A WoW Classic bug has turned one of the most instinctive habits for basically every player of the MMORPG into a potentially fatal mistake. World of Warcraft players on the WoW Classic PTR are running into sudden disconnects while jumping during combat, and Blizzard confirms that being hit with crowd control effects while in midair is the cause, leading it to advise players to “avoid jumping in combat” – something that’s easier said than done.
If you’ve ever played World of Warcraft, FFXIV, basically any MMO, or in fact most RPGs that give you the option to leap into the air, you’ve probably mashed that jump button over and over as you crossed a zone for the sixteenth time.
The constant bunny-hopping has become part of the WoW player’s natural language at this point; it’s just what you do. It keeps your fingers limber, it gives that sweet satisfaction of interaction, and it lets you add just a smidge of personal flavor to your journey around Azeroth.
Those springy tendencies carry over into combat for many, as well, but now you’ll have to hold fire on that space bar for a bit. In response to a player reporting an in-game death when their game disconnected in response to a stun hitting them while in midair, WoW Classic game producer ‘Aggrend’ says, “We are aware of this issue and hope to have a fix in for our build update next week.
“In the meantime, please avoid jumping in combat as this is indeed caused by being stunned, rooted, or otherwise CCd in midair.” That’s quite the task – I imagine trying to hold back on a decade of muscle memory is going to be pretty challenging for some. Aggrend even admits as such, joking that “Asking WoW players not to spam jump is kinda like asking them not to breathe. Apologies, you can all have your space bars back soon, I promise!”
This particular bug is frustrating at the best of times, but has been especially heartbreaking for WoW Classic Hardcore players such as Twitch streamer ‘Graysfordays,’ who recently saw a level 25 druid wiped out in a heartbeat by this exact disconnect issue.
Perhaps the best course of action, for the time being, is simply to unbind your jump button altogether, or at least put it somewhere you won’t absent-mindedly smash by accident. Just be careful out there, and try to keep both feet on solid ground.
While they can’t save you from a twitchy thumb, the best WoW addons will help you with all other aspects of the game. We’ve also picked out the best single-player games on PC, in case you fancy logging off and trying something else until this issue is fixed.