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I have a big problem with Battle.net. I play Starcraft 2 (Heart of the swarm) and I travel a lot (from San Jose all the way up to San Diego), sometimes even within days. I would still like to continue playing starcraft but everytime I come down I get my account locked for suspicious activity. And going through a reset and password change everytime is extremely frustrating.

Is there any way to disable this functionality. Or to set up a proxy on my computer to somehow download the game in san diego anyways without password change.

(everything on the computer in San Diego gets cleared as soon as I leave even if im going to be back in a day there is nothing I can do about it so dont include possibilities of resolving this problem in the answer. I also cannot take my computer when I travel)

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    I believe the only way around this would be to call Blizzard and explain your situation. Anything you do to spoof where you're playing from will ALSO look like suspicious activity.
    – Frank
    Commented Jan 11, 2013 at 13:00
  • its not really about the game play. It just prevents me from downloading the game which i already bought and own. Its more to prevent me from getting hacked but its just frustrates me. Proxy might get rid of the problem as they simply check if you log in from someplace far away. Or there might even be a setting to turn the security option off. I just didnt find anything while looking online.
    – Xitcod13
    Commented Jan 11, 2013 at 13:27
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    +1. This is soooo frustrating. There are times when I have found myself perpetually locked out due to traveling. I mean, even after resetting my password, the next time I try to log in, blocked again. An endless loop and I must contact support every time. It's crazy frustrating.
    – tenfour
    Commented Jan 11, 2013 at 13:38
  • I had this issue as well when PCS'ed to germany. I had to call blizzard and they havent given me an issue since.
    – Ender
    Commented Jan 11, 2013 at 15:17
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    If you attached an authenticator the system will question your access from different locations less. The system can still challenge access from entirely new locations even with an authenticator. The Battle.net Mobile Authenticator is 100% free.
    – Ramhound
    Commented Jan 16, 2013 at 17:05

3 Answers 3

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Do you have a smart phone? Blizzard has an authentication app that lets you "validate" who you are.

It sounds like there is ghosting software as soon as you log off, but you have access to "install" applications when you are using it. You mention that you're downloading it every time. Why don't you copy the Starcraft 2 folder to a USB stick and then just copy it to the computer every time you are on it?

Starcraft 2 doesn't need to be installed in the traditional sense as you can just copy the folder to whatever computer you are using it on and just run the application.

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  • Thank you. I cant copy anything from a usb drive to the other computer. They are afraid of viruses. They ok with me downloading starcraft from an official website however. ANd i do have a smart phone so ill probably just download that app! As soon as it works I will accept your answer thank you!! :)
    – Xitcod13
    Commented Jan 16, 2013 at 12:11
  • Man, that's going to be a lot of bandwidth used.... is there anything in your profile that is persistent? Like a My Documents folder that never gets wiped?
    – Sorean
    Commented Jan 16, 2013 at 22:26
  • they delete starcraft on purpose so it doesnt waste space.
    – Xitcod13
    Commented Jan 19, 2013 at 7:01
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The answer truly is to give support a call. The fact of the matter is, this kind of DRM is only in place as a blind default - good customer service representatives will take your convenience and patience as a customer into consideration far above strict adherence to the rules. They value you as a customer. Companies have learned a lot since the famous Spore DRM fiasco that Electronic Arts pulled so many years ago already. This kind of failure has changed the industry for the better, and Blizzard is already quite good with their customer service. In short - just talk to a real human being, and they should put a stop to this kind of issue.

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  • i will try this if the smartphone app fails. I wish i could accept both the answers as for someone that doesnt have a smartphone this might be a more valid option. thank you
    – Xitcod13
    Commented Jan 16, 2013 at 12:15
  • The problem indicated by the author is NOT DRM. Besides the system will learn his play style eventually and stop locking his account.
    – Ramhound
    Commented Jan 16, 2013 at 17:06
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    @Ramhound Isn't it? It sounds like the system is blocking him due to misinterpreting his constant installing or change of location as attempts of piracy.
    – Southpaw Hare
    Commented Jan 18, 2013 at 5:59
  • @SouthpawHare - His account has NOTHING to do with piracy since you cannot pirate Starcraft II, Diablo III, or World of Warcraft considering they all require sever-side authentication. This is a security feature Blizzard implemented 4 years ago to attempt to lower the amount of accounts being compromised by criminals selling virtual items. Since this same security system will learn his playing behavior and his account will stop being locked in time saying its "DRM" is false information.
    – Ramhound
    Commented Jan 18, 2013 at 11:56
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    @Ramhound DRM stands for "Digital Rights Management", and refers to any security system designed to protect software and the accounts therein from being accessed illegally. Usually it is -against- the user, or considered a negative thing, but this is not a requirement. What you described fits the definition of DRM exactly.
    – Southpaw Hare
    Commented Jan 18, 2013 at 17:32
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If the app becomes a pain to use or you want to make it easier, you might want to take it up with Blizzard. As Southpaw said, real humans are more patient and the company knows more than us. Some technical features of an account (like overriding that lock) might exist if you ask them.

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