There are bad raid pulls.
There are spectacularly bad raid pulls.
And then there is losing roughly 80 percent of your raid because Blizzard apparently banned them while the boss was still alive.
World of Warcraft appears to have been hit by a significant new ban wave, with several Eastern European guilds and boosting communities reporting account suspensions just days before Midnight Season 2 begins.
The suspected target is real-money trading, or RMT.
Blizzard has not yet publicly confirmed the reason for the bans, but reports from affected communities suggest some suspensions may last as long as six months.
And at least one group discovered this in the most dramatic way possible.
A Rotmire Raid Apparently Vanished Mid-Pull
According to reports collected by Wowhead, a Rotmire pick-up group was fighting the boss when players suddenly began disappearing from the raid.
Not one player.
Not two.
Approximately
80 percent of the group reportedly vanished after their accounts were hit by the ban wave.
A video clip of the incident was initially circulating online but has since been deleted.
Reports shared within raid-leader Discord communities also indicate that multiple guilds were affected, with players from Russian and other Eastern European communities among those reporting suspensions.
There are additional reports involving Iranian and Middle Eastern players.
Nothing quite improves raid mechanics like discovering that most of your DPS has just been removed from World of Warcraft.
The Ban Wave Appears to Be Connected to Real-Money Trading
The working theory within the affected communities is that Blizzard is targeting accounts connected to boosting services involving real-world money.
That distinction matters.
Boosting itself is not automatically against World of Warcraft's rules.
Players can still sell certain services for
in-game gold within Blizzard's restrictions.
Real-money trading is different.
Selling raid clears, Mythic+ runs, PvP rating or other services in exchange for actual money violates Blizzard's policies.
Account sharing and piloted boosting can create additional problems depending on how the service operates.
However, Blizzard has not yet released a public statement identifying exactly which behavior triggered this particular wave.
So for now, RMT is the reported explanation rather than an officially confirmed one.
Some Players Are Reporting Six-Month Suspensions
Reports from affected players suggest that at least some accounts received suspensions lasting
six months.
If accurate, that is not a minor slap on the wrist.
A six-month suspension would remove those players from essentially the entirety of Midnight Season 2 and a considerable chunk of whatever comes afterward.
The timing is particularly brutal.
Patch 12.1: Curse of Ula’tek launches this week, with Midnight Season 2 following on August 18.
Anyone receiving a six-month ban right now isn't merely missing raid night.
They are missing the season.
Boosting Has Always Lived in an Awkward Corner of WoW
World of Warcraft's relationship with boosting has been complicated for years.
There is nothing inherently strange about experienced players helping somebody through difficult content in exchange for gold.
WoW players have been selling services since someone first realized another player would pay them not to walk through Stranglethorn Vale.
The problem begins when an organized gold economy turns into an actual business.
Large boosting communities can involve enormous amounts of gold, third-party communication platforms, account sharing and, in some cases, transactions involving real currency.
That makes the line between legitimate in-game services and prohibited commercial activity increasingly important.
Blizzard has previously taken action against boosting organizations and RMT networks.
This week's reports suggest the hammer may have swung again.
For Now, We’re Waiting on Blizzard
There are still important unanswered questions.
How many accounts were actually affected?
Were all of them connected to RMT?
Were the reported six-month suspensions universal, or do penalties vary?
And was Blizzard targeting specific organizations or running a broader detection sweep?
Until Blizzard comments, we shouldn't pretend to know.
What we do know is that multiple communities are reporting a substantial wave of suspensions, some of them appear to have landed while players were actively raiding, and the timing could hardly be worse for anyone planning to play Midnight Season 2.
If the Rotmire group really did lose four-fifths of its raid during the pull, however, one thing seems certain.
That boss has just recorded the most efficient raid wipe of the entire season.
And it didn't even have to use an ability.
Source: Wowhead
Post a Comment