Summary

• The infamous Corrupted Blood Incident has unexpectedly reappeared in World of Warcraft's Season of Discovery.
• The Zul'Gurub raid, reintroduced in Phase 5 of Season of Discovery, brought back the chaotic Corrupted Blood spell.
• Players have recreated the Corrupted Blood Incident by spreading the deadly plague in Stormwind City, echoing the 2005 event.

The World of Warcraft community has been buzzing with excitement and concern as the notorious Corrupted Blood Incident has made an unexpected return in the Season of Discovery realms. Shared video footage of the deadly plague spreading through cities has sparked a mix of amusement and worry among players, especially about its potential impact on Hardcore realms.

Originally introduced with Patch 1.7, Rise of the Blood God, in September 2005, the Zul'Gurub raid challenged players to take down Hakkar the Soulflayer, a formidable deity worshipped by the Gurubashi trolls. Zul'Gurub made its comeback in World of Warcraft: Season of Discovery during Phase 5, released in September 2024. Hakkar's signature spell, Corrupted Blood, inflicts damage over time and can spread to nearby players if they're too close to an infected individual. While typically manageable with robust healing from classes like Priests or Paladins, the spell's mechanics led to unintended chaos.

For nearly a month after Zul'Gurub's initial release, Corrupted Blood could affect both players and certain pets and minions, enabling the plague to spread beyond the raid and wreak havoc across World of Warcraft. A video clip shared by user Lightstruckx on the r/classicwow subreddit vividly captures the Corrupted Blood debuff in action, spreading rapidly among players in Stormwind City's Trade District. Lightstruckx utilized Priest spells like Flash Heal and Power Word: Shield to survive as the debuff quickly felled several players. This scene eerily mirrors the original 2005 Corrupted Blood Incident, where "pet bombs" facilitated the plague's spread in towns and cities until Blizzard managed to contain it.

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 indicates an unresolved issue that Blizzard has yet to address. Others are particularly worried about its potential weaponization in Hardcore realms, where permanent death is a core feature, forcing players to restart from scratch upon defeat.

Despite previous fixes implemented in World of Warcraft, the legacy of the Corrupted Blood Incident continues to loom large. As Season of Discovery gears up for its seventh phase in early 2025, it remains uncertain when Blizzard will address the latest outbreak of Corrupted Blood.