Vanguard, Riot Games’ anti-cheat software, has dealt a significant blow to cheaters in League of Legends, resulting in the expulsion of nearly 50,000 scripters in a month. Despite this, Riot reports that player engagement remains high, with daily activity levels showing no indications of reduction.
At the beginning of the year, Riot announced its ambitious plans to fortify League’s defense against cheaters with the implementation of Vanguard, its anti-cheat software. Fast forward to the present, and the rewards of its labor are beginning to appear in significant numbers.
In a recent dev blog issued by the League team, it was revealed that since Vanguard’s start in May 2024—only a month ago—an amazing 47,000 scripting accounts have been banned. nearly 6% of these bans were issued in Diamond-ranked games or higher, equating to nearly 2,000 cheats in 4% of the League’s player base.
Furthermore, Riot reported a massive drop in bot activity following Vanguard’s deployment, with bot hours falling from more than one million to less than 50,000 per day. This significant decline demonstrates Vanguard’s tremendous skills in discouraging malicious behavior and maintaining the integrity of competitive play within the League community.
Vanguard is Riot’s proprietary anti-cheat system that initially gained acclaim for its resolute stance against cheating in VALORANT, the company’s tactical first-person shooter, and will soon reach the console version of the FPS. Since its start in 2020, Vanguard has been a vital instrument in ensuring fair play, regardless of the strategies used by cheaters.
Despite its success, the integration of Vanguard into League has not been without its challenges. Concerns about the software’s potential impact on players’ computer systems sparked widespread concern, prompting Riot to address these fears and clarify that only 0.03 percent of League players have reported issues with Vanguard, demonstrating the software’s overall compatibility and effectiveness.
In today’s dev blog, Riot dispelled any fears that Vanguard’s adoption would reduce player involvement, claiming that there has been “no observable decrease in daily player numbers.” In fact, the publisher noted an increase in genuine human hours, demonstrating that the game’s popularity persisted even after the new anti-cheat measures were implemented.