Error 209 User side fix (till Zeni comes up with something better)

Zarec

Fix:

Locate Game install directory: computer>C:>Program Files (x86)> Zenimax Online

Double click Launcher File

Move the file "Bethesda.net_Launcher.version" to your desktop

hit back button

enter "The Elder Scrolls Online" file

Enter the "depot" file

Move "depot.version" file to desktop

hit back button

enter "game" file

move "game_player.version" file to desktop

hit back button

Enter "vo_en" file

move "vo_en.version" to desktop

Start launcher normally and let patch. It will try to download the game again. Hit pause and exit launcher.

Replace all files where you got them with exception with the file "Bethesda.net_Launcher.version". The launcher will have recreated that file so you need to move it to that same folder but when it brings up the confirmation screen, CHOOSE COPY AND REPLACE.

Restart launcher.

This worked for me.

I was one of the players that was able to patch normally and got into the game then quit the game and got this error. This fix worked for me. Not sure if it works for players unable to get the patch. Please comment below if this worked for those players.

Zarec

So far have not had any issues in game doing this fix.

ndbuddrwb17_ESO

Also try:
Go to "C:\Program Files (x86)\Zenimax Online\The Elder Scrolls Online\game\client"

and run the file "eso.exe".

This opens the game directly, not letting it run the silly error filled 209 launcher.

Zarec

UPDATE: Quiting the game does NOT have a re-occurrence of the same bug.

ZiRM

It doesn't work for me and I did exactly how OP said to do it. I just bypass the launcher and start the game from eso.exe but they should make an official announcement about how the launcher was messed up from the latest patch.

Zarec

ndbuddrwb17_ESO wrote: »

Also try:
Go to "C:\Program Files (x86)\Zenimax Online\The Elder Scrolls Online\game\client"

and run the file "eso.exe".

This opens the game directly, not letting it run the silly error filled 209 launcher.

This did not work for me. I kept getting an error when I tried this.

Tilor

Confirmed. Did it exactly how you said and it worked. Thanks for taking the time to post this.

RedemptionOnline

It worked for me. Ridiculous that we have to jump through these hoops.

mister-optimismb14_ESO

This worked for me. Bump!

jarrellj

I won't do it! It's ridiculous that people who have already paid for this game AND paid to sub to this game should have to engage in this kind of convoluted insanity to get the game to even RUN because of THEIR screw-up! I'll wait until THEY fix the damn thing which seems only fair because THEY broke the damn thing! My god. What NEXT? Turn around three times, click our heels together and say "there's no place like home"?

Insane.

JJ

Zarec

Glad I could be of assistance. For those it did not work for, make sure you are replacing the "Bethesda.net_Launcher.version" when you go to put the files back.

If the process does not work the first time, run a repair making sure that the files are in their original places (better to leave a copy of them on the desktop) (will verify the files and you will then get the error again). Try the steps again. If this does not work after doing that extra step please comment back here with what you did an I will try and work with you to figure out if I can think of anything else. Using the eso.exe file works for some but does not totally fix the issue. That may be a viable option for some. It however did not work for me so I had to figure out what I had to do.

Zarec

jarrellj wrote: »

I won't do it! It's ridiculous that people who have already paid for this game AND paid to sub to this game should have to engage in this kind of convoluted insanity to get the game to even RUN because of THEIR screw-up! I'll wait until THEY fix the damn thing which seems only fair because THEY broke the damn thing! My god. What NEXT? Turn around three times, click our heels together and say "there's no place like home"?

Insane.

JJ

This type of problem is actually normally in many games that utilize a launcher. SWtor still has this problem from time to time. Lineage 2 had this problem. SWG had this problem, and even World of Warcraft had this problem. Players had to figure a work around the majority of times.

Elsonso

For those of you who will still have this problem after deleting or moving your files, please put everything back the way it was before you end up downloading and reinstalling the whole game.

All you need to do is let the launcher retry the connection to the Zenimax update servers. Close the error dialog and either wait, closing any other dialogs that come up, or just change the settings to switch to the other server and back a few times, or simply close the Launcher and reopen it until your game has patched or Play comes up instead of Repair.

It may take a few minutes to get in.

Disclaimer: North American server. Not sure if it matters.

Worstluck

This actually works. I am in game right now. Thanks for the help Zarec.

I had an even stranger problem as well. At some point during the fight with error 209, i cancelled the install process, which proceeded to completely remove my 'The Elder Scrolls Online' folder, all 27ish gb of it. Fortunately I had the EU server setup, so I tried to copy the files. I could only log onto the EU server lol, no matter what the launcher said. Finally after some fiddling, got back on the US server. What a hassle!

EDIT: I'll add this, do not bother with the launcher after doing this process. You will be stuck in the same loop, or at least I was. Run the game directly from eso.exe and it works fine.

WHITECHAPEL

I just cancelled my subscription. This is a very poor development of software. Unless they offer me something to return to the game, I will not revisit till it goes free to play.

Zeekez

Mines a little simpler:

Here's what I did both times I got the 209, and it worked like a charm.

Open Launcher, go to "Game Consultant", click "check for updates" on the game consultant, it will say new update available. Close the consultant and the launcher [seriously don't do anything else, just close everything], restart the launcher - bam you're back in the game in 30 seconds.

has kept me playing all day

Zarec

WHITECHAPEL wrote: »

I just cancelled my subscription. This is a very poor development of software. Unless they offer me something to return to the game, I will not revisit till it goes free to play.

Sorry to see you go, but I honestly hope they never go free to play as most games that go that route a lot of the time the quality goes down and it all becomes about the micro transactions and to push those they offer a lot of things that make the game much easier. Seen it happen in too many games. It is why I don't play them anymore.

Malkere

This did not work for me, nor several other threads I tried, but running eso.exe directly worked... which should not be allowed in the first place...

the game is great, but there is a lot of crap coming out of the foundation that really needs work... last minute changes from beta etc... welcome to FFXIV vanilla? no ok no where near that bad but seriously... finish your game before you launch it? We're actually -paying- customers now.

Botters and spammers everyday all day. Patches not helping. Where are your priorities zeni?

Strangefate

Well, I was having the same problem and was going to follow your steps... but I noticed that my link to start the game was pointing to: \TESO\Bethesda.net_Launcher.exe /InstallOrRun "ESO_Beta"

which was what had been set up during Beta, and had b een working fine until now.

Starting the game by clicking the launcher manually worked just fine, and I imagine will fix the issue for anyone else who was in Beta too and kept using the same link to launch the game, just make a new one.

PerfectTemplar

Strangefate wrote: »

Well, I was having the same problem and was going to follow your steps... but I noticed that my link to start the game was pointing to: \TESO\Bethesda.net_Launcher.exe /InstallOrRun "ESO_Beta"

which was what had been set up during Beta, and had b een working fine until now.

Starting the game by clicking the launcher manually worked just fine, and I imagine will fix the issue for anyone else who was in Beta too and kept using the same link to launch the game, just make a new one.

I use beta client, after I patched it at launch all that *** went away, not sure why you have that still. This is a separate issue.

Darzil

Try this : http://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/discussion/80209/found-the-root-cause-of-many-login-issues-with-workaround/p1