Let’s face it: Online gaming has made it much easier for players to cheat. Whatever game developers do to keep them out, they find a way around any measures. But does that apply to Fortnite as well? Cheating in Fortnite has been around as long as the game’s been out. It’s almost a common occurrence at this point, and players have accepted it. But the fun gets spoiled when even the cheaters make their way into the FNCS tournaments. If you’re wondering why the anti-cheat mechanism in the game is so bad, you wouldn’t be the only one! Let’s take a look at cheating in Fortnite and understand how it got so out of hand.
A Little About Fortnite’s Anti-Cheat System
Fornite’s main line of defense against cheaters is ‘Easy AntiCheat.’ This solution focuses on a preventive approach to the issue rather than a mass penalization. The software goes through the game on the user’s end and prevents them from playing if they feel they’re using cheating tools. Along with this, it also reports the user’s account and bans them accordingly. In their approach, they’d rather the cheater doesn’t get to come into the game to begin with. It also supports a multitude of games apart from Fortnite. It’s fairly easy to install, and it tends to work in many situations. The preventive measures help keep cheating software out of the game and can also work for some hacks. However, many claim that this software doesn’t apply to complex games and that there are ways to get around it.
Why Do People Cheat in The Game?
A cheater doesn’t need many reasons to cheat. Many Fortnite cheaters simply want to get ahead in the game and win at all costs. A battle royale requires skill, strategy, and a solid game plan. For many people, that’s not as easy as it sounds. If we had to break down people’s motives for cheating, they’d be (i) prestige and (ii) fast progress. Many people are obsessed with showing off their stats in a game, even if they haven’t earned them. For them, the element of prestige is the main motivator since they want people to praise them.
For others, the learning curve of Fornite is too much to get used to. No matter how many hours they put into the game, it feels that their progress has stagnated. That’s why they opt to cheat instead of going the traditional route. Cheating allows them to make progress at faster rates and get on everyone else’s level. When playing with friends or people you know, no one wants to be the weakest player. This fear of being seen as a loser could also cause them to cheat. However, we should also keep in mind that many people cheat in Fortnite simply because they can!
Here’s What’s Wrong With It
Although a preventive approach is a refreshing new way to tackle the issue, it’s not efficient any more than the mass penalization approach. For starters, you simply have to type ‘how to get past Easy Anti-Cheat in Fortnite,’ and you’ll have a plethora of videos explaining how. So, the first thing we understand is that this information is easily accessible to everyone. When we looked into the game’s anti-cheat system, here’s what we found:
1. Memory Editing
Many believe that cheats use memory editing to edit the game in real-time. This type of cheating usually gives players unlimited ammo, health, and similar commodities. It may seem like a simple fix, but it allows cheaters a world of advantage. They do this by embedding specific values in the memory of the game. Although EAC tries to detect and catch this type of cheating, the cheaters are also catching on. They use techniques like embedding and obfuscation to get the EAC off their backs. This is the most common type of cheating seen in the game, even after EAC has strengthened its measures.
2. Driver-Level Cheats
One thing that we need to understand is that EAC has specific levels on which it works. If the cheat operates on the driver level, it may be out of the EAC’s reach. Such cheats hide behind this extra layer of protection to interact with the game and invisibly inject codes into the game. There are many cheats working on this level, something which is confirmed with Fornite Anti-Cheat hack videos. Since the cheat program is outside of EAC’s reach, the accounts using these methods seldom get banned.
3. Public Vs. Private Cheats
Lastly, EAC has an easier time identifying and preventing public cheats as opposed to private ones. This is because public cheats often take forever to update, staying behind many of EAC’s newer tactics. But, there are a few private cheats that are constantly updated to stay toe-to-toe with the EAC. Such cheats are often difficult to pinpoint and restrict from the game. This also applies to external hardware that is used to bypass the EAC protocols.
But What About The Cat-and-Mouse Mentality?
No matter how much we deny it, there’s a ‘cat and mouse’ mentality when it comes to cheating in Fortnite or any game. The developers are the cats trying to chase the cheaters. Now, whatever mechanism game developers put in place, the cheating mice are always trying to find ways around it. That’s why there’s hardly any hope in the Fortnite community for a long-term solution to cheating issues! Whatever may work now will start to falter in a month or so, then developers will need to strengthen their efforts again.
However, in many cases, game developers need cheaters to understand the shortcomings and loopholes in their anti-cheats. In many cases, they don’t fully take into account the different ways in which the cheats will counter. That’s why many believe that developers need to up their game and make updates that keep all technological advancements in mind. This could hopefully help them make anti-cheat updates that last longer and improve the Fortnite experience for everyone!
Last Updated: April 2, 2024
