Star Wars: The Old Republic players suspended over Ravager exploit

Star Wars The Old Republic - can't punch me from up there can you

The Ravager exploit in Star Wars: The Old Republic had been kicking around since at least mid-December of last year, judging by this complaint thread on Reddit, yet it wasn't until mid-January that BioWare promised action against those who took advantage of it. Last week that action was finally taken, and it has perhaps proved unexpectedly harsh for those involved.

"It is also possible they could have very specific additional actions taken against them," Musco wrote, including the loss of high-end gear and crafting components gained via the exploit, as well as credits and commendations.

The "most egregious offenders," however, have actually been hit with a permanent suspension. The specific level of bad behavior required to trigger that weighty punishment wasn't revealed, but Musco said that while BioWare couldn't take the matter lightly, it "reviewed every account to determine where we could be lenient."

"From our end, this was a no win situation. We feel responsible for allowing the exploit to occur and remain in the game for an unreasonable length of time, but we also cannot and will not condone cheating. Thankfully, a large majority of our players didn’t exploit at all, but unfortunately, some of those who did have been with us for a long time, even all the way back to launch," he wrote. "It breaks our hearts to see a few of those loyal players partake in the exploit. Still, it would be unfair to not punish those players, and so we had to take action."

Star Wars: The Old Republic players who believe they have been mistakenly suspended for using the Ravagers exploit can contact swtoraccountdisputes@bioware.com to appeal the decision.

TOPICS

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.