Why it matters: With the evolution of cheating software, the need for effective mitigation efforts becomes more crucial. However, the implementation of new anti-cheat measures is not without its challenges. Many players have expressed concerns about potential disruptions, false bans, and privacy issues. Despite these imperfections, these safeguards are essential to ensure fair play and uphold the integrity of the game for honest users.
Despite the focus shifting towards the upcoming Battlefield game, EA remains committed to supporting Battlefield 2042 with regular updates. The most recent patch (8.8.0) now includes a requirement for Secure Boot to run, aimed at combating sophisticated cheating methods and ensuring fair gameplay.
EA stated in the Battlefield 2042 changelog, “As cheat developers continue to evolve their tactics, we are stepping up our efforts as well.”
This change specifically targets cheats attempting to load during the Windows boot process. It is noted that this feature only works on hardware that supports Secure Boot, a feature that has been available since 2011. Originally designed by Microsoft to detect low-level malware during startup by verifying digital signatures, Secure Boot has had some issues in recent years.
Secure Boot has been increasingly used by game developers to combat cheating. Valorant was one of the first games to implement these checks, with some mixed results. While the anti-cheat method generally functioned as intended, there were reports of it causing issues for some users. It is unclear if all these reports were genuine, as cheaters often deceive to regain access. Nevertheless, even a small percentage of legitimate players being affected by technical issues or bans is concerning to the gaming community.
There have been several contentious clashes over anti-cheat measures, particularly regarding demands for kernel-level access. Games like Valorant and Fortnite use invasive anti-cheat software that requires high privileges to operate. While this may inconvenience some players, it is a necessary step to combat cheating and maintain a fair gaming environment.
Despite the ongoing challenges, developers continue to prioritize the implementation of new anti-cheat measures to protect the integrity of gameplay. While some players may experience issues with Secure Boot, the majority of users report no problems, with only a small fraction of the gaming population being affected.
Most modern systems come with Secure Boot enabled by default, but Battlefield will prompt a notification if it is not activated. Players who are unfamiliar with adjusting BIOS settings can refer to step-by-step instructions on EA’s help pages or watch the tutorial video provided.
