(RANT INCOMING) BHVR’s stance on teammates refusing to participate feels awful for survivors
So I got a response from support today about a report I sent in, and honestly it just feels really discouraging as a survivor player.
I had a match where two teammates (an Ace and a Cheryl) basically refused to participate. They threw themselves at the killer, didn’t do gens, didn’t go for saves, and were clearly just wasting time while the rest of us actually tried to play.
I submitted video proof, explained what happened… and the official response was basically: “We’re not taking action because this behavior is not against the rules.”
I get that not everything can be bannable, but when players can openly refuse to participate and drag down an entire match with zero consequences, it makes solo queue feel miserable. It’s not “just one bad game” when this keeps happening and the message from support is that “it’s fine.”
If AFKing, griefing, or refusing to participate is considered acceptable behavior, what are we supposed to do as survivors besides eat the loss and move on? At some point it stops feeling like “just RNG” and more like…well that’s just how the cookie crumbles.
I’d really like BHVR to reconsider where they draw the line on this stuff, because right now it feels like survivors are completely unprotected from teammates who want to throw.
This is the reply I got from support..I just wanted to rant, show my thoughts, express my feelings. Thanks for listening 👂 everyone.
Comments
-
Commiserations on the ruined match. While I can't judge if those Survivors were actually intentionally throwing the game or were just very bad or doing some stupid Archive/Tomes challenge (thank god they've stopped making those), it does suck that BHVR has a very unclear definition of gameplay sabotage that is rarely enforced effectively anyway. Even as someone who plays more Killer than Survivor I don't want Survivors to sandbag because that's not fair on their teammates and not fun to engage with. The reporting system in general feels very opaque and outdated and could use an overhaul, not that the devs have enough time or resources to even consider such a thing.
5 -
I totally agree that the definition of ‘gameplay sabotage’ is really unclear and barely enforced. As a survivor, it feels awful to be punished for trying while teammates can openly sandbag with no consequences, and as you said, that’s not fun for anyone. The reporting system being so opaque just adds to the frustration, because it feels like there’s no point even sending video proof.
I don’t expect every bad match to be actionable, but I do wish BHVR would tighten up what counts as sabotage and communicate it better. Right now it feels like players who want to ruin games are completely covered by “it’s not against the rules.”
Just my thought process ya know?2 -
I don't why they even have the option to report things like rage quitting and afking if they won't take action against it even when someone submits a full report. Is it just there to make us feel better? Why did they implement go-next prevention if it's no big deal? Though I don't think people should be permabanned for throwing or anything so severe, a grade loss or matchmaking penalty is warranted if it's indisputable.
8 -
Yeah, this is exactly how I feel too. It’s super confusing to have options to report AFKing / rage quitting / refusing to play, then be told nothing can be done even with a full report and evidence. It really does start to feel like the report button is just there so players feel like they did something, even if it goes nowhere.
I also agree that permanent bans would be way too extreme for throwing or refusing to participate. But some kind of clear, consistent consequence like a grade loss, matchmaking penalty, or temporary timeout when it’s indisputable would at least show that BHVR takes it seriously.
They added go-next prevention because they obviously know repeated early quits and non-participation ruin matches, so it’s weird that the actual reporting system doesn’t seem to back that up at all. At least in my opinion.
4 -
Despite all the fluff BHVR is and always has been Image/Profits > Action company.
They implement the 'go-next prevention' so that it looks like its an issue they care about, walk it back several steps almost immediately, then leave the topic in a permanent state of limbo.
But hey, at least we can say they acknowledge it as a problem!5 -
All for a queue just for these types so they can play with equally inept teammates.
0 -
People don't realize that one report isn’t going to trigger the system to take action. Most likely there is a running tally of total reports, and if an account passes a certain threshold for a specific offense within a short amount of time, then the system flags the account.
So basically, one game of subjective bad behavior isn't going to get your account banned, but repeated offenses will.
0 -
This is why you should report everybody who's a griefing ass. If it was one off, whatever. Drop in the bucket. If it's a pattern, they'll rack up a record.
But at the same time, it's obviously not true that BHVR is keeping any tally of reports or flagging accounts with the number of completely flagrant outright hacking cheaters there are who don't even try to hide it. The opposite, are publicly broadcasting themselves, because BHVR does nothing about it whatsoever. So even accounts that are hours old with like 90+% reports on them are not being policed in any way. They're sure as hell not doing anything about all the rest that require an iota of human attention and judgement calls.
2 -
I've never heard of such a system existing, nor have I heard of anyone getting dinged by it. We would hear about this through social media if anything ever happened. As is, killer bots who probably get multiple flags every match go unchecked for months.
This system couldn't function without peer review anyway. I'd imagine there are people who petty-report everyone who plays in a way they don't like. If this existed, killers who tunnel or slug, or suvivors who rat or BM, would be getting hit regularly. A lot of players probably also get reported for exploits by people who are just clueless and don't understand perks.
I just recently had someone report me for working with the killer. I wasn't. I simply had no hooks and dodged the killer the whole match, while still unhooking, healing, and doing gens. Yet this person blindly reported me because I had no hooks. A system like this would punish unfairly.
And even here, we have someone who submitted video evidence in the official way, and was told that it's fine for people to die on purpose and not participate. So it seems unlikely there's anything in place except a buttons you can press to feel better, just like the thumbs up button that does nothing.
1 -
Firstly this issue has got worse since the play while you wait. Lots have openly said "just wasting time while I'm in the killer q"
Secondly, as the response said, it's not against the rules.
Thirdly, as cogs mentioned, people would be unfairly reported because others have simply not seen the contribution to the team. Things like doing gens stealthily or leading killer on a chase without actually triggering the chase mechanic (easily done by shack).
2 -
Firstly this issue has got worse since the play while you wait. Lots have openly said "just wasting time while I'm in the killer q"
This is the primary reason I don't want pwyw to be permanent. I have no doubt hard killer mains load into 2v8 as surv just to farm a few blood points while not caring about the outcome or their teammates. That's fine for stupid mode but keep that out of 1v4 please.
3 -
To be fair the Devs have repeatedly said they want a party game where the results don't matter. They want focus to be on the "experience" rather than the outcome.
-2 -
Yeah because the "experience" has been "fantastic" over the past year up to now. Could have fooled me.
6 -
Well they better tell the players cause they're unaware.
4 -
To be fair to the ban team here.
The game rules do not state anything about going next or afking, It does mention disconnections which is the closest thing but it also states do no report this behavior.
I'm going to go out on limb here and say its the same for going next, as both disconnections and going next have a in game penalty.
-1 -
I mean it's definitely better than the past years, whether you think it's still bad or not you can't deny that the past versions of the game are just worse than the present.
-2 -
I get the frustration, but I am on BHVR’s side on this one. They need to err very much on the side of not falsely banning people. There are a lot of very, um, not good players and I could see a lot of false bans for people just being very bad or trying to do challenges/get achievements.
Post edited by Your_Dad_Playing_DbD on0 -
I get all that truly but, I really feel like BHVR needs to set some boundaries down or reconsider what the current options are.
2 -
Technically tunneling and camping arent against the rules either, but just like on this forum and on reddit, if you do it, you'll be punished lol. They made their stance when they bent the knee to the survivor rulebook. I dont feel sorry for players when they get bad teammates anymore. Killers need to have fun too
-6 -
We need to not tolerate it as a community. I got dragged over the coals once for saying I don't give in to early game giving up. If a survivor runs up to me early game and wants me to hook them, I refuse and ignore them. It doesn't happen often, and usually ignoring them is enough for them to play normally. Late game, where it's clear the game is over, whatever, I get it and I'll do it. But as far as I'm concerned, it's 5 people who load up in their limited free time to play together, and i hate when 1 person wants to derail the game when it's just started. We have a warning system here on this forum for bad behaviour, they can at least have a warning system in game (when given video evidence of course) for repeat offenders.
3 -
Didn’t they update the game last year, where if a killer goes AFK the game will disconnect them after x-amount of time and they cop a DC penalty?
2 -
Yes I'm pretty sure I've heard that too not 100% certain tho. (after some quick research a reddit thread has people claiming they don't get kicked from match, but match ends normally and they have the "Flagged for inactively" warning message like survivors going next / afking would get.)
Would assume its a really rare warning to get as I cant remember last time I saw killer was AFK the whole match. they usually play a bit before afking or are afk at start then come back to pc.0 -
They have told the players many times and have said so once again recently when discussing the upcoming matchmaking changes later this year.
People have pushed for a casual party game, that's what the Devs are giving
-4 -
I agree, the experience has been awful for a long time but that's the game the Devs are going for.... Casual, non competitive, any thing can happen, unlimited experiences. Which obviously this is unobtainable but will the Devs listen? Hell no.
-2 -
It's a shame to see them outright admit they don't want to police in game behavior, but it's not a surprise given how many in this community act. And until BVHR decides to take a stance and police actual in-game behavior, we'll be stuck with the toxic mess of a community that DBD currently fosters.
3 -
They always say anything that happens outside their platform is out of their control, but I don't see a lot happening when it comes to the inside behaviours from players in the game. This has been a long requested feature that the community has been asking for. An updated system for the ingame report. It needs to be enhanced and upgraded to protect their playerbase.
New players will thank them most importantly.
2 -
This is such an.. interesting response. Someone talks about teammates throwing on purpose and your response is that objectively bad sportsmanship is fine as long as it hurts the side you don’t like. Were you the Ace or the Cheryl? Lol
2 -
Technically tunneling and camping arent against the rules either, but just like on this forum and on reddit, if you do it, you'll be punished lol.
Punished how? With downvotes?
They made their stance when they bent the knee to the survivor rulebook.
You mean when they cancelled every single thing to help with these issues without even letting them run their course on the ptb?
I dont feel sorry for players when they get bad teammates anymore. Killers need to have fun too
On a scale of 1 to 10, how bad do you have to be at the killer role to need throws or bad matchmaking to have fun?
6 -
Down votes are not the only punishment. What's acceptable in the game is not acceptable in the forums. Doing it in the game is fine but promoting "unsportsmanlike" gameplay is against the forum rules and can result in a ban from forums.
-3 -
This is also part of the problem. The consistency just isn’t there.
BHVR doesn’t want to promote or endorse toxic BHVR. In doing so, this results to bans as you said.
When it comes to ingame problems that are exactly as we are describing. We get an email saying “Sorry. Not against our rules”
The consistency and communication is not matching the actions from BHVR which is causing an issue that should get cleared up for the sake of the community especially for all the new players we have been getting.
2 -
There is nothing in the forum rules against promoting tunneling and slugging. They are specifically listed as non-reportable in-game, and don't fall under unsportsmanlike conduct, even if much of the community disagrees. You don't get punished for advocating for these things here. We have some people that do little else.
Promoting or admitting to throwing, however, can get you banned.
2 -
It is possible to be non reportable in game and banable on the forums.unsporstmanlike behaviour can cover many things. Just like throwing....non reportable in game but banable on the forums. They should have consistency in the rules between game and forums but they don't and it's often up to the mod who's online at the time on the forums and if they see fit to ban someone
-3 -
Sure, it should be consistent, but this person specifically said tunneling and slugging will get you punished on the forum which isn't true, unless "punished" means you'll get clapback. Which, yes, you will.
Also, being banned from the forum and being punished in the actual game are pretty different. The two things have little to do with each other. Codes of conducts would vary between two completely different platforms.
2 -
They can get you banned if the mod sees fit to ban them for it and then label it as "promoting unsportsmanlike behaviour". It has been done in the past... people have been banned when they didn't even post a single comment.
The forums and the game have a lot to do with eachother. Forums are here to discuss the game. However, discussion is limited when we can't discuss something that's perfectly fine in the game but gets you banned on the forums. This is why there is confusion on what the rules are and this is why we still have issues with the game....they can't be discussed. Maybe if people were able to explain what they do, how they get around certain things then we could fix the game. Personally if I had someone telling me exactly how they are getting around something with a technicality then I would take what they say onboard to prevent it not ban them from the forums and allow it to continue in the game. I know this from experience lol
-1 -
Hahahaha. Very true, friend.
4 -
Survivors refusing to engage with game mechanics
Are there 2 left @ 5 gens and they're hiding for hatch? This makes killer sad so it's UNACCEPTABLE. Add new mechanics and devote programming resources to fixing it.
Are there 2 throwing so killer gets a free win? This hurts survivor, not killer, so it's fine.
It's obvious where their priorities are.
-3 -
A single player accidentally getting banned for this due to simply being inexperienced/playing bad would instantly make any positive of any number of people that "deserve it" getting suspended evaporate in an instant. That kinda thing is a nightmare scenario.
-1 -
Yeah, I 100% agree that false bans would be a nightmare and I don’t want inexperienced players punished either. What I’m talking about is the really clear pattern stuff – the people who load in, instantly give up, sandbag, or throw multiple games in a row on purpose. I was new too once. I didn’t behave like this.
There’s a big difference between someone playing badly or learning the game and someone actively ruining match after match for their teammates. I think there should be some kind of system focused on repeat, obvious griefing, not one-off bad games, so that new or struggling players aren’t touched but the constant throwers can’t keep doing it with zero consequences.0 -
Such a system can never exist. Reasons being:
1. it's impossible to tell if it's a pattern of toxicity or a pattern of inexperience. You basically have to prove intent. "Oh I got grabbed off a gen again" did I not see the killer coming or did I intentionally remain on the gen to get grabbed?
2. It even says in-game that survivors have a choice, work as a team or go at it alone. If a survivor is going at it alone and not working as a team they shouldn't get punished for playing the game their way in accordance with the rules.
3. People want to have fun. Going against ghoul 6/10 matches is not fun so I can see why they would want out of the match asap to try their luck in the next match. Forcing people to play a match they don't enjoy won't go down well.
0 -
I don't mind survivors giving up. I wouldn't want anyone to play a match they don't want to play. My main issue is teaming! I can't express how much teaming with the killer pisses me off.
0 -
Totally get where you’re coming from, and I’m not asking for people to be punished for bad plays, inexperience, or just not wanting to sweat every match. I’m talking about the really obvious repeat behavior where someone sandbags or gives up several games in a row while everyone else is trying.
Of course you can’t read minds, but patterns still exist in every online game. There’s a huge difference between ‘I misread a situation / I don’t feel like trying this match’ and ‘I queue up over and over just to ruin it for my teammates.’ That’s the type of behavior I think deserves some kind of matchmaking timeout, not someone who got grabbed off a gen once or twice.1 -
I do feel like there are instances when it’s very clear someone is just throwing. I’ve had a player do nothing but run around the entire match and throw all the pallets down just to grief. Players that spam lockers or windows the entire time till they get downed.
There is a difference between a selfish survivor player and one that is intentionally griefing. And while I understand people not always having fun in a match, you can’t just quit without punishment. Crows exist to stop players from just standing there, the anti-go next system to discourage people from going next, they even stopped self unhooks on the first hook to discourage just throwing the match even if you’re unhappy.
Cheaters intentionally ruin people’s games and rightfully get punishments and bans, players that intentionally ruin your games shouldn’t get a pass just because they’re not using cheats.0 -
I agree but proving intent is pretty much impossible. Are they They made the go next penalty system stricter ages ago and people were getting punished for looking for hex totems so they relaxed it to prevent false flags. Spamming windows and lockers could be seen as a distraction tactic to try get the killers attention, it can be seen as wanting to go next. Intent is very difficult to prove.
Technically you can quit a match without punishment via abandon.... Get downed twice and recovered twice then you can abandon. Refuse to help the team, wait for them to get downed or hooked then get yourself downed and you can abandon. The abandon set a dangerous precedent for the game, created a whole new loop hole which the Devs still refuse to see
1 -
I'm curious what you think of Meg's intent in this clip. Do you think she just didn't know any better? Would you really suspect that she was trying to get the Killer's attention? What else could this be but intentionally griefing?
4 -
Obviously it appears to be griefing because they are not trying to go next or throw themselves at the killer or gain the killers attention so can't be interpreted as "oops didn't see the killer there" or "I was locker spamming to get the killers attention so I can lead him on 5 Gen chase for the team. the This sort of griefing is not common. Try proving intent when there could be another reason for the actions such as "I just can't loop... That's the way it goes, oh well next match"
-1 -
Is that person hacking thats not ment to be possible anymore.
There is a feature in the game that should be preventing this.
from April 2025
4 -
I generally forgot this was even a thing
0 -
I don't know if they were hacking. I thought that was supposed to be patched out as well, that's why I clipped it. I even made the comment, "I thought they patched that out." That clip was from Feb 2026, so it was after that unhook spam prevention update.
1
