For a few hours, mages could really troll hard in World of Warcraft. They could lock other players in – for as long as they wanted.
It is well known that players of World of Warcraft can sometimes be masterful trolls when it comes to annoying their fellow players a little. But for a few hours, mages had nearly unlimited power. They were able to take all other characters hostage and give them plenty of time to ponder the meaning of life.
Blame it on a PvP spell.
What kind of exploit is this? Ice Wall is a spell available to mages as a PvP talent. The spell does exactly what the name suggests: It creates a long wall of ice that counts as an obstacle and blocks the line of sight. In PvP battles, it is used to separate enemies from the group or to temporarily close off chokepoints. However, since the Ice Wall only has 40% of the mage’s hit points, it is usually destroyed within a few seconds.
What was somehow overlooked: The Ice Wall spell could also be used in the capital city of Darnassus – a sanctuary. PvP combat is not allowed here. This meant that mages were able to blockade entrances to houses, such as the inn or the auction house.
Since no PvP battles are allowed and the Ice Wall affects both allies and enemies, both of whom cannot attack the wall, the area is effectively sealed off.
A single mage can only maintain the Ice Wall for a short time, as the spell lasts only 15 seconds. However, if 6 mages came together, they were able to lock their victims “forever” in the corresponding house. At least until the victims frustratedly used their hearthstone or found another way to escape.
What did Blizzard do? After it became known in the WoW subreddit that mages could use their icy wall in Darnassus – and in other cities – it took only a few hours for Blizzard to push out a hotfix. Now the wall can no longer be used in cities, making it impossible to lock other players in rooms.
Even though such exploits are funny, it is best to avoid using them excessively. Teasing another character for a short while may be okay, but if you restrict the enjoyment of the game for others for an extended time, the likelihood of receiving several reports is extremely high – and this can potentially lead to a penalty on your account.
Someone who also loves exploiting is Rextroy – but he also reports the bugs he finds immediately to Blizzard.
