As it continues to undergo multiple changes with the assistance of fan feedback,World of Warcraftdevelopers have banned an absurd number of Death Knights. In an effort to combat the ongoingWorld of Warcraftbot problem that the community continues to shine a light on, Blizzard’s latest ban wave includes a plethora of the original hero class in the MMO.
WhenWorld of Warcraftentered theWrath of the Lich KingClassicera, all players were allowed to create a Death Knight character regardless of how far along they had progressed through Azeroth ahead of time. BecauseDeath Knights start theirWorld of Warcraftjourneyat level 55 and escape their starting zone at level 58, the class has become a priority for bots and gold farmers alike. With manyWorld of Warcraftplayers spotting these bots inClassicera andBurning Crusadeera dungeons, Blizzard has taken action to limit access to Death Knights in the future.
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In an official Blizzard forum blue post, Blizzard confirmed that it banned nearly 120,000 “malicious” accounts that were abusing the Death Knight’s ability to reach late-game resources with little gameplay required. Though a majority of these accounts were accused of botting, some were violating other aspects of the in-game ecosystem, with most of the issues seemingly associated with the Death Knight class. Based on these worrying statistics, Blizzard has reactivated the pre-requisite to creating aWorld of WarcraftDeath Knight, demanding players to reach level 55 on another character before unlocking the hero class.
Although Blizzard originally intended for anyWorld of Warcraft Classicplayer to be able to create a Death Knight atWrath of the Lich King’sClassiclaunch, the system has been botted enough to implement the limitation that was part of its original release. The 120,000 banned accounts from this latestWorld of Warcraft Classicpurge don’t include the standard actions according to Blizzard which result in thousands of bans on their own, such as harassing in chat or other terms of service violations. The sheer volume of accounts banned for abusing the Death Knight’s quick access to expensive materials andWorld of Warcraftbotting highlight the damage that some players have been able to cause onClassicservers.
Given that theWorld of Warcraft Classicbotting problem had gotten out of hand according to many players, most of theClassiccommunity has expressed their support for this Blizzard decision. Though some players may have a harder time finding groups forWorld of Warcraft: The Burning Crusadedungeonsafter theseClassicera changes, the overall benefits should help balance the in-game economy.
World of Warcraftis available now for Mac and PC.
