Everything Apex Legends Has Slammed The Banhammer On

Even with a market saturated with battle royale games, Apex Legends has managed to stand out from the crowd. The ability to team up and the implementation of an effective ping system has solidified this game as the one that might topple Fortnite's reign. But even though Apex Legends has only been available to the public for a short time, there are already numerous cheats available for anyone willing to pay the right price. In an attempt to keep the playing field fair, developer Respawn Entertainment has banned over 499,000 players for cheating as of March 19, 2019, and it doesn't look like they'll slow down any time soon.

Shutting down cheaters and making the game a fun and safe environment for everyone is a testament to Respawn's commitment to player satisfaction. They've even gone as far as to issue permanent hardware bans to any player found cheating on a PC. This means those cheaters won't be able to get back into the game by creating a new account. Instead, they'd be forced to buy a new computer if they want to play the battle royale game again. While there are still many different ways to cheat, this is definitely enough to discourage many potential hackers. If you were considering cheating your way to the top of the leaderboard in Apex Legends, you may want to learn from the following examples and avoid the shady path all together.

It's understandable to want to look good while streaming a game. You don't want to be labeled as the person who sucks at Apex Legends. But there are worse titles to go by, and "cheater" is one of them. During a Twitch livestream, user Mengiez was found to be using some questionable software while he played Apex. All enemy players on Mengiez's stream had boxes over their heads to allow him to see where they were at all times, even when they were concealed behind walls. It's obvious why this cheat would spark some outrage; the whole point of a battle royale is to use your skills to be the best. Utilizing cheats only makes you look like you lack real skill.

Viewers were quick to point out the wall hack, since his usage of it was so blatantly obvious. It didn't take long for his channel to be taken down from Twitch as a violation of user agreements. Though Mengiez got what he deserved, this isn't always the case, since most cheaters aren't brash enough to broadcast their cheating for the entire world to see. But as Respawn Entertainment works towards creating a fairer playing environment, we hope to see more bans like this in the future.

As obvious as it seems to not broadcast yourself cheating, it seems to be happening a lot with Apex Legends players. It may be due to the fact that the game is still relatively new and the extent to which Respawn will enforce their policies is still untested. But no matter the reason, it's disheartening to see how many professional gamers are using cheats to get ahead.

Twitch partner Dharyxd was caught streaming a particularly obvious cheat during one of his broadcasts. His erratic back and forth movements while he attempted to target enemies and his suspiciously good aim were all evidence that he was using an aimbot. Not to be outdone, streamer ElmZero was also caught using an auto-target system during a pro scrimmage. To make matters worse for ElmZero, he was in the final tryout process for Zenith eSports at the time he was caught. Zenith quickly dropped him from their potential roster for his actions. He managed to destroy his career and label himself as a cheater in record time. It's fairly obvious when players are using aimbot cheats to get ahead in a battle royale, but streaming while using them is just bold enough to earn yourself a lifetime of embarrassment.

While some cheats may be difficult to detect if the user isn't dumb enough to broadcast themselves using it, others are laughably obvious. This is where the super-speed cheat comes in. When a character who isn't Wraith is able to travel across the map at unreal speeds, chances are, you've got a hacker on your hands. And until Respawn implements their report feature in-game, you'll have to settle for jotting down their gamertag and emailing Respawn directly.

The problem is that they're often using throwaway accounts. Sometimes this is to avoid a permanent ban if they get caught. But other times this is because they're trying to sell cheats to players in-game and don't want the account traced back to them. In one instance, a player was caught using a super-speed cheat, but his gamertag was nothing more than a series of letters and numbers, making it impossible to trace him and also suggesting he was selling cheats. In instances like these, it can be difficult for Respawn to take effective action. When someone is selling cheats as a job, they'll keep making new accounts. And unless they have a PC and can receive a hardware ban, Respawn is at a disadvantage to stop them.

It seems that streamers have yet to learn that if you cheat while broadcasting live, you will be caught. It's a simple matter of logic. And yet, they continue to do it and continue to get banned, ruining their careers. One streamer in particular, Mobados, somehow thought he could get away with the obvious.

Viewers of his stream noticed that his gun didn't seem to have quite as much recoil as usual. For anyone who's played any sort of battle royale game, it's common knowledge that mastering your control over gun recoil is one of the skills needed for success. That's why, when Mobados' gun had little to no recoil, viewers put two and two together to figure out he was cheating. Using an anti-recoil feature while streaming for thousands of people to see is a bold move, and one that wouldn't be attempted by most. But Mobados apparently thought he could beat the odds.

In the end, he was caught like the rest of the cheaters. And as bad as it is to be caught cheating, the worst part comes with the negative stigma you'll place on yourself in the gaming community for the rest of your life.

There are a few things that can make it easy to spot a bad apple. Having a nonsensical username is often a good indication. But another dead give away is incredible skill when the player is a low level. Even the best of players will have a hard time mastering a game within their first few rounds, and a game like Apex Legends with a steep learning curve can be particularly difficult. That's why, when one player known as Zylbrad was teamed up with a suspiciously good Level 3 teammate, he became wary.

Catching the whole thing on camera, Zylbrad had a hacker attempting to sell cheats to him and even caught the moment the hacker was banned. During the course of the match, Zylbrad becomes suspicious of the player's incredible skill and ability to aim through obstacles. It doesn't take long for him to realize he's been teamed up with a cheater, and he takes pleasure in the moments when the cheater is in awe of Zylbrad's ability to succeed without hacks. The friendship, sadly, doesn't last long, as the cheater is banned mid-match, leaving Zylbrad on his own with only his video as a memory of the exchange.

In a delicious twist of irony, many cheaters have taken to the internet to complain about being banned. A quick search of Twitter will pull up numerous gamers being upset about the fact that their illegally obtained free access to Origin Access Pass has earned them a ban from Apex Legends. Though this cheat isn't exactly something utilized in-game like super speed or an aimbot, it's still enough to make Respawn Entertainment slam the banhammer down on them.

A way to obtain Origin Access Pass for free has been circulating the internet for those who have no problem gaming the system. While many players probably felt safe using this knowing that it wasn't a direct in-game cheat, they were surprised to learn that it would still earn them a ban from the most popular new game. Though many reports are still labeled as "unconfirmed," it's probably just best to avoid cheating in any form if you want to continue to play Apex Legends.