WoW Bans Guide – All You Need to Know in 2024

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On this page, we’ll go over everything you need to know about a WoW ban, drawing from our extensive experience since 2015, as well as how to recover a banned WoW account!

Blizzard has always been very adamant when it comes to cheating and punishing it. In fact, WoW was one of the first games to issue large ban waves, and all the way up to suing bot makers.

That said, WoW bans are also known for being questionable at times. As in, from false positives to having a very vague reason behind them.

An example is, landing a WoW ban for unauthorized account access. What does that even mean? No worries though, we’ll go over it below!

Thus, let’s go over every reason that can lead to a WoW banned account, what they mean and what they were applied for! And, lastly, how to recover a banned account!

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WoW Botting Ban

Otherwise labeled as cheating, there are a couple of offenses associated with a WoW ban for botting.

So, let’s go over them below!

Violation: Cheating

This type of ban and email confirmation originates from other players reporting you for using cheats (bots, mostly).

Here’s what you can expect to see:

Action(s) Taken: Account Suspended

Violation: Cheating

Your fellow players reported you for cheating. This includes actions like botting, and exploiting game mechanics.

Blizzard Entertainment.

Usually, this type of ban is automated.

That means that if enough players report you, especially within a short period of time, your WoW account will be automatically suspended.

And yes, if done with bad faith, you can actually get someone suspended in WoW just by mass and false reporting them. Quite unfortunate.

Luckily though, false WoW suspensions are quite easily overturned. Especially if they originate from mass reports.

On the other hand, this usually comes with a 6-month WoW suspension. Rarely, it can be a 30-day one, as well as a permanent ban.

In short, the WoW Violation: Cheating is:

  • automated and issued as a result of players reports;
  • due to allegations of using bots, multiboxing, rotation helpers, fly hacks, speed hacks and so forth;
  • usually a 6-month suspension;
  • also triggered by false and mass reports against you;
  • easy to overturn, if you’re innocent.

Violation: Use of Bots or Third-Party Automation Software

This WoW ban, unlike the above one, happens when Blizzard’s Warden believes it detected a cheat running on your computer.

Here’s what it says:

Account Action: Suspended

Violation: Use of Bots or Third-Party Automation Software

Blizzard Entertainment has suspended this World of Warcraft account after identifying the usage of bots or other cheat software. These programs (commonly called cheats, bots, or hacks) automate certain aspects of gameplay, or provide unintended advantages and abilities to the player.

Blizzard Entertainment.

The reasons behind this ban in WoW are similar to the ones above. The difference is that, this one gets triggered by WoW’s anti-cheating system, and not as a result of player reports.

However, false positive bans can and do happen here as well. Warden can wrongfully detect various things as cheats and, in turn, ban your WoW account.

Permanent Ban in WoW for Cheating
Blizzard Entertainment

Usually, false detection WoW bans can be triggered by coding or automation software. Thus, apart from actual cheats, “Use of Bots or Third-Party Automation Software” bans can happen due to:

  • AutoIT;
  • AutoHotkey;
  • FastKey;
  • KeyboardMaestro.

Apart from that, mouse and keyboard macros can and will cause a WoW ban, especially if used in relation to WoW. Regardless of what harmless process you set them up for (such as Milling for Inscription).

Usually though, Blizzard will suspend your WoW account for 6 months if it’s your first offense.

For the second one, it’ll be an 18-month suspension, followed by a permanent WoW ban.

However, this is not always followed to the letter. They have just as well issued permanent bans right off the bat, as well as 12-month bans.

Exploitative Activity: Unauthorized Cheat Programs (Hacks)

Yet another cheating related WoW ban. This originates from any other software that interferes with WoW and is seen as a cheat. Even if it’s not one.

Here’s its confirmation email:

Account Action: Account Closure

Offense: Exploitative Activity: Unauthorized Cheat Programs (Hacks)

This account was closed for use of unauthorized cheat programs, also known as hacks or bots.

Blizzard Entertainment.

So, just like the above WoW ban reasons, this happens due to cheating detection (bots, hacks, rotation helpers, etc.). But, Exploitative Activity: Unauthorized Cheat Programs also happens due to:

  • multiboxing software (which is now against the rules);
  • character model changers (tMorph, jMorph, iMorph, etc.);
  • ConsolePort (albeit as a false positive);
  • coding software and automation tools.
False Ban in WoW

Similarly, this can be either a temporary suspension (6 or 18-month ban), or flat out a permanent one. It really depends on the timing of it (ban wave or not) as well as on the circumstances surrounding the ban.

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Banned WoW Account for Boosting

WoW takes boosting and win-trading very seriously. In fact, they’ve even issued bans for boosting as far as a few months after the fact.

In a way, they’re likely waiting to gather enough evidence, or flag as many players as possible, as usually WoW boosting bans are issued in larger waves.

So, let’s see a couple of reasons related to boosting bans in WoW!

Violation: Unauthorized Account Access

Sounds like someone hacked your WoW account, no? Well, it’s not that.

This is Blizzard’s way of telling you that you shared your WoW account with someone that wasn’t “authorized” by them. Odd phrasing, to say the least.

Can you authorize someone then? No. In fact, you’re not allowed to share your account with anyone, for any reason.

The only single exception is for a parent or guardian to allow one child to play on the account. But, you’re entirely responsible for their actions.

Who Can You Share Your WoW Account With
Source – us.battle.net/support/en/article/30182

So, apart from that one single exception, any type of account sharing leads to a punishment. This depends on what they believe has happened.

For example, if you simply shared your account with a friend so they can test the game, you can expect a 30-day WoW suspension. This can also be a 6-month one.

But, if you shared your account with the purpose of boosting, apart from the suspension, you also risk:

Here’s a specific ban email that goes out alongside this suspension:

Account Action: Suspended

Violation: Unauthorized Account Access

A player on this account used a different game account for exploitative access to Mage Tower content. As a result, we have suspended access to this game account and it is not available for play during this time. Sharing your account, or accessing another player’s account, violates the Blizzard End User License Agreement.

Blizzard Entertainment.
WoW Account Suspended for Account Sharing
Blizzard Entertainment

Boosting in WoW and bans for “Violation: Unauthorized Account Access” usually are issued for:

  • PvP title, mount, achievement, rewards from Arenas and Rated Battlegrounds;
  • Mythic+ score, titles, achievements and gear;
  • powerleveling;
  • Mage Tower;
  • leveling up professions;
  • rare mount or achievement farming;
  • Heroic or Mythic raids.

Do note that blizzard treats both boosting and carries the same way. Even if one implies account sharing and the other just real-money transactions.

At the same time, boosting and carries are only bannable if real money or account sharing are involved. Otherwise, it’s perfectly within the Terms of Use to help out a player for just in-game gold.

Granted of course, you don’t sell the gold for real money afterwards.

Violation: Exploitative Activity: Real Money Transaction (RMT)

This ban in WoW is also related to boosting activities. However, it’s mostly issued for carries.

Unlike the unauthorized account access ban, carries for real money don’t involve account sharing.

Thus, a player can get boosted simply by joining a raid or a Mythic+ group, while still playing on their very own account.

Here’s the email confirming this account action:

Account Action: Suspended

Violation: Exploitative Activity: Real Money Transaction (RMT)

This account has been suspended because it was advertising or actively participating in the purchase or sale of in-game PvE or PvP achievements, progression, or rewards in exchange for real-world currency.

Blizzard Entertainment.

The reasons behind it are somewhat the same, for anything that can be boosted or carried without account sharing.

WoW Suspension for Boosting and RMT
Blizzard Entertainment

Punishments for RMT carries are the similar too. They can start with a 30-day suspension, all the way up to a permanent ban from WoW.

And, as part of the punishment, they’ll also remove any rewards associated with the offense. That means achievements, mounts, titles, currency or gear.

Lastly, punishments for “Violation: Exploitative Activity: Real Money Transaction” are for:

  • gold buying or selling;
  • carries and boosts for real-world money;
  • any other in-game items or services exchanged for anything other than gold.
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WoW Account Suspension for Toxicity

This exists in WoW as well. But, it’s different from the toxicity in League of Legends, for example.

That’s mostly because, unlike LoL, in WoW you can choose your party or group. And, you’re also able to vote kick a player out of the group if they behave poorly.

But, make no mistake, as Blizzard knows all about toxicity, having dealt with it regularly while banning Overwatch accounts.

Nonetheless, toxicity, negativity or griefing take place in WoW as well, so let’s see how Blizzard deals with them.

Violation: Disruptive Gameplay

Suspensions in WoW for disruptive gameplay are usually temporary. Especially for your very first offense.

Although it’s not outright toxicity, they pertain to a form of griefing or preventing others from playing the game.

However, disruptive gameplay suspensions are usually related to RP (role-playing) offenses. But, it can also be applied for a few other reasons, which we’ll go over below.

For example, if players are RP-ing and you’re interfering with it, and if they report you for it, you’ll get suspended for disruptive gameplay.

The suspension usually lasts for 3 days. But, it can also be issued for 7 days.

7 day WoW Suspension
World of Warcraft

Thus, here’s what can lead to a Violation: Disruptive Gameplay suspension in WoW:

  • disrupting RP events or other players from RP-ing;
  • intentionally killing a quest giver and preventing players from accepting or delivering the quest;
  • purposefully resetting world bosses (especially in WoW Classic);
  • one-shotting low-level mobs in starter areas to grief and prevent new players from questing.

Generally, any action that prevents another player from playing the game can be considered disruptive gameplay. And thus, it can lead to a temporary suspension if you’re reported for it.

As for the ban email, it’s a bit vague and it looks like this:

Account Action: Suspended

Violation: Disruptive Gameplay

Your fellow players reported you for a gameplay offense that is in violation of the Blizzard EULA and/or Code of Conduct.

Blizzard Entertainment.

Violation: Abusive Chat

This one is a bit more self-explanatory. And, unlike disruptive gameplay, this pertains to actual toxicity in WoW.

But, it can also be issued for spamming the in-game trade chat with either nonsense or advertisements (such as boosts or carries).

Unfortunately though, this type of WoW suspension can be abused by guilds of groups of players mass-reporting someone.

In fact, Asmongold himself had this happen a while back. Remember that?

Even though Asmongold got silenced for it, and not suspended, he was in fact punished for being mass reported for merely typing “I love WoW”.

That goes to show that getting falsely silenced, suspended or even banned for abusive chat is possible. And, it can be abused.

Thus, if a rival guild on your realm decides to mass report you within a short period of time, you can expect an automated suspension from WoW.

Luckily though, they usually get quickly overturned upon contacting Blizzard.

Its confirmation email looks like this:

Action(s) Taken: Account Suspended

Violation: Abusive Chat

Your fellow players reported you for abusive language multiple times.

Blizzard Entertainment.

The punishments for abusive chat in WoW are:

  • temporary silence for 7 days (preventing you from using any type of chat);
  • temporary suspension for 7-10 days (preventing you from logging into the game altogether).
WoW Suspended Account for Abusive Chat
Blizzard Entertainment

However, if the punishment was issued correctly, and if the same behavior is repeated after it, you can expect longer suspensions for up to 30 days, all the way up to a permanent WoW ban.

That said, here’s what causes a Violation: Abusive Chat suspension or ban:

  • toxicity;
  • name-calling, being rude or offensive to other players;
  • spamming the trade chat (or any other public channel);
  • advertising in-game boosts or carries;
  • having an offensive character name.

If you do get reported for having an offensive character name, you’ll also be prompted to change it upon logging into the game again. Usually, it’s free of charge, as Blizzard initiates the character rename.

Do note that, depending on your chat logs, the punishments might not be as lenient. For example, you can expect a permanent WoW ban, without any prior warnings or suspensions for:

  • racism and hate speech;
  • threatening other players;
  • harassment;
  • revealing other players’ personal information.

Nonetheless, this is something you should never do, in any game for that matter.

Offense: PvP Non-Participation / Exploitation

Not really as toxic, but it can be considered a form of griefing.

The PvP Non-Participation / Exploitation suspension is usually temporary, ranging from 3 to 30 days.

It’s usually issued for:

  • AFKing in Battlegrounds and Arenas;
  • not helping your team capping or defending;
  • trying to lose on purpose.

Here’s its ban confirmation email:

Offense: PvP Non-Participation/Exploitation

We received evidence that this account behaved in Battlegrounds and Arenas in a way that detracts from the in-game integrity of World of Warcraft. After reviewing this evidence, we have suspended your account.

Blizzard Entertainment.

However, this can also be issued wrongfully, since after all, it’s a player report ban.

For example, defending bases for too long without any other activity can seem as if you’re AFKing on purpose. Even though, you aren’t.

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Banned for Buying Gold in WoW

Ever since Blizzard implemented the WoW token and the ability to buy game time with it, they’ve cracked on gold buying or selling activities.

However, the way they go about it isn’t set in stone. As in, they have issued temporary suspensions with or without removing the gold in question.

But, they’ve also issued permanent WoW bans on the very first offense.

Violation: Exploitative Activity: Abuse of the Economy

Abuse of the economy bans in WoW usually pertain to gold buying or selling, for real-world money.

While back in the day, most of it was obtained through gold farming, nowadays boosting and carrying are the biggest gold makers on retail. And, for Classic WoW, that’s mostly GDKP runs.

Thus, for abuse of the economy, you can expect the following:

  • temporary suspension for up to 30 days;
  • removal of all gold involved;
  • permanent ban.

Here’s how a WoW suspension for abuse of the economy looks:

Action(s) Taken: Account Suspended

Recent activity shows that a user on this account acquired gold through illicit means, such as gold buying, botting, or participating in other real-money transactions. As a result of this activity we have suspended this account.

Along with this suspension, we have removed all of the purchased gold as well as any items and mounts purchased up to the total amount of gold.

Blizzard Entertainment.
Permanent WoW Ban for Buying Gold
Blizzard Entertainment

And here’s a confirmation email for a permanent ban in WoW for abuse of the economy:

Account Action: Account Closure

Offense: Exploitative Activity: Abuse of the Economy

This account was closed because it was involved, either directly or indirectly, with the unauthorized exchange of in-game property for “real-world” currency. This exchange detracts from the integrity of the World of Warcraft game environment.

Blizzard Entertainment.

So, as you can see, for the exact same allegation, you can receive both a permanent ban or a WoW suspension.

The amount of gold traded doesn’t seem to matter, but your account’s history or previous warnings definitely do.

And, if you get a permanent ban without any prior warnings, it should be fairly easy to get it overturned, at least to a 6-month WoW suspension.

An abuse of the economy ban or suspension is usually issued for buying or selling gold. However, here are a few things that can trigger a false positive ban:

On the plus side, a false ban should be easy to overturn. The key word here is “should”.

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WoW Account Banned for No Reason

You might think it’s impossible, but unfortunately, it’s not.

You can get banned for no reason in WoW, and the grounds behind it are quite a few.

Here are a number of things that can get you banned or suspended in WoW for no reason:

  • using a VPN can lead to a false account sharing ban;
  • getting mass and false reported by other players;
  • trading large amounts of gold;
  • logging from different locations within a short period of time;
  • running coding software alongside WoW (this can also get you banned from Warcraft Rumble);
  • using automation tools for other projects (including mouse and keyboard macros);
  • buying or selling many expensive items on the Auction House;
  • guarding BG bases and seeming AFK to others.

Regardless, with such a big game, there are many reasons to get banned or suspended for no reason. If you had a different one happen to you, let us know in the comments!

The good part, if there is any, is that any WoW false ban should be removed quite fast upon appealing it.

And, if you end up getting the classic “This penalty has already been upheld.” answer, know that it’s definitely not the end of the road. Blizzard has overturned multiple bans, way past that answer.

Nonetheless, let’s now see how to recover a banned WoW account.

WoW Ban Removed
Yet another happy customer we’ve helped recover their banned WoW account

How to Recover a Banned WoW Account

The only way to recover a banned WoW account is by submitting a ban appeal. You can check our complete step-by-step guide here, but essentially here’s what you need to do:

  • go Blizzard’s Support Center;
  • click on “Account”, then choose “Appeal account action”;
  • select “Appeal a penalty” then press on “Continue”, twice;
  • explain the situation to the best of your ability.

This is also the part where we come in handy, should you require our professional and customized unban service designed to help you get your ban overturned!

As part of this process, make sure to not make multiple tickets at the same time addressing the same issue.

If your ticket isn’t closed, keep the conversation in the same thread, by reopening it.

Be polite, concise and do not threaten their Support for any reason. This can and will likely result in your entire Battle.net to be permanently banned.

Two Banned WoW Accounts Recovered
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WoW Ban FAQ

1. Will I get banned for buying gold WoW Classic?

Yes. Buying gold in WoW Classic or Retail is a bannable offense. For it, you can receive a temporary suspension (1 to 6 months), along with having your bought gold removed. There’s also a chance you will get permanently banned from WoW, even without any prior warnings or suspensions.

2. Can you get caught buying WoW gold?

Yes. Blizzard has access to a variety of logs, including all the trades players do. It’s fairly easy for them to identify gold buying or selling, as well as trace it to where the gold came from or where it went.

3. Are WoW bans permanent?

No, not all WoW bans are permanent. If you get suspended or banned, you should receive a confirmation email. This email will also contain the type of punishment you received, as well as the duration of it. However, Blizzard doesn’t have a strict pattern regarding what warrants a ban or a suspension.

4. How long is a WoW suspension?

WoW suspensions can start from just 3 hours, and go all the way up to 18 months. As in, suspended for one year and a half. Usually, the latter only happens to repeat offenders, for accusations such as: using bots, boosting or buying gold.

5. Does Blizzard ban IP address?

No, Blizzard does not ban IP address. However, given the severity of your offense, they might issue a HWID ban, on your computer’s unique identifiers. This happens only on extreme and very rare situations.

6. Why is my Blizzard account banned?

If your Battle.net or Blizzard account is banned, that’s likely due to either violating the Customer Support interaction policy (spamming, offending, threatening or being rude to their Support), or due to an issue pertaining to payment fraud. This can also happen in cases of account compromises or if the account was sold or bought.

7. Are Battle.net bans permanent?

Very rarely does Blizzard ban a Battle.net account permanently. They usually issue a 72-hour suspension for abusing their Customer Support policy, which can be increased to a week or two if the behavior isn’t stopped. But, in rare cases where accounts are compromised and a player can no longer prove their ownership, the Battle.net account ban is permanent.

8. Can Blizzard ban you for no reason?

Unfortunately, yes. However, this isn’t with any bad faith, as this usually happens due to a false positive ban. The triggers can vary, from VPN usage, logging from different locations, suspicious gameplay resembling a boost, trading large gold amounts and all the way up to running unusual computer software (such as work related developer software).

9. Can you get banned for account sharing in WoW?

Yes. Account sharing, for any reason, will result in your account getting banned or suspended in WoW. You’re only allowed to share your account with your child, if you’re their parent or guardian. Outside of that, regardless of circumstances, you are not allowed to share your WoW account, even if it’s not for the purpose of carries, boosts or powerleveling.

10. What’s the difference between boosting and carrying?

Boosting pertains to allowing a different player to log into your account and perform a specific service (powerleveling, professions, farm materials, PvP content, etc.). A carry on the other hand can be done for the same purpose, but you’ll be playing your very own account, in a group with the booster, without anyone logging on it.

11. What do I do if my Blizzard account is banned?

The only way to address a Blizzard banned account (or a game license, such as with WoW), is by submitting a ban appeal. You can follow our guide above on how to do that. Apart from a ban appeal, there’s no other way to get a ban removed.

12. How long does it take Blizzard to respond to my appeal?

This usually depends on their volume of work. They can respond as fast as within a couple of hours, but they can also take a few days. This also depends on your case, as sometimes, they will escalate your case to a different department in charge of that particular situation (such as their Hacks team), and will then wait to hear back from them. Regardless, unless they closed the ticket without answering it, you shouldn’t bump your ticket, to avoid infringing on their Customer Support interaction policy.

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About the Author

Michael

Michael, founder and writer of Unbanster, brings over 20 years of gaming experience and a law degree to his specialized work in his unbanning service. Though he didn't pursue a traditional career in law, his unique legal perspective enables him to tackle the intricacies of gaming policies and appeals processes. Motivated by a personal unjust ban, Michael launched Unbanster in 2015 to aid gamers facing similar challenges, having successfully assisted thousands to date, striving to ensure fairness and transparency in the gaming community.

Comments 2

  1. hi blliazrd ban my account in lvl up i was lvl 70 on lich king and i buy EU code and blliazrd ban me for cheating i just use EU code
    do you think its about code ?

    1. Post
      Author

      Heya! If by EU code you mean an EU subscription/game then no, Blizzard doesn’t ban players for playing on different regions.

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