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Riot's patented anti-cheat system, Vanguard, was installed and operational on the PC client for League of Legends and Teamfight Tactics with Patch 14.9. This means that Vanguard will be actively enforced, and it will run in the background to keep your queues clear of scripters, botters, and cheaters!
However, there have been prior allegations from players asserting Vanguard's spyware-like characteristics due to its extensive access to computer systems.The news comes after the rollout of Vanguard in the MOBA, which led to a significant increase in bans across higher elos.
“Now that Vanguard has had a bit of time to roll out, we’re starting to target more cheats that we weren’t able to action on in the past,” the dev team stated. “These new waves also will come with League’s first-ever Hardware ID bans, increasing the action weight against cheaters.”
How are the bans being implemented?
Head of anti-cheat at Riot Games, Phillip Koskinas shared stats on the matter, revealing that hardware bans were now the second-highest type of bans implemented.
Hardware ID bans mean anyone caught cheating will no longer be able to participate while using the same PC, preventing cheaters from playing the game until they replace their hardware—a costly fee that’s sure to dissuade many.
The hardware bans began around May 15, with many cheaters being from higher elos, mainly Masters and above. This took place only a month after Vanguard itself was introduced to League of Legends, proving Riot is serious about tackling cheaters.
However, Vanguard hasn’t been without its issues. Coming from Riot’s tactical FPS Valorant, many League of Legends players claimed that the anti-cheat was “bricking” their PCs. The developers later responded, stating that they have not confirmed any instances of Vanguard causing such issues.
These hardware bans will be an interesting strategy against cheats in League of Legends and are part of Riot’s ongoing efforts to combat cheaters in their games.
Players seem to have mixed feelings about Vanguard, with one side saying it is invasive and breaches their privacy. They claimed that since Vanguard operates at the kernel level, it has greater privileges than a standard user.
This level of access allows the anti-cheat to perform actions without your knowledge or permission. They compared it to Riot installing surveillance cameras in every room of your home and having keys to all your locks.
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