Riot Games asserts that Vanguard, Valorant’s anti-cheat, does not damage hardware or permanently brick PCs, and that rumors of bricking are misinformation.

If a DMA cheat device is used, disabling IOMMU can temporarily allow the device to function, but IOMMU remains required to play Valorant, so cheats won’t work and the PC is not bricked.

Riot clarified that a photo circulating online showed hardware devices sold specifically for cheating, and Vanguard now blocks DMA cheating devices by enforcing IOMMU protections on affected accounts.

There was discussion on X (formerly Twitter) about potential class-action lawsuits, which may have pressured Riot to issue a clearer statement.

The incident rekindles debate over kernel-level anti-cheat software, privacy concerns, and how deeply developers interact with hardware.

Vanguard’s controversial presence in Valorant remains debated, with ongoing questions about its impact on players’ experiences.

Views are mixed: some see hardware protections as necessary to enforce terms, while others worry about potential collateral hardware effects and the ethics of anti-cheat interventions.

Vanguard aims at cheating hardware, fueling discussion about overreach versus protection, false positives, and broader implications for hardware used to bypass game rules.

Riot’s broader corporate context is noted, including ongoing focus on the League of Legends ecosystem, without implying a direct link to the anti-cheat issue.

Social posts caused confusion; Riot reiterates that no PC bricking occurs and claims of bricking are incorrect.

Riot’s clarification follows prior rumors from 2024 about bricking and reiterates that such allegations are unconfirmed.

Riot emphasizes that normal players should not experience hardware-related issues and that reported problems reflect security protections in action, not deliberate damage.