Surviving Nalcott: A Player's Look at Once Human's March 13–19 Bans

I logged into Nalcott after the March 19 reset with that mix of hope and caution I always carry. Hope because the world remains beautiful, dangerous, and genuinely alive. Caution because a new ban report had just dropped, and I knew several friends were waiting to see if their reports had finally led to action.

The official numbers were sobering. From March 13 to March 19, Once Human banned a total of 197 players. Among them, 97 players were publicly penalized for using cheats, and 21 were punished for maliciously affecting other players. The rest of the enforcement wave rippled through the community in different ways, reminding everyone that the world of Nalcott has rules.

I'm not going to act surprised. During that period, the most frequently reported cheating types were wall clipping, ESP, aimbot, flying, and teleporting. I have seen the kill cam footage. I have watched a silhouette lock onto me through a concrete wall. I have been killed by someone hovering above a rooftop like gravity forgot them.

The team also acknowledged something uncomfortable that many anti-cheat systems ignore: false positives. Because the AI model was still being updated, backend monitoring data showed there was still a slight chance of false bans. I appreciated that honesty. If I ever got caught in that net, I could submit an appeal through the in-game appeal screen. There is also an official appeal channel promising a response within 24 hours and an upgraded wrongful ban compensation plan.

But combat cheats weren't the only problem. Language violations were huge that same week. A total of 196 penalties were issued, and the spread told a story:

One hundred and twenty one-day penalties may not sound dramatic, but they show how often small acts of toxicity pile up. The chat restriction system has been getting a focused optimization push, with upgraded smart filtering and better manual review processes. Fewer false positives would mean more accurate judgment—and a smoother way for genuine teammates to communicate.

Now for the part that hit me hardest: compensation. During this period, 665 compensation grants were issued to 251 players under the cheat damage compensation mechanism. I know survivors who lost precious supplies to scripted aimbots and never saw a grant arrive. The notice did not hide that gap. It said the current scope cannot yet cover all situations, but every match detail, timestamp, and impact description helps improve detection and protection coverage. I started logging my own incidents more carefully after reading that.

Another detail stuck with me: newly discovered cheat characteristics are used for retroactive investigations. After banning an account, the team checks for associated alt accounts and bans those too. That kind of follow-through matters. An aimbot user can't simply reroll and pretend nothing happened.

Going forward, any verified malicious behavior that disrupts gameplay will result in immediate bans. That is exactly what I wanted to see. The team repeated its call: report through the in-game system or customer service. If you believe your account was wrongly banned, reach out through the official customer service channels.

I refuse to let cheaters define what Nalcott feels like. This world is brought to life by our interactions—whether we share highlight clips, build together, or fight alongside friends. Every sincere exchange brings warmth to the game. I want to protect that beauty, not just for myself, but for every Meta-Human who logs in expecting a fair chance.

So here is my survival note for March 13 to March 19: 197 players banned, 97 cheat-related public penalties, 21 malicious disruption penalties, 196 language penalties, and a promise of sharper tools ahead. If you witness a violation, report it. If you face a wrongful ban, appeal it. If you get compensated, use that second chance wisely. We are all responsible for keeping the world of Nalcott worth surviving.