Griefers

A griefer is a player who deliberately irritates and harasses other players, often using aspects of gameplay in unintended ways by exploiting buggy game mechanics, especially when it involves player killing, but is certainly not limited to just that. A griefer derives pleasure primarily or exclusively from the act of annoying other users, and as such is a particular nuisance, since in-game penalties do not usually deter them, and there are no administrators to directly ban players.

Griefers can be found anywhere in Open and even in some Private Groups in Elite Dangerous. They are mostly opportunists looking for any and every chance to spoil others' enjoyment for their own sick kicks. Griefers can be avoided entirely by playing in Solo mode.

Things to remember about griefers

• Griefers are fuelled by reaction. Reacting to a griefer's actions will only increase their enjoyment and provoke them into griefing even more. Generally, it is best to avoid insulting, taunting, or complaining to griefers, otherwise their behavior may escalate, especially if they believe they have found an emotional individual who reacts explosively to their actions.
• The Report Player function in the Social tab of the main menu can be used to report individuals who are suspected to be griefers or violators of the Elite Dangerous Terms & Conditions to Frontier Developments for review. This is especially important if a griefer is targeting a commander based on their race, religion, political leaning, sexuality, gender identity, or other sensitive subjects.
• The Block a Player function can additionally be used to block any suspected griefers without needing to report them. Blocking a player will prevent any future in-game encounters with that player in Open and Private Groups.
• Commanders will often accuse other players of griefing, simply because they have been attacked, or because they are abusing their authority. Conversely, some griefers may actually put on crocodile tears and accuse their victim of being a griefer in a bid to frame them and get them banned.
• If a griefer is intentionally impeding a commander's progress, it is not recommended to use Apex Interstellar Transport (if playing in Elite Dangerous: Odyssey) to circumvent them, as they can interdict and destroy the shuttle.

What griefers are not

• A Pirate is not a griefer.
• A Bounty Hunter is not a griefer.
• A commander who attacks another commander for any in-game reason (such as Powerplay) is not a griefer, unless repeated attacks continue to impede the progress of the second commander.
• By definition, no NPCs can be griefers, only other players.