Since the removal of the Duel Arena back in 2022 to stop activity which we deemed unacceptable in line with our rules such as real world trading, players have been pushing the boundaries of what is acceptable to replicate similar activities resembling what was previously available.
In October 2022, we made it clear that both ‘community chucking’ and any staking or dueling with the help of a middleman is NOT allowed. Now, our focus has turned towards Deathmatching.
Deathmatching is where players fight each other in a PvP match to the death where high stakes are being gambled on the fight (as the winner gets all loot and money dropped). This is majorly, if not always, linked to real world trading. Players will agree to use a standard set of equipment and not heal in any way throughout the fight until one player has perished, leaving the victor to take claim to the money that was ‘staked’.
Deathmatching takes away from genuine PvP and has become an increasingly common way for players to engage in real world trading. These activities also encourage the purchase of accounts created and made with the intention of Deathmatching.
Admittedly, it has taken us some time to get to this point, but there has been good reason for it. Just as people moved from the Duel Arena to PvP worlds doing what they do now, we'd expect them to do the same thing if we clamped down on it in public spaces. This type of activity would likely move somewhere less visible, and whilst we're sure they'll continue to try, we've been working hard to ensure that we have a robust system in place to accurately detect and punish players participating in this activity, wherever they may be within Gielinor, and we’re now ready to start acting against those involved.
As of 12:00 (noon) UTC on 15th August, Deathmatching is NOT allowed and violates the Games of Chance section of our Game Rules. Players found to be participating in Deathmatching after this time will be subject to the following action:
- 1st Offence will result in a 3-day ban and wealth removal
- Continued offences will result in a permanent ban and wealth removal
Rest assured, those of you engaging in typical PvP battles will not be impacted by this change in rules. The team worked hard to specifically highlight those participating in Deathmatching and are confident in the systems used to identify them.
The Old School Team