Competitive Integrity in Crystalline Conflict: PvP Promotion vs. Ranked Reality

[Valence]

Cheaters and win traders have been a recurring issue in ranked Crystalline Conflict for a long time. While they represent only a tiny portion of the player base, their impact on the mode is significant. A single cheater can ruin multiple matches in a short span of time, and their visibility damages the credibility of the entire PvP ecosystem.

Regardless of the actual numbers involved, the wider Final Fantasy XIV community increasingly perceives PvP as being “full of win traders” or “dominated by cheaters.” That perception alone discourages many players from even trying the mode.

Square Enix has demonstrated in other areas of the game that it can act decisively when competitive integrity is threatened. However, PvP enforcement currently does not appear strong enough to deter repeat offenders. Temporary bans often result in the same individuals simply returning in a later season, and some banned players reappear on new accounts and immediately resume the same behavior.

This persists despite consistent reporting from the player base across multiple channels.

At the same time, PvP is being showcased through official tournaments and live events as a competitive experience worth celebrating. If Crystalline Conflict is meant to represent competitive gameplay at that level, then the ranked ladder (the place where that competition actually exists day to day) must also be protected.

If PvP is going to be presented as a competitive pillar of the game, the everyday competitive environment has to meet that same standard. Right now, it does not.

Many players who enjoy PvP simply want to see consistent and meaningful enforcement so that the mode can grow rather than continue losing credibility.

If others who regularly play ranked PvP have had similar experiences, additional feedback here would help highlight how important this issue is for the health of the mode.

Thank you.


TL;DR: PvP is being promoted as a competitive experience through official events and tournaments, yet the everyday ranked ladder continues to suffer from persistent cheating and win trading. If the mode is meant to be taken seriously, its competitive integrity needs to be protected consistently.

[Valence]

Due to the forum's rules of no name policy, I will unfortunately not be able to post links to countless records of shameless acts of cheating and hacking, but I do believe those aren't hard to find, especially when some of those players have been doing it for MANY seasons. Just look up X accounts like Brian Ricardo's that take the time to painfully report most of those with video proof.

[Stormfur]

It won't get attention mainly because it's such a niche thing at this point. Like someone complaining about win-trading in the Gold Saucer Triple Trial Tournament. The forums being what they are, you *might* have better luck posting the proof of this sort of thing over on Reddit or X but right now, most people are put off from competitive PVP because of the toxicity + win trading that goes on. So they don't even bother. It may even be on SE's list of things to work on, somewhere around the same priority as squadrons and GC levels. /sigh. I fear the only thing that has ever had an effect is media noticing it (like the Ultimate cheat where the guy zoomed way out) and reporting on it.

[Valence]

I'm a little confused by your reply I must admit. I specifically mentioned other places where people may find reports of those infringements being advertised.
We seem to agree that a lot of people are put off by the win trading, etc. That's one of the main arguments of this thread.
On top of it, are you implying that Crystalline Conflict, content with a ranked ladder and competitive tournaments with prize pools set up at fan fest, is equal to... Gold Saucer content?

[ThreeBeastSmile]

Funny how this topic emerges after some kind of l'il row on the <one name you've cited>'s Twitch channel last night... (very cringe to observe too).

There's no getting to the bottom of it, though. The barrel is too deep (and it's one that's gathering dust in the corner, for all it matters to the grand scheme of the game's perseverance). The "minority" is not really all that small, it's only that when you think of outright hacking. There's only a very small number of those indeed. Though some confirmed ones are still playing, nyes.

But for match fixing type activities, oh my no that's a different kettle of fish, they're a bit more plentiful -- I mean once upon a time ranked Feast party PvP got closed, and then again di'n it? Sometimes it looks like one circle of fixers pointing fingers at another (friend group vs friend group I guess?) It's very silly stuff... but either way the apprehension is kind of warranted from those outside of the loop. You're either in or you're out it feels like. It's way too exclusive club-like past a certain point (or a playground depending on how you look at it). I don't blame one and doners for being as they are when it comes to ranked PvP here. If you trigger a petty grudge from that lot hoo boy.

It'd sure be nice if things could be cleaner but it's just not happening. So I play on alts across the different territories more and more, or play FL, or just not at all. It's nice getting some peace, 'cuz I don't really care about the rewards. That's the alternative to waiting for better moderation. It's annoying but it is how it is. Makes me wonder why there's even tournaments being held.

[Divinemights]

Due to the forum's rules of no name policy, I will unfortunately not be able to post links to countless records of shameless acts of cheating and hacking, but I do believe those aren't hard to find, especially when some of those players have been doing it for MANY seasons. Just look up X accounts like Brian Ricardo's that take the time to painfully report most of those with video proof.

You could always start an off site space, like a Facebook fan page or a Discord server.
The Primal PvP community discord used to be pretty aggressive about calling out hackers and cheaters and would even allow people to post their names.
These days, though, it feels like they’ve backed off from doing that.

[Valence]

Funny how this topic emerges after some kind of l'il row on the <one name you've cited>'s Twitch channel last night... (very cringe to observe too).



There's no getting to the bottom of it, though. The barrel is too deep (and it's one that's gathering dust in the corner, for all it matters to the grand scheme of the game's perseverance). The "minority" is not really all that small, it's only that when you think of outright hacking. There's only a very small number of those indeed. Though some confirmed ones are still playing, nyes.

But for match fixing type activities, oh my no that's a different kettle of fish, they're a bit more plentiful -- I mean once upon a time ranked Feast party PvP got closed, and then again di'n it? Sometimes it looks like one circle of fixers pointing fingers at another (friend group vs friend group I guess?) It's very silly stuff... but either way the apprehension is kind of warranted from those outside of the loop. You're either in or you're out it feels like. It's way too exclusive club-like past a certain point (or a playground depending on how you look at it). I don't blame one and doners for being as they are when it comes to ranked PvP here. If you trigger a petty grudge from that lot hoo boy.

It'd sure be nice if things could be cleaner but it's just not happening. So I play on alts across the different territories more and more, or play FL, or just not at all. It's nice getting some peace, 'cuz I don't really care about the rewards. That's the alternative to waiting for better moderation. It's annoying but it is how it is. Makes me wonder why there's even tournaments being held.

There isn't really anything funny about it. There is indeed a very specific player with multiple accounts that seems to show up every ranked season, and will be there playing from the start to the end of the activity window every day, either hacking and cheating with one account, or just throwing games and griefing with another. That player has already had at least one account banned, and bought the game and remade one immediately with the same name. It's very interesting to see that one can circumvent perma bans by just throwing more money at the company and make new accounts with the exact same characters, doing the exact same things without a care in the world.

As just to prove me right, just after I made that post yesterday, the whole evening has been a literal shit show of one sided games due to that one specific player.

I don't know why you say there is no getting to the bottom of it. There is a couple of identified cheaters/griefers at best, it shouldn't be too hard to deal with them, yet SE's lethargy in that matter is really frustrating.

Like the first reply to that thread, I do legit not understand you at all. You're free to be convinced that nothing will be done, etc, but why are you both trying to shoot down the threads that actually try to address the problem? Not gonna lie I'd rather have even vitriolic replies aimed at the actual culprits or the lack of care from SE than this kind of half assed attacks at the OP itself. Respectfully, you're not helping at all, both of you. You're just validating the statu quo.

You could always start an off site space, like a Facebook fan page or a Discord server.

That is literally what people have been doing on other social media, tagging SE in the process. Reports are legion and already there, just waiting for the company to actually act upon it.