Hello,

In the coming hours, we will be restoring account access to those who were suspended for exploiting the bugged vendor prices for the Norn Cultural weapons. Not everyone will have access restored right away. In some cases we are awaiting more information from the player, and some appeals are still coming in. We will address each appeal as quickly as we can. 

We’d like to remind everyone that we do not seek to punish, and any time a drastic measure like this is taken, it is taken to maintain the health and integrity of the game. As we reinstate these accounts, we expect everyone who appealed to honor their commitment to destroy all illegitimate gains, whether those are crafting items, currencies, or the weapons themselves. To remove currencies, making a purchase of appropriate value and destroying that purchase will suffice. 

We would also like to acknowledge that we are not free from blame. In a game this big, problems inevitably occur that are difficult to locate , and moving forward we will continue to address these issues in a timely, communicative and efficient manner. What constitutes an exploit, and what has resulted in these suspensions, is using a flaw in the game to gain an unfair advantage over other players that is clearly not in line with the design of the game. Please remember, opportunity does not equal permission.

We also understand that sometimes the consequences of such an exploit may not be clear or apparent. In these cases, try to think about how the actions of one player can affect the millions of other players, or the in-game economy as a whole. In your appeals, many of you stated that you only purchased large quantities of weapons to use for personal gain and not for profit. Such an act devalues the time and effort put forth by every other player who opts not to take advantage of an exploit. We will be publishing a FAQ on exploits soon.

On the subject of your appeals, most of you expressed understanding for the decisions that we made. For that, we are deeply appreciative. Going forward, we will strive to maintain only the highest of standards for the game and the community, and we ask that you do the same.

As one player noted in his appeal, we have the opportunity to work together to forge a legendary MMO experience and that is not something we take for granted. If you encounter any other bugs or anything suspicious in game, please feel free to report it by typing "/bug" in-game, or by sending an e-mail to exploits@arena.net.

All of that said, on behalf of ArenaNet and NCsoft, we’d like to extend a sincere welcome back to Tyria. Let's all have some fun.

Regards,
The Guild Wars Support Team