After a few weeks in which The Division seemed to be spawning new and interesting bugs as fast as they could be fixed, Ubisoft have decided to implement not only new methods of detection against cheating but also slightly harsher penalities for those caught at it.
“We have already caught more cheaters in the last few days than we had in total during the previous weeks. As a result, we will be handing out the biggest wave of suspensions and bans to date over the course of the next few days.” Ubisoft wrote in an update on the subject.
Previously first time offenses would gain cheaters a three day suspension from the game, but now Ubisoft have decided to up that to fourteen days – possibly due to the Falcon Lost exploit that led to cheaters purposefully bypassing parts of the mission to repeatedly gain access to high-end loot that was supposed to be available only once a week. Second offenses remain unchanged though, with the cheater than being permanently banned from the game.
Ubisoft also took time to address concerns from the community that they could be caught out if they happened to stumble into a cheat rather than aiming to exploit it, by clarifying what they considered a “bug exploit”.
“Should new bugs be discovered, we will quickly confirm if these are considered exploits. All known exploits will be clearly listed in a public forum thread and across our various communication platforms. We want all players to be informed. This will ensure that those caught after an exploit was confirmed are aware of the consequences and actions that can be taken against them. Sanctions will be implemented for players who repeatedly abuse exploits and will vary depending on the severity of the abuse, as well as the history of the player. Possible sanctions include character rollbacks, account suspensions and permanent bans. Those who encounter bugs during the normal course of play have absolutely nothing to worry about.”
Apparently two waves of bans have already hit the game, and no doubt as time goes on more people will find themselves separated from loot they might have gotten through means they knew weren't legit. Let's just hope that the processes don't catch anyone innocent in the net, if a new bug comes along.