In competitive games, nothing arouses such bad frustration as being finished off by a cheater. That’s why a functioning anti-cheat system is so important in games like Call of Duty: Warzone. However, this doesn’t always run smoothly, especially the so-called shadow bans often lead to problems for honest players. This article explains what a shadow ban actually is, why this anti-cheat system also has disadvantages, and what you can do about it.
What is a Shadow Ban?
If you encounter a cheater in Call of Duty: Warzone, you can report them in-game. Let’s call this player Brutus for simplicity’s sake. If enough complaints are received, Warzone’s anti-cheat system Ricochet will take a closer look at this Brutus. So while it checks to see if this player is a cheater, our dear Brutus will receive a Shadow Ban.
In the process, Brutus is only thrown into special lobbies that are full of players who, like him, have received a Shadow Ban – i.e. potential cheaters. The chances of success are of course in the cellar for Brutus, and it should not be too much fun for him anymore. Serves him right if Brutus really is a cheater. But what if he was falsely reported?
Why is that a problem?
Again and again, innocent players receive a shadow ban and have to struggle against all kinds of cheaters. And this happens secretly. Our dear Brutus has not received any notification that he is subject to a shadow ban. It takes an average of one to two weeks until it is clarified whether he is really cheating. Until then, Warzone is as good as unplayable for Brutus.
What to do about it? Almost nothing. You can contact Activision’s official support and hope that this will end the ban faster, but mostly only patient waiting will help.
Who is affected by this?
Anyone can theoretically be affected, but influencers are particularly vulnerable. Streamers and other content creators are often reported simply because they are known, disliked, or for other non-game-related reasons.
Streamers like Fivebyfivex, Rhys Price and RØKKR Smixie already got a Shadow Ban, the Content Creator Metaphor already suffered this punishment twice innocently.
How do you know you are subject to a Shadow Ban?
Even if you don’t receive a direct notification from Activision, there are a few indications that you are subject to a Shadow Ban:
- Very high ping in every match: No matter how good your internet is, you will play with a ping of often over 200.
- Matchmaking takes much longer: Since the pool of other players is much smaller than usual, you will have to wait much longer for the match to happen.
- You will be completely destroyed: Even if only half of the opponents subject to a Shadow Ban are really cheating… Then you won’t stand a chance.
Besides the Shadow Ban, Warzone also has other systems to make life difficult for cheaters. For example, all weapons are taken away from detected cheaters so that they can no longer defend themselves.
What do you think of Shadow Bans? Do you think it’s a good but immature idea, or should the system be scrapped altogether? Feel free to let us know in the comments!
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