Destiny is a popular live-service looter shooter MMO game that has now been going on for more than 10 years. It is a beloved franchise with a dedicated player base and is under a strict ban policy by Bungie. It features both PvE and PvP. The idea that you can bring the loot you obtain in PvE to combat other players in PvP is exciting and something that keeps the game fresh.
However, with PvP come cheaters and hackers, and Destiny 2 has been facing this problem for a long time. Bungie has implemented strict ban policies against these hackers, and sometimes, instead of benefiting the community, they have harmed it.
Ban Policy on Macro and AFK Farming
With the launch of The Final Shape expansion and after the release of the Dual Destiny Exotic Mission, a lot of players were using AFK Macro farming to obtain Exotic Class Items. This gained a lot of popularity as Exotic Class Items are one of the most prestigious items in the game. Players have used AFK Macro farming in the past and Bungie never seemed to bat an eye.
However, after the popularity of this farm, Bungie came out and gave a fair warning. According to Bungie, the usage of Macros and AFK farming to obtain loot that gives players an advantage is against the game’s policy and is punishable by a ban. This ban policy resulted in people immediately dropping Exotic Class Items AFK farming.
TheAegisRelic Ban
TheAegisRelic is a popular Destiny 2 content creator who is known in the community for his deep knowledge about weapon damage and finding out which weapon is the meta pick. His resources have always helped the players and the community. So, it came as a surprise when TheAegisRelic revealed on X that he had been banned by Bungie. He said the following: “I just got banned in the middle of runs, I genuinely have no idea why, the only things I’ve used are my wish wall macro (which dmg himself has said is okay) and A2TC’s Destiny Damage Tracker, which is a visual overlay for boss health bars. I have not AFK’d since TFS (The Final Shape) launch.”
For those who do not know, Wish Wall is an area in The Last Wish Raid that allows the players to enter a code and then teleport to any encounter they want. Dmg here refers to Dylan Gafner, who is Destiny 2’s Global Community Lead. If what TheAegisRelic has said is true then it can be assumed that Bungie is still not clear about their ban policy. It is also possible that this ban was a mistake on Bungie’s part as false bans have happened in the past.
Community Sentiment
Destiny 2’s community is not happy about the TheAegisRelic ban. Most believe that the ban policy should be made clearer. Bungie has said in the past that they do not want to reveal the exact ban policy as it will allow malicious users to find a way around it and harm the game. While what Bungie has said is true, hiding the game’s ban policy will also hurt the community. Macro and AFK farming is a gray area and most of the players take advantage of it in Destiny 2. Whether it be in the wish wall or encountering checkpoint bots.
The lack of communication on Destiny’s 2 ban policy has only resulted in more confusion than answers. Now people are waiting for Bungie’s response on the entire situation. Was TheAegisRelic cheating? Is he lying on social media or is there something in the ban policy that people are not aware of? Was the ban incorrect and how can Bungie avoid something like this in the future? These are all questions that Bungie can answer and hopefully, they will shed some light on the situation soon.
