Players of ARC Raiders are discussing whether a well-known Twitch streamer is cheating or if the community has a vision problem.
Who is it about? A section of the ARC Raiders community on Reddit is currently convinced that the Twitch streamer and YouTuber Mason “Symfuhny” Lanier is cheating.
Symfuhny is primarily known for playing shooters. He achieved significant recognition in 2018 with Fortnite, and later showcased Call of Duty: Warzone on Twitch. He has over 4.1 million followers and regularly attracts 3,000-4,000 viewers.
In the past year, however, the streamer has also devoted himself to other games, such as Marvel Rivals, Battlefield 6, and most recently, ARC Raiders.
Twitch streamer accused of cheating in ARC Raiders, but not everyone is sure
These are the accusations: A user posted a clip from a live stream of Symfuhny on Reddit and wrote: “That doesn’t look normal… Cheating or what?” The post garnered over 2,500 upvotes and received thousands of comments. The general sentiment among most users: “The guy is definitely cheating.”
In the 16-second clip, the streamer is engaged in a fight with an opponent just a few meters in front of him when he suddenly turns to the right and shoots his Venator at a building several hundred meters away. A flare actually rises to the sky, indicating that a Raider has just been taken down.
You can take a look at the clip yourself here:
However, other users are convinced that the clip proves nothing, as the streamer is not hitting an opponent with his long-range shots. Someone else at the fort must have downed the Raider. One comment states:
“The guy misses the first shot, then struggles to land a few body shots. He flicks somewhere completely different, shoots into absolute nothingness (first into the horizon, then against a wall) and the flare goes up 20 meters from the spot he shot at. Redditors: ‘He’s clearly cheating!!’ Don’t you have eyes in your head?”
In the meantime, there is another clip of the streamer on Reddit that supposedly shows him cheating in ARC Raiders and has received even more upvotes (over 4,800). In the new clip, he shoots at a closed door:
Cheating, clip farming, or skill?
Is he really cheating? That cannot be answered clearly. In the second clip, there are three different explanations for why he shoots at this door:
- He is cheating
- He is farming clips and intentionally provoking discussions about whether he is cheating
- He knows there are opponents behind the door and prefires
Farming clips by pretending to cheat is not a new concept. This has been seen in various games for years. In the tactical shooter Rainbow Six: Siege, it was long debated whether the streamer “Beaulo” was cheating. He eventually became a pro for one of the best teams in North America, performed well at LAN tournaments, and won the World Championship.
Moreover, the so-called “prefiring” is a common tactic among good players. If he knows that opponents are behind the door and expects them to open it and attack him, he flicks in that direction and fires a few shots, even though the door is still closed.
The discussion about whether Symfuhny is cheating also occurred in Fortnite and Warzone before. However, he has not been banned to this day, and fellow streamers swear he is an honest player. If the streamer is indeed playing legitimately and simply farming clips and discussions, he is obviously successful at it.
A few years ago, he surprised the Call of Duty community when he apparently live made sure that a cheater was punished. You can read the story here: Twitch streamer surprises the CoD Warzone 2 community by banning a cheater live
When asked why he abruptly turned to the side and shot at the fort, a user responded:
“Because he has been doing this the same way for over 5 years. He kills or knocks someone, whips his aim around 180 degrees and just starts shooting. In 99% of the cases, absolutely nothing happens, and no one clips it because nothing has happened. But every now and then he lands a sick clip where he snapshots someone and everyone goes completely crazy.”
In the meantime, there is another clip of the streamer on Reddit that supposedly shows him cheating in ARC Raiders and has received even more upvotes (over 4,800). In the new clip, he shoots at a closed door:
Cheating, clip farming, or skill?
Is he really cheating? That cannot be answered clearly. In the second clip, there are three different explanations for why he shoots at this door:
- He is cheating
- He is farming clips and intentionally provoking discussions about whether he is cheating
- He knows there are opponents behind the door and prefires
Farming clips by pretending to cheat is not a new concept. This has been seen in various games for years. In the tactical shooter Rainbow Six: Siege, it was long debated whether the streamer “Beaulo” was cheating. He eventually became a pro for one of the best teams in North America, performed well at LAN tournaments, and won the World Championship.
Moreover, the so-called “prefiring” is a common tactic among good players. If he knows that opponents are behind the door and expects them to open it and attack him, he flicks in that direction and fires a few shots, even though the door is still closed.
The discussion about whether Symfuhny is cheating also occurred in Fortnite and Warzone before. However, he has not been banned to this day, and fellow streamers swear he is an honest player. If the streamer is indeed playing legitimately and simply farming clips and discussions, he is obviously successful at it.
A few years ago, he surprised the Call of Duty community when he apparently live made sure that a cheater was punished. You can read the story here: Twitch streamer surprises the CoD Warzone 2 community by banning a cheater live
