Moshi moshi are you paying attention?
First let me say the company has been doing a terrible job in regards to solving the botting problem.
Here are some simple solutions
1 - A in game quiz or XO event. Quiz prefered s the XO is just yes or no and is easy to avoid it will get some but it won’t get others. The quiz would pop up on your screen showing a random generated code. a mix of letters, numbers or symbols such as !@#$%^&*()-+=. Players will be required to enter them in a window or in the chat box. Similar to how the Royal Mausoleum voices work with the barrier.
If you fail to input the correct code you are kicked to the login screen or your game closes. If you input it right you get a reward. Instead of item reward like consumables. I recommend a buff. Example a movement speed buff similar to that of which sanctum gives. This is to make players feel like it is less of a hassle. They get a solution to botting and a benefit for taking the quiz. The movement speed buff would be ideal as it is really good.
The quiz should be every 15 minutes or 30 minutes. Not longer. The reason I say this is simple. Longer time to start means bot users have more less need to check up on their bot to see if it is kicked. If it is set to 15 minutes. They have to actively be monitoring their bots every 15 minutes. This becomes a hassle for them.
Once a character is kicked 20 times by this system. They should be flagged as possible bots. For the staff to investigate. An ban if confirmed to be a botter.
Something would have to be put in place to make the quiz skip over players who have a shop open: Pardoner, Squire and Alchemist. This only skips over them if their shop is open.
2 - Make a anvil that players buy on merchant(Must be cheap) this anvil is special as when summoned in a area if anyone other than the user hits it it will kick them offline. The anvil should copy the ID of the nearest monster on the field. Why? The potters will program their bot to attack the monsters by ID to avoid the anvil. Once it copies the ID of the monster nearby the bot will think it is one of the monsters it is suppose to kill and target it. Once attacked it kicks the user offline. If a person is kicked 20 times by this system. Same as above they are flagged. If the summoner attacks it it disappears.
If this is some how beyond the scope of your developers talents. Make it a item that when used copies the monster in the area but adds +100 level to it(anyone who attacks it is killed) by it because it is far stronger than what the bot is programmed to fight.
4 - Make monster orbs easier to get or make a special monster orb that players can buy at npc cheap. An a transformation scroll. The orb summons a monster that is temporary and the scroll transform them into a +100 monster that has no timer and needs to be killed to disappear. This method is for players to use to combat botters camping zones.
Example. I used a nuker orb today to clear Srautas Gorge. So I could farm my set. I went on my main summoned the Nuka. Then asked a guild to come transform it. It became a level 153 Pag Slayer. And it totally rekt all the bots. Because it was transformed it has no timer. So must be killed to go away.
Option 4 and 3 are not a solution nor is 3 really. Those are ways for players to fight back against bots when they encounter them.
Option 1 is where the solution is. Let see if this publisher will let the idea go to waste. An I am not asking. This is a 100% solution to the problem. Because I have played games who had similar botting issue and the same system solved it.
Secondary suggestion
Increase the respawn rate of trash monsters in areas please for the love of all that is good. You can’t lower the channels and do nothing about the bots and cause your player base to grieve. This is how you lose players.
Additionally for channels please implement a system where each map has 2 channels. Once both channels have a certain amount of players on them. A 3rd map opens up. An if 1-3 is packed a 4th open etc.
However only channel 1-2 can spawn rare monsters like Cafrisun and world boss. This is to prevent people from exploiting the feature which they would.
By having guildies and friends full up channel 1 and 2 to open channel 3. Because channel 3 would freshly open up. Respawn timer would reset.