[News] WoW: Classic's Season of Discovery Revives Notorious 2005 Bug

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, re-introduced the Corrupted Blood spell, causing widespread chaos.
• Players have replicated the 2005 Corrupted Blood incident by intentionally spreading the plague in Stormwind City, mirroring the original event's uncontrolled spread.

The notorious Corrupted Blood incident, a significant event in World of Warcraft's history, has made an unforeseen return in the Season of Discovery servers. Videos circulating online show the deadly plague rampaging through major cities. While some players found the situation humorous, others voiced concerns about the potential impact on Hardcore realms.

Initially launched 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 worshipped by Gurubashi trolls. Its reappearance in World of Warcraft: Season of Discovery during Phase 5 (September 2024) brought back the Corrupted Blood spell. This spell inflicts damage over time and spreads to nearby players, creating a contagious effect. Normally, strong healing from classes like Priests or Paladins can mitigate the damage.

For almost a month following Zul'Gurub's release in 2005, Corrupted Blood affected both players and their pets/minions. This allowed players to spread the plague beyond the raid, causing widespread disruption. A recent video posted on r/classicwow by user Lightstruckx depicts Corrupted Blood spreading rapidly in Stormwind City's Trade District. The video showcases the rapid spread and the frantic attempts to survive using healing spells, strikingly similar to the original 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 Corrupted Blood debuff's return to unresolved issues from previous patches. Others are worried about the potential for malicious use in Hardcore realms, where character death is permanent. This contrasts sharply with Season of Discovery, where death doesn't carry the same consequence.

Despite past attempts to address the issue, the legacy of the Corrupted Blood incident persists. With Phase 7 of Season of Discovery slated for early 2025, the timing of Blizzard's fix for this latest outbreak remains uncertain.