10-Year Ban for Farming/Boosting

GIONAScm2
GIONAScm2 Member Posts: 1
edited March 20 in General Discussions

I'm creating this thread to attract developer attention regarding a recent 10-year ban I received for "Abusing bugs or errors in design to gain a competitive advantage." This ban feels completely unjustified. I submitted an appeal expecting it to be lifted, but my appeal was rejected without clear justification.

Context:
I was working towards unlocking the "A Feast for the Entity" trophy (sacrifice 500 survivors in public matches). Since it didn't autopop when transitioning from PS5 to PS4, I coordinated consensual boosting matches with four friends and managed to sacrifice approximately 200 survivors within a few hours. At peak efficiency, I was achieving 4 sacrifices within about 2 minutes of match start, using only standard mechanics (such as Lethal Pursuer and Pyramid Head's Cage of Atonement). No hacks, cheats, or exploits were ever used—just consensual, private boosting.

Despite clarifying this through an appeal, the official response insisted I had used third-party software or exploited game errors. I categorically deny this. Additionally, it was previously stated that farming isn't punishable unless forced upon unwilling players, which absolutely wasn't the case here.

Key Points:

  • Consensual boosting has been stated as "not normally reportable" by official representatives.
  • No exploits or third-party software was ever used.
  • Several players I know have boosted identically without penalty, even as recently as 2024.

Given this information, I suspect:

  1. Rules surrounding boosting/farming drastically changed without clear community communication, or
  2. A newly implemented or updated anti-cheat system incorrectly flagged legitimate, high-efficiency gameplay (though this doesn't explain why my appeal was denied).

What I'm Seeking:

  • Clarification on any recent changes to the rules or anti-cheat system that could explain why others haven't been banned for doing this.
  • Transparency on automated anti-cheat flags triggered by rapid but legitimate gameplay (guidelines on pacing to prevent similar issues would also be appreciated).
  • Reconsideration of my ban given the legitimate nature of my actions.

I'm happy to provide additional details or video evidence demonstrating precisely how I achieved the rapid sacrifice rate. Also, if the staff confirm farming is now a bannable offense, it goes without saying that I won't do it anymore — no need for a de facto permaban.

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