Lost Ark still has a bot problem and the developer – Smilegate – has decided to implement a new countermeasure: restrict access to game content for all those unverified accounts, i.e. those Steam accounts that have never made a purchase and that therefore they could be bogus accounts. The team asks the public to give their feedback in case of problems.
Smilegate has “worked hard to create effective tools and methods for identifying and removing bots from the game”, blocking over a million “bot” accounts from its servers on March 4th. And the work didn’t stop there, it seems; In the most recent update of Lost Ark, Smilegate explained how it has implemented new systems to “help fight botting”, which include ensuring that Steam accounts are legitimate in order to have access to some basic functions of the game.
While bots are still prevalent in Lost Ark, we can report that we have seen some improvements in the number of bots seen in-game and are continuing to take action against those that managed to stay,” clarified the development team.
“One of these changes includes a prevention system to crack down on bots and fraudulent purchases. Players who have a valid Steam account and have met the small purchase requirement required to use Steam’s social systems, or have made a purchase. in Lost Ark through Amazon or Steam, they will not be affected. Accounts that have not fulfilled this ‘Trusted’ status through Steam or Lost Ark will experience reduced access to a small number of social and economic systems. ”
Accounts that have not reached the “Trusted” threshold will have lower than normal daily purchase limits on Steam and will be limited from initiating player-to-player exchanges (although requests can still be received), sending gifts in-game, and exchanging real crystals for gold, and by sending in-game mail with attachments.
“While this system has helped us see great improvements when it comes to fraudulent gaming activity, we also understand that it may have had some effects on free-to-play players,” concludes the update. “We are keeping an eye on the feedback on this topic, so please keep sharing your experiences with us on the forums.”