Getting Annoyed by Those Sneaky Bots
Alright, so I was just minding my own business grinding dungeons last Tuesday when I noticed something fishy. Some players near Kyovashad were acting like broken robots – running into walls repeatedly, spamming the same three moves over and over. I stopped my quest and just watched one dude for like 10 minutes. His movements were so stiff and unnatural, like watching a wind-up toy that needed oil.
That’s when I decided to dig deeper. Grabbed my notepad and coffee, camped out in different hotspots – Helltide areas, world boss zones, popular farming spots. Started writing down every weird behavior I noticed during my regular gameplay sessions. Took me three days of serious observation but I spotted patterns.
My Bot-Spotting Routine
First thing I did was hit the towns during peak hours. Stood near Waypoints and Blacksmiths with my character turned sideways. Realized some players would sprint straight toward vendors at crazy speeds, ignoring obstacles. Saw one warrior clip right through a fruit cart like it didn’t exist! Made a note: Weird pathing = bot suspect.
Then I tested interactions. Started following suspicious characters around, tossing out “hello” emotes. No responses ever – dead silence. Even threw a party invite to this rogue who kept killing the same mob group every 8 minutes exactly. Invite just expired. Added note: Zero social interaction = big red flag.
The Farm Spot Experiment
Thursday morning I got serious. Parked my sorceress at the Ancient’s Lament dungeon entrance. Clocked this barbarian running identical loops for hours. He’d:
- Enter dungeon at 6:12 AM
- Exit at 6:27 AM sharp
- Teleport to town
- Return at 6:32 AM
- Repeat cycle non-stop
Timed it for four cycles! Not even bathroom breaks. That’s when I knew I’d found method number three: Military precision timing.
The Naming Pattern Discovery
Almost missed this one until Saturday. Was writing my notes when I noticed something. Those suspected bots had names like:
- XxDarkSlayerxX
- XxShadowReaperxX
- XxNightStalkerxX
All same format, all with weird capitalization. Checked their profiles – no clans, zero friends, achievement dates didn’t match playtime. My fourth method: Weird naming conventions.
The Rubber Band Test
Final test was brilliant. During world boss fight, I body-blocked a suspicious necromancer. Just stood right in his path. Dude rubberbanded back and forth like a pinball for 15 seconds before teleporting away. Did this to three suspects – same glitchy behavior every time. Normal players just run around you! Fifth method confirmed: Strange collision reactions.
What Now?
After a week of fieldwork, I can spot bots within minutes. Feels good helping cleanse Sanctuary! My advice? Don’t overcomplicate it – just watch how players move and interact. These five patterns stick out like Andariel in a sundress once you know what to look for.