Ubisoft told the For Honor community last week that it would take care of the AFK Farming exploit- one that tricks the game into thinking you’re playing to earn rewards…without actually doing anything. Now the company is cracking down, or at least attempting to, and has issued a light 3-day ban to 1,500 players. Another 4,000 players will receive warnings and will be issued the ban if they don’t stop using the exploit.
The AFK Farming exploit is getting players banned from the battlefield
In a previously released statement, Ubisoft commented that a ban would be enforced if For Honor players continued to abuse the Code of Conduct. The company also explained that AFK Farming has a negative impact on the other players around the battlefield, and then detailed what the exploit actually looks like:
This week we wanted to give your more visibility about our policy against players who are “AFK Farming” the For Honor Battlefields. For those unfamiliar with the practice, players are able to go AFK (away from keyboard) and keep their in-game character moving throughout a match (ex. tying a rubber band on the control stick), garnering end-game rewards and progression without actually playing. The “farming” aspect comes about when these players use this technique frequently to gain a large amount of these rewards.
Ubisoft won’t come down harshly on players immediately. According to their report, the first offense will trigger a warning. Only repeated violations could lead to a player’s account being suspended, “applicable on the game”, temporarily or even permanently.
Actual disciplinary actions are dependent on the severity of players’ behavior and will be decided by Ubisoft on a “case by case basis”. Ubisoft is viewing the AFK Farming exploit as a top priority so the experience of For Honor is not negatively impacted for others.
For those who need a refresher, you can review Ubisoft’s full Code of Conduct here.
Tori is a writer and gamer originally from Vault 111, but now she resides in Chicago. She has an MFA in creative writing-fiction, runs primarily on coffee, and is an expert on AMC’s The Walking Dead. Follow her on Twitter @torithatnerd.
