Destiny 2 PC player bans continue thanks to popular third-party apps

It’s not going well for Bungie and Destiny 2. It’s taken years to get the Destiny franchise onto PC and when it finally launches it’s a complete mess.

Yesterday, when the game launched the usual technical issues arose. This is to be expected these days. What PC gamers didn’t bank on was having their accounts banned (see the many forum threads), some almost instantly. So why is this happening? To try and understand it let’s take a look at the reasons why you would be banned from Destiny 2 as outlined in Bungie’s rules.

Player Behavior that can lead to Account Bans or Restrictions

Connecting to the Destiny game service with any of the following:

Modified game software
Modified game assets
Modified hardware
Modified console firmware

Using an external program to modify the operation of the Destiny game software, such as:

Trainers, mods, cheats, aimbots, or autofire.
User mode or kernel debuggers
Graphics hacks
Sending malicious network traffic to Destiny servers or other Destiny players

Using an external program or device to automate gameplay or circumvent idle detection.

Modification or interruption of Destiny network traffic with intent to disrupt the experience of other players or to gain an advantage in the game.

Intentionally deriving gameplay benefit from another user’s behavior in the above categories.

Unauthorized access to Destiny software or downloadable content (game piracy).

Impersonating a Bungie, Microsoft, Sony, Blizzard, or Activision employee.

Online behaviors disruptive to the experiences of others, such as:

Hate speech, griefing, or message spamming
Habitual unsportsmanlike conduct
Habitual quitting or idle behavior in matchmade activities
Intentionally deleting another player’s items or characters by logging in with their account credentials.

I think most of us can agree that the majority of this is fair and common sense. However, if you are banned, that’s it, you’re banned and they will try to detect you if you purchase another account once you’ve been banned. Purchasing another copy doesn’;t mean you’re safe from another ban.

What is happening at the moment is that third-party apps are may be tripping players up. From what we have seen, using apps such as Discord, OBS, Xsplit, Fraps, Mumble, MSI Afterburner, and EVGA Precision XOC could get you banned. Some users have also claimed that even Nvidia Shadowplay may have caused a ban.

Bans are not always instantaneous either, you may be able to play for while with some apps then all of a sudden be banned. It’s not a good situation right and if anyone is thinking about launching the game after a purchase, make sure any kind of third-party app is closed down.

With player being affected by bans, and some users finding their hardware is not compatible, refunds can be obtained. The refund process below was posted on the Bungie forums if you were wondering how to get some help.

1. Click the “BLIZZARD” logo in the upper left hand corner of the Blizzard app.
This will open a drop down menu.
2. Select the “Support” item from the menu
This will open a web page where you can either log in to the Blizzard support page, or if you are already logged in, you can move to the next step.
3. Select “Destiny 2” from the support menu.
This will open up the Destiny 2 Support page.
4. Select “Payments” from the menu near the top of the page.
This will open a drop down with the option “contact support”
5. Click “Contact support”
You will see a link to request a refund here.
6. Click on “Request a Refund”
This will open another menu. Here is where we click on:
7. Click on “Select a contact channel”
There is a list. You will want to select this option:
8. Select “Live chat”
Regardless of listed ETA this is always the fastest method to a refund from Blizzard.
9. Tell the chat representative that the game doesn’t work with your computer, even though you meet the recommended specs.
Don’t lie. Don’t over explain either. Simply tell them that the game doesn’t work with your computer. If they ask for proof, link them to the threads in this forum regarding the issue.
10. If you are denied, ask them for a reason.

Bungie has been pretty silent on the banning issue so far and that’s bad news because once you are banned that’s it, you’re banned. Bungie is likely looking at these reports as they come in but so far there’s no indication that players will be unbanned for using legitimate third-party apps if that is deemed the reason. That said, Bungie’s own third-party compatibility page lists all the apps they state are incompatible with no mention of bans for their use. This was also confirmed by Bungie in their forums. The situation is quite puzzling and something is triggering the bans.

Blizzard is in the unfortunate position of having to deal with support requests, and according to one player, he was told on the phone that Blizzard support has been trying to contact Bungie over these issues.

Our advice to anyone thinking about picking the game up now is don’t bother. Wait until Bungie release an official statement and they take a closer look at why people are being banned. PC users are used to using third-party apps such as Discord, OBS, and Xsplit so there needs to be some allowance for popular apps that don’t interfere with the game.

We’ll keep an eye on the situation and wait for a proper response from Bungie.

Update: Bungie issues a statement on bans