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World of Warcraft zombie plague returns with Shadowlands pre-expansion event

A zombie plague is ravaging the World of Warcraft Shadowlands PTR, testing the pre-expansion event for live servers.

First Published August 13, 2020, 09:17

World of Warcraft zombie plague returns with Shadowlands pre-expansion event

Back in 2008, the Scourge Invasion ushering in the Warth of the Lich King expansion hit World of Warcraft servers. It was an event loved by some, and hated by others. Now, with the Shadowlands pre-expansion event Public Test Realm (PTR), the World of Warcraft zombie plague has returned, causing utter chaos.

WoW Zombie Plague: Shadowlands pre-expansion event

The big pre-expansion event which will usher in the highly-anticipated Shadowlands expansion is now live on the PTR. This devasting, massive event brings back the World of Warcraft zombie plague, which will hit live servers later this year.

Read more: Blizzard honours Reckful by adding him as Rogue Trainer in Shadowlands

The World of Warcraft zombie plague sees hundreds, if not thousands of zombies stumble along in the streets of capital cities. These World of Warcraft zombies devour NPCs, including those who offer quests, and turns them into the undead.

World of Warcraft zombie plague shadowlands pre-expansion event
WoW zombies are relentless (Picture: StevenJMessner)

Even players who get close to one of these undead creatures get infected with the WoW zombie plague, giving them special abilities and allowing them to attack other players, spreading the infection.

Just hours after the WoW Zombie plague hit the PTR, players found a way to bring these zombie hordes into areas outside the capital cities, making it impossible to do quests.

For those who want no part in a WoW zombie apocalypse, there's some good news. Game designer Jeremy Feasel has revealed the event won't be active all the time when it hits live servers.

It cycles this time instead of being up all the time. Players can only become zombies via NPCs for a bit every couple of hours, but if they want to keep the zombie train rolling during the down time, they can via player actions.
— Jeremy Feasel (@Muffinus) August 12, 2020

The scourge invasion is only part of the Shadowlands pre-expansion event, as players will also be able to travel to Northrend to fight new bosses, earn some shiny loot, partake in a new story quest, and more.

When will the Shadowlands pre-patch release?

Blizzard has not revealed an exact release date for the World of Warcraft Shadowlands pre-patch to release on live servers. However, judging by past expansions, the zombie plague should hit live servers in roughly one month.

Read more: WoW Shadowlands Witcher Easter Egg: Where to find

Generally speaking, World of Warcraft pre-expansion events get tested for roughly a month on the PTR before making their way to the live servers.

This means you have until mid-September to do some prepper work for the World of Warcraft zombie apocalypse to commence.

Check out our video below, where we dive deep into the lore of the Dragon Aspects in World of Warcraft, discussing all the leaders, their history, and some family drama!