Just by taking a look at this section, it's obvious there are a lot of confused people which don't really understand what's going on with the whole 11.8 update thing. I really think someone should make a sticky post detailing what's exactly going on, but in the meantime, I'm going to answer the questions I see being asked the most:
- What exactly was changed with the 11.8 update? What happened it that Nintendo, trying to combat piracy on the 3DS, has changed how downloading games work (or rather, how downloading content from the CDN works) (if you don't know what a CDN is, in this case, it's basically the servers games are downloaded from, legitimately or not). Before, anyone could download any game/DLC from Nintendo servers directly (that's how freeShop, Villain3DS and similar work). However, after the update, when requesting downloads from Nintendo, the console is also required to send some console-specific tickets which are generated when buying games from the eShop (and can't be forged). If the ticket isn't sent, or is invalid, the servers will refuse to let you download whatever you were trying to download (check out this post for a more detailed explaination)
But I can still use freeShop/Villain3DS/anything else! That's because, while the feature has already been added to the console itself via the 11.8 update, it still hasn't been activated server-side. It usually takes one week for the servers to update after the console does. Until then, everything will still work. But after that, applications which download directly from the CDN will break. This will affect all 3DSes, regardless if they get updated to 11.8 or not.
Actually, the process of updating the CDN has already started, and it mostly affects first-party titles for now, which means first-party titles are already no longer available for download with these applications
Nintendo has now applied the fix to all of the titles available on the CDN, which means that freeShop and similar applications are dead for good.- Do I risk getting banned by using those applications while they still work or after they break? It's highly recommended not to use applications which download directly from Nintendo's CDN to the 3DS, especially since there are alternative methods which work equally fine.
- So what are those applications that I should avoid? The most common/known are freeShop and CIAngel, very likely another one (judging by the way it works it looks like it downloads from the CDN) is Shameless. I would consider tikShop pretty unsafe too, along with any other applications which work similarly to those four that I'm not aware of (if I missed some feel free to reply so I can add them here).
Villain3DS, however, is safe, because it first downloads the content to your PC and converts that to a CIA, and I recommend that over freeShop and similar while it still worksWell I would've recommended it while it was still working - Will freeShop still work if I don't update to 11.8? No, since the change is server-side, it will affect all consoles.
- Can I update games I previously downloaded from freeShop or similar without risking a ban? Yes, you can update games you previously downloaded without risking a ban.
- Can Nintendo detect if I have/use non-legit applications on my 3DS and ban me that way (eg: Homebrew)? No, the data is only sent when downloading the game/DLC itself from the servers. No data is sent when launching applications.
- Do I risk getting banned for playing online multiplayer with non-legit games? Same as above. Again, data is only sent when downloading the game/DLC itself.
- Do I risk getting banned if I keep the games previously downloaded with freeShop? Same as above. Again, data is only sent when downloading the game/DLC itself.
- Do I risk getting banned by using FBI to install CIAs downloaded from other websites/Villain3DS? No, since you didn't download anything from Nintendo servers (or in case of Villain3DS, you did, but not on the console itself), and since no data is sent when manually installing CIAs, you won't get banned. In fact, if you want to be absolutely sure you're safe, this is the only method you should use.
- Do I risk getting banned if I do X on/with my 3DS? As a general rule, anything that doesn't using involve using applications which allow to download stuff that should normally be paid for free directly from Nintendo's CDN . If you use those applications (examples listed above), however, Nintendo will pretty much have a record which could guarantee you a ban in the future.
- Should I keep my 3DS permanently offline to avoid getting banned? No, you don't need to that dramatic. As long as you follow the instructions above, and don't to anything stupid that already got people banned before (like playing online with hacked Pokémon, or playing games in online multiplayer before they even get released), you can keep your 3DS online without any worries.
- Should I update to 11.8 or not? The truth is, unless you use outdated exploits/CFWs (in which case you should definitely update them), there's no reason not to update. freeShop and similar are
really near to becomingunusable, andeven if they still work for now,I personally believe they aren't safe even on 11.7 or lower, which means you would risk as much as if you were to use them on 11.8. - Help! I updated and now Luma3DS isn't working anymore (Failed to apply 1 FIRM patch)! Just download Luma3DS v9.1, and replace the boot.firm file in your SD card with the updated one.
- Help! I updated and now NTR CFW isn't working anymore! Just download BootNTR Selector v2.12, copy the CIA (or CIAs) to your SD card and install it with FBI.
- What about Seedminer/Steelminer? Did 11.8 break those too? No, 11.8 didn't break Seedminer/Steelminer. Although TWL_FIRM did receive some updates, and there currently two different versions of b9stool (used in Seedminer), one for 11.8, and one for 11.4 to 11.7. If you're modding a 3DS using Seedminer, make absolutely sure to use the right one. 3ds.hacks.guide (or rather, Jisagi's Seedminer guide, which is the one 3ds.hacks.guide links to) has already been updated.
- I have an unmodded console on 11.8. How can I mod it? It is highly recommended to follow 3ds.hacks.guide if you want to mod your console. There are (currently) three methods to mod a console on 11.8: the aforementioned Seedminer, NTRboot, and hardmodding. The easiest one is Seedminer, which while it's not free, only requires a compatible DSiWare (€2/$2 for EUR and USA consoles, free on JAP consoles). Please refer to the above website for more info for all of the above methods
- I have an unmodded console on 11.7 or lower. How can I mod it? If your console is on 3.0 to 11.3, you can install CFW for free using SoundHax (again, please refer to 3ds.hacks.guide). If your console is outside this range, really the easiest solution is to update to 11.8 and use Seedminer (since you need to update to use the eShop). Although note that there are some exploits coming really soon out which would allow to mod consoles on 11.4 to 11.7 for free, but in the meantime, if you really want to mod your console, you can update and use Seedminer, since really the price is negligible
Last edited by lAkdaOpeKA,
