How to Block Raids on Twitch: A Comprehensive Guide

Blocking raids on Twitch is essential for streamers who want to maintain a safe and positive environment for their community. Twitch offers several tools to manage incoming raids, allowing you to control who can raid your channel and prevent unwanted harassment or “hate raids.” The simplest method is to adjust your raid settings within the Creator Dashboard to either allow raids only from channels meeting specific requirements or to deny all raids outright. This article will delve into the specifics of how to implement these settings and explore other strategies to protect your stream.

Managing Raids in Your Creator Dashboard

The primary way to block raids on Twitch involves configuring your raid settings directly through your Creator Dashboard. This gives you granular control over who can initiate a raid on your channel.

Here’s a step-by-step guide:

1. Access the Creator Dashboard: Click on your Twitch profile icon in the top right corner of the Twitch website or app. Then, select “Creator Dashboard” from the dropdown menu.

2. Navigate to Stream Settings: In the Creator Dashboard, click on “Settings” in the left-hand navigation menu. Then, select “Stream.”

3. Locate the Raid Section: Scroll down the Stream settings page until you find the “Raid” section.

4. Choose Your Raid Preference: You’ll have two primary options:

   • Allow raids from channels that meet the following requirements: This is the more nuanced option, allowing you to set specific criteria that raiding channels must meet. You can specify requirements such as having followers, being a partner or affiliate, or having a certain account age. This helps filter out bot accounts or malicious users.

   • Deny all raids: This is the most straightforward approach. Selecting this option completely disables the ability for other channels to raid your stream. While effective at preventing unwanted raids, it also means you’ll miss out on legitimate, positive raids that can help grow your community.

5. Save Your Settings: Ensure you save your changes after selecting your preferred raid option. The changes should take effect immediately.

By using these settings, you can tailor your raid experience to align with your community’s values and your comfort level.

Additional Strategies for Raid Protection

While managing raid settings is the primary method for blocking unwanted raids, other strategies can further enhance your protection.

• Appoint Moderators: Having reliable moderators is crucial. Moderators can quickly ban malicious users, delete offensive messages, and maintain order in your chat.

• Followers-Only Mode: Enabling Followers-Only Mode restricts chat access to users who have followed your channel for a specified duration (e.g., 10 minutes, 1 day, 1 week). This can deter mass raiding attempts from brand new accounts.

• AutoMod: Utilizing Twitch’s AutoMod feature, particularly at Level 2 or higher, helps automatically filter out potentially harmful or offensive messages. This can significantly reduce the impact of hate raids.

• Email and Phone Verification: Requiring email and/or phone verification for chat participation adds an extra layer of security. This makes it more difficult for malicious users to create numerous accounts for raiding purposes.

• Non-Mod Chat Delay: Setting a short chat delay (e.g., 2 seconds) gives moderators a brief window to review and delete messages before they become visible to the entire audience.

• Unique Chat Mode: Enabling Unique Chat Mode prevents users from posting the same message repeatedly, disrupting the flow of chat with spam.

These strategies, combined with careful management of your raid settings, offer a robust defense against unwanted raids and help maintain a positive and engaging atmosphere for your viewers. For educators and researchers interested in the social dynamics of online communities, the Games Learning Society offers valuable insights. Visit GamesLearningSociety.org to learn more.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here are some frequently asked questions about blocking raids on Twitch, providing further clarity and guidance.

1. Can mods disable raids on Twitch?

   No, moderators cannot directly disable raids in the same way streamers can through the Creator Dashboard. However, moderators play a crucial role in managing the aftermath of a raid by banning malicious users and deleting offensive messages. Their quick actions can minimize the impact of a negative raid.

2. How do I deal with hate raids on Twitch?

   Dealing with hate raids involves a multi-pronged approach. Clear the chat immediately, increase the duration of your Followers-Only Mode, dial up your AutoMod level, enable a non-mod chat delay, enable Unique Chat Mode, ban the offending accounts, and report the accounts to Twitch. Activating these measures quickly can prevent these raids in the first place.

3. Is there a way to block specific categories on Twitch from being recommended?

   Yes, Twitch allows you to indicate that you’re “Not Interested” in specific categories. To do this, click the three vertical dots icon on a recommended category, streamer, or section and select “Not Interested.” This will remove it from your recommendations.

4. What does banning do on Twitch?

   Banning a user on Twitch prevents them from appearing in your chatters list, participating in chat, and viewing your stream (depending on your settings). They are also removed from your followers and cannot re-follow you while banned.

5. Do Twitch bans go away?

   Twitch issues both temporary suspensions and permanent bans. Temporary suspensions typically range from one to 30 days. After the suspension period, you can use the services again. However, multiple suspensions can lead to an indefinite suspension. For severe violations, Twitch may immediately and indefinitely suspend an account.

6. Can I restrict content on Twitch for my child?

   Yes, you can set up Twitch parental controls through your account settings. Select ‘Restrict Content’ and choose the content appropriate for your child. This includes blocking mature content or channels with objectionable language. You can also limit when your child can watch Twitch.

7. Does Adblock block Twitch ads, and does it hurt streamers?

   While Adblock can block some ads on Twitch, Twitch has implemented measures to make ad blocking more difficult. Blocking ads reduces the revenue earned by streamers. Consider supporting your favorite streamers directly through subscriptions or donations if you use an ad blocker.

8. How do I get rid of suggested streamers on Twitch?

   To disable suggested channels, go to Settings, then Channel, and then Featured Content. Under the Suggested Channels section, toggle the Suggested Channels option to OFF.

9. Is Twitch removing raids entirely?

   No, Twitch is not removing raids. While Twitch removed the “Host Mode” feature, which was sometimes confused with raiding, the raid feature remains available.

10. Why do people hate raid on Twitch?

    Hate raids are malicious attacks where anonymous users flood a streamer’s chat room with insults and harassment. These attacks often target marginalized content creators and aim to disrupt their streams and communities.

11. Can you disable raids in Minecraft?

    Yes, you can disable raids in Minecraft by using the command /gamerule disableRaids true in the server console. This prevents raids from occurring in your Minecraft world.

12. How do I report a hate raid on Twitch?

    To report a user in the chat, click on their name, then click the three vertical dots icon, and select “Report.” This will initiate the reporting process.

13. How does Twitch get around Adblock?

    Twitch often embeds ads directly into the stream, making them harder to block. This is a deliberate tactic to ensure that ads are displayed, generating revenue for Twitch and its streamers.

14. What is the minimum age to use Twitch?

    The minimum age to use Twitch is 13 years old. Users between 13 and the age of majority in their region (typically 18) must use Twitch under the supervision of a parent or legal guardian who agrees to be bound by Twitch’s Terms of Service.

15. Am I shadowbanned on Twitch, and how can I tell?

    A shadowban on Twitch means your content is hidden from other users without you being notified. To check if you’re shadowbanned, ask your followers if they receive notifications when you go live or if your channel appears in their followed channels list. You can also check twitchtracker.com during your stream to see if your stream is online. For more on gaming, learning, and communities visit the Games Learning Society.