As previously reported, Riot recently announced the implementation of Vanguard in League of Legends. For those who may not know, this is an anti-cheat application that Riot has applied to newer games like VALORANT as an example. Vanguard is designed to detect and immediately ban accounts using third-party software that alters existing game mechanics. This application also deals with accounts using mod skins (custom skins) or if any software or applications suspected by Vanguard are installed on the machine, the player’s account could be instantly banned.
Recently, the League of Legends community was buzzing when some players discovered that Riot’s Vanguard was not only targeting suspected third-party cheats but also expanding its scope to the hardware IDs (HWID) of users. This will help Vanguard detect instances where players intentionally disguise third-party software or those who have been previously banned but use tricks (changing IP addresses, faking DNS…) to bypass the Anti-Cheat system. Additionally, according to some statistics, since Vanguard was implemented, the number of accounts banned has surged dramatically.
However, for some players, this move has not been 100% effective as there remains a group that is being overlooked: the bots specifically used to “boost elo” or ruin games that are still being utilized by a portion of players. Furthermore, many argue that if hardware bans are enforced, players with limited financial means may only be able to buy second-hand machines, which could lead to difficulties or even scams when they purchase average-priced machines that cannot run the game.
Riot itself stated that they anticipated these issues when it came to buying machines that had HWID bans in the VALORANT community. The solution simply requires sending an email to Riot along with valid documentation to unlock the account. However, Riot admits that they are still seeking ways to address the use of bots (in boosting elo, ARAM).
With these strong and decisive actions, Riot is clearly demonstrating their commitment to improving the League of Legends environment, which has been criticized as toxic. However, the effectiveness of Vanguard and improvements to this system will need to be continuously assessed as they will directly impact League of Legends players.