Dota 2, a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game developed by Valve, has been around since 2013, and since then, it has amassed a massive player base. Unfortunately, this success has also made it a target for cheaters and hackers looking to gain an unfair advantage over others. However, Valve has recently made a bold move against these cheaters.
In a blog post published on February 22, 2023, Valve announced that it had banned 40,000 accounts in Dota 2 for using third-party software that allows players to read and access internal information of the game client, giving them an unfair advantage during matches. This massive ban is a result of Valve’s efforts to crack down on cheaters in the game.
Valve has been aware of the issue for some time, with players reporting cheaters to the company. However, instead of simply fixing the loophole, Valve decided to take things a step further. They created a patch called “honeypot” that has a secret message on it and would only be visible to those using cheat programs.
When cheaters took the bait, Valve is alerted to their activity, enabling them to pinpoint who among the players is using cheats. This method has allowed Valve to ban a massive number of cheaters, making it one of the largest banned waves in Dota 2’s history.
Valve has not disclosed how long the honeypot has been in place, but it has proven to be a successful tactic in catching cheaters. Although Valve has not released a list of banned players or mentioned any pro players affected by the ban, they did make a statement saying that anyone caught using a cheat program will face permanent account bans. This includes professional players, who will be banned from all Valve competitive events.
Those who are affected with the banned quickly went to different forum community posting a screenshot of their 15 years banned.
The move by Valve has been applauded by the Dota 2 community, as it sends a strong message that cheating will not be tolerated in the game. Players who invest their time and effort in playing the game fairly are glad to see that Valve is taking steps to level the playing field.