World of Warcraft's Corrupted Blood Bug Returns in Season of Discovery

The infamous Corrupted Blood incident, a notorious event in World of Warcraft's history, has unexpectedly resurfaced in the Season of Discovery servers. Players have recreated the 2005 chaos, unintentionally spreading a deadly plague reminiscent of the original incident.

The source of the problem lies within the Zul'Gurub raid, reintroduced in Phase 5 of Season of Discovery (September 2024). Hakkar the Soulflayer, the raid boss, utilizes the Corrupted Blood spell, which deals damage over time and spreads to nearby players. While manageable with sufficient healing under normal circumstances, the bug allows for uncontrolled spread, mirroring the 2005 event where players exploited the mechanic to spread the plague across the game world.

Videos circulating online, such as one posted by Lightstruckx on r/classicwow, show the Corrupted Blood debuff rapidly decimating players in Stormwind City. The footage starkly resembles the original Corrupted Blood incident, where "pet bombs" were used to spread the disease.

Concerns for Hardcore Realms

The reappearance of this bug has raised concerns, particularly for players of the World of Warcraft: Classic Hardcore mode. The permanent death mechanic in Hardcore means a single instance of Corrupted Blood could wipe out a character, forcing players to start anew. While some players attribute the issue to unfixed Blizzard bugs, others worry about the potential for malicious use of the debuff.

Despite previous attempts to address the issue, the legacy of Corrupted Blood continues to haunt World of Warcraft. With Phase 7 of Season of Discovery slated for early 2025, the timing of a permanent fix remains uncertain. The question remains: will Blizzard successfully contain the Corrupted Blood outbreak before it causes further havoc?