In Destiny 2 there have been Guardians for far too long who have gained an unfair advantage over honest players through technical means. But now Bungie has also announced it will take consistent but careful action against hardware cheats.
What measures has Destiny 2 announced against cheaters? In the latest “This Week at Bungie” blog, Bungie has now actively addressed the cheat plague with special third-party devices for consoles after Call of Duty and Rainbow Six. With their help, some Guardians have gained an unfair advantage in the loot shooter for far too long in the past.
These devices, primarily XIM, Cronus Zen, and ReaSnow S1, are connected to a computer or console, where they act as mouse and keyboard interfaces, emulating controller inputs or executing simple scripts to make the game provide additional aim assist, for instance.
- Through scripts, players could automatically aim at the opponent’s head or fire many shots in a short time without having to pull the trigger.
- It was also possible for mouse and keyboard users to utilize the full aim assist of controllers.
We have already seen how outrageous and brazen this cheater gameplay is in Season 17:
So far, this cheating method was considered relatively safe and has spread quickly. Especially because detecting its use by developers was difficult. Cheaters felt secure, and honest players turned their backs on PvP.
However, after Call of Duty announced that its anti-cheat RICOCHET can now detect such devices, the situation has changed, and Destiny 2 players demanded quick action from Bungie.
Bungie is following suit with the detection of hardware cheats: In February, Bungie had already announced to “The Verge” that it was examining its options and possibilities against this type of hardware cheats.
Especially the fact that the Destiny community was “increasingly frustrated” by the cheater experiences in PvP was the main reason why they are now acting quickly after detection became possible.
Bungie revealed, for example, that players who have misused these tools have ranked up in PvP at a speed far beyond what one would expect from an honest player improving through typical gameplay. This type of cheating could also negatively affect things like the “World First Raid Race” in PvE.
Anyone who uses third-party devices to ease challenges that are not “intended by Bungie’s game designers” is now committing a clear violation.
What to expect in case of a violation: Violations of the new cheat policy will be monitored and may result in corresponding warnings, restrictions, or even bans for a player.
Destiny 2 allows its use – Please check violations more closely
Bungie will closely examine gameplay: In the current blog post, they did not go into detail about how Bungie will detect hardware cheats in the future. They are more discreet than other shooters that have already actively taken action against cheaters.
- For example, Activision is known to use its own “Ricochet” anti-cheat system to detect violations. Here, the developer imposes direct bans on users or confronts them by making opponents invincible.
- Ubisoft uses a system called “Mousetrap” that analyzes player movements and then creates a model to detect cheaters. Here, hardware cheaters are punished with slow latencies.
However, Bungie wants everyone to feel welcome in Destiny 2 – including players with physical disabilities who rely on the use of external devices. Therefore, they noted that helpful accessibility options should remain intact.
To ensure this, the developer plans, with unspecified measures, to evaluate the “overall gameplay [of a player] for violations”.
What exactly counts as a violation? Using an accessibility aid to play where a player could not otherwise play would not be a violation of Destiny 2’s new anti-cheat policy.
However, using a tool to mitigate challenges that all players face, such as reducing recoil or increasing aim assist, would be a violation that Bungie will now detect and penalize.
Which devices are exactly affected? In Destiny 2, all programmable controllers, such as Cronus Zen, keyboard and mouse adapters, advanced macros, or automation through artificial intelligence are affected by this anti-cheat measure. However, they did not specify what exactly is considered an “advanced macro”.
However, it can be assumed that all “external accessibility aids” that extend the player’s ability to control Destiny 2 beyond what the game itself typically offers are included. They are considered cheating and will no longer be tolerated.
But don’t worry: Official elite and pro controllers, such as Xbox, PlayStation, and Scuf controllers, can be used by Guardians in Destiny 2 without issue, as Bungie stated additionally.
When will the new cheat measures be active? Bungie has kept this uncertain as well. However, it could already be in the game, as background maintenance work was conducted last night that led to issues with Bungie’s anti-cheat system BattlEye and error messages.
What do you think about the measures Bungie has now taken to combat hardware cheaters in Destiny 2? Do you believe these measures are enough to ensure a fair gaming experience without hardware cheats in the future? Or do you think that’s a bit too cautious? Feel free to share your opinion in the comments.
After these announcements, even the manufacturers of the devices used for cheating are getting nervous and warning their customers:
