Blizzard is dropping the banhammer on Diablo 4 players for using that seasonal content exploit

Diablo 4 Avarice
(Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment)

The situation with Diablo 4's seasonal exploit has officially ended in a manner most unfortunate for those who were tempted into participating: Blizzard is dropping the banhammer.

In case you missed it, a dubious Diablo 4 exploit has been doing the rounds that apparently lets you bridge the gap between the Eternal and seasonal realm. The exploit had been letting players in the Eternal realm bag seasonal gear, and was also being used to transfer existing characters over to the seasonal realm. It was sketchy from the beginning, but then things got even worst when players found out how to equip the new seasonal gem, Malignant Hearts, into every item slot.

Seasoned Diablo players wouldn't touch the exploit with a 10-foot pike, but those naïve enough to think they could take advantage of a vulnerability in the system without paying the price are now, well, paying the price. Not only has the loophole been closed, but Diablo 4 is banning players who took part. 

"I just wanted to let everyone know that this was addressed a few days ago in our last hotfix and hasn’t been present in the game since," said community manager Adam Fletcher said in a response to player concerns around the exploit (via Blue Tracker). "We have also actioned on select accounts related to this incident. We appreciate everyone for bringing this to our attention."

Over on the Diablo 4 subreddit, a post warns, "PSA - Blizzard IS INDEED banning people for the seasonal expoit [sic] bug," sharing a story about how the poster's friend got the banhammer for succumbing to the allures of the glitch. The general sentiment in the replies, essentially, is that the friend deserves the ban.

"Sounds deserved," reads the top-voted comment.

"Fuck around and find out," reads popular reply.

"As he should have been," another replied.

"Stupid games, stupid prizes and all that." You get the idea.

It's unclear how prevalent related bans are, nor is it clear the duration of the bans, but this is a good lesson regardless for fresh-faced online gamers to always be wary of using glitches, bugs, exploits, what-have-you, to break the rules of the game. 

Elsewhere, the Diablo 4 1.1.1 patch notes released earlier this week made a lot of people happy with buffs for every class and no catch included.

Jordan Gerblick

After scoring a degree in English from ASU, I worked as a copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. Now, as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer, I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my apartment, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.

Read more
Diablo 4 season 7 screenshot
Blizzard disables Diablo 4 season 7 Witchcraft power that was being used to deal "very egregious numbers" and plans to bring it back "next week"
Diablo 4
Diablo 4 boss would push for patches to have more fun stuff to balance out unpopular but necessary nerfs: "Lots of medicine, don't see much sugar"
Diablo 4 season 8 boss
Diablo 4 season 8 is revamping the boss ladder system with new mechanics and bosses, including one of the best from Diablo 3
World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft guild cheats its way to winning Race for World First, gets caught, banned, then reverses its name and does it all over again
Venom, Spider-Man, Peni Parker, Scarlet Witch, Magneto, and Storm pose in artwork for Marvel Rivals
Marvel Rivals devs lift bans on players mistakenly banned for cheating: "We do not and will not ban players who are playing fairly"
Diablo 4's new merc using his shield to help someone
Diablo 4 Season 7 faces new competition: the original Diablo, which is coming to Xbox Game Pass just a week earlier
Latest in Action Rpg
Atomfall screenshot
Atomfall dev doesn’t understand how massive development teams manage to keep organised: "How do you organize a game that has 2,000 people working on it?"
A Monster Hunter Wilds character holding binoculars.
Monster Hunter Wilds' final boss is even cooler than we thought: series experts point out attacks stitched together from iconic monsters throughout the series
Monster Hunter Wilds screenshot showing a chatacabra battling a hunter
Monster Hunter Wilds' new event quest is the best one yet: bully a Chatacabra for "a pile of Hard and Advanced Armor Spheres"
Zenless Zone Zero screenshot of Soldier 11 eating crackers
Actors supporting AI protections didn't know they were being replaced in Zenless Zone Zero update 1.6: "I found out the role was recast today alongside all of you"
Monster Hunter Wilds trailer screenshot showing a young woman with long blonde hair tied back into a ponytail smiling slightly, pumping her left fist in the air
Monster Hunter Wilds' infamously confusing menus spare no player, not even Gemma's voice actor herself: "This is honestly what I’m struggling with the most"
Monster Hunter Wilds
Monster Hunter Wilds players are tricking the action RPG into thinking they completed hunt quests in mere seconds using the power of poison ammo
Latest in News
Overwatch 2
My hopes for an Overwatch anime or Diablo horror movie are going strong as Blizzard president points out "we are Blizzard Entertainment, and not simply Blizzard Games"
The New Thunderbolts leaping into action
Marvel's New Thunderbolts* comic steals the MCU's asterisk, and the reason why is just as big of a mystery
Pokemon Go players brace for the worst as Niantic is sold off for $3.5 billion: "This game is entering its death knell"
Stamp PSP
A 16-year-old pitch for a newly discovered first-party PSP game has me mourning the death of PlayStation's Japan Studio all over again
Astarion from Baldur's Gate 3
Baldur's Gate 3 Astarion actor Neil Newbon says he "got rid of" agents who deliberately kept him away from video game gigs: "They just didn't want me to do it"
Mass Effect
Jennifer Hale says she didn't see a single line as Mass Effect's Commander Shepard until it was time to record: "It was all cold reading on the spot"