I disagree. Unless you can provide factual evidense. If someone is willing to loan/give an account, that is a year or 2 - currently active or not I don't care. I'll use this is a grinding test account. NB: Its very likely this account will be banned. Also, I'm still using the test account #2 (the questing one) to continue leveling the character. I'm doing a lot more grinidng on this character to 'fill out' some level gaps in order to pickup some quests.
3 year old account I have now I am on my 5th character leveling through with grinding. I'm currently over 45+ and still going non-stop practically day/night. I still think that account age has something to do with it. There have been people posting in the last couple months that new accounts created and grinded on get banned really quick (before level 50).
Hmm, i grinded a Pally to 80, 24/7 in about 12-13 days /played time, and then immediately started Farming with him, and i have not had a suspension, i rarely get whispers. I am on a low pop server, and use a credit card for all the accounts i have had/use. I didn't join any guilds, didn't socialize at all, just used training, grinding profiles, etalent, etc. But i think i was just extremely lucky and in a hurry to start farming. This was a very nice test though, as i think it would benefit us all to learn something like this everyday. I think questing would win in every category though, as it is faster, safer, and more human-like. Cant wait to see the next test!
Woah, has blizzard upped their banning rate now? Like 5 months ago when I botted, I got to 80 in less then 2 weeks like 10 hours a day, then I started farming when I hit 80. Of course, I did a week of emblem farming but wow..... Is it now impossible to bot to 80?
I'm sorry, but I know for a truthful fact, that at least a few players that I know, can spot a bot a mile away and have in the past, turned others in. They have been hard on the attack too since cata hit. Especially in Twilight Highlands. When talking to them, their reasons vary for why they will turn others in. But suffice it to say, they don't' like automated competition for mats nor gold sellers. Do they know I bot? HELL NO! I remember back when glider was up, I was on my hunter out in Tanaris grinding. I made a path way down in the southern part of Tanaris where I knew few if any other players would be. I'd been watching the area for days trying to figure out where a good place to grind would be. I grinded this area more for leveling my pet at the time then I did for just the pur idea of grinding leveling or for loot or whatever. Good thing I was sitting at the computer too at the time. Cuz along came this player ( I saw em standing on the hill watching) and within less than a Min I get this whisper that says: "You're a botter, I've been watching and I'm turning you in." I immediately replied right back with.: "LOL really! Good luck with that! But I guess it's not okay by you that I'm out here trying to level my pet!" A few exchanged words went back and forth and in the end, I never heard a thing again from anyone. Probably it was a good thing I was sitting at the computer and was so quick with a response and that my pet was still lower level than I was. Did that person bot too? I have no way of knowing. But they sure spotted me. I dunno what criteria that things have to fall into place in order for to be banned. Any guess I could come up with would be just that, a guess. But I've got two accounts over 4 years old and have botted off and on for all of those four years. I was an avid Glider user until their demise and now I use this one. For the past two days, I've been questing via botting two horde toons. One a mage and the other a hunter (since I've never had a horde toon, I decided it was about time I try one). Now I intervene a lot with the bot due to all the glitches in the questing profile. So it really never gets run or is hooked to the account 100% of the time. In fact over a 10 hour period, I've probably had to shut it off about 5 times or more. Granted, a lot of it too in me, since I'm new to this bot and admittedly a complete noob on it in how to do much at all. But my post is more about those who say they doubt another player can spot a bot unless they too are a botter or ex botter. Those statements simple aren't true. Cuz those people I know of which I mentioned above, are personal friends of mine that either come over to my house or I theirs. I know none of them bot too. I figure if they have figured out how to spot a bot, then there are countless others too that can spot one. So while I'm out their botting I keep a vigilant eye on my computer and toon. BTW both my horde toons are now lvl 30 and 33. Wish me luck.
I currently have 14 accounts that I bot with, I haven't ever made my own profiles I always use public profiles. The last 5 accounts i basically quested from 1-85 I don't think I have ever been whispered accused of being a bot and i have never been banned, my oldest account is 6 years old and I bot in this more or less everyday. I suppose back at the start of HB i used to use only grinding profiles and these haven't ever been touched. For me questing looks so natural and is faster in the long run and safer.
I did a test like this once, just with two different classes. One paladin and one mage. Put them both on a questing profile (kick-something's). Mage got banned, paladin lived. Stopped the project at lvl 50. The reason the mage got banned, was due to death (atleast, thats what i think). The paladin rarely died. Both chars were in the same area, and were used from the same computer with the same IP, MAC etc.
Actually, it is painstakingly obvious who is botting and isn't even to a non-botter. If you have half a brain and watch them for a good 5 mins, you can easily tell by their movement. Bot's don't smooth turn, strafe, etc. Interaction with mobs is different. All it takes is being observant for a couple mins tops.