CS2 Streamers Hit with 1-Year Bans Due to XP Farming Exploit

A selection of prominent Counter-Strike streamers, including Arrow, have received a one-year ban from the game due to their involvement with an XP farming exploit.

For gamers who’ve invested several hundred hours in Counter-Strike, the anticipation for updates can be quite frustrating. This trend has continued in CS2, where Valve has noticeably reduced their update frequency after an initial surge.

However, at the beginning of October, the developers of CS2 introduced a significant update dubbed The Armory. This feature operates similarly to an operation but omits any wingman missions. Players can earn stars through games that can be exchanged for weapon skins, operator appearances, and more.

The grind for these rewards is intended to be challenging. Despite this, players discovered ways to exploit the Deathmatch mode, enabling them to accumulate roughly 40 stars per match on average, which allowed for rapid advancement in their armory passes.

A multitude of notable CS streamers, including Arrow, Aquaismissing, Epidemic, and others, faced bans of at least one year after exploiting this system.

1 Year Ban pic.twitter.com/3bEhPH5Y98

— Arrow (@ArowCS) October 9, 2024

Initially, Pricempire reported that Anomaly had also faced sanctions for using the exploit. However, this claim has been updated, and the Swedish content creator has not been penalized.

Prior to the enforcement of the ban policy, Anomaly had claimed that “the likelihood of receiving a ban is very, very low.” He asserted it would be “less than a single-digit percentage chance.”

This assessment has proven inaccurate as 15 creators ended up being penalized for exploiting the glitch.

“Chances for a ban are less than single digit percent” pic.twitter.com/Yp5OLfIgi2

— Flickflops🥤 (@flickflops) October 9, 2024

While Valve is actively cracking down on users who exploited this glitch, the exploit itself remains unpatched.

This situation may lead to additional bans for players in the near future, impacting anyone seeking to retain their skins for an extended period. Consequently, we might witness a ripple effect on the CS2 skin economy.

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