Commanders, the community has requested a clarification on coaching and stream yapping. A recent moderation case around live coaching has raised concerns about Team's reading of this rule. In the process the strict reading of B.5 got stated publicly, including that pointing out something the player can already see could count as passing consequential information. That reading is technically possible under the old wording, and it left streamers and coaches unsure whether reading their own chat or talking to a friend in call can get them banned. The rule was always applied with proportionality, on clear breaches and patterns, mostly spectators influencing games from global chat, and that doesn’t change.

Old wording:

Purposefully passing on consequential information to a game in progress via things like spectator chat (we understand mistakes happen occasionally) is obviously a form of cheating.

Updated rule:

B.5 Spectator cheating Passing hidden information (anything the player’s team cannot see with fog of war on) to a player in a game in progress is cheating. This applies to whoever sends it and to a player who asks for it or knowingly uses it.*

*Advice based only on what the player’s team can see is allowed in public lobbies. Spectators giving advice are recommended to stay in player or team view, as it helps avoid accidental leaks. Advice that could only come from all-view is treated as spectator cheating. In-game global chat is not the place for it, as it reaches both teams and disrupts the game. Streamers are not responsible for what is posted in their chat. However, knowingly acting on hidden information from it is covered above. Similar to replays, stream footage may be considered as evidence in cases of deliberate spectator cheating. Note that matchmaking and organised events may have their own, stricter rules on outside assistance.

See the full Code of Conduct here.

In practice:

• Hidden info to a player is cheating, nothing changed there.
• Talking about the game from player or team view is fine in public lobbies: stream chat, voice with mates, coaching a newer player.
• Keep advice out of in-game global chat, both teams read it and it’s disruptive.
• If the game is irredeemably spoiled by the provided information, a democratic !stop is an option, though not required
• Speccing and coaching? Stay in team's view. We can’t verify it so it stays a recommendation, but it’s the easiest way to never leak by accident.

Streaming

If someone drops enemy intel in your chat, the sender is the one breaking the rule. You don’t need to resign or prove you didn’t read it, just play on. “Knowingly acting on it” means asking for intel or a pattern of relying on it, a single unsolicited message from a stranger won’t get you moderated. If someone keeps doing it, we recommend to moderate that, but at the end of the day how you run your chat is your call. We’re spelling this out because streamers broadcast every game they play, so they are naturally exposed to far more eyes and reports than anyone else, and with the old wording one salty viewer could set you up.

We would like the remaining gray area to be handled within player culture and self-moderation. Moderation stays for actual spec cheating. In the future, matchmaking, being unambiguously competitive, will likely have its own, stricter rules, and tournaments impose their own standards and rulesets.

Thanks to everyone who raised the issue and kept it civil, and our great content creators for facilitating constructive discussion.

See you on the battlefield!