Zombie Apocalypse Strikes the World (of Warcraft)
When I had a character visit the auction house in Stormwind, I wasn't surprised to find an Argent Dawn healer standing there. I had read they were out and about as part of a world event leading up to the release of the Wrath of the Lich King expansion next month.
When another character found a quest-giver in Shattrath city gone, and only respawning after a couple minutes, I thought it very strange. Maybe it had something to do with the server difficulties lately? Or maybe, I concluded, someone killed the NPC. But why would anyone do that?
I had a character out bombing fel cannon ammo stacks when other word started trickling in. A guildmember was reporting having picked up a disease somewhere that said something like "You had better find a cure soon" with a ten-minute countdown timer. From other quarters I hear about mysterious crate in the neutral port city of Booty Bay that are infectious if examined. And, apparently, this disease turns you into a zombie when it counts down.
By the time I returned to Shattrath, things were becoming clear. The disease was spreading. Those infected become a zombie when the timer runs out. Normal abilities are locked out, but the new zombie remains player-controlled. Health is lost unless the zombie is attacking someone. Attacks have a chance of infecting, and it affects PCs and NPCs alike. When the zombie dies (which doesn't take too long if turning in the midst of city guards), they return to "normal" (though still apparently dead) without the usual durability damage to equipment from death. Theories abound, including this as a way of introducing players to one of the abilities of the soon-to-be-added deathknight class that brings a fallen party member back as a zombie for some length of time.
By the end of the night, the plague seemed to be at every frequented city at least.The Stormwind flight master was infected, along with people in the auction house. Whole slews of NPCs in Shattrath were infected. The Argent Dawn healers tend those who ask and attack any nearby zombies, but the spread seemed unstoppable...
Honestly, killing quest-givers and flight masters is an annoyance. But as long as (this portion of?) the event doesn't drag on too long, I think it's neat.
When another character found a quest-giver in Shattrath city gone, and only respawning after a couple minutes, I thought it very strange. Maybe it had something to do with the server difficulties lately? Or maybe, I concluded, someone killed the NPC. But why would anyone do that?
I had a character out bombing fel cannon ammo stacks when other word started trickling in. A guildmember was reporting having picked up a disease somewhere that said something like "You had better find a cure soon" with a ten-minute countdown timer. From other quarters I hear about mysterious crate in the neutral port city of Booty Bay that are infectious if examined. And, apparently, this disease turns you into a zombie when it counts down.
By the time I returned to Shattrath, things were becoming clear. The disease was spreading. Those infected become a zombie when the timer runs out. Normal abilities are locked out, but the new zombie remains player-controlled. Health is lost unless the zombie is attacking someone. Attacks have a chance of infecting, and it affects PCs and NPCs alike. When the zombie dies (which doesn't take too long if turning in the midst of city guards), they return to "normal" (though still apparently dead) without the usual durability damage to equipment from death. Theories abound, including this as a way of introducing players to one of the abilities of the soon-to-be-added deathknight class that brings a fallen party member back as a zombie for some length of time.
By the end of the night, the plague seemed to be at every frequented city at least.The Stormwind flight master was infected, along with people in the auction house. Whole slews of NPCs in Shattrath were infected. The Argent Dawn healers tend those who ask and attack any nearby zombies, but the spread seemed unstoppable...
Honestly, killing quest-givers and flight masters is an annoyance. But as long as (this portion of?) the event doesn't drag on too long, I think it's neat.
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