What happens in the seconds and hours after you file
Your report is screened by software within seconds, then queued for a human reviewer who typically picks it up within 24-72 hours.
The first pass is automatic. Text reports are scanned for slurs and for repeat-report patterns within seconds of filing, and the case is scored before any person sees it - a clean, categorised report with a timestamp enters the queue ranked above a one-word complaint.
The second pass is human. A reviewer checks the chat log or clip against the category you chose, weighs the account's prior report history, and decides which rung of the penalty ladder applies. That window is commonly 24-72 hours from the moment you file.
After a ban is issued, the reported player gets an appeal window of 7-14 days. If the appeal fails, the penalty stands and the upheld report stays on the record - where it raises the price of the next offence.
The reporting procedure that survives review
File once, in the match where it happened, on the account that did it, with a timestamp - and do it within 24-48 hours while the logs still exist.
The typical rejections have names you will recognise in the reply. 'Insufficient evidence' means no usable log or clip. 'Wrong category' means the reviewer looked for griefing in a chat-abuse ticket and found none. 'Stale report' means the match fell outside the log window.
The single most expensive mistake is filing late. The practical window is 24-48 hours after the match, while server logs and your own capture still line up - after that, even a true story arrives without its proof.
The full walkthrough, including the one-line report template a reviewer can act on, sits on the /how-to-report-a-troll page.
- 1. Capture before you complain: save the clip or screenshot the chat with the match timestamp visible - reviewers work from logs, and logs expire.
- 2. Note the match ID and the exact account name, including clan tag or discriminator; a near-miss name sends the case to the wrong record.
- 3. Report in the game where the abuse happened, on the account where it happened - each title runs a separate queue with separate staff.
- 4. Pick the category that matches the behaviour: abusive chat for slurs, griefing for objective sabotage, cheating or evasion for a ban-evading smurf.
- 5. Write one actionable line: what was done, when, and to whom - 'spawn keep-bushed three times in the second half, clip attached' beats a paragraph of anger.
- 6. File once: duplicates and team pile-ons are scored as report spam, and 3-5 abusive reports inside 24-72 hours can mute the senders.
- 7. Check back inside the 7-14 day appeal window; if the case closed with no action, that is the moment to attach the clip you forgot.