Duck dupe criminals nabbed: Embark is dishing out warnings and even ban hammers for miscreants abusing recent duplication glitches in Arc Raiders
It's no secret that Arc Raiders has had a tough run of it lately when it comes to bugs, particularly easily exploitable, game-breaking ones. Just last week there was an item duplication glitch which was (relatively) quickly hotfixed, only to be followed up by a similar exploit that granted free repairs, infinite ammo, and even broke magazine sizes. It was a lot for one week.
Embark promised at the time that there would be consequences, including bans, for those who abused these exploits, and the day of judgment has come.
In a new blog post, Embark explains that "Though these exploits stemmed from a design flaw on our part, the way they were used had a real impact on the game’s economy and the way the community experienced Arc Raiders."
"Over the course of this week, we will begin issuing enforcement actions to accounts that we can confirm took advantage of these exploits. We understand the desire for fast action, especially when both gameplay and the economy suffer. At the same time, our responsibility is, and must be, to act with fairness and accuracy."
So, what are the consequences? Embark says that it will be "taking actions based on severity, intent, frequency, and impact," dictating the punishments, which, in its own words, will include:
- Warnings for low-severity cases where abuse was limited
- Removal of Coins tied to exploit activity
- Suspensions for the severe cases, particularly where exploit usage had a significant impact on the in-game economy or other players’ experience
In other words, if you were merely checking things out to see what the fuss was about, then you're likely off the hook. But if you were duplicating items left, right, and centre to either use, sell, or trade, then you're in for some trouble.
Now, that might sound a tad unfair if you're simply taking advantage of a weakness caused by Embark itself. So, the developer notes that, thanks to this major exploit, it's "already improved detection and tracking, internal review tools, and safeguards to limit the impact of similar exploits." Fingers crossed we won't be saying any more game-breaking bugs like this in the future, though crafty players somehow always find a way.
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