A new bot plague is currently spreading in WoW Classic. Especially Stratholme is a popular place for entire bot groups.
In World of Warcraft Classic, bots unfortunately belong to everyday life. Whether players rely on PvP farm bots that just earn honor in battlegrounds on the side, or level bots that automatically kill enemies so you don’t have to level yourself – there are bots on every realm.
Currently, however, there seems to be a large group of organized bot users who operate several hundred accounts simultaneously across a variety of realms. They always follow a similar pattern.
What kind of bots are these? In the subreddit of WoW Classic, the user mateuscx has compiled a whole range of information. He noticed that on his realm, suspiciously many groups visit the dungeon Stratholme and almost always in the same combination: one druid, one priest, and three mages. Then the group returns to Undercity and sells the loot at the auction house.
Those who observe the characters will notice that they always use the same route and move in “jerky” steps. A character takes a few steps and then waits for the others to catch up – and this happens repeatedly. A clear indication of automated play, such as through scripts and bots. In addition, the bots constantly undercut their own offerings in the auction house.
With some research, mateuscx then found out that these bots were not only active on his realm but also present on almost all other realms with around 20 characters. These bot groups exist on nearly all realms and go through Stratholme or other dungeons. The problem is primarily found on US realms, but EU realms are also struggling with this bot plague.
Here is a video of the bots’ movements. What at first glance looks like player movements seems to be automated – because on all other realms, the characters move in exactly the same manner.
What are the bots selling? The bots primarily sell Flawless Black Diamonds and Righteous Orbs. These orbs are needed for the enchantment “Crusader”, which is considered the optimal enchantment for both endgame and PvP twinks, thus yielding high profits. There is an extreme demand for these materials on most servers.
Some take it with humor: However, there is also a group of players who take these bots humorously. After all, there have always been bots in World of Warcraft, and that is thus the “true WoW Classic experience.” Moreover, some players are happy that bots significantly lower the prices of certain items in the auction house, making them more affordable.
Others, however, recommend at least on the PvP servers to ambush the bots on their way to their respective dungeon. They would hardly defend themselves in PvP and instead consume potions and other resources but can effectively offer no resistance. While this is not a long-term solution, it at least brings short-term satisfaction. Players have already dealt with PvP bots themselves.
Why isn’t Blizzard doing anything? One often hears the accusation that Blizzard does not respond to such bots, even though they have been reported many times. However, this may only be true in the short term. In general, Blizzard bans such bots in large waves, which then affect many accounts simultaneously.
This makes it more difficult for bot manufacturers to pinpoint exactly which behavior or code caused them to be caught. If Blizzard banned more frequently, it would be easy for bot creators to identify the problematic part of the code.
So let’s hope that all these bots will be caught with the next big ban wave.
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