In Lost Ark, players took advantage of a bug to acquire millions of gold and good equipment. Now Amazon has responded and banned the cheaters.
What kind of exploit was that? Recently, Lost Ark introduced what are known as starter support servers. These servers are meant to help new players get started in the MMORPG. For this, Amazon Games Studios added several systems and unlocked various bonuses.
Because of all the bonuses, players could exploit an issue related to the Stronghold. Instead of receiving a reward chest, they could secure multiple chests at once. Through the exploit, players received millions of gold, items, and especially many important upgrade materials to enhance their characters. Those who exploited the bug are now facing consequences.
This trailer was launched with Lost Ark back then:
Amazon swings the ban hammer
Who received a ban? Not everyone who opened a chest will receive a ban. Amazon Games Studios evaluates the severity of cheating based on how many fraudulent reward chests were opened by each player. In a post on the Lost Ark website, the developers announce the penalties.
In total, about 2,300 players received reward chests. Of these, 1,200 did not open their chests and will not receive a penalty, but they will lose their chests. The remaining players will receive penalties based on the number of chests:
- Players who opened 1–2 chests will lose the items they received. They will not get a proper ban but may be blocked until the items are removed.
- Players who opened 3–7 chests will receive a two-week ban.
- Those who opened 8–14 chests will have to forfeit their account for one month.
- Those who opened more than 15 chests will initially be banned for 30 days, but the penalty will be reviewed individually, and permanent bans are also possible.
Amazon is taking strong action and is not letting even players who opened just a few more chests get away without a ban.
Is the exploit still in the game? The exploit is currently no longer possible, as Amazon Games Studios has restricted access to the Stronghold. Those who are stuck there must contact in-game support or wait until the next patch on October 23rd.
After the update, access to the Stronghold will be restored, and the chests will then be available and usable in their intended manner again.
Currently, it is the best time to start fresh or return to Lost Ark. The starter support servers offer good bonuses, allowing beginners to quickly catch up with experienced players. You can learn more about the starter support servers here: Throne and Liberty not your type? Then now is the best time to jump into another MMORPG on Steam
