The saga surrounding the Diablo 4 seasonal exploit has come to a grim conclusion, especially for those who got involved: Blizzard has wielded the banhammer.

In case you’re out of the loop, a shady exploit in Diablo 4 surfaced recently, claiming to bridge the gap between the Eternal and seasonal realms. This exploit allowed players in the Eternal realm to snag seasonal gear and even transfer existing characters to the seasonal realm. Things took a turn for the worse when players discovered how to equip the new seasonal gem, Malignant Hearts, into every item slot.

Veteran Diablo players wisely steered clear of the exploit, but some less experienced adventurers thought they could exploit the system without repercussions. Unfortunately for them, they’re now facing the consequences. Blizzard not only patched the loophole but also handed out bans to players who took advantage of it.

Community manager Adam Fletcher addressed player concerns about the exploit, confirming its resolution and stating that action had been taken against certain accounts involved. The message is clear: Blizzard isn’t messing around.

On the Diablo 4 subreddit, a post warns players about Blizzard’s banhammer, sharing a story about someone getting banned for falling for the exploit. The consensus among commenters? The ban was well-deserved.

The sentiment is summed up by comments like “Sounds deserved,” “Stupid games, stupid prizes,” and “As he should have been.”

It’s uncertain how widespread the bans are or how long they’ll last, but this serves as a valuable lesson for new online gamers: always think twice before exploiting glitches or bugs to bend the rules.

In other news, the Diablo 4 1.1.1 patch notes, released earlier this week, brought joy to many players with buffs for every class and no hidden catches.