WoW Players Encounter Infamous 2005 Bug in Season of Discovery

Summary

• The infamous Corrupted Blood Incident has unexpectedly returned in World of Warcraft: Season of Discovery.
• The Zul'Gurub raid, reintroduced in Phase 5 of Season of Discovery, brought back the Corrupted Blood spell, leading to widespread chaos.
• Players have recreated the Corrupted Blood Incident by spreading the deadly plague in Stormwind City, echoing the events of 2005.

In a surprising turn of events, the legendary Corrupted Blood Incident from World of Warcraft has made an unexpected comeback in the Season of Discovery realms. Players have captured and shared videos of the deadly plague spreading through cities, sparking a mix of amusement and concern about its potential impact on Hardcore realms.

The Corrupted Blood Incident originally occurred in September 2005 following the release of Patch 1.7, Rise of the Blood God, which introduced the Zul'Gurub raid. This 20-player instance pitted players against Hakkar the Soulflayer, a formidable deity revered by the Gurubashi trolls. Zul'Gurub was reintroduced in World of Warcraft: Season of Discovery during Phase 5, launched in September 2024. Hakkar's Corrupted Blood spell, which inflicts damage over time and spreads to nearby players, was manageable with robust healing from classes like Priests or Paladins under normal conditions.

However, following Zul'Gurub's release in 2005, a bug allowed Corrupted Blood to affect not only players but also specific pets and minions. These "pet bombs" were used to spread the plague beyond the raid, causing widespread havoc across World of Warcraft for nearly a month. A recent video posted by a user named Lightstruckx on the r/classicwow subreddit shows the Corrupted Blood debuff in action, spreading rapidly through Stormwind City's Trade District. Lightstruckx utilized Priest abilities like Flash Heal and Power Word: Shield to survive as the debuff quickly overwhelmed other players, mirroring the chaos of the original 2005 incident.

World of Warcraft Players Accidentally Re-Create The Corrupted Blood Incident

Some World of Warcraft players have voiced concerns that the re-emergence of the Corrupted Blood debuff in Season of Discovery realms is an unresolved issue that Blizzard has yet to address. There is particular worry about its potential misuse in Hardcore realms, where permanent death is a core feature, forcing players to restart from scratch upon their character's demise.

Despite previous fixes implemented in World of Warcraft, the legacy of the Corrupted Blood Incident continues to haunt the game. With the seventh phase of Season of Discovery slated for an early 2025 release, it remains uncertain when Blizzard will address this latest outbreak of Corrupted Blood.