Let me guess. You're standing in Maldraxxus right now, watching Gas Bag float uselessly while refusing to collect a single Pox Nodule.
Welcome to the Special Formula quest experience.
What Is The Special Formula Quest?
The Special Formula is a weekly Necrolord quest that sounds simple: Help your gassy companion collect 100 Pox Nodules. In reality? It's a masterclass in Blizzard's questionable quest design.
Here's what you're signing up for:
- Quest Giver: Gas Bag (yes, really)
- Objective: Collect 100 Pox Nodules
- Actual Objective: Figure out why Gas Bag won't do his ONE job
- Reward: A class-specific helm and 750 Stitchmaster rep
- Real Reward: Learning patience
The special formula refers to Gas Bag's secret to being perpetually gassy. Apparently, it involves coating himself in pox.
I don't make the lore, I just report it.
Why Everyone Hates This Quest
This quest is notorious for one reason:
Gas Bag is broken.
Not mechanically broken. Not lore broken. Actually, legitimately, "this NPC doesn't work half the time" broken.
Players have reported:
- Gas Bag refusing to collect pox
- Progress randomly resetting
- Multiple players breaking each other's progress
- The quest completing at 97/100 (lucky ones)
- Gas Bag despawning mid-collection
It's like Blizzard designed this quest specifically to test your commitment to that weekly chest.
How to Actually Complete Special Formula
After helping dozens of players through this nightmare, here's what actually works:
Step 1: Summon Gas Bag at the RIGHT Location
Don't summon him at the quest giver. Don't summon him halfway there.
Walk to the Absorbing Pox area first, THEN summon Gas Bag. This prevents about 50% of the bugs.
Step 2: The Reset Dance
Gas Bag not collecting? Here's the fix that works 90% of the time:
- Walk exactly 40 yards away
- Dismiss Gas Bag
- Count to 10 (seriously)
- Walk back
- Resummon Gas Bag
- Watch him suddenly remember his job
Why does this work? Nobody knows. But it does.
Step 3: The Solo Rule
Only one player can collect pox at a time.
See another player there? Leave. Come back in 5 minutes. Trust me, it's faster than trying to share the mechanic that doesn't support sharing.
Step 4: The Movement Trick
If Gas Bag stops collecting:
- Don't stand still
- Keep moving in small circles
- Stay within 20 yards of the pox area
- Don't mount (this breaks everything)
Movement seems to "wake up" his AI. Yes, this is dumb. Yes, it works.
Pro Tips Nobody Tells You
The Tuesday Morning Strategy: Do this quest right after weekly reset. Fewer players = fewer bugs.
The Alt Character Method: Gas Bag bugged on your main? Log an alt, do literally anything for 5 minutes, log back. Often fixes the instance.
The Nuclear Option: If nothing works, drop the quest completely, wait for daily reset, pick it up again. Sometimes the quest ID gets corrupted.
Is The Special Formula Reward Worth It?
Let's be honest about what you get:
- Class-specific helm: Usually worse than raid/M+ gear
- 750 Stitchmaster rep: Decent if you need it
- Superior Parts: Useful for abomination upgrades
- Salvaged Supplies: Vendor trash with extra steps
The real question: Is any of this worth 20 minutes of troubleshooting Gas Bag?
For most players, no.
But if you're a completionist, or you really need that Stitchmaster rep, then welcome to your weekly suffering.
The Lore Nobody Asked For
Why does Gas Bag need the special formula of pox coating? According to quest text, it's how he maintains his gaseous nature.
This raises questions:
- What happens without the pox?
- Is Gas Bag essentially a pox addict?
- Why do we enable this behavior?
- Who writes this stuff?
The special formula is literally just "rub yourself with diseased nodules until you're gassy."
Peak Maldraxxus storytelling.
Common Problems and Solutions
"Gas Bag won't collect anything"
- Solution: Dismiss, walk away, resummon
- Success rate: 70%
"I'm at 99/100 and it stopped"
- Solution: Drop one pox manually, let Gas Bag get the last one
- Success rate: 100%
"Another player is here"
- Solution: Leave immediately, try another shard
- Success rate: Your sanity intact
"The quest disappeared from my log"
- Solution: Check if you already completed it this week
- Success rate: You feeling silly
The Speedrun Strategy
Want to complete Special Formula as fast as possible?
- Do it at 3 AM server time (no competition)
- Use a macro to resummon Gas Bag quickly
- Pre-clear any hostile mobs
- Bring a friend to hold your therapy session after
Record time: 3 minutes (when it actually works) Average time: 15-20 minutes (including troubleshooting) Worst case: Just don't
Should You Even Bother?
Do the Special Formula quest if:
- You need Stitchmaster reputation
- You're a completionist
- You enjoy suffering
- You've done everything else this week
Skip it if:
- You value your time
- You have literally anything else to do
- Your blood pressure is high
- You've already thrown one keyboard this month
The Community Verdict
From the forums and Reddit:
"This quest made me switch covenants" - Actual player
"Gas Bag has one job and refuses to do it. Relatable." - Top comment
"I've killed mythic bosses easier than this quest" - Raid leader
The special formula for frustration, more like.
Final Thoughts
The Special Formula quest perfectly encapsulates the Shadowlands experience: Interesting concept, questionable execution, and NPCs that work when they feel like it.
Is it worth doing? That depends on your tolerance for janky quest mechanics and how badly you need that rep.
But hey, at least Gas Bag's dialogue is entertaining. "Naturally gassy" indeed.
What's your Special Formula horror story? Drop it below—misery loves company, especially in Maldraxxus.