Competitive games like Warzone, Fortnite, or CS:GO often attract cheaters and hackers. Even in the PvP of MMORPGs, this happens regularly. The MOBA League of Legends is, however, almost completely free of hackers. What is the reason for that?
How many hackers are there in LoL? Very few. On YouTube, there are some videos and montages from 2014 to 2018, where there were still some larger issues. But in the last three years, there has been hardly anything to find regarding hackers.
In contrast, things are different in CoD Warzone. There, hacking even occurs in tournaments with $100,000 prize money.
In the LoL community, the topic of hacks was discussed a few days ago (via reddit). There, players mention various reasons why hackers and scripters find it so difficult in LoL.
An aim bot is not enough to win the game
What do players attribute to the lack of hackers? One reason for the lack of hackers is seen by players in the fundamental gameplay of League of Legends. This is very much dependent on chance and teammates.
A bot or special hacks wouldn’t help much there, as they would only get you into a high Elo, where a player would also fail with special hacks due to not mastering other basics.
The user Helpless-Dane writes:
Having perfect aim in Counter Strike is a much bigger advantage than being able to kite or dodge perfectly in LoL.
Because if you’re a stupid AD Carry, you will die like a stupid AD Carry. Nothing really changes just because you can move well. If Nautilus catches you with a Flash > Hook, you will be hit. And scripting just gets you into an Elo where your stupidity and ignorance regarding your positioning will be your downfall.
Moreover, it is claimed that even these “perfect hacks” can be easily outsmarted by players. For example, if you jump behind the opponent with Malphite’s ultimate, the hack would dodge forward. However, the rest of the opposing team might be standing there and already the hacker is eliminated.
Even a wall hack wouldn’t have a big impact in LoL, as many champions can jump over walls or abilities can be fired over walls.
Do aim bots work? A well-known hack for a long time was an aim bot for the champion Xerath. He has many skill shots, where aiming is important, making him perfect for hacks.
But even that only works in the laning phase. At the latest in team fights, the script was overwhelmed, and the opposing team could quickly eliminate the player. Even though the Xerath was 8/0 in lane, he was not more than a “walking jungle camp” (via reddit).
Players with real skill would always prevail against bots, the players say. Especially in the endgame, where decisions must be made and teamwork is required, a hacker would be at a disadvantage due to his lack of skill.
Anyone who wants to see gameplay of Xerath can find a video from the German player Noway4u, who of course does not use a bot:
Riot took strong action against hackers, directly banning the entire hardware
Do the developers have something to do with the few hackers? According to the community, yes. One aspect is said to be server-side development. The client only sends information about the positions of opponents when they are visible to oneself. This way, one cannot cheat regarding the fogged map.
In Season 4, there were also some scripts that reset the cooldown of the spell Flash repeatedly. This is now also prevented by server-side programming.
In general, there were many bans due to scripting in 2014 and 2015.
Hardware bans and lawsuits: If someone cheats in LoL, they are permanently banned. These bans apply not only to one account but to all accounts associated with the person.
Moreover, there is a direct hardware ban. This makes it difficult to create new accounts.
Additionally, Riot Games has already sued numerous cheat developers and sellers.
- In 2017, they won a long-standing legal dispute and were awarded $10 million (via TechTimes).
- In 2020, Riot Games and Bungie jointly sued a manufacturer (via MarksGray) and were awarded $2 million.
- In 2022, there was another lawsuit against a cheat seller in Valorant (via Dexerto).
Furthermore, Riot Games itself is highly interested in closing gaps in the system. For example, players who manage to hack into Valorant have been offered $100,000 as a reward.
Is there also criticism of Riot Games? Yes, the anti-cheat system of Riot reads out which programs are running in the background. If a cheat program is found during this process, the game crashes immediately.
However, some players feel it is too strong an invasion of privacy, as all programs that are currently active on your PC can be seen. However, you agree to this in the Terms of Service.
Players cheat in the Flex Queue
Are there no cheaters in LoL? Yes, however, the cheating is “different” here. Through something called win trading, victories in the rankings are bought. Moreover, there are no restrictions in the Flex Queue for differences in rankings, allowing the strongest players to play with friends on freshly created accounts to boost them.
This, however, does not affect the quality in the Solo Queue or matches outside of ranked.
How often have you encountered hackers or cheaters in LoL? Or have you been completely spared from it? Feel free to write it in the comments.
A German player managed to hardly die in the Spring Split of the LEC – all without hacks:
LoL: German pro is the man who does not die – outshines all other players worldwide
