Final Fantasy 14's Latest Raid Sparks Controversy as World First Winners Accused of Cheating - IGN

A typical race to be the first raid team in the world to clear it ensued, with a group called Unnamed_ taking the crown on Monday by posting screenshots of their victory.

However, not long after, an unlisted video began to circulate showing one of their members using a mod to zoom the camera out much farther than it normally should be able to do, presumably to get a better view on the mechanics.

Additionally, a lengthy statement was published on the official FF14 news board from FF14 director Naoki Yoshida, reiterating Square Enix's stance on third-party tools (none whatsoever permitted) and that unspecified punishments would be enacted for using them.

A large portion of high-end players will use mods to track boss mechanics, customize their UI to be more helpful, or otherwise make the game more user-friendly.

So across the community, player reactions seem to be split between people who feel the ban was justified, and others frustrated that such a harsh punishment was doled out for something that they perceive as commonplace.

While the community may likely never come to a consensus, modding in FF14 is likely to continue unless Square Enix's crackdown grows more severe to the point of impacting regular players en masse.