Banning the Trolls: Asmongold’s Griefers in WoW Classic Hardcore Met With Permanent Consequences

Blizzard’s stance on griefing in WoW Classic Hardcore appears clear as it metes out seemingly permanent bans to those who engage in such behavior, extending the warning beyond prominent streamers like Asmongold. This fan-created challenge has injected new life into the MMORPG, but it also exposes players, especially those streaming their adventures, to potential disruptors.

For the uninitiated, WoW Classic Hardcore is a community-driven optional challenge that has gained significant popularity in recent months. The core concept is simple: if your character dies even once, it is permanently deleted. While there isn’t an official implementation for this mode, players rely on add-ons to notify others when someone perishes, and participants willingly undertake the responsibility of manually erasing their character if they fail.

Blizzard has taken note of the mode’s rise in popularity, leading to two WoW Classic servers—Bloodsail Buccaneers in North America and Hydraxian Waterlords in Europe—unofficially becoming known as “hardcore” servers, witnessing a substantial surge in population as a result.

As expected, the extreme nature of this playstyle attracts trolls and griefers. Numerous streamers attempting Hardcore runs have encountered individuals attempting to prematurely end their journeys, but the situation has been particularly dire for prominent figures. Twitch streamer Zack ‘Asmongold,’ a household name among WoW players, recently decided to give WoW Classic Hardcore a shot, only to be bombarded with various forms of trouble.

Asmon was already considering abandoning WoW Classic Hardcore when his journey became plagued by numerous players trailing behind him, intentionally trying to steal his experience by sniping enemy mobs or seeking attention on his stream. Some even went to the extent of using tasteless jokes or personal jabs at Asmongold through their character names. This continued until he reached level 8, where a player deliberately led a powerful mob to kill his character with a single blow.

Despite the challenges, Asmongold maintains a remarkably composed attitude toward the situation, refusing to fuel the trolls with an angry response. Instead, he initially criticizes Blizzard’s moderation, acknowledging that he himself used to engage in griefing in the past when he realized there were no consequences. He remarks, “Immediately after I started getting in trouble for it in Cataclysm and Mists of Pandaria, I stopped doing it.”

In 2021, during Asmon’s first day of playing Final Fantasy XIV, Square Enix’s moderators swiftly handed out several-day suspensions to the disruptive players, effectively restoring order to his adventure. Reflecting on his Classic Hardcore experience, Asmongold contrasts Blizzard’s lax approach with other game developers. He points out that in games like Final Fantasy XIV, Lost Ark, and New World, disruptive behavior is met with severe consequences, but Blizzard games seem to lack similar enforcement.

It seems that a shift is occurring in Blizzard’s approach. In a video clip, popular WoW streamer ‘Savix’ shares his interaction with a contact at Blizzard whom he sent the clips of Asmongold’s experiences. According to Savix, his contact assured him that the responsible players would face consequences. True to the promise, screenshots from a Discord conversation show players reporting permanent bans.

The impact is evident as players express their dismay upon receiving the bans, with one individual noting the loss of their character due to the permanent ban. Asmongold reacts to the clip, chuckling at the news of multiple account bans. He then suggests that perhaps giving Blizzard another chance would be worthwhile if they continue to take action against griefers.

We have reached out to Blizzard for comment regarding this new policy and will update the story with any additional information. In the meantime, it is strongly advised to refrain from engaging in disruptive behavior and ruining others’ enjoyment online.

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