HWID Spoofing Guides
Anti-Cheat Comparison: EAC vs BattlEye
Anti-cheat comparison for 2026: EAC vs BattlEye vs Vanguard vs RICOCHET and 8 more engines, with developer, kernel access, ban type and cross-game reach
Dark and Darker extends Ironshield into TPM, Secure Boot, and HVCI checks. TraceX Spoofer is a free permanent HWID spoofer you run once and delete.
Free diagnostic
If Ironshield closes the client after "abnormal behavior detected" and the account shows "AbnormalDetection," treat that as an account restriction first; a second account failing on the same PC is the stronger hardware-link signal.
Hardware Coverage
Dark and Darker's anti-cheat silently reads dozens of hardware identifiers from your PC while it's running — long before you reach a match. Learn how Ironshield works in Dark and Darker and why it's difficult to bypass without a spoofer. Below is a sample of the identifiers being tracked.
| Hardware Identifier | Dark and Darker Tracks | TraceX Rewrites |
|---|---|---|
| CPU / CPUID Profile | Yes | Yes |
| SMBIOS Type 2 / System UUID | Yes | Yes |
| GPU Device Identifier | Yes | Yes |
| Disk & Volume Serials | Yes | Yes |
| Physical NIC MAC Addresses | Yes | Yes |
| Windows MachineGuid | Yes | Yes |
Reality Check
And when they're denied — which is almost always for HWID bans — your hardware stays permanently blacklisted. No second chances.
“Dark and Darker includes our anti-cheating software, 'Ironshield', which must be running in order for the game to be played.”
IRONMACE - Dark and Darker EULA, Section 5.3 (March 20, 2025)
Why You Need This
You extract from Goblin Caves, sell the kit, then launch the next run through Steam or Blacksmith and get pushed out with "abnormal behavior detected." The account screen now says "AbnormalDetection." A clean Ironmace login may reach the lobby, yet High-Roller or Arena fails again on the same PC before the queue settles. That pattern matters: the message alone can be a temporary account restriction, while the repeat on unchanged hardware points to Ironshield rebuilding the same device profile. Your gear is not the useful clue here. The machine is.
IRONMACE's March 20, 2025 Code of Conduct confirms that Ironshield monitors hardware and active processes, analyzes game binaries, and logs device information while Dark and Darker runs. Steam labels IRONSHIELD as kernel-level anti-cheat and shows boot protection requiring Secure Boot and TPM 2.0. IRONMACE's April 16, 2026 Early Access Hotfix #113 also announced Secure Boot, TPM 2.0, and HVCI requirements for High-Roller and Arena starting the following season. Those facts do not make every "AbnormalDetection" notice an HWID ban. The notice can be a temporary account restriction, a client-integrity problem, or a reviewed enforcement action. The stronger hardware pattern is repeat enforcement after the account changes but the PC does not, whether the game starts through Steam or Blacksmith.
IRONMACE does not publish Ironshield's full identifier list or per-field weighting, so claims that one serial always decides the ban are guesswork. The meaningful Windows collection surfaces are the SMBIOS Type 2 baseboard serial and motherboard or system UUID; physical disk serials returned through storage IOCTLs such as IOCTL_STORAGE_QUERY_PROPERTY; filesystem volume serials; physical NIC MAC addresses; and MachineGuid under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Cryptography. TPM 2.0 can expose endorsement-key-backed identity, while Secure Boot is a platform state rather than a serial number; HVCI enforces hypervisor-protected kernel code integrity. Reinstalling the game changes none of the firmware or controller values. Formatting Windows may rotate MachineGuid and a volume serial, but it leaves the board, physical drives, NICs, and TPM-rooted signals available for composite matching.
Ironshield is an IRONMACE system, not EAC or BattlEye, and Dark and Darker is the only Ironshield title in the current game set. There is no current Ironshield sibling-title blast radius to claim; the real exposure is the same PC returning to Dark and Darker. A temporary session spoofer substitutes values only while its loader, driver, or background component is active and can expose the old profile again after reboot. TraceX Spoofer uses a one-time permanent rewrite of supported identifiers as one coherent profile. Complete the one-time setup, run TraceX once, then delete the tool; no daemon or per-boot rerun remains. This changes the supported device profile. It does not restore a sanctioned Ironmace account, erase a Code of Conduct breach, or guarantee that a ban appeal succeeds.
Verified
IRONMACE's Code of Conduct dated March 20, 2025 says Ironshield works by "monitoring your hardware and processes," "analysing game binaries," and "scanning and logging hardware identifiers and processes." Early Access Hotfix #113, posted April 16, 2026, separately announced Secure Boot, TPM 2.0, and HVCI requirements for High-Roller and Arena starting the following season. These first-party statements confirm hardware monitoring and platform-trust checks without disclosing Ironshield's identifier weighting.
Why TraceX
You shouldn't need to replace your PC to play Dark and Darker again. That's why TraceX exists.
Run TraceX once before opening Dark and Darker through Steam or Blacksmith Launcher. The rewrite persists, so you can delete the tool before Ironshield starts.
Dark and Darker's hardware ban (hwid) is tied to the profile Ironshield reads. Rewritten identifiers persist across reboots without a TraceX daemon.
For Dark and Darker, the documented Ironshield coverage includes CPU / CPUID Profile, SMBIOS Type 2 / System UUID, GPU Device Identifier. TraceX rewrites the supported fields in one pass.
Dark and Darker launches from Steam or Blacksmith Launcher after the rewrite is complete. No TraceX process remains during Ironshield gameplay to consume resources.
Dark and Darker's hardware ban (hwid) details stay separate from the current Ironshield status, so a game update is never treated as unchanged by default.
When you open Dark and Darker with Ironmace account + Steam linkage, Ironshield reads the supported identifiers produced by the completed permanent rewrite.
Setup Guide
Getting around a Dark and Darker HWID ban used to take hours — reinstalling Windows, flashing BIOS, wiping drivers, re-downloading everything, and praying it worked. One wrong step meant starting over and burning another account. With TraceX, a single click does more than all of that combined.
Free download
Submit your email and receive your free TraceX HWID Spoofer license in a few minutes. Run it once on your PC to permanently rewrite the identifiers Ironshield fingerprints, then delete the binary and reinstall Dark and Darker.
Detection Analysis
Ironshield can combine identifiers from your PC into a hardware profile for Dark and Darker. TraceX rewrites the supported fields shown below before the game runs.
When you launch Dark and Darker, your real hardware IDs are scanned and matched against ban records. Every new account on a flagged PC is blocked.
Dark and Darker sees a completely new machine with no ban history. New account, clean hardware — access granted.
Ban Reference
Similar Games
Banned in Dark and Darker? These games use similar anti-cheat systems. One permanent TraceX rewrite covers all of them.
FAQ
One "AbnormalDetection" screen proves that the account or session was restricted, not which hardware value caused it. The stronger HWID pattern is a different Ironmace account receiving the same enforcement on the same Windows PC while another machine does not. Rule out a security-settings popup, damaged game files, and a normal account sanction first; IRONMACE does not provide a public checker that names the matched serial.
Steam and Reddit reports from 2024 show players receiving a three-day timer after "abnormal behavior detected," sometimes followed by reversal and sometimes by permanent action. IRONMACE's current public policy does not define that timer as a guaranteed first stage of every hardware ban. Treat the exact notice and timer as case evidence, preserve a screenshot, and use the official support ticket rather than assuming a fixed escalation schedule.
IRONMACE confirms hardware monitoring but does not publish Ironshield's field list or weighting. Relevant Windows surfaces include the SMBIOS Type 2 baseboard serial, system UUID, physical disk serials queried through storage IOCTLs, volume serials, physical NIC MAC addresses, and MachineGuid under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Cryptography. TPM endorsement-key data and Secure Boot state can add platform-trust context without proving which field decided a ban.
Reinstalling the game replaces client files, not a motherboard UUID, physical disk serial, NIC MAC, or TPM-rooted value. Formatting Windows can rotate MachineGuid and a filesystem volume serial, but it leaves firmware and controller identifiers intact. That makes both actions incomplete against a composite hardware profile. They may fix corrupt files or an installation problem, so do not confuse a repaired launch with proof that an HWID restriction disappeared.
A new login changes the account layer, not the hardware Ironshield is authorized to monitor. If the restriction is account-only, the original account still remains sanctioned and should be appealed through IRONMACE. If a second account is linked on the unchanged PC, it can expose the same board, storage, network, Windows, and platform signals again. IRONMACE does not publish a safe waiting period or promise that account rotation resets a device restriction.
A VPN changes the public IP route. It does not rewrite the SMBIOS baseboard serial, system UUID, disk or volume serials, NIC hardware addresses, MachineGuid, or TPM-backed data. Network troubleshooting can still matter when the error is connectivity-related, but it is a separate diagnosis. If unchanged hardware is the link between restricted accounts, changing only the IP leaves the useful machine signals in place.
Yes for the protected modes IRONMACE identified. Early Access Hotfix #113 announced Secure Boot, TPM 2.0, and HVCI as entry requirements for High-Roller and Arena starting with the following season, and IRONMACE published an official setup article on April 22, 2026. A missing-settings popup is a platform requirement, not proof of an HWID ban. Secure Boot reports boot integrity; HVCI enforces kernel code integrity.
Use IRONMACE's official support ticket and choose the ban-appeal route. Include the account, platform, exact message, date, and a screenshot, and distinguish a three-day AbnormalDetection notice from a permanent account action. IRONMACE's Code of Conduct allows temporary or permanent enforcement, but it publishes no success rate and no guarantee of reversal. TraceX cannot restore the sanctioned account or alter IRONMACE's enforcement record.
Ironshield is IRONMACE's system, not Easy Anti-Cheat or BattlEye, and Dark and Darker is the only Ironshield title in the current TraceX game set. That means there is no shared Ironshield roster across Fortnite, Rust, or other publishers' games. The blast radius is the same PC returning to Dark and Darker through Steam or Blacksmith. Separate anti-cheats may collect similar identifier classes, but their ban lists should not be treated as one universal list.
A temporary session spoofer substitutes values only while its loader, driver, or background process is active, so the previous profile can return after reboot and the tool must run again. TraceX uses a permanent-rewrite model for supported identifiers: complete the one-time setup, run it once, then delete the tool. No TraceX process remains beside Ironshield. Neither model restores a banned Ironmace account or guarantees an appeal outcome.
Learn More
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Next Steps
Work out which ban you are actually dealing with before you change anything. The ban-type checker walks the symptoms, and how long a Ironshield ban lasts covers whether waiting it out is realistic for Dark and Darker.
You can also browse every game TraceX supports or read up on the anti-cheat engines behind these bans.