Controversy has recently swirled through the world of WoW keys and dungeon-running, with heated discussion across social media and streamers left defending themselves after a confirmed case of cheating in a Mythic+ dungeon run. But does this incident speak to a broader problem in World of Warcraft?
This most recent incident first came to light when an unwitting player uploaded logs of their +23 key run publicly, logs that exposed a major oddity in the form of a dungeon boss being instantly dropped by an “Area Death” spell. That’s something that should only be available to a GM, and it originated from a sixth party who had somehow showed up in the five-person dungeon.
While there was initially some defending of those involved in the ensuing discussions, Blizzard has since stepped in and made clear that the actions run against its guidelines and that punishments are being distributed. But what exactly happened, and is this a sign of a more widespread issue?
How did WoW players cheat their +23 key?
The issue originates with multiple WoW streamers, including Yiesus and YaraByte, running Nexus-Point Xenas with a +23 key. That’s a challenging run, and besting it is a legitimate accomplishment among World of Warcraft players.
A log of the run was posted publicly by a tank who was called in to assist with the run, not knowing that it was also being assisted by a person with GM powers. Those powers were used to finish off the dungeon’s boss and top off the enemy kill count, completing the key run.
Logs of the run and ensuing discussion quickly spread across social media. Yiesus responded shortly after, admitting that he had asked a “friend” at Blizzard to help with the key run. YaraByte did not respond as directly, initially sharing Yiesus’ discussion.
Most onlookers came away from the streamers’ addressing of the situation expressing that they were being quite cavalier about a potentially serious offense. Blizzard has made it clear in the past that it does not take kindly to cheating or to knowing violations of its community guidelines, and that was again made clear following this latest incident.
How did Blizzard respond to Mythic+ cheating incident?
Blizzard didn’t take long to put out a statement on the Mythic+ cheating incident that has been trending, saying that it had confirmed that cheating took place during the run and that appropriate punishments were being leveled against those involved.
That statement first took aim at the Blizzard employee who stepped in to assist through the use of GM powers, making clear that the individual was “no longer with the company effective immediately.” While some have attempted to identify which employee was involved, no conclusive proof has been provided, and Blizzard has not confirmed which person took action using GM abilities.
Blizzard also addressed the players involved, saying that the “player accounts that were complicit in this violation” would receive direct punishment. This could range from a removal of keys and titles to an outright ban from the game.
Importantly, the specific phrasing targeting the players who were “complicit” in the Mythic+ cheating effort would seem to carve on an exception for the tank player who first uploaded the logs and was apparently unaware of what had happened and why.
Is there regular cheating using GM powers in Mythic+ key runs?
Blizzard also made clear in its statement that it is firmly in control of GM powers and abilities, as only a limited number of people have access to such tools and any use of them is reliably logged. This would imply that GM powers being used to cheat in difficult key runs is not a common practice, despite player concerns.
Blizzard claims that each and every such use is shared directly with its security team, which would mean that every instance of GM ability usage is essentially flagged for review and considered for its legitimacy. So while many players are concerned that this latest incident speaks to a larger trend, it’s very possible, and perhaps likely, that this is actually a rare occurrence.
It’s certainly in Blizzard’s interest to prevent such cheating practices from becoming commonplace across Mythic+ key runs, or from even allowing players to come under such an impression. These accomplishments are considered valuable precisely because they are difficult to achieve, and if players feel like their accomplishments are being cheapened through others cheating, they’re less likely to be motivated to continue playing WoW.
