WoW players handed ten-day suspensions for completing new War Within quest

It's only natural that players will rush to complete any new quest that a live-service game throws at them. As one of the original subscription-based games, World of Warcraft is no different. With every new update, players scramble to access new story content, level up their characters, and get all the best gear. However, following the release of Ghosts of K'Aresh, some adventurers have encountered a problem with one new quest - a problem that's getting them banned. Blizzard has handed out numerous ten-day suspensions to players who have apparently exploited game mechanics, although a lot of people have taken to social media to profess their innocence.

It's not entirely clear what the issue is at the moment, but World of Warcraft players have ideas. Many believe that the problem stems from the new Spark of War quest. Completing it grants you 15 renown with the K'aresh faction. However, completing Spark of War on your alt accounts is adding another 15 renown each time.

This means that players have far higher renown with the faction than intended, and Blizzard has banned them for it, citing an "exploitation of game mechanics." That's not a great way to spread goodwill in one of the best MMOs ahead of a major release. However, players are aggrieved at this, especially as some say they did not intentionally abuse the exploit.

A lot of players complete these quests on their alt accounts as a part of their normal routine, they claim. Others, including Reddit user u/utspoony, say they are "avid in-game collector[s]" and will min-max every possible quest with all of their accounts. They feel hard done by, because they feel that playing normally has resulted in this ten-day suspension. Suddenly, one of the best multiplayer games has become mired in controversy.

"Blizzard does not care about what bugs they may or may not have in the game," the poster says. "Nor do they care to distinguish between exploiting something and just playing the game as intended." But other players disagree. Some suggest that the explanations are all smokescreens from players who are upset their actions have consequences. Others, more charitably, suggest that simply rolling back the earned renown would be a more fair punishment for exploiting the bug - unintentional or not.

If you've taken a trip back to Azeroth for Ghosts of K'Aresh, check out our list of the best WoW addons to ensure that you're prepped and ready. Alternatively, if you're looking for something the to sink the hours into while we wait for Midnight's reveal, we have a list of the best free MMOs.

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