I logged in today and started running SFK runs to get one of my newly created characters to level 25 in SoD when I suddenly got disconnected to see a popup of me being “banned”. After checking my email the reason turned out to be “Unauthorized Cheat Programs (Hacks)”
Which brings the question: is using curseforge addons considered hacking? because those are the only 3rd party programs and outside of that I haven’t traded gold nor botted nor exploited any bugs in any way nor have done anything out of the ordinary that gave me the edge over other players like the Terms of Use and In-game Policies mention.
What worries me (which is why I’m writing this post) is I’ve submmited a ban appeal and a few hours ago I’ve received what seems to be a blatant bot response and although I’ve replied to the comment I’m afraid it won’t be of any effect.
Is there anything else I could do? has anyone faced this situation and gotten their accounts unbanned?
I can say from first hand that this guy did nothing wrong, because i was the one that introduced him to the game . He has played on Lone Wolf while waiting to be able to create a character at the realm i am playing Living flame and he is realy enjoying the game, then blizz decide he is a bot or something ? Please guys be reasonable and read the e-mails he is writing to you.
It’s super frustrating when you’re just trying to enjoy the game, and then suddenly you’re hit with something like that.
As for CurseForge addons, they’re usually seen as fair game by the gaming community, right? I mean, they’re not meant to give you some crazy advantage or anything. So, it’s pretty weird that you got slapped with a ban for that.
Hate to be the bringer of bad news. The Blizzard staff on here don’t work with tickets and don’t skip people ahead. Also they just close discussions about bans as it’s against the forum rules. It’s to be all done by ticket.
Well that sucks x) it’s frustrating getting banned for literally no reason (from my point of view of course) and having nothing to do about it… is all I can do really just hold hope that I won’t get more automated responses?
I think all you can do is google what can get you banned and see if you’ve used/done any of it. Apparently there are some software programmes out there, that may very well seem everyday - like those that look after your keyboard/mouse - that can get you banned. WoW runs something in the background to check if you’re using anything it flags as suspicious, so I’m assuming something must have triggered it.
You can raise a ticket/respond to tickets but I’d do some research first, if I were you - because from what I’ve heard they won’t spend a lot of time double checking and if you get unbanned/your ban expires and you haven’t worked out what caused it, you could easily have the same problem again.
As for addons … I’ve used loads of addons over the years (once upon a time only from Curse, although I go via other hubs now as I’m not keen on Curse), and none of them caused an issue. I think Curse runs checks anyway prior to allowing addons on their systems.
Believe you me when I say I’ve made sure to check all the relevant blizzard forums and several forum posts regarding why people get banned and I can assure you I’ve done nothing even close to what could’ve gotten me banned (I’ve only started playing 2 weeks ago so my memory is fresh on what I’ve done and didn’t do).
The closest thing to the “reason” why I think I’ve been banned for I got from reading various posts is that sometimes when you play for an excessive amount of time your account gets flagged for being a bot account especially if it’s been created recently and I’ve been pretty much playing non stop the past 2 weeks but other than that nothing.
What could trigger it is other programs running in the background (but inactive in wow) such as HotkeyNet for example. Also keyboard macros (i.e. one keypress do more actions) could be the reason.
Thanks for the clarification. I’m aware from playing several games that anything fishy running in the background could get me suspended which is why I keep the apps running in the background to a bare minimum (discord, browsers, antivirus and microsoft stuff)
And if using addons is 100% legal than this makes the ban even more frustrating. If this forum post is still unlocked after I get a response on my appeal I’ll make sure to keep you fellas updated.
Small update ~ After some extensive research it turns out a fair share amount of people are experiencing the exact same thing I’m experiencing and are receiving the same “automated” responses I am currently receiving which eventually lead to no replies…
However there is this one case of a streamer I’ve found having THE EXACT SAME scenario I am currently having yet… getting unbanned in no less than 4 hours?
I got banned on the 5th of dec for the same reason and despite ongoing efforts to appeal, it feels like a waste of time and energy as the response remains consistent: “This penalty has already been upheld. Any further requests on this topic will not be reviewed.”
I’m uncertain about the credibility of the investigation, but as you mentioned, it seems that if you have some privilege, they’ll review your case, otherwise it’s left to the automated system…
Imagine enjoying the game as much as its supposed to be enjoyed and then you get banned out of no where with no explanation. Sorta ridiculous, come on blizzard give him a fair review that isn’t from a bot.