Screenshots from cheating Discord servers and forums appear to show that players who received a hardware ID ban on Warzone are unable to login to Vanguard’s beta. CharlieIntel has independently confirmed that players who have received a hardware or account ban on Warzone are unable to play on Vanguard. Raven Software, the lead developer of Warzone, recently confirmed it issues hardware bans besides account bans for cheaters. In theory, this prevents cheaters from simply creating new accounts, since the ban is tied to a unique hardware ID that is itself tied to the player’s PC. But it’s not bulletproof. A new market for software that spoofs hardware IDs has arisen, and players can also change their hardware, such as their motherboard, to generate a new hardware ID. Still, Activision has announced a brand-new anti-cheat system will be introduced to Vanguard and Warzone when it is updated later this year. It appears the ban database is being shared between Warzone and Vanguard, which is a step in the right direction to ensure that existing bans are not reset with the release of a new Call of Duty title. Activision did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
