Increasing number of players using 3rd party tools

[drtasteyummy]

Its funny how defensive ppl always get when players legitimately are concerned about 3rd party tools, and i feel like "3rd party" is not what most players are worried about, its automated things, like gathering bots and crafting bots.

None cares if you use a shader, act or anything that gives you no feasible advantage. However, if you combine crafting and gathering bots with a crafting system that is so easy that it doesn't need any hq mats or luck anymore ... you run into a problem.

Crafted gear, food and pots are worthless ... its at times cheaper to buy them then to putting the effort in to getting the mats and making them yourself. Because why wouldn't it ... if you run a gathering bot 8h a day while you work, he will get the mats and craft the items. You have no connection to the time and effort that was required and sell it for prices normal ppl would never even think about.

Combine that with the Marketboard bot that lists items and changes prices ... how the F is a new player to compete with it unless he does nieche items such as leveling.

When you see their 1 week report you see the thousands of rmt shouters they ban, yet for bots player use ...
4 Players got a temp ban across every single data center. How they think posting that is a good idea is beyond me, zone to Limsa and you stumble over 4 bots while you enter.

This means SE has no idea what their doing about bots, the 4 that got caught were likely stupid enough to outright say that they bot.

The "well dont do it then" argument doesn't work if you get benefit from it ... and unless SE kicks PS support we will never have anything allowed like this anyway, because it breaks the balance.

Reminds me of the good ol days in FFXI in which they retroactively banned players when a exploit was found once, a small ban hammer wave would do right to wake the community. If theres no punishment for not following tos, why would you follow it ... i get it.

Because these things would also happen if they wouldn't tolerate mods, you intentionally act like people raid on Monday to Thursday then let their gather and crafting bot run from Friday to Sunday.
If SE doesn't act on gold buyers, bots and PvP cheaters than that is a whole different story. If you decide that a cleaner looking UI, Deadly Boss Mod
or some kind of QoL improvements increase your fun then this is totally fine, why bother what others do to their game. Most people enjoy this game because for once it's not a Miqote tail swinging contest and the MMO aspect is focused on a social level.