Zombie Plague Comes to Pre-Patch PTR August 10th – WotLK Classic

• Author: Passion
• Date: August 10, 2022
• Updated: August 11, 2022
• Expansion: WotLK Classic

At 10:00 AM PDT/19:00 CEST on August 10th, the Zombie Plague pre-patch event will begin testing on The Burning Crusade Classics test server.

The Zombie plague was originally a one-week-long event just before the release of Wrath of the Lich King in 2008. The event began with conspicuous crates in Booty Bay, similar to the Supply Crates of Stratholme, only instead of being swarmed by Maggots when you open them, you are Infected!

This disease gives you a 10-minute timer, after which you will be transformed into a Plague Zombie. To avoid this, you can either be cleansed by your local Priests and Paladins or, if you’re lucky, you might be able to find an Argent Healer NPC that will cleanse you. Unfortunately, death won’t save you here and, if you die before being cured, you will come back as a zombie!

Players that became a zombie could then go forth and spread the plague far and wide, Retch!ing on the streets of Stormwind and alleyways of Orgrimmar, infecting anyone who were unfortunate enough to step into it. Players infected in this way didn’t have the luxury of a 10-minute timer; instead, they just have 1 minute before their fate is sealed.

These player zombies could also cast Zombie Explosion!, instantly killing them and sending their plagued extremities flying, infecting anyone and everyone in range. Zombies were also able to fight, using Mangle! to deal damage, as well as shave precious seconds off of the infection timer, reducing your 1 minute to a few seconds if you remained in contact with the infected individual. Player zombies could also call in the help of NPC zombies, using Beckoning Groan to call over up to four of them at once. Unfortunately for us, there is strength in numbers.

On day two of the plague, the Supply Crates began appearing in more and more cities around Azeroth, bringing with them swarms of Plagued Roaches, drastically increasing the risk of being infected. This new roach plague would last for 5 minutes and was resistant to cleansing, at times requiring up to 5 casts before successfully curing the victim.

On day three even low-level zones were no longer safe, being infested with Plagued Residents, spreading yet another evolution of the infection, this time taking only 2 minutes before you begin your new life in undeath.

On the night of day three, the assault began. The Lich King has sent his necropolises to each capital, sending in waves of zombies to destroy the cities of the living. Finding an Argent Healer was no longer a simple task, as the new Plagued Vermin brought with them another mutation of the plague. This time it was no longer just players who were at risk: guards, grunts, and healers alike were infected and rapidly succumbed to their illness. The players who remained safe often did so outside of cities and hubs.

When day five comes, the fate of humans and orcs, night elves and tauren seems to be sealed. The virus now only takes 1 minute, no matter the source. The Argent Healers seem to have gone extinct, or into hiding. Those who remain have taken to a more fiery solution to cleansing the undead plague. The zombies grow stronger and the vermin on the streets are as deadly as these zombies.

There is still a flicker of hope, though. Grand Apothecary Putress has begun working on a cure, and the few living Horde who remain can assist them in this, provided they can get to Shattrath safely. Alliance players can find Bishop Lazaril and assist in delivering a weapon made from the concentrated essence of the Naaru to the players’ racial leader. Despite the work on a cure, an ominous Frozen Shade whispers in the ears of the survivors, trying to lure players into forsaking the living and joining the legions of the dead.

On day six, the light at the end of the tunnel is no longer a flicker, it is a full-on ray of hope. The cure has been found and the zombie infestation slowly ends as the infection stops spreading. The roaches and vermin in cities no longer seem to be infinite, slowly disappearing from the streets. The Lich King’s scourge invasion remains a constant threat, and a constant struggle in the cities, with or without the threat of zombies.

This event proved to be very divisive among the player base. Some people loved it and praised the shift from the status quo into chaos, with others significantly less positive towards the new source of stress and concern in their favorite game.

Alongside this skirmish, though, there was a new boss added for players to fight: Tenris appeared in Karazhan, in the kitchen adjacent to Moroes ballroom and above Midnight‘s stable. While not a terribly difficult fight, Tenris dropped a unique pet that would only be available during this event. In addition, Tenris also dropped the Arcanite Ripper, a decent starting weapon for any two-handed class — even more importantly, this weapon features a gorgeous and unique guitar model, and the on-use ability to melt faces with your music.