cities like Stormwind.
The incident stems from the return of the Zul'Gurub raid in Phase 5 of Season of Discovery (September 2024). Hakkar, the Soulflayer, a boss within the raid, utilizes the Corrupted Blood spell, a damage-over-time effect that spreads to nearby players. While manageable in the raid setting with sufficient healing, the spell's ability to affect pets and minions allowed players to spread it beyond the raid instance, mirroring the original 2005 chaos.
Videos circulating online, such as one posted on r/classicwow by Lightstruckx, show the debuff spreading rapidly through Stormwind's Trade District, incapacitating multiple players within seconds. This echoes the original Corrupted Blood incident, where "pet bombs" were used to spread the plague across the game world for an extended period before Blizzard intervened.
Concerns for Hardcore Realms
The reappearance of this bug has sparked concern among players, particularly regarding the impact on the World of Warcraft: Classic Hardcore mode. Unlike Season of Discovery, Hardcore features permadeath, making the accidental spread of Corrupted Blood a significant threat. Some players attribute the issue to unresolved problems from previous patches.
While Blizzard has implemented fixes in the past, the persistent nature of the Corrupted Blood issue raises questions about the effectiveness of these solutions. With Phase 7 of Season of Discovery slated for early 2025, the timeline for a permanent fix remains uncertain. The legacy of the Corrupted Blood Incident continues to cast a long shadow over World of Warcraft.
