What is Contagious Cowardice and how can you cure it in WoW Dragonflight?

World of Warcraft veteran players may remember the Corrupted Blood pandemic that took place in Oct. 2005, wherein a bug allowed the debuff to create a virtual pandemic across Azeroth. Blizzard’s most recent expansion, Dragonflight, may have started a second online pandemic with the ‘Contagious Cowardice’ debuff running rampant throughout the Dragon Isles.

If you are unaware of the debuff, want to stay away from any potentially infected players, or are looking for a cure, look no further. This is everything to know about Contagious Cowardice in World of Warcraft Dragonflight.

What is Contagious Cowardice in WoW Dragonflight?

Contagious Cowardice is a debuff that many elite mobs use across the Dragon Isles. The debuff inflicts six shadow damage on its victim every three seconds for 12 overall seconds. Players can transmit this debuff to other players by promixmity, as the effect spreads to targets within seven yards.

Similar to the Corrupted Blood incident in 2005, it appears that a bug has impacted Contagious Cowardice. Instead of ending after 12 seconds have passed, the debuff persists at 0 seconds, with seven damage continuously being applied to its victim. Reddit and other forums quickly flooded with reports of the issues quickly becoming widespread.

This virtual pandemic is quite different than its previous iteration almost one decade ago, as the debuff is seemingly inactive in sanctuary cities. Currently, it appears that the contagion is primarily in Valdrakken, the Dragon Isles capital city in Thaldrazus.

How to cure Contagious Cowardice in WoW Dragonflight

After receiving the debuff directly from an elite mob in the Dragon Isles, debuff removal spells such as Remove Curse, Cleanse, Abolish Disease, Cure Toxins, or any similar healing effect can remove the debuff. If you have received the bugged version of the debuff from another player however, there is currently no cure. Infected players will likely have to wait until Blizzard is able to release a quick fix to the issue.

Thankfully, players have reported that the bugged version of the Contagious Cowardice debuff does not deal damage. The debuff does only with a visual effect, a purple ring that appears around the player, and a rather annoying sound que. Unlike World of Warcraft’s previous fictional pandemic, players are not likely to die from the debuff.