Questions about ExitLag

tamedbeast · May 4

Currently, I'm getting a ping of 100- 120ms from Toronto, Canada. I'm not sure why the ping is so high, but that's a topic for another day.

However, I have considered using Exitlag to hopefully address this poor ping. Does anyone have experience using it, and has it improved your ping?

Also, while searching the forums, I saw someone claim that they got banned for using Exitlag. Can anyone confirm if this is actually true or not?

Where are the servers located for NA?

Soarora · May 4

I don't know anything about Exitlag but the NA servers are in Texas I believe.

MrGarlic · May 4

You probably won't see much, if any, improvement using a gaming VPN with your ping from your location.

They are much more useful if your ping is higher than 200 or your ISP has poor routing or your country has a 'political' firewall.

You can probably test a gaming VPN as many have a free trial period.

I've not heard of anyone being banned for using a VPN on ESO. Banning someone for improving the security of their network would be a bizarre reason for doing so.

Turtle_Bot · May 5

Using a VPN won't improve your ping much, (i.e. it won't drop from 100-200 down to 50) since that is just the time it takes for your PC to send and receive signals with the server.

Where a VPN does help is (as mentioned) if your ISP has poor routing between you and the servers, something that becomes harder to address the further you live from the servers (even more so when living in different countries/continents).

I do use Exitlag, especially when in PvP or doing vet PvE content since the constant ping spikes (I have had over 30,000ms spikes before) make the game completely unplayable in such content where fast reaction times and a stable ping are mandatory.
While my ping remains about 300ms, due to how far I live from the servers, and as such I still play with a 300ms delay on my inputs (something that I have gotten fairly used to now), where it has helped is reducing/minimizing the spikes in ping that occur from sub-optimal connection routes between me and the server, that would typically cause my ping to fluctuate between 300ms and 900ms or more. Such fluctuations are more like 300-350ms now, which is much more stable and playable.

I can't imagine ZOS banning anyone for using a VPN to play the game (especially a more common (and dedicated) gaming VPN such as Exitlag) since banning someone for using one would be the equivalent of banning a player for choosing to live close to the servers or for choosing to use a more secure ISP company as the ISP. Just sounds completely messed up from a branding, marketing and legal perspective.

Orbital78 · May 5

tamedbeast wrote: »

Where are the servers located for NA?

Dallas, TX area I think. You might try contacting your ISP and see if there is anything they can look into adjusting. TBH even I have been getting odd ping lately. I was averaging around 60-80 a month or two ago, but things have gone up to ~100-125 during peak hours. I'm on a fiber connection near Chicago, I'm not sure what has caused the increase.

I was having issues when the ISP first move into my area, I contacted support and gave IP addresses that route to the game. Things improved over the next few weeks, I'm unsure if they adjusted something or the work in the area was the issue.

I don't think a VPN will help, unsure about bans from it. I noticed a few posts about being banned for ExitLag specifically. No clue if the person was up to other shenanigans too. I would check the user agreement, they would have to put something about rules against the use of VPN's I would think. Years ago I ran into a odd issue with the patcher, I could only get it to download on that ISP if I used a VPN, after it was patched I could login just normal without a VPN. It was specific to the patcher, was quite odd.