Crunchbone.7341 Posted February 26, 2021 Share Posted February 26, 2021 I have a VPN that I use while I am online so that when I am playing a game like GW2, the fact that I am playing the game is not visible to my ISP. I read some posts that said we are not allowed to use a VPN while playing GW2, & that some people who do use a VPN have had their accounts locked for using one. I did not know we were not supposed to use a VPN, so I turned it off for GW2 only, as my other games don't have a problem with my using one. Since I turned the VPN off for playing GW2, my internet speed drops so low that I not only drop connection to the game, but after I close GW2, I cannot even open a web page in a browser. It feels like my ISP deliberately slows my connection down if they see I am playing a game, which is the only reason I have the VPN to start with :) If I were to ask them about this, I am quite certain that they would not admit to throttling my internet even if they are! Some friends said this company does throttle but it is very hard to prove & they said the VPN would make it very hard for them to slow me down for gameplay because they cannot see if I am browsing, Youtube-ing, gameplaying, etc. If this is the case & I cannot use the VPN with the ISP I have, I will probably be unable to play GW2 at all anymore :( Can someone PLEASE officially tell me if I am allowed to use my VPN while playing GW2 or not? I have used it for several months so far with no problem (and no throttle of my connection), but I do not want to have my account locked for using it to keep my game play invisible to my ISP, so I can retain my connection speed while playing. I also need to say that the ISP I have is the only one available for my address. I have no choice of a different provider. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ayrilana.1396 Posted February 26, 2021 Share Posted February 26, 2021 You can use a VPN but there’s an increased risk that Anet will flag your account for suspicious activity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inculpatus cedo.9234 Posted February 26, 2021 Share Posted February 26, 2021 Here is official information: https://help.guildwars2.com/hc/en-us/articles/360045462814-Network-Connection-FAQ- (Scroll to bottom.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Vanithy.6495 Posted February 28, 2021 Share Posted February 28, 2021 This happened to me. Account blocked yesterday. I used a VPN (didn't know my account could get flagged). Sent a support ticket and and hoping my GW and GW2 accounts get unlocked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crunchbone.7341 Posted February 28, 2021 Author Share Posted February 28, 2021 I feel as though I am between a rock & a hard place! Playing without my VPN on only allows me about an hour of playtime before the connection speed throttle which lasts until the next morning. I disabled my VPN & had an ISP tech come out to check my incoming signal, my modem, & my allotment speed. Everything was fine, although when I asked him why the connection goes so bad, he said that people who game & people who stream are their worst customers, & they probably "ruin" everyone's bandwidth when they log on. I did not say that I do that, lol, but the message came through loud & clear. I can pay for my internet, but I should never game or stream on it... Turned on the VPN & played for about 7 hours last night with no problem. I really wish I had more than one ISP provider for my address :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inculpatus cedo.9234 Posted February 28, 2021 Share Posted February 28, 2021 It's not against the rules to use a VPN. In fact, it is officially suggested. If the automated sweep catches your account, you can get access back by discussing the issue with the CS Team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crunchbone.7341 Posted February 28, 2021 Author Share Posted February 28, 2021 Thank you! Going to see how it goes & hope for the best. Really been enjoying this game :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashantara.8731 Posted March 1, 2021 Share Posted March 1, 2021 Using a VPN does not hide your online actvity from your ISP... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheQuickFox.3826 Posted March 1, 2021 Share Posted March 1, 2021 > @"Ashantara.8731" said: > Using a VPN does not hide your online actvity from your ISP... It does, if it is correctly configured. Then both DNS queries as the internet data is being transferred through an encrypted tunnel to your VPN provider. Your ISP can read it but it is just random gibberish to them because it is encrypted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Creeped.9146 Posted March 1, 2021 Share Posted March 1, 2021 My account got locked just 2 days ago as well. Been using VPN for awhile now and this has happened to me the first time. Seems to be an increase in this issue lately (from posts on reddit and this forum etc). It's rather inconsiderate of them towards players playing outside of the US/EU with constant high ping or unplayable disconnections. Guess I can't play the game anymore then :/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pacificterror.7805 Posted March 1, 2021 Share Posted March 1, 2021 > @"Ashantara.8731" said: > Using a VPN does not hide your online actvity from your ISP... A properly configured VPN will not let them see what the content is. Data is viewable on your end and obviously the source end, but in between they will only be able to judge the size of the data. I find it odd that your ISP would throttle traffic based on where it's from rather than the amount of traffic, sounds wonky but not out of the realm of possibility. It's common knowledge that some IPSs that offer "unlimited" data will throttle people that they deem to be "heavy users"....but I don't think the data consumed by GW2 in itself would make anyone considered a heavy user. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWATwolf.3920 Posted March 1, 2021 Share Posted March 1, 2021 I'm from Malaysia. It's been almost 2 weeks, since the cable routing at Europe broke, gw2 have been unplayable during daytime and can only be played after midnight. My ISP have no solution other than asking us to wait indefinitely. I used VPN a week ago and I got blocked for 24 hours. I would like to know, would my account be perma banned for if I repeatedly use VPN and got block over and over again? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inculpatus cedo.9234 Posted March 1, 2021 Share Posted March 1, 2021 Here is some official information: https://help.guildwars2.com/hc/en-us/articles/360045462814-Network-Connection-FAQ- (Scroll to bottom of page.) In other words, no. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astyrah.4015 Posted March 1, 2021 Share Posted March 1, 2021 > @"SWATwolf.3920" said: > I'm from Malaysia. It's been almost 2 weeks, since the cable routing at Europe broke, gw2 have been unplayable during daytime and can only be played after midnight. My ISP have no solution other than asking us to wait indefinitely. I used VPN a week ago and I got blocked for 24 hours. > > I would like to know, would my account be perma banned for if I repeatedly use VPN and got block over and over again? you will not be permabanned, but there is a risk that a random security sweep can and may flag your account as compromised if you use a VPN and your logins will be blocked. it's easily fixed by just contacting support via anonymous ticket (usually around 3 to 5 days before your account gets opened again) but the hassle of having to go through that may or may not be worth the risk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazz.7123 Posted March 2, 2021 Share Posted March 2, 2021 My account (and my alts) were blocked recently (playing from SEA) as I had used VPN to circumvent the international cable issue. They were unlocked after anonymous tickets to support, but now I am not sure if I want to risk another block / ban if they catch me a second time. I literally just struggle through whatever dailies now (if I am even able to log in) and log off. Game is not playable, I had also paid for the VPN just for GW2. I did ask support if I should continue to use VPN but did not get any conclusive advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inculpatus cedo.9234 Posted March 2, 2021 Share Posted March 2, 2021 > @"Jazz.7123" said: > My account (and my alts) were blocked recently (playing from SEA) as I had used VPN to circumvent the international cable issue. > They were unlocked after anonymous tickets to support, but now I am not sure if I want to risk another block / ban if they catch me a second time. > I literally just struggle through whatever dailies now (if I am even able to log in) and log off. Game is not playable, I had also paid for the VPN just for GW2. > > I did ask support if I should continue to use VPN but did not get any conclusive advice. Scroll to bottom of page: https://help.guildwars2.com/hc/en-us/articles/360045462814-Network-Connection-FAQ- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astyrah.4015 Posted March 3, 2021 Share Posted March 3, 2021 > @"Jazz.7123" said: > My account (and my alts) were blocked recently (playing from SEA) as I had used VPN to circumvent the international cable issue. > They were unlocked after anonymous tickets to support, but now I am not sure if I want to risk another block / ban if they catch me a second time. > I literally just struggle through whatever dailies now (if I am even able to log in) and log off. Game is not playable, I had also paid for the VPN just for GW2. > > I did ask support if I should continue to use VPN but did not get any conclusive advice. yes this is the sad truth. if they advise people that VPNs [1] are an alternative option to resolving client-side connectivity issues, then they should be able to support the client/user logging in from different IPs. the "random security sweep" they do is too strict. to be honest it should only come into effect and block your account (error 3023) if you fail two-factor authentication (either via SMS or email or both) when logging in with a new/foreign IP -- that's what these systems in place are for. as a provider you don't just soft-ban people out of the blue just because they used a different IP address (either via VPN or if you happen to travel and play abroad). ________________________ [1] as per https://help.guildwars2.com/hc/en-us/articles/360045462814-Network-Connection-FAQ- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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