We're all realizing it, some quicker than others: the game has massive a cheater problem.
I've reported some blatant cheaters, and I keep an eye on whether or not they get banned. How much time goes by? How obvious is the evidence?
When literal months pass and a very obvious cheater, who even has a youtube channel where you can very clearly see the obvious cheating, is still not banned, you arrive at a conclusion: the game is likely full of cheaters.
Looking back upon my experiences, this idea tracks with several encounters i've had in the game. Things lining up just a little too well for the opponent; seeming to know things they shouldn't be able to know at a given moment. Somehow catching up in situations where catching up is mathematically impossible. Landing attacks too consistently in unlikely circumstances.. Several little moments where impossible things seem to happen; but you end up chalking it up to game jank, because you don't want to believe the game is literally infested with cheaters...
Upon reflection, when i see an extremely obvious cheater has not being banned, what can you conclude except that these instances are probably the result of cheaters? And that although you hoped the game wasn't full of cheaters, it highly likely is.
Let's look at this from a psychological perspective too.
You have a game with extremely high stakes, egos on the line, humiliation, heads going into the nave chat, large amounts of loot being lost that constitute literal hours of a person's life...
Winning becomes very important to people when put in scenarios like this; which in turn, incentivizes cheating. When winning becomes important, cheating becomes likely.
So, an environment that incentivizes cheating with seemingly limited/sluggish enforcement of the rules; what do you think that results in?
The game is absolutely full of cheaters right now; and you can feel it when you play.. Like, it is very obvious. They have no fear of being banned, and some are so blatant as to record themselves and post it. There are people in guilds with these individuals who actually defend it now. You need to crack down hard on these individuals.
Like, honestly, after Sarducca, i think the first thing you should be prioritizing is anti-cheat that actually works. Briefly researching the topic, i can see there are newer solutions to cheating; for example:
Anybrain anti-cheat — concise summary:
In short: it doesn’t look for cheats installed on your system—it looks for unnatural gameplay behavior that cheats produce.
I think you honestly need to look into something like this, because clearly, whatever you're doing isn't working; and your game is suffering for it.
I've reported some blatant cheaters, and I keep an eye on whether or not they get banned. How much time goes by? How obvious is the evidence?
When literal months pass and a very obvious cheater, who even has a youtube channel where you can very clearly see the obvious cheating, is still not banned, you arrive at a conclusion: the game is likely full of cheaters.
Looking back upon my experiences, this idea tracks with several encounters i've had in the game. Things lining up just a little too well for the opponent; seeming to know things they shouldn't be able to know at a given moment. Somehow catching up in situations where catching up is mathematically impossible. Landing attacks too consistently in unlikely circumstances.. Several little moments where impossible things seem to happen; but you end up chalking it up to game jank, because you don't want to believe the game is literally infested with cheaters...
Upon reflection, when i see an extremely obvious cheater has not being banned, what can you conclude except that these instances are probably the result of cheaters? And that although you hoped the game wasn't full of cheaters, it highly likely is.
Let's look at this from a psychological perspective too.
You have a game with extremely high stakes, egos on the line, humiliation, heads going into the nave chat, large amounts of loot being lost that constitute literal hours of a person's life...
Winning becomes very important to people when put in scenarios like this; which in turn, incentivizes cheating. When winning becomes important, cheating becomes likely.
So, an environment that incentivizes cheating with seemingly limited/sluggish enforcement of the rules; what do you think that results in?
The game is absolutely full of cheaters right now; and you can feel it when you play.. Like, it is very obvious. They have no fear of being banned, and some are so blatant as to record themselves and post it. There are people in guilds with these individuals who actually defend it now. You need to crack down hard on these individuals.
Like, honestly, after Sarducca, i think the first thing you should be prioritizing is anti-cheat that actually works. Briefly researching the topic, i can see there are newer solutions to cheating; for example:
Anybrain anti-cheat — concise summary:
- It uses behavioral biometrics: how you move (mouse, keyboard, controller) becomes your unique “fingerprint.”
- An AI model learns your normal play patterns over time.
- It then flags anomalies—inputs that look too precise, inhuman, or inconsistent (typical of bots, scripts, or aim-assist cheats).
- It runs server-side, so there’s no intrusive scanning of your PC or files.
- Instead of banning instantly, it usually builds confidence over multiple sessions before action.
In short: it doesn’t look for cheats installed on your system—it looks for unnatural gameplay behavior that cheats produce.
I think you honestly need to look into something like this, because clearly, whatever you're doing isn't working; and your game is suffering for it.