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kierthos ([personal profile] kierthos) wrote2008-10-27 05:18 am
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[WoW] Musings on the zombie plague

Okay, so World of Warcraft is doing a new zombie plague as the lead-in to the Wrath of the Lich King expansion.

Some parts of it are pretty much the same as when Naxxramas was first introduced. There are zones that have necropoli floating over them, and you can do quests and earn special 'undead slaying' pieces of gear.

There's also the zombie plagues in the cities. Basically, yes, the people of Azeroth are fucking stupid enough to fall for the 'plague in the grain' trick. Again. So there's plagued roaches skittering around. Killing one of them with a melee attack or a throwing knife (in my case) gets you the plague. There are occasionally a number of plague rats running through the cities. Killing one of them with a melee attack or a throwing knife gets you the plague. (Please note, killing these critters with spells does not get you the plague.)

The plague, if left uncured, turns you into a zombie. As a zombie, you can try and infect other people (players and NPCs), but if you're in a major city when you change into a zombie, you're probably going to die pretty quickly.

But the plague has been changing as time goes on, you see. Initially, it took 10 minutes, once infected, to turn into a zombie. (Note, if you were infected, and you got hit with any additional infections, it took 10 seconds off of the timer to turn you into a zombie.) A day or so later, it was down to five minutes from infection to zombie-hood. Then a day or so later, two minutes.

Now it's one minute. And re-infection when already infected still takes 10 seconds off of the timer, so if you're melee attacking a zombie, you're probably going to get turned into one unless you kill it exceptionally quickly. The plague basically sucks if you're a melee-based character, or one without a combat pet of some kind. If you're a mage, or a priest, or a warlock (or possibly a hunter too, I haven't asked), you can kill zombies all day long and barely risk infection.

And it's a real pain in the ass to get cleansed unless you go to an Argent Healer, which, by the way, as the plague has progressed, there are less of around.

And Wrath of the Lich King doesn't come out for over two more weeks. I'm almost expecting auto-zombie infection rates by the time this event ends.

[identity profile] kizzie.livejournal.com 2008-10-27 09:35 am (UTC)(link)
I'm loving it!
Great fun, I make a little zombie nest in a town and then we stalk slowely accross the world.

If you don't want to be infected just stay away from the crates, zombies... in fact. Just run. It's a plague! Flee the cities, get away from large groups of people. Definately avoid the goblins...

Netherstorm is quite nice this time of year

[identity profile] halaku.livejournal.com 2008-10-27 10:15 am (UTC)(link)
Blue's said that the zombieplague shouldn't last much longer.

Me? I'm busting out the last few thousand to get my AD rep Exalted. :)

[identity profile] kierthos.livejournal.com 2008-10-27 10:42 am (UTC)(link)
*nod* Oh and apparently, some spells do transmit the plague. Paladin's "Consecration" does. So does Seal of Judgement.

[identity profile] razelore.livejournal.com 2008-10-27 04:14 pm (UTC)(link)
As does moonfire on my wife's boomkin...

She was not pleased.

[identity profile] egearman.livejournal.com 2008-10-27 03:04 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm working on that as well. What a pain. Multiple solo runs of Strat (as a druid) and I get maybe 700-800 rep. I end up with more from the scourge stones though.

[identity profile] kierthos.livejournal.com 2008-10-27 03:34 pm (UTC)(link)
I've been Exalted with AD on my human rogue since the old Naxx invasion event. Oddly enough, I'm not Exalted with Stormwind....

[identity profile] egearman.livejournal.com 2008-10-27 03:38 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm not exalted in SMC, but it's finding quests for those damn elves that is the problem.

[identity profile] egearman.livejournal.com 2008-10-27 03:03 pm (UTC)(link)
At first it was amusing, but the fact that I keep getting turned into a zombie and have to pay repair bills makes it a bit annoying.

[identity profile] kierthos.livejournal.com 2008-10-27 03:34 pm (UTC)(link)
I have to deal with morons who think that doing "Zombie Explosion" in the AH is hi-fucking-larious.

[identity profile] egearman.livejournal.com 2008-10-27 03:39 pm (UTC)(link)
I hate porting in or flying in somewhere and whoops, 10 seconds to zombie.

[identity profile] kierthos.livejournal.com 2008-10-27 05:25 pm (UTC)(link)
Apparently the zombie plague is going to end at noon PST today. The necropoli and the invasions will still go on for some time, and the new Karazhan boss (Tenris Mirkblood) will still last for at least the first week of November.

[identity profile] egearman.livejournal.com 2008-10-27 05:50 pm (UTC)(link)
Will be at work when that happens, but good. Need to see/fight the new Kara boss at some point.

AD rep is a pain at 1/2/10 per kill. Fortunately, the 10s also drop the big scourgestone, so that's another 50 on turn in and 100 for the valor token.

[identity profile] kierthos.livejournal.com 2008-10-28 03:35 am (UTC)(link)
I love the human rep bonus (+10%). It's saved me so much time....

Now if only I didn't have to farm Timbermaw rep for that fucking title....