Lost Ark is on a Bot Banning Spree

Bots have been rampaging throughout Arkesia. What is the developers’ answer? A massive ban wave.

Lost Ark is currently treading troubled waters as the Korean ARPG faces issues regarding bots. Bots have started to appear more frequently just a few weeks into the game, and it seems to be getting worse. With bot-spamming websites about Lost ARK gold for sale to mindless characters camping key opponents, a lot of players are worried that these bots will affect the quality of life in the game. 

Having found huge success at launch, the game’s developers and its players were optimistic about the Korean ARPG’s future. But then, issues started to appear just a few weeks after. Server congestions and long-queue hours started to become prominent, especially in the EU data centers. However, the most widely felt problem across all servers is the bots. It seems the developers are already on the move, as they are currently carrying out a mass banning. 

Rampant Bots in Lost Ark

Lost Ark is not unfamiliar with bots as this type of problem is not uncommon for many MMO games. The Korean ARPG has its fair share with bots back when it was released in 2019. Suffice to say that the problem about these AI-controlled Lost ARK account did not affect the initial regions that much. Unfortunately, bots have been a source of major concerns in the Western release of the game for multiple reasons.

As soon as Lost Ark was released, gamers were met with a problem with the MMO as thousands of players were kept in long queue lines. It took hours for some gamers to get into the game, and the EU data centers had the worst of it. Aside from the game’s enormous hype, bot accounts were accounted for as one of the main causes of server congestion as millions of AI-controlled accounts compete for spots against real-life players.

Aside from server congestion, a lot of bot-controlled characters are regularly seen spamming links to websites selling Lost ARK gold. Though these spam bots are generally considered simple bugbears, it gets increasingly hard to communicate with real-life players when the channels are flooded with spammed links. Some gamers have also been directly messaged or whispered by bots stating the same links.

Perhaps a less major problem that might potentially grow into a bigger issue is the appearance of farm bots. Though Lost Ark is not a mob grinding game, there are still certain key monsters or mobs that gamers are required to kill for quest purposes. Unfortunately, swaths of suspicious characters have been spotted camping the spawn areas of key monsters. These suspected bots kill any mob that spawns within seconds, which robs the chances of actual players from taking down quest targets. 

A lot of Western fans are worried due to the fact that it was Amazon Gaming Studios who released the game. Being the partner company of Smilegate, Amazon was given the right to launch the game and host the Korean ARPG’s servers in the Western Regions. Amazon Game Studio (AGS) has made fans worried about the bots issue due to their poor response to botting in their own MMO game, New World. 

On-Going Mass Banning

Before the bot issues could worsen, both AGS and Smilegate took the initiative and launched one of the largest ban waves. The ban wave removed over a million accounts for botting in just a single day. It is unclear if there will be any more large-scale mass banning anytime soon, but AGS has assured that the developers are working hard on creating an effective tool in identifying and eliminating bots in the game. 

Players have already seen the effects of the bans as some gamers have reported that server queues have seen a noticeable drop. Adventurers have also seen an improvement in the game’s in-game chat as the number of spam bots has been noticeably reduced. Unfortunately, some real-like players might have been caught in the crossfire. 

The developers of the game did point out that some players might have been potentially wrongfully identified as bots as they cite that their tools are not yet perfect. While the studio did try to prevent real-life players from getting accidentally banned, some have already reported their accounts being locked and have taken their grievances to public forums. Lost Ark devs have encouraged adventurers who have been wrongfully banned to submit HYPERLINK “https://www.amazongames.com/en-us/support/lost-ark/articles/appeal-a-ban” tickets in their customer support.

Lost Ark’s Popularity

Ever since the release of Smilegate’s popular MMO ARPG, a lot of gamers have flooded the servers and started grinding and exploring the world of Arkesia. The game became so popular that it became one of the most played games in the history of the Steam store, vastly outpacing popular mainstays such as DOTA 2 and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. With its 1.3 million concurrent players, the game placed second, just behind Playerunknown’s Battle Ground.

Many attributed Lost Ark’s success due to the lack of quality MMOs in recent times. However, many players noted that the game has been around since 2019 in Korea, Japan, and Russia and has remained popular within these regions. The game’s unique gameplay, systems, and outstanding visuals have ensured its success in and out of its initial regions.

The game follows an F2P model, meaning that players can play Lost Ark without paying anything. While this type of model does ensure that the Korean ARPG has a wider reach, it also makes them more prone and vulnerable to bot problems. Being an F2P, on top of being a popular game, has made Lost Ark a prime target for many scams and botting issues. 

Thankfully, Amazon has taken a more proactive approach this time around, avoiding the same mistakes they committed with New World. By dealing with the problem early on, the gaming studio has shown its commitment to improving the experience and quality of life of every gamer with a Lost ARK account. Hopefully, this type of initiative continues long after the game’s official launch.