The XP potion drama is a byproduct of Blizzard's inability to communicate properly

[TheRevenantHero]

If I make a game, it is my fault if something doesn't work as intended. Also, many games gets more popular when they have some leaks in them. It kinda is advertisement for the game itself.
For example; when people heard you could walk under Stormwind, many people logged in and tried to do that, cuz they thought it was fun. Also, when you could bugjump walls, people logged in to try and do that, cuz it was fun. In MoP beta, when level 1 was the strongest and best level in the game, - people logged in, cuz it was fun.
But ofc stuff like this can't last forever. But giving the players that play your game a ban because Blizzard did something wrong...? They could have avoided bans for their own mistake and let the fun last for a week. Leaks in a game helps the game at times, especially in times like this, where the devs make the games boring and dull.

Now it is more like "FOUND FUN IN OUR GAME?! Let's REMOVE FUN!".

It's in their ToS that YOU AGREED TO WHEN SIGNING UP TO PLAY THE GAME that using exploits/bugs will garner a punishment. They can't bug test everything. Things will slip through the cracks. Saying that players abusing an obvious exploit is the game creator's fault is ludicrous. People knew it was an exploit and did it anyway, thus breaching the ToS they agreed to. Stop defending cheaters.

[klogaroth]

Common sense tells you if something is a exploit or intended.

Do you really think stacking pots to get 700% XP and go from level 110-120 in 20mins is something that would be intended? If you do then you got other problems to deal with as well.

Don't abuse a exploit and you won't be banned, Its common sense on what is and isn't a bug.

Common sense tells you when you'll obviously get banned. It doesn't tell you where the ban starts. How many potions and for how long? It doesn't tell you how long the ban will be. It doesn't tell you how long it'll take for the characters to get rolled back.

Can you overlap 2 potions for half the duration? Can you stack 2 potions full duration? Where does it start? We don't know, because it's not up to us. It's not determined by common sense, because it's not a community driven number. It's top down, from Blizzard. They set the boundary of where the ban starts.

[Multitorix Davlen]

Common sense tells you when you'll obviously get banned. It doesn't tell you where the ban starts. How many potions and for how long? It doesn't tell you how long the ban will be. It doesn't tell you how long it'll take for the characters to get rolled back.

Can you overlap 2 potions for half the duration? Can you stack 2 potions full duration? Where does it start? We don't know, because it's not up to us. It's not determined by common sense, because it's not a community driven number. It's top down, from Blizzard. They set the boundary of where the ban starts.

I don't understand your point here. Why does it matter when a ban 'starts'? And of course the ban is decided by blizzard? Where are you going with this?

[Magicon]

It's in their ToS that YOU AGREED TO WHEN SIGNING UP TO PLAY THE GAME that using exploits/bugs will garner a punishment. They can't bug test everything. Things will slip through the cracks. Saying that players abusing an obvious exploit is the game creator's fault is ludicrous. People knew it was an exploit and did it anyway, thus breaching the ToS they agreed to. Stop defending cheaters.

so how can players do anything without being sure it is exploit or not?

[vipers]

so how can players do anything without being sure it is exploit or not?

Use your common sense.

[paragraphgorilla]

"I exploited a clear bug, but it's blizzards fault! I'm the victim! QQQQQQQQ"

How come the potion exploit was up for 2 days, but the shop toy cooldown was fixed literally instantly? Saying the toy was supposed to be a 1hour cooldown from the start doesn't count, because both are bugs and bugs should have the highest priority. They could've at least disabled the potion for the time being if they couldn't fix it right away.

[paragraphgorilla]

Even better idea - don't exploit bugs?

Like I said they should've disabled the potion the second the got wind of it.

[Gaidax]

"I exploited a clear bug, but it's blizzards fault! I'm the victim! QQQQQQQQ"

It's not the players, it's THE SOCIETY that is wrong!! Would someone please think about the children??

[niztheundead87]

There are people that still defend exploiters. If you get cheating you need to be punished.

[arcaneshot]

I don't understand your point here. Why does it matter when a ban 'starts'? And of course the ban is decided by blizzard? Where are you going with this?

He's trying to tell you the people who exploited this do not have common sense.

[paragraphgorilla]

Most likely it was a hard bug to fix but disabling the pot would hurt the vast majority of players who don't cheat and exploit. You could easily survive the bug by not exploiting it. There was nothing game breaking about it except that itch of some people to fuck around with stuff.

It wasn't even the first time a bug like this happend. Remember in Legion the Lightblood Elixir to cheese mage tower challenges? Remember Winterfall Firewater that made you huge by splitting a stack in your inventory and drinking it one by one?

If they can't even fix a bug this simple then I don't know.

[faithbane]

It's easy to point fingers at players for abusing a system that they think may or may not be working as intended. It's absolutely insane that Blizzard didn't respond and hasn't responded. Days before the bans came in, people were bombarding Blizzard with tweets telling them of the bug, and if they were allowed to do it or not. They were met with complete silence as they watched streamers for hours, and hours use this exact same bug and Blizzard still chose to be silent on the matter. It seems as though the team is preferring inaction rather than action. I believe most of the bans could've been avoided if the team was more communicative.

The level of mental gymnastics you people will go through to trying to twist a point is insane.. Yes a streamer saying hey look at this exploit I am doing and youtube videos marked in all caps "leveling EXPLOIT, quick before blizzard fixes is" really makes it vague..

Something so obvious does not need any further communication.

[sam86]

It's easy to point fingers at players for abusing a system that they think may or may not be working as intended. It's absolutely insane that Blizzard didn't respond and hasn't responded. Days before the bans came in, people were bombarding Blizzard with tweets telling them of the bug, and if they were allowed to do it or not. They were met with complete silence as they watched streamers for hours, and hours use this exact same bug and Blizzard still chose to be silent on the matter. It seems as though the team is preferring inaction rather than action. I believe most of the bans could've been avoided if the team was more communicative.

wrong, most of bans shouldn't even happen in first place
if u report to them, and they don't answer, u are 100% right to assume it wasn't a bug but actual feature or bonus

Anyone who thinks that a bug that allowed potions to stack to upwards of 700% bonus exp "may be working as intended" is either lying or stupid.

"But they could have communicated better!" Maybe, but don't kid yourself into thinking that anyone seriously thought this bug/exploit was okay to use.

this could be a bonus for short time that will end soon, like how wow anniversary token was for only 1 time use, then changed - no idea when - to reusable during entire anniversary duration
and they can literally spread the msg in 0.05sec by just putting it on battle.net instead of f8cking sale offers for just 1 single f8cking day and done, but they can't resist more $$$, i'd even put tinfoil hat and say they are profiting from the ban by making (addicts) players pay for game while not able to play due to ban for short time
And before any wrong assumption, i'm not play wow right now and still waiting to see how will fly be implemented or next exp, not sure which

[kamuimac]

I agree that the characters should be rolled back. I disagree that the ban was an effective means of communication. Whenever they started getting bombarded with tweets about the bug is whenever they should've said something. People are treating exploiters like they are just scum of the earth. If the team clearly made out a blue post or a tweet and said something like "We have reports of a bug involved stacking XP potions. This is an exploitative offense. We are looking into it", that would've deterred streamers and only the truly stupid would've continued using it.

it was extremly effective - especially 31 days and blacklists on accounts that stremers got.

you hsould see Preach graweling like a little bug just so blizzard forgives him .

all chars should be absolutely rolled back so that people feel the consequences and stop with nonsense of "exploit early exploit fast"

[Gaidax]

this could be a bonus for short time that will end soon

Honestly, at this point I just pity people who say this thing. It's like a miser logic right here. Yes, special short time bonus where you can split specific potion in stacks of 1 to trigger unlimited powerup.

People who got banned knew very well what they did. I am honestly shocked there are people defending this shit even. I mean, if you could trigger this by simply drinking whole 20 stack of pots then I'd sort of understand, but when you need to go ahead and do completely unnatural deliberate splitting pots to stacks of 1 for it even to work... I mean come on now.

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it was extremly effective - especially 31 days and blacklists on accounts that stremers got.

you hsould see Preach graweling like a little bug just so blizzard forgives him .

all chars should be absolutely rolled back so that people feel the consequences and stop with nonsense of "exploit early exploit fast"

Absolutely this. I really hope Blizzard does it, because otherwise they will just encourage this shit in future - this talk about how this was worth it needs to die in fire.

[klogaroth]

I don't understand your point here. Why does it matter when a ban 'starts'? And of course the ban is decided by blizzard? Where are you going with this?

What I'd like is if Blizzard would say something, anything at all. Just a tweet saying "don't stack potions at all". Then maybe they let people off who just overlapped a bit. There's still been no comment about the whole thing. Just the bans.

[Gaidax]

What I'd like is if Blizzard would say something, anything at all. Just a tweet saying "don't stack potions at all". Then maybe they let people off who just overlapped a bit. There's still been no comment about the whole thing. Just the bans.

They released their statement the moment fix went through. Or what, you want them to officially advertise exploit before the fix is in? Really now? Common sense 101?

[klogaroth]

That has no relevance at all.

Of course it does. Take the respawn rates on the alchemy flasks from the tools of the trade item being really fast. There's still been no word on that, yet it was clearly busted. Was that an exploit? Will bans go out for that? We don't know.

[Jazzhands]

What I'd like is if Blizzard would say something, anything at all. Just a tweet saying "don't stack potions at all". Then maybe they let people off who just overlapped a bit. There's still been no comment about the whole thing. Just the bans.

Blizzard shouldn't have to hold peoples hands and tell them not to exploit every time a bug comes up, it's common sense, there's no grey area that this was an exploit, you had to do something very specific to make the buff stack, if it doesn't stack when you try the normal method of, you know, clicking a stack multiple times, why would you ever think it's suddenly OK when it works when you split it into a stack of 1?

[VanishingAct]

I have to agree with this statement. Pretty much everyone knew or at least suspected that it wasn't working right. Hell, they even reported it to Blizzard, so there was a lot of tweets about it already. Yet, some people used the bug anyways and blamed Blizzard when they responded. If you even suspect that something isn't working as intented, why would you abuse it?

I think good luck to them. Blizzard should make a statement the moment they are made aware of any bug or exploit to state that action will be taken on those who abuse it. They are a AAA company this line of thought should be a no brainer. I won't give them one passout for anything because they have no excuse. I didn't do the exploit but I couldn't care less that other people did, didn't impact me in any way.