Apex Legends clamps down on "smurfing" in Season 9 with new option to report players

As Apex Legends Legacy kicks off, Respawn have added a new function to report ‘smurfing’, possibly in an attempt to filter smurfs from full-blown cheaters. 

Apex Legends Season 9 brings with it a whole host of new content. With new Legend Valkyrie taking to the skies and Olympus infested by some bizarre-looking plants, Legacy promises to be a season that we won’t forget in a hurry.

Part of the new update, though, is combatting cheating. One of Apex’s devs confirmed that upgrades were being made to the game’s anti-cheat systems to stamp out illegal player activity.

One of the changes already introduced is a new function to report ‘smurfing’ in games. And, it could actually be a big help to stopping cheaters too.

New Apex Legends report system

If there’s been some foul play in your games, you should go ahead and report the offensive player. When you bring up the “report” menu, there are several options to choose from.

The newest of these is “smurfing,” an option that hasn’t existed prior to Season 9. It stands apart from the rest of the options, which focus more on hacking exploits.

But, the purpose of this new option may not actually be to clamp down on smurfs, as much as it is to help find real cheaters.  Games such as League of Legends have allowed players to report others for smurfing for a long time, freeing up time for reports of physical cheating to be looked at.

It’s likely that in the past, when Apex players have suspected smurfs in their game, they may have used the ‘cheating’ option to report them – which might inundate Respawn with reports that don’t actually relate to cheaters.

Having smurfing under a separate category will always divide players, especially those who believe that it belongs under the banner of cheating.

As for smurfing specifically, it’s unclear what action, if any, will be taken against players using second accounts to play easier opponents. It’s a grey area in many games, and a controversial topic among players too, as some argue there’s nothing wrong with playing on multiple accounts.

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