Suggestion: Change the way future Isgard "seasons" are done

I would suggest that instead of making the titles and achievements based off a leaderboard that can be heavily influenced by cheaters (bots / account sharing / ect) make it so the titles are based on hitting a threshold in a crafting or gathering class. Then the requirement can be set at a level that players can get over the time period without some putting in unhealthy hours to try to win a spot in the top 12 vs some players that are not playing by the rules. If it is left at the way it currently is then something needs to be done to make the competition fair.

I think you're almost there, because this just shouldn't be a competition at all. If its a race to the milestone for top twelve thats still very susceptible to botting, and unhealthy obsessions. The nature of in game crafting isnt something that can be objectively jundged by the game with out being vulnerable to bots or macros. At the end of the day this was just a grind competition, who has the time and will to discard 10 days, and who can come up with best way to automate that grind.

We already get a separate set of achievements with titles that can be done at the player's own pace. Players can continue to earn the Phase 2 achievements even though we're now in Phase 3. It's why the Grade 2 Artisanal materials are still on the nodes in Diadem.

The seasons are for the competitive players willing to devote a large amount of their time during the 10 day ranking period. Even if the competition is badly designed, it is a fair competition because the same rules apply to all players. It's up to the players to decide if they can make the commitment required to be competitive. As for those who are botting, with luck SE is using the competition to pinpoint those players, ban their accounts, remove their rewards and pass those rewards on to the players who would have otherwise won them.

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Originally Posted by Jojoya

As for those who are botting, with luck SE is using the competition to pinpoint those players, ban their accounts, remove their rewards and pass those rewards on to the players who would have otherwise won them.

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Some cheaters did actually get removed from the rankings, but several others escaped punishment despite being reported.

I'd really love to know just what is going on behind the scenes to cause such inconsistent bans despite the fact that these people are using the same few bot programs and thus exhibit the same awkward behavior.

Logically, you'd think if they can spot one bot, they could ban several others at the same time by just observing that they're moving in tandem with one another.

I agree it shouldn't be a competition at all. It should just be something where if you contribute a certain (reasonable) amount, you get the title and achievement. The end. It's not like the titles are a finite resource.