How cheaters are handled in online games is a delicate topic, but its one under which the Destiny 2 community is united. After almost 70% of the top 100 Contest Mode clears of the Desert Perpetual raid were purportedly completed by cheating players, D2 fans called for swift justice against those responsible. In response, Bungie investigated the topic and responded thusly: any account cheating would be banned, and anyone in a group with someone caught cheating would be banned as well.
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Over 70% of Day One Raiders Banned, and Their Fireteams With Them
In a post on BlueSky, Bungie announced that a ban wave had been issued against anyone found cheating in the Desert Perpetual Contest Mode, along with “players who benefited from cheaters in their fireteam.” This language is a bit ambiguous, as D2‘s player code of conduct prevents players from intentionally benefiting from cheaters in their fireteam, but so far, it seems like most of the players affected by the ban truly were acting maliciously.
Bungie’s rules on cheating, specifically using third-party applications to change the gameplay experience, have always been pretty clear. Any use of third-party software is strictly prohibited, while most in-game exploits are allowed. For instance, if a weapon or ability is bugged or dealing more damage than intended, it’s free to use until it’s disabled or patched. This distinction between internal and external exploits is an important one, and makes something else clear as well—Bungie’s anti-cheat leaves something to be desired.
Bungie’s Anti-Cheat Isn’t Doing Its Job
Destiny 2 uses the BattlEye anti-cheat, which is supposed to automatically detect third-party interference with games and ban the players accordingly. As is evidenced by the sheer number of cheaters during the raid race, this software isn’t doing its job, as most of these players were evaluated and banned manually rather than by the anti-cheat software. Players have complained for a long time about cheaters in PvP, but cheating in PvE has been less of a prominent issue. Despite this, this most recent wave of bans targeted PvE exclusively, and players are calling for Bungie to step up its policing of the PvP modes. BattlEye’s job is an important one, as consistent pruning is essential to keeping cheating rates as low as possible.
Bungie’s Ban Boost Community Morale and Keeps Destiny Fair
Every PvP player knows how bad it feels to face a cheater—no matter how well someone plays, beating someone with a cheater on their team can be nearly impossible, and incredibly discouraging. This leads to a general sentiment of disapproval around cheaters, and though Destiny 2 does have a feature for reporting them, the scourge of PvP cheaters and PvE cheaters alike is one that’s plagued Destiny for a long time. Bungie’s best move is to keep cracking down on cheating harshly, consistently banning those who are found to be interfering with their games using third-party applications or software.
In the replies to their BlueSky post about the ban wave, Bungie received nothing but positive feedback from community members. These replies ranged from celebratory gifs to commendations, but each and every response was in celebration of the decision. With the game being free-to-play, it’s unlikely that the cheaters will stay away forever, but each moment Bungie commits to keeping the game as cheater-free as possible is another moment that exemplifies their commitment to keeping this game alive.
Free to Play Means Cheaters Return, But Have to Restart the Grind
At its core, Destiny 2 is a looter-shooter, meaning most of the progression earned is through long hours committed to earning the best gear possible. For players who were banned, that means this grind must start again, beginning from nothing in order to earn the gear necessary to re-reach the activities they were banned from initially. There are websites that offer boosting for a fee, but these go against Destiny 2‘s terms of service as well, meaning anyone using them to regain lost loot or power risks another ban.
Unfortunately, Destiny 2 being free-to-play means it will always have cheaters. It’s a no-risk endeavor, as a cheater isn’t likely to grow attached to an account or progress they cheated to gain in the first place, but the hope is that being banned a few times is enough to discourage the practice in as many as possible. With the community by their side, Bungie must continue to come down hard on cheaters in order to keep the game fair for those who have committed their time, energy, and effort into playing it like so many have. Particularly for events like Contest Mode raids and competitive PvP matches, fairness is essential to maintain an engaging competitive environment. Accomplishments become pointless when cheaters win everything, so eliminating as many as possible is in the best interest of both the Destiny 2 team and its playerbase.
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