Bungie outlines Destiny ban policy

Last month, Bungie dropped the ban hammer on hundreds of the "most notorious cheaters" in Destiny, including those who were manipulated network traffic. Promising this would not be the last time they'd swing the banhammer, the developer sought to clarify the ban policy in this week's update.

As explained by Bungie, there are two major types of enforcements: Restrictions and Bans. A restriction temporarily prevents a player from accessing one or more parts of the game, whereas a Ban permanently prevents a player from playing the entire game.

"Restrictions are issued to disruptive players to give them time to reform," Bungie explained, adding that the length of the restriction is determined on the severity of hte infraction. "First-time offenders are typically restricted for a week or two, but repeat offenders can receive a restriction that lasts months," Bungie said.

Bans, on the other hand, are only issued to players Bungie "never wants to see in the world of Destiny again."

"Please be advised that you are the company you keep. If a cheater is a member of your Fireteam, you may well get caught up in the dragnet we have weaved to ensnare them," Bungie said, advising players to be suspicious of someone who guarantees a flawless run in Trials of Osiris, especially those advertising their services for free. "No matter how skilled the player, victory in the Crucible can't be guaranteed."

Bungie also clarified that those with unstable internet connection may also be temporarily restricted from Crucible activities, but assured that this type of restriction only happens in the most extreme cases.

"The mission of the Security Response Team is to protect the landscape of the game from people who ruin the game experience for other players. Our servers track statistics about every player, every second. We analyze the player statistics and corroborate the results with player reports to take action with statistical certainty. We manually verify the results before we issue Restrictions or Bans," Bungie concluded.

Moral of the story: don't cheat. This is an online game, what you do affects everyone.

[Bungie]