In China, the WoW operator is currently calling its players individually. Those who do not know mechanics for a boss will be banned.
In the past few days, the “Hall of Fame” has been filled on the side of the Alliance in World of Warcraft. Here, the first 100 guilds to complete a raid at mythic difficulty land. There have been accusations that professional guilds from China have sold places in the Hall of Fame. The WoW operator is currently checking this – and interrogating players over the phone. Those who do not know the answers will face a ban.
What happened? The Hall of Fame in World of Warcraft is essentially an honor for all time. Those who have been immortalized here with their guild can forever admire that they completed a raid at the highest difficulty before many other players managed to do so.
However, there has been a lot of criticism. In the past few days, accusations have piled up that many players are “buying” a place in the Hall of Fame. They pay other professional guilds to let some players from their own guild join and master the fight for them.
NetEase has reacted to the criticism and has now started with an unusual strategy. They are calling players directly by phone and asking questions about the boss.
Who is Netease? In China, World of Warcraft is not directly operated by Blizzard, but by NetEase. They are often a partner for Western companies that want to offer their games in China.
What kind of questions are these? Netease is practically interrogating the players and wants answers to specific questions about the boss mechanics from Castle Nathria. For example, they ask about the final boss fight:
- What causes the boss to change phases?
- How many Cabalists are there in phase 2 of the fight?
- Is the ability “Blood Price” in phase 3, and if so, how often?
Anyone who has “legally” defeated Denathrius at mythic difficulty should know the answers to these questions. These are fundamental details about the game mechanics that are essential for a victory at mythic difficulty.
Currently, the providers of these real money purchases are trying to brief their customers so they can answer the questions correctly before NetEase can call.
What happens if you answer incorrectly? Those who do not answer the questions correctly or at all will have their success revoked. Furthermore, there is an account suspension of 3 to 7 days.
The suspension sounds minor when compared to suspensions in America and Europe, where such actions often result in penalties of 30 to 180 days. However, for the Chinese World of Warcraft, this is a small sensation, as there are hardly ever suspensions.
But NetEase also asks other questions. One player was asked why he was raiding with 8 characters at the same time. He reportedly replied, “Because I’m just that good at the game” – and then he was banned immediately.
What do you think of this approach by NetEase? Does it go too far and should it not be done? Or is this the right approach to catch cheaters?
