Riot Vanguard releasing on League of Legends to fight Cheaters

Valorant’s anti-cheat system Vanguard has now arrived in League of Legends bringing a shock to the gaming world. The move follows the shocking finding that one in 15 League of Legends matches worldwide – and one in five matches in certain regions – have featured cheaters.

A Cheating Epidemic Revealed

Riot Games revealed the scale of the cheating problem in League of Legends in a development blog. The blog post revealed that scripters – or botters – have won 80% of ranked matches and tainted more than 10% of games at the top Master + level.

These staggering stats have dispelled the community’s belief that cheaters were still relatively rare in League of Legends and prompted heated debate on platforms such as Reddit regarding greater anti-cheat regulations.

Vanguard: A Solution of Controversial Trouble

Riot Games’ proposed solution, the implementation of Vanguard, has sparked controversy among players. Vanguard runs at the kernel level of a computer’s operating system – giving Riot full access to users’ PCs – raising privacy concerns and potential vulnerabilities.

Some content creators and thousands of players have said they will leave League of Legends altogether because Vanguard is too intrusive. Reviewers state that although these advanced anti-cheat methods could be needed for quick first-person shooters like Valorant, they’re overkill for a MOBA title like League of Legends.

A Necessary Evil?

Despite the backlash, Riot Games believes the Vanguard is a necessary step in the fight against the abused cheating. This explores the flaws in the current anti-cheat systems and cheat manufacturers have been quick to adapt and make current measures ineffective.

Riot hopes Vanguard’s capabilities and its access to users’ PCs will halt cheat production once and for all. 

The availability of cheating tools that are also found in the web for as low as USD 1.99 online have been an issue for the game since it makes it easy for cheaters to acquire alternative accounts.

The Road Ahead

As May 1, 2024, the date for Vanguard’s inclusion in League of Legends approaches, the gaming community is split. Although several players consider the move as an essential move to keep the integrity of the game, others are skeptical citing concerns of privacy and possible intruders.

Conclusion

Riot Games has also pledged to share details of Vanguard’s implementation once it has been in place and how it is working to combat cheaters. The community has been waiting for these updates, hoping Vanguard sticks to its word and returns League of Legends to its former glory as a largely cheat-free gaming experience.