In WoW Classic, there was a massive ban wave. However, it seems to have mainly affected innocent players, who are now loudly complaining.
In World of Warcraft Classic, the pre-patch for “Wrath of the Lich King Classic” has been live for a few days now. Many players are using this opportunity to quickly level a character to 70, so that they can finally return to Northrend in a few days and relive the old adventures. However, for some heroes, the journey ended after just the first PvP matches – as they were banned for inactivity. The outcry was loud, prompting Blizzard to backtrack.
Why were people banned? In recent days, there has been a collective outcry in the forums and the WoW Classic subreddit. Hundreds reported that they were banned from WotLK Classic for a hefty duration of 30 days. The reason is almost always “PvP non-participation”. This refers to when a character signs up for PvP but does not participate in the battle at all, instead standing AFK somewhere to collect honor and experience points without engaging in the game.
What do the affected players say? The affected players report that they were primarily playing normally in Alterac Valley to gain experience through PvP battlegrounds and level their characters. Many state that they acted more defensively, for example, protecting towers from capture. This, in turn, seems to lead the system to classify these characters as AFK. After all, you deal little damage and provide little healing when you stoically defend a bunker throughout the battle, and even the presence alone might prevent a rogue or druid from attacking.
Many are outraged by this decision and believe that Blizzard’s automatic detection has simply failed here. The disappointment is great, as it means they would miss the launch of WotLK Classic.
At least some take it with humor and comment:
“This is one way to reduce queues: simply ban a large part of the player base.”
This is Blizzard’s response: It has now become clear that the many affected players were clearly telling the truth, and many of them were banned unjustly. More and more are reporting that the developers have since sent an apology and have unlocked affected accounts. Therefore, only a few will probably have to serve the full 30 days.
If you have been affected by the ban wave, check your emails. The ban may have already been lifted.
Were you also affected by the ban and have now been unbanned? Do you know someone who has been affected?
Some would also like a special treatment in WoW Classic – like the streamer Asmongold.
