Blizzard released World of Warcraft's prop hunt mode, Decor Duel, in patch 12.0.5 earlier this week and soon apologized for its flawed launch [1].
The patch contained a critical exploit involving the "track humanoids" ability, which allowed seekers to see exactly where hiders were hiding. Additionally, hiders were often denied rewards if they were judged not to have moved enough while in their chosen spots [1]. These issues degraded the gameplay experience Blizzard intended.
Blizzard acknowledged that the patch was "not up to our standards" and said the team is "taking lessons learned from this launch to help ensure this doesn't happen again" [1]. They promised to improve communication in future launches, pledging to "work harder to communicate openly, early, and often when a launch doesn't go as expected: the known issues we're working on, fixes as they roll out, and any other information that would be useful to our community as problems are worked on and solved" [1]. They added, "We care deeply about this game, and we play it right alongside you. We will do better."
Blizzard had first announced the addition of Decor Duel, timed alongside the Midnight expansion, in January 2026 [1]. The patch 12.0.5 release brought the mode live to all players worldwide but encountered these setbacks immediately upon launch [1].
The company is now focusing on fixing the exploit and addressing reward issues as quickly as possible. They have made clear they will keep players informed with regular updates on the remediation process.
