In Destiny 2, many of the upcoming contents are already found before their actual release. One of the most popular discoverers has now been banned by Bungie due to hacking.
Who was banned? The player JB3 announced via Twitter that he was banned. Although his name may not be familiar to most Guardians, his discoveries are likely much better known.
JB3 did not make a name for himself through extreme PvP montages or solo raids, but rather searched Destiny 2 for hidden content and shared his discoveries of unpublished content with the community.
He often went “out of bounds”, moving into areas of the game that were actually inaccessible. Just recently, he discovered a hidden boss that Guardians will face in Season 11.
Why was he banned? JB3 stated that he was able to make his discoveries through glitches – that is, by exploiting game bugs. However, Bungie did not ban him for exploiting glitches, but for using third-party software.
On Twitter, JB3 admitted this as well:
For about 6 months, he stated that he went from glitcher to hacker, as he further explained (via Twitter), since many of his explorations would not have been possible without the third-party software and data mining.
JB3 continues to assert on Twitter that he regrets nothing and “he is not sorry for wanting to show us cool things”. He also knew that Bungie explicitly prohibits the use of such software for Destiny 2. He was aware of the risks.
Are data miners a curse or a blessing?
This is how the community reacts: The banning of one of the most prominent data miners is now heating up the community:
- Many lose respect for JB3 – they thought he had made his discoveries through legal means. On reddit, CaydeHawthorne wrote disappointedly: “Now it makes sense how he could find all that cool stuff in the interference mission”.
- Others agree that honest discoverers are being dragged through the mud.
- However, others feel that no one has been harmed by his activities and do not find the ban fair. So does PhantomLeadr on Twitter: “He did not negatively affect anyone’s game experience in any way”.
The ban also led to mockery. Some players find it curious that one gets banned in PvE while others are allowed to ruin matches for other players despite using the same software in PvP.
Will Destiny 2 become a bit more mysterious now? On one side, Guardians complain when events, bosses, or weapons are dug up in advance by data miners or announced by Bungie themselves. Because surprise is one of the strongest motivators and reminds players of their first days in the (then) new world of MMO shooters.
On the other hand, people always want new info and to know what is coming soon. Therefore, leaks are eagerly absorbed – even if the information is not remotely confirmed.
Do you think that finds by other data miners will decrease now? How do you feel about the topic in general? Are you excited about every new piece of information, no matter where it comes from?
By the way, we know from Destiny director Luke Smith himself that we will soon get more Stasis enemies: Destiny 2 fulfills your wish for new enemies, in a way you didn’t expect
