Respawn has permanently banned an Apex Legends player after investigating an exploit used to deliberately crash matches. The studio says it has also fixed the vulnerability and is taking action against all accounts found using it.
According to Respawn’s competitive integrity update, the exploit involved Ballistic’s Sling passive and a modified game client. It allowed the perpetrator to overwhelm a server, disconnect the lobby, and then attempt to gain an advantage by reconnecting.
In brief:
- Respawn confirmed a permanent account ban following its investigation into intentional lobby crashes.
- The exploit involved Ballistic’s Sling passive and excessive weapon optic duplication.
- A fix has been implemented to prevent further abuse of this vulnerability.
- Other accounts found using the exploit are also facing action.
How the Apex Legends Ballistic Exploit Crashed Servers
Respawn’s anti-cheat team investigated a player who appeared to be repeatedly causing lobbies to crash. And that investigation led to the uncovering of an exploit involving Ballistic’s Sling passive, with a modified game client duplicating a weapon optic far beyond its intended limits.
The duplicated items placed excessive strain on the server. Eventually, the match would become unresponsive and crash for everyone in the lobby.
The disruption was intentional, and Respawn says the player would reconnect after the crash and attempt to take advantage of other players still being disconnected. So, that meant an entire lobby’s match could be disrupted to give one player an unfair opportunity.
Respawn Confirms Permanent Ban and Ballistic Exploit Fix
After identifying the behavior and confirming what caused the crashes, Respawn implemented a fix and permanently banned the investigated account.
The studio also said it is taking action against all accounts found using the exploit. However, the supplied statement does not give a total number of affected accounts or specify the punishment issued to each additional account.
It also refers to matches and lobbies generally, without identifying Ranked as the only affected mode.
Player Reports Helped Respawn Investigate the Crashes
Respawn credited players who reported suspicious lobby crashes and shared information that helped its investigation.
The studio says it will continue investigating intentional match disruption and taking action when it can confirm abuse.
