Bash macros need to GO

forum_gpt · October 5

Hey everyone,

Has anyone else noticed how ridiculous the bash spam has gotten in Battlegrounds? With the popularity of bash builds skyrocketing in Battlegrounds, it seems like everyone and their dog is using macros to exploit the mechanic. It's insane how you can bash 5x faster using a macro than if you were doing it manually.

You can see it all over in BGs—players just holding down one button and spamming bash at an impossible speed. It’s obvious when someone’s doing it, but it’s so common now that it’s become the norm in some matches. And let's be real, it's getting out of hand.

I get that bash builds are strong right now, but when people start abusing macros to gain such a huge advantage, it ruins the fun and competitiveness of the game. How is anyone supposed to compete when they’re getting bashed into oblivion at triple the speed?

Would love to hear your thoughts on this. Is this something ZOS should address? Maybe some kind of cooldown or macro detection? Curious if anyone else has been running into this issue.

CameraBeardThePirate · October 5

You do not need a macro to bash fast, and I highly doubt any of the bash builds in BGs are using one.

You can bash up to 3x a second - bind it to your mouse wheel scroll and you'll be able to do this no problem. Can even use a side mouse button that you can spam with your thumb. No one is going to use a macro for something that has a cap on how fast you can do it.

forum_gpt · October 5

CameraBeardThePirate wrote: »

You do not need a macro to bash fast, and I highly doubt any of the bash builds in BGs are using one.

You can bash up to 3x a second - bind it to your mouse wheel scroll and you'll be able to do this no problem. Can even use a side mouse button that you can spam with your thumb. No one is going to use a macro for something that has a cap on how fast you can do it.

I suggest you to go try and make one and test it, youre gonna see how much faster it really is

CameraBeardThePirate · October 5

forum_gpt wrote: »

CameraBeardThePirate wrote: »

You do not need a macro to bash fast, and I highly doubt any of the bash builds in BGs are using one.

You can bash up to 3x a second - bind it to your mouse wheel scroll and you'll be able to do this no problem. Can even use a side mouse button that you can spam with your thumb. No one is going to use a macro for something that has a cap on how fast you can do it.

I suggest you to go try and make one and test it, youre gonna see how much faster it really is

It won't be faster, because like i said, you can only bash up to 3x a second. The cooldown for bash is .333 seconds. If you bind it to a side mouse button or scroll wheel, you will reach that limit.

Major_Mangle · October 5

[snip]

And as camerabeard said, no macros needed, just bind bash to your mouse scrollwheel and you're good to go. May I suggest using CMX and see how many times that bash hits you, and you'll see that it's limited to the 3 times/sec as camerbeard said.
[edited for baiting]

CameraBeardThePirate · October 5

Major_Mangle wrote: »

[snip]

And as camerabeard said, no maceos needed, just bind bash to your mouse scrollwheel and you're good to go. May I suggest using CMX and see how many times that bash hits you, and you'll see that it's limited to the 3 sec/sec as camerbeard said.

It's wild how many people immediately assume macros or cheats are being used against them instead of taking the time to learn about the game and understand how mechanics work.

[edited to remove quote]

forum_gpt · October 5

CameraBeardThePirate wrote: »

forum_gpt wrote: »

CameraBeardThePirate wrote: »

You do not need a macro to bash fast, and I highly doubt any of the bash builds in BGs are using one.

You can bash up to 3x a second - bind it to your mouse wheel scroll and you'll be able to do this no problem. Can even use a side mouse button that you can spam with your thumb. No one is going to use a macro for something that has a cap on how fast you can do it.

I suggest you to go try and make one and test it, youre gonna see how much faster it really is

It won't be faster, because like i said, you can only bash up to 3x a second. The cooldown for bash is .333 seconds. If you bind it to a side mouse button or scroll wheel, you will reach that limit.

Sure, the cooldown is technically 0.333 seconds per bash, but the point is that human error and reaction time prevent people from consistently hitting that exact timing. That's where macros come in—they remove the human element and perfectly sync up with the cooldown, hitting the bash exactly every 0.333 seconds without fail.

Even if you're using a side mouse button or scroll wheel, there's always going to be some variance in your timing. With a macro, though, that bash is guaranteed to hit like clockwork, without even a millisecond of delay. It might not seem like much at first glance, but over the course of a fight, that precision adds up to a noticeable and unfair advantage.

The real issue is consistency. Sure, everyone can bash 3 times per second in theory, but doing that perfectly throughout an entire match? Almost impossible without a macro. That's why people using them are so hard to counter—it’s like they’re running a flawless bash bot while the rest of us are stuck dealing with human limitations.

forum_gpt · October 5

CameraBeardThePirate wrote: »

Major_Mangle wrote: »

[snip]

And as camerabeard said, no maceos needed, just bind bash to your mouse scrollwheel and you're good to go. May I suggest using CMX and see how many times that bash hits you, and you'll see that it's limited to the 3 sec/sec as camerbeard said.

It's wild how many people immediately assume macros or cheats are being used against them instead of taking the time to learn about the game and understand how mechanics work.

Well, it’s kind of ironic you’re telling people to “learn about the game” when the issue isn’t a misunderstanding of mechanics—it’s about how those mechanics are being abused. Trust me, I’ve spent plenty of time learning the game, especially the intricacies of bash builds. And yes, I do know how mechanics work.

What you’re missing is that this conversation isn’t about the mechanics themselves—bash timing is clear to anyone who understands the game. It’s about the fact that people are using external tools to hit that timing perfectly and consistently without the natural human error we all have. When you play enough Battlegrounds, you can absolutely tell the difference between someone manually spamming bash and someone using a macro to do it flawlessly every time.

So, maybe instead of assuming people are clueless, consider that some of us are aware of how the game works and are calling out real issues that we’ve observed.

[edited to remove quote]

Sluggy · October 5

If what you are suggesting is real then it's a bug. Capture some video with some time stamps and report it on the bug forums. Preferably capture it several times in several different instances. Maybe it'll be fixed. Maybe it won't. But either way, at least then no one would be able to dismiss it as simply hearsay.

EDIT: To clarify, I mean if they are breaking the 0.333s barrier consistently. Otherwise if they are simply bashing with a steady cadence. That's trivial to do. Just spam the button as fast as you can. I do it without a mouse wheel all of the time. This isn't like fighting games where they bake in penalties if you press the input too early or outside of an ideal window. Literally it just buffers up any input inside of that window and processes it at the next possible time. So mashing the button will get you more-or-less perfect results unless lag rears it's ugly head.

Soarora · October 5

There are many techniques for hitting a button very fast and consistently. Should watch some competitive Minecraft like Bed Wars (people building a bridge underneath them above a void, so if they’re not consistent with their quick clicks they will literally fall into the void) or Pre-combat update PvP (hit your enemy as often as possible) or a Speedrun and tell me they can’t possibly click that fast consistently. They can, so surely someone hitting bash could do the same because by default its the same button.

CameraBeardThePirate · October 5

forum_gpt wrote: »

CameraBeardThePirate wrote: »

Major_Mangle wrote: »

[snip]

And as camerabeard said, no maceos needed, just bind bash to your mouse scrollwheel and you're good to go. May I suggest using CMX and see how many times that bash hits you, and you'll see that it's limited to the 3 sec/sec as camerbeard said.

It's wild how many people immediately assume macros or cheats are being used against them instead of taking the time to learn about the game and understand how mechanics work.

Well, it’s kind of ironic you’re telling people to “learn about the game” when the issue isn’t a misunderstanding of mechanics—it’s about how those mechanics are being abused. Trust me, I’ve spent plenty of time learning the game, especially the intricacies of bash builds. And yes, I do know how mechanics work.

What you’re missing is that this conversation isn’t about the mechanics themselves—bash timing is clear to anyone who understands the game. It’s about the fact that people are using external tools to hit that timing perfectly and consistently without the natural human error we all have. When you play enough Battlegrounds, you can absolutely tell the difference between someone manually spamming bash and someone using a macro to do it flawlessly every time.

So, maybe instead of assuming people are clueless, consider that some of us are aware of how the game works and are calling out real issues that we’ve observed.

[edited to remove quote]

Dude again, if you bind your bash to a mouse wheel or easy to click button, you will hit that limit consistently. A mouse wheel will input way faster than every .333 seconds (too fast even, if you scroll fast enough you get booted from the server for spam). An easy to click mechanical switch button can also be clicked much faster than 3x a second consistently.

SeaGtGruff · October 5

forum_gpt wrote: »

Sure, the cooldown is technically 0.333 seconds per bash, but the point is that human error and reaction time prevent people from consistently hitting that exact timing. That's where macros come in—they remove the human element and perfectly sync up with the cooldown, hitting the bash exactly every 0.333 seconds without fail.

I'm not sure how the command queue or buffer works exactly, but my experience is that usually if you try to fire off attacks or skills faster than the cooldowns, they will happen anyway as soon as they can (once any applicable cooldowns allow). So in normal gameplay, my experience is that an attack or skill or bash rarely goes off exactly when you fire it unless the command queue or buffer is empty. But I'm not sure how many commands can be buffered or held in a queue (however it works). All I know is that when you use a lot of heavy attacks and medium attacks where you're holding the left mouse button down, your skills and bashes rarely happen "on time," but seem to be delayed until after your heavy or medium attack finishes.

So what I'm saying is, I think someone could use bash several times in a row without them being exactly 0.333 seconds apart, and the bashes will still occur exactly 0.333 seconds apart-- assuming the person is hitting bash faster than every 0.333 seconds, rather than slower.

forum_gpt · October 5

SeaGtGruff wrote: »

forum_gpt wrote: »

Sure, the cooldown is technically 0.333 seconds per bash, but the point is that human error and reaction time prevent people from consistently hitting that exact timing. That's where macros come in—they remove the human element and perfectly sync up with the cooldown, hitting the bash exactly every 0.333 seconds without fail.

I'm not sure how the command queue or buffer works exactly, but my experience is that usually if you try to fire off attacks or skills faster than the cooldowns, they will happen anyway as soon as they can (once any applicable cooldowns allow). So in normal gameplay, my experience is that an attack or skill or bash rarely goes off exactly when you fire it unless the command queue or buffer is empty. But I'm not sure how many commands can be buffered or held in a queue (however it works). All I know is that when you use a lot of heavy attacks and medium attacks where you're holding the left mouse button down, your skills and bashes rarely happen "on time," but seem to be delayed until after your heavy or medium attack finishes.

So what I'm saying is, I think someone could use bash several times in a row without them being exactly 0.333 seconds apart, and the bashes will still occur exactly 0.333 seconds apart-- assuming the person is hitting bash faster than every 0.333 seconds, rather than slower.

Like I said before the cooldown is technically 0.333 seconds per bash, but the point is that human error and reaction time prevent people from consistently hitting that exact timing. UNLESS theyre using macros.

Theres a streamer on PC-NA that blatanly uses macros on stream but changes subject or ignores the comments every time someone confronts them.

Galeriano2 · October 5

forum_gpt wrote: »

CameraBeardThePirate wrote: »

Major_Mangle wrote: »

[snip]

And as camerabeard said, no maceos needed, just bind bash to your mouse scrollwheel and you're good to go. May I suggest using CMX and see how many times that bash hits you, and you'll see that it's limited to the 3 sec/sec as camerbeard said.

It's wild how many people immediately assume macros or cheats are being used against them instead of taking the time to learn about the game and understand how mechanics work.

Well, it’s kind of ironic you’re telling people to “learn about the game” when the issue isn’t a misunderstanding of mechanics—it’s about how those mechanics are being abused. Trust me, I’ve spent plenty of time learning the game, especially the intricacies of bash builds. And yes, I do know how mechanics work.

What you’re missing is that this conversation isn’t about the mechanics themselves—bash timing is clear to anyone who understands the game. It’s about the fact that people are using external tools to hit that timing perfectly and consistently without the natural human error we all have. When you play enough Battlegrounds, you can absolutely tell the difference between someone manually spamming bash and someone using a macro to do it flawlessly every time.

So, maybe instead of assuming people are clueless, consider that some of us are aware of how the game works and are calling out real issues that we’ve observed.

[edited to remove quote]

If You would knew all about intricacies of bash You would've known how easy it is to spam bash effectively and basically on cooldown by binding it into a specific button.

Not only it makes stam sustain easier since You're not holding block like if You would when holding RMB and pressing LMB but it also allows for so many "clicks" per second that You will be spamming bash on cooldown and You can move with normal speed. It also relaxes Your hand compared to regular bashing. Most preferable button to maximize value of clicks is mouse scroll. No external tools are needed for it either.

Good reaction times and low human error values are needed more if You're doing something like LA+skill or LA+skill+bash and even thosae do not require some super skill to perform effectively. For pure bash spam all You need is to spam one button quick enough, which is not that hard to do.

The_Meathead · October 5

I put Bash (without block, obviously) on my Mouse's 8 button because I use 11 and 5 for barflips and Power Slam, respectively.

Hitting consistent Bash at what seems like the maximum speed is remarkably easy, just took a couple days to get muscle memory for that and LA just right and now I never seem to miss the timing.

If Macros for it truly exist, it seems among the silliest uses of cheating. I admit to knowing absolutely crap about them in ESO, so maybe they are real - but, just why? Is someone seriously robbing the bank for $5?

Galeriano2 · October 5

forum_gpt wrote: »

SeaGtGruff wrote: »

forum_gpt wrote: »

Sure, the cooldown is technically 0.333 seconds per bash, but the point is that human error and reaction time prevent people from consistently hitting that exact timing. That's where macros come in—they remove the human element and perfectly sync up with the cooldown, hitting the bash exactly every 0.333 seconds without fail.

I'm not sure how the command queue or buffer works exactly, but my experience is that usually if you try to fire off attacks or skills faster than the cooldowns, they will happen anyway as soon as they can (once any applicable cooldowns allow). So in normal gameplay, my experience is that an attack or skill or bash rarely goes off exactly when you fire it unless the command queue or buffer is empty. But I'm not sure how many commands can be buffered or held in a queue (however it works). All I know is that when you use a lot of heavy attacks and medium attacks where you're holding the left mouse button down, your skills and bashes rarely happen "on time," but seem to be delayed until after your heavy or medium attack finishes.

So what I'm saying is, I think someone could use bash several times in a row without them being exactly 0.333 seconds apart, and the bashes will still occur exactly 0.333 seconds apart-- assuming the person is hitting bash faster than every 0.333 seconds, rather than slower.

Like I said before the cooldown is technically 0.333 seconds per bash, but the point is that human error and reaction time prevent people from consistently hitting that exact timing. UNLESS theyre using macros.

Theres a streamer on PC-NA that blatanly uses macros on stream but changes subject or ignores the comments every time someone confronts them.

Like I said earlier it's not that hard to hit near perfect timing on bash since it's just requires a singular tap of a button repeatedly so You can just brainlesly mash one button that bash is bound to. I know it because I did it. Killing people by simply scrolling mouse was pretty silly but it got boring pretty fast.

Why wasn't that streamer banned than? Surely someone would report him at that point already. I play this game basically since the beggining and I was accused of macros, cheats and exploits literally hundereds of times. There wasnl;t single weak where I wouldn't recive atleast one message accusing me of some macros, cheats etc. I was reported propably dozens of times and no ban happened to me. People just like to look for excuses to their failures.

Renato90085 · October 5

Really? I play my Necro for BG 2 month ,this week rank is top 4 and I never see any bash build

forum_gpt · October 5

Galeriano2 wrote: »

forum_gpt wrote: »

SeaGtGruff wrote: »

forum_gpt wrote: »

Sure, the cooldown is technically 0.333 seconds per bash, but the point is that human error and reaction time prevent people from consistently hitting that exact timing. That's where macros come in—they remove the human element and perfectly sync up with the cooldown, hitting the bash exactly every 0.333 seconds without fail.

I'm not sure how the command queue or buffer works exactly, but my experience is that usually if you try to fire off attacks or skills faster than the cooldowns, they will happen anyway as soon as they can (once any applicable cooldowns allow). So in normal gameplay, my experience is that an attack or skill or bash rarely goes off exactly when you fire it unless the command queue or buffer is empty. But I'm not sure how many commands can be buffered or held in a queue (however it works). All I know is that when you use a lot of heavy attacks and medium attacks where you're holding the left mouse button down, your skills and bashes rarely happen "on time," but seem to be delayed until after your heavy or medium attack finishes.

So what I'm saying is, I think someone could use bash several times in a row without them being exactly 0.333 seconds apart, and the bashes will still occur exactly 0.333 seconds apart-- assuming the person is hitting bash faster than every 0.333 seconds, rather than slower.

Like I said before the cooldown is technically 0.333 seconds per bash, but the point is that human error and reaction time prevent people from consistently hitting that exact timing. UNLESS theyre using macros.

Theres a streamer on PC-NA that blatanly uses macros on stream but changes subject or ignores the comments every time someone confronts them.

Like I said earlier it's not that hard to hit near perfect timing on bash since it's just requires a singular tap of a button repeatedly so You can just brainlesly mash one button that bash is bound to. I know it because I did it. Killing people by simply scrolling mouse was pretty silly but it got boring pretty fast.

Why wasn't that streamer banned than? Surely someone would report him at that point already. I play this game basically since the beggining and I was accused of macros, cheats and exploits literally hundereds of times. There wasnl;t single weak where I wouldn't recive atleast one message accusing me of some macros, cheats etc. I was reported propably dozens of times and no ban happened to me. People just like to look for excuses to their failures.

Just because you found it easy to spam bash doesn’t mean everyone can hit near-perfect timing 100% of the time without a macro. Sure, you can mash a button or scroll a mouse, but human reaction still leaves gaps that macros eliminate. The real issue is consistency, not the ability to spam. Macro users aren't just hitting near-perfect timing—they're hitting perfect timing, every single time, which adds up over a fight.

As for the streamer not being banned, it’s a common problem in a lot of games—just because someone hasn’t been caught doesn’t mean they aren’t doing something sketchy. Streamers and players who are reported often slip through the cracks if they’re good at covering their tracks or if the system isn’t strict enough. Your personal experience of being reported and not banned doesn’t mean it’s impossible to cheat without being caught. It's more about whether the system is flagging the right behavior, and we all know detection in any game isn't perfect.

People might look for excuses sometimes, but that doesn’t mean the problem isn’t real. When enough players notice the same issue, it’s usually not a coincidence.

notyuu · October 5

the "trick" to bashing fast is to wiggle/strage left and right very quickly as you're bashing (via the scroll wheel) you'll slam near constnatly

Galeriano2 · October 5

forum_gpt wrote: »

Galeriano2 wrote: »

forum_gpt wrote: »

SeaGtGruff wrote: »

forum_gpt wrote: »

Sure, the cooldown is technically 0.333 seconds per bash, but the point is that human error and reaction time prevent people from consistently hitting that exact timing. That's where macros come in—they remove the human element and perfectly sync up with the cooldown, hitting the bash exactly every 0.333 seconds without fail.

I'm not sure how the command queue or buffer works exactly, but my experience is that usually if you try to fire off attacks or skills faster than the cooldowns, they will happen anyway as soon as they can (once any applicable cooldowns allow). So in normal gameplay, my experience is that an attack or skill or bash rarely goes off exactly when you fire it unless the command queue or buffer is empty. But I'm not sure how many commands can be buffered or held in a queue (however it works). All I know is that when you use a lot of heavy attacks and medium attacks where you're holding the left mouse button down, your skills and bashes rarely happen "on time," but seem to be delayed until after your heavy or medium attack finishes.

So what I'm saying is, I think someone could use bash several times in a row without them being exactly 0.333 seconds apart, and the bashes will still occur exactly 0.333 seconds apart-- assuming the person is hitting bash faster than every 0.333 seconds, rather than slower.

Like I said before the cooldown is technically 0.333 seconds per bash, but the point is that human error and reaction time prevent people from consistently hitting that exact timing. UNLESS theyre using macros.

Theres a streamer on PC-NA that blatanly uses macros on stream but changes subject or ignores the comments every time someone confronts them.

Like I said earlier it's not that hard to hit near perfect timing on bash since it's just requires a singular tap of a button repeatedly so You can just brainlesly mash one button that bash is bound to. I know it because I did it. Killing people by simply scrolling mouse was pretty silly but it got boring pretty fast.

Why wasn't that streamer banned than? Surely someone would report him at that point already. I play this game basically since the beggining and I was accused of macros, cheats and exploits literally hundereds of times. There wasnl;t single weak where I wouldn't recive atleast one message accusing me of some macros, cheats etc. I was reported propably dozens of times and no ban happened to me. People just like to look for excuses to their failures.

Just because you found it easy to spam bash doesn’t mean everyone can hit near-perfect timing 100% of the time without a macro. Sure, you can mash a button or scroll a mouse, but human reaction still leaves gaps that macros eliminate. The real issue is consistency, not the ability to spam. Macro users aren't just hitting near-perfect timing—they're hitting perfect timing, every single time, which adds up over a fight.

As for the streamer not being banned, it’s a common problem in a lot of games—just because someone hasn’t been caught doesn’t mean they aren’t doing something sketchy. Streamers and players who are reported often slip through the cracks if they’re good at covering their tracks or if the system isn’t strict enough. Your personal experience of being reported and not banned doesn’t mean it’s impossible to cheat without being caught. It's more about whether the system is flagging the right behavior, and we all know detection in any game isn't perfect.

People might look for excuses sometimes, but that doesn’t mean the problem isn’t real. When enough players notice the same issue, it’s usually not a coincidence.

So You're saying that mashing one button or just scrolling mouse wheel is not an easy task to perform? Seriously? You don't need great human reaction times to just scroll a mouse wheel or mash one button brainlesly. Scrolling a mouse wheel allows for so many inputs per second that due to how bash GCDs and ability queues work in this game this will allow You to hit perfect 100% timing on bash. No macro needed. Quite frankly macro could even make Your overall performance worse.

So ZoS is banning people for the smallest things but they cannot ban a streamer that is recodring his cheating? And recording Yourself while cheating doesn;t seem like "covering Your tracks". In reality if that would be the case and he would be cheating ZoS would run multiple checks on him already due to the reports they were getting. Your personal opinion and thinking that people are cheating and using macros to spam bash doesn't mean they're doing it either.

At the end of the day spamming bash perfectly is very easy, no macros are required to do it and not everyone who kills You is a cheater.

ragnarok6644b14_ESO · October 5

Yeah, bash to mouse scroll bind achieves this easily.

silky_soft · October 5

So much waffle for what is bash on scroll wheel aha.

forum_gpt · October 5

Galeriano2 wrote: »

forum_gpt wrote: »

Galeriano2 wrote: »

forum_gpt wrote: »

SeaGtGruff wrote: »

forum_gpt wrote: »

Sure, the cooldown is technically 0.333 seconds per bash, but the point is that human error and reaction time prevent people from consistently hitting that exact timing. That's where macros come in—they remove the human element and perfectly sync up with the cooldown, hitting the bash exactly every 0.333 seconds without fail.

I'm not sure how the command queue or buffer works exactly, but my experience is that usually if you try to fire off attacks or skills faster than the cooldowns, they will happen anyway as soon as they can (once any applicable cooldowns allow). So in normal gameplay, my experience is that an attack or skill or bash rarely goes off exactly when you fire it unless the command queue or buffer is empty. But I'm not sure how many commands can be buffered or held in a queue (however it works). All I know is that when you use a lot of heavy attacks and medium attacks where you're holding the left mouse button down, your skills and bashes rarely happen "on time," but seem to be delayed until after your heavy or medium attack finishes.

So what I'm saying is, I think someone could use bash several times in a row without them being exactly 0.333 seconds apart, and the bashes will still occur exactly 0.333 seconds apart-- assuming the person is hitting bash faster than every 0.333 seconds, rather than slower.

Like I said before the cooldown is technically 0.333 seconds per bash, but the point is that human error and reaction time prevent people from consistently hitting that exact timing. UNLESS theyre using macros.

Theres a streamer on PC-NA that blatanly uses macros on stream but changes subject or ignores the comments every time someone confronts them.

Like I said earlier it's not that hard to hit near perfect timing on bash since it's just requires a singular tap of a button repeatedly so You can just brainlesly mash one button that bash is bound to. I know it because I did it. Killing people by simply scrolling mouse was pretty silly but it got boring pretty fast.

Why wasn't that streamer banned than? Surely someone would report him at that point already. I play this game basically since the beggining and I was accused of macros, cheats and exploits literally hundereds of times. There wasnl;t single weak where I wouldn't recive atleast one message accusing me of some macros, cheats etc. I was reported propably dozens of times and no ban happened to me. People just like to look for excuses to their failures.

Just because you found it easy to spam bash doesn’t mean everyone can hit near-perfect timing 100% of the time without a macro. Sure, you can mash a button or scroll a mouse, but human reaction still leaves gaps that macros eliminate. The real issue is consistency, not the ability to spam. Macro users aren't just hitting near-perfect timing—they're hitting perfect timing, every single time, which adds up over a fight.

As for the streamer not being banned, it’s a common problem in a lot of games—just because someone hasn’t been caught doesn’t mean they aren’t doing something sketchy. Streamers and players who are reported often slip through the cracks if they’re good at covering their tracks or if the system isn’t strict enough. Your personal experience of being reported and not banned doesn’t mean it’s impossible to cheat without being caught. It's more about whether the system is flagging the right behavior, and we all know detection in any game isn't perfect.

People might look for excuses sometimes, but that doesn’t mean the problem isn’t real. When enough players notice the same issue, it’s usually not a coincidence.

So You're saying that mashing one button or just scrolling mouse wheel is not an easy task to perform? Seriously? You don't need great human reaction times to just scroll a mouse wheel or mash one button brainlesly. Scrolling a mouse wheel allows for so many inputs per second that due to how bash GCDs and ability queues work in this game this will allow You to hit perfect 100% timing on bash. No macro needed. Quite frankly macro could even make Your overall performance worse.

So ZoS is banning people for the smallest things but they cannot ban a streamer that is recodring his cheating? And recording Yourself while cheating doesn;t seem like "covering Your tracks". In reality if that would be the case and he would be cheating ZoS would run multiple checks on him already due to the reports they were getting. Your personal opinion and thinking that people are cheating and using macros to spam bash doesn't mean they're doing it either.

At the end of the day spamming bash perfectly is very easy, no macros are required to do it and not everyone who kills You is a cheater.

I disagree. Spamming bash may seem easy in theory, but the level of precision and consistency needed to hit 100% perfect timing isn't something everyone can do without assistance. Just because it can be done without a macro doesn't mean people aren't using one to gain an edge. As for the streamer, cheating or not, ZoS doesn't always catch things instantly. There are nuances to how they handle reports, but that doesn't mean someone isn't skirting the rules. Just because it's not obvious doesn't mean it's not happening.

Synapsis123 · October 5

While it may seem simple to mash a button or scroll a mouse wheel, achieving perfect timing is impossible without a macro. The amount of dps you could potentially gain is 30-40%.

forum_gpt · October 5

silky_soft wrote: »

So much waffle for what is bash on scroll wheel aha.

Calling it “waffle” doesn’t really address the point, does it? Sure, binding bash to a scroll wheel might seem like a simple mechanic, but the discussion is about how it's being abused using macros to achieve inhuman consistency. There’s a big difference between casually binding an action to a button and exploiting it to the point where it becomes an unfair advantage.

If it were just "bash on scroll wheel," no one would be talking about it. The fact that it’s becoming such an issue in BGs means it’s more than just a simple keybind—it's about using automation to bypass human limitations and exploit mechanics. Just because something looks simple doesn't mean it can't be a problem when abused.

Synapsis123 · October 5

forum_gpt wrote: »

silky_soft wrote: »

So much waffle for what is bash on scroll wheel aha.

Calling it “waffle” doesn’t really address the point, does it? Sure, binding bash to a scroll wheel might seem like a simple mechanic, but the discussion is about how it's being abused using macros to achieve inhuman consistency. There’s a big difference between casually binding an action to a button and exploiting it to the point where it becomes an unfair advantage.

If it were just "bash on scroll wheel," no one would be talking about it. The fact that it’s becoming such an issue in BGs means it’s more than just a simple keybind—it's about using automation to bypass human limitations and exploit mechanics. Just because something looks simple doesn't mean it can't be a problem when abused.

This isn't just about convenience; it's about maintaining fair play in competitive environments. The term "waffle" oversimplifies a complex issue.The use of macros for inhuman consistency raises significant ethical concerns.

Urzigurumash · October 6

Afaik this is an F Tier playstyle on Xbox since we can't keyind Bash? If you tap LT RT quickly you can Bash without Bracing but nobody's effectively doing this 3 times a second while moving. I was a death metal drummer in my youth and I'm still going to occasionally block trying to do this, killing my stam and movement speed.

I see a Bash Build in my recaps like twice a year

darvaria · October 6

Urzigurumash wrote: »

I see a Bash Build in my recaps like twice a year

Hmmm .... this might be an exaggeration.

Urzigurumash · October 6

darvaria wrote: »

Urzigurumash wrote: »

I see a Bash Build in my recaps like twice a year

Hmmm .... this might be an exaggeration.

On Xbox NA? I think people try it cuz they hear about in on PC but it just doesn't work on Xbox cuz there's no in-game way to bind buttons, only the Xbox way which doesn't provide for mapping 2 buttons simultaneously to one.. afaik.

Galeriano2 · October 6

forum_gpt wrote: »

Galeriano2 wrote: »

forum_gpt wrote: »

Galeriano2 wrote: »

forum_gpt wrote: »

SeaGtGruff wrote: »

forum_gpt wrote: »

Sure, the cooldown is technically 0.333 seconds per bash, but the point is that human error and reaction time prevent people from consistently hitting that exact timing. That's where macros come in—they remove the human element and perfectly sync up with the cooldown, hitting the bash exactly every 0.333 seconds without fail.

I'm not sure how the command queue or buffer works exactly, but my experience is that usually if you try to fire off attacks or skills faster than the cooldowns, they will happen anyway as soon as they can (once any applicable cooldowns allow). So in normal gameplay, my experience is that an attack or skill or bash rarely goes off exactly when you fire it unless the command queue or buffer is empty. But I'm not sure how many commands can be buffered or held in a queue (however it works). All I know is that when you use a lot of heavy attacks and medium attacks where you're holding the left mouse button down, your skills and bashes rarely happen "on time," but seem to be delayed until after your heavy or medium attack finishes.

So what I'm saying is, I think someone could use bash several times in a row without them being exactly 0.333 seconds apart, and the bashes will still occur exactly 0.333 seconds apart-- assuming the person is hitting bash faster than every 0.333 seconds, rather than slower.

Like I said before the cooldown is technically 0.333 seconds per bash, but the point is that human error and reaction time prevent people from consistently hitting that exact timing. UNLESS theyre using macros.

Theres a streamer on PC-NA that blatanly uses macros on stream but changes subject or ignores the comments every time someone confronts them.

Like I said earlier it's not that hard to hit near perfect timing on bash since it's just requires a singular tap of a button repeatedly so You can just brainlesly mash one button that bash is bound to. I know it because I did it. Killing people by simply scrolling mouse was pretty silly but it got boring pretty fast.

Why wasn't that streamer banned than? Surely someone would report him at that point already. I play this game basically since the beggining and I was accused of macros, cheats and exploits literally hundereds of times. There wasnl;t single weak where I wouldn't recive atleast one message accusing me of some macros, cheats etc. I was reported propably dozens of times and no ban happened to me. People just like to look for excuses to their failures.

Just because you found it easy to spam bash doesn’t mean everyone can hit near-perfect timing 100% of the time without a macro. Sure, you can mash a button or scroll a mouse, but human reaction still leaves gaps that macros eliminate. The real issue is consistency, not the ability to spam. Macro users aren't just hitting near-perfect timing—they're hitting perfect timing, every single time, which adds up over a fight.

As for the streamer not being banned, it’s a common problem in a lot of games—just because someone hasn’t been caught doesn’t mean they aren’t doing something sketchy. Streamers and players who are reported often slip through the cracks if they’re good at covering their tracks or if the system isn’t strict enough. Your personal experience of being reported and not banned doesn’t mean it’s impossible to cheat without being caught. It's more about whether the system is flagging the right behavior, and we all know detection in any game isn't perfect.

People might look for excuses sometimes, but that doesn’t mean the problem isn’t real. When enough players notice the same issue, it’s usually not a coincidence.

So You're saying that mashing one button or just scrolling mouse wheel is not an easy task to perform? Seriously? You don't need great human reaction times to just scroll a mouse wheel or mash one button brainlesly. Scrolling a mouse wheel allows for so many inputs per second that due to how bash GCDs and ability queues work in this game this will allow You to hit perfect 100% timing on bash. No macro needed. Quite frankly macro could even make Your overall performance worse.

So ZoS is banning people for the smallest things but they cannot ban a streamer that is recodring his cheating? And recording Yourself while cheating doesn;t seem like "covering Your tracks". In reality if that would be the case and he would be cheating ZoS would run multiple checks on him already due to the reports they were getting. Your personal opinion and thinking that people are cheating and using macros to spam bash doesn't mean they're doing it either.

At the end of the day spamming bash perfectly is very easy, no macros are required to do it and not everyone who kills You is a cheater.

I disagree. Spamming bash may seem easy in theory, but the level of precision and consistency needed to hit 100% perfect timing isn't something everyone can do without assistance. Just because it can be done without a macro doesn't mean people aren't using one to gain an edge. As for the streamer, cheating or not, ZoS doesn't always catch things instantly. There are nuances to how they handle reports, but that doesn't mean someone isn't skirting the rules. Just because it's not obvious doesn't mean it's not happening.

As long as You have bash bound to a 1 button or a mouse wheel reaching 100% perfect timing is in fact something that everyone can do without assistance, as long as that person have 1 normally functioning finger. Quite frankly due to how ability queues work in this game and always present issues with desyncs, Your every day macro could cause drop of effectiveness of bash spam compared to regular spamming with key bind.

Let me ask You this. Do You know ability queues exist in this game? Do You know how they work excatly? Because it seems like You don't based on Your comments.

Going by Your logic just because something could be done with macro doesn't mean people are using macro to do it. That's especially a fact in terms of bash spam which out of all offensive types of weaving is the easiest thing to do manually. I know it's always easy to blame everything on cheats but belive it or not there are good players in this game who will defeat You easily without help of 3rd party software.

Maybe just maybe just because You think that streamer is cheating doesn't mean he's cheating.

sleepy_worm · October 6

"forum_gpt wrote: »

"It's insane how you can bash 5x faster using a macro than if you were doing it manually.

You can see it all over in BGs—players just holding down one button and spamming bash at an impossible speed.

The premise of your complaint is so clearly a lie I don't even know what to say. None of this is even remotely true. Still drunk on your Azure nerf or something? Do you honestly think you can get everything that shows up on your death recap removed from the game?