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Is being intentionally and repeatedly fully AFK in BGs allowed?

monkidb16_ESO
monkidb16_ESO
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During the recent Midyear Mayhem I have encountered the same player repeatedly queuing for BGs on different characters, then going fully AFK the entire match.
My guess is that person was fishing for a free dailies/wins, switch character and repeat.

I have reported them in-game, and since in past reports of AFK players the support had asked for further proof, I took multiple screenshots this time and provided them in the ticket.

On August the 11th support finally answered and their conclusion was:
"it was determined that no violation of the ZeniMax Terms of Service or Code of Conduct occurred."

So, should I even bother reporting AFK players at this point or is this just allowed now?

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Best Answer

  • Deimus
    Deimus
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    Yes it is allowed. There are a couple of players that I have reported and have video footage from multiple matches that shows them intentionally finding a corner to stealth in and afk battleground matches. From the very start of the match too not from being spawn camped and going afk.

    Every report I've made comes back with "It was determined that no violation of the ZeniMax Terms of Service or Code of Conduct occurred. As a result, no action has been taken against the reported account(s)."

    So yeah intentionally going afk and shafting your team is fair play by ZOS standards.
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    Answer ✓
  • MincMincMinc
    MincMincMinc
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    During the recent Midyear Mayhem I have encountered the same player repeatedly queuing for BGs on different characters, then going fully AFK the entire match.
    My guess is that person was fishing for a free dailies/wins, switch character and repeat.

    I have reported them in-game, and since in past reports of AFK players the support had asked for further proof, I took multiple screenshots this time and provided them in the ticket.

    On August the 11th support finally answered and their conclusion was:
    "it was determined that no violation of the ZeniMax Terms of Service or Code of Conduct occurred."

    So, should I even bother reporting AFK players at this point or is this just allowed now?

    Yes zos intentionally made a system that enables players to join bgs and afk. Not only that but they are incentivized to do so. If you do not want to participate, but want rewards you will farm rewards faster by afking. If you are on a losing team, just afk and let the match end faster so you can reque and hopefully get on a winning team.

    What can you expect when they designed bgs to make it hard for new players to succeed, so why bother trying. MMR resets and places new players against 10 year vet players so 90% of the time the game is won by someone like me who goes 40/0 against pugs. Spawn points are designed such that the losing team has an even harder time leaving spawn and enables spawn camping. To top it off, certain gamemodes end so quickly that pvp players have to ignore the objective or else they have to go back to sitting in que.
    • MMR needs to be detached from the leaderboard and be based on KDA
    • MMR needs to never reset and should be account bound.
    • Spawns need to level with the ground to avoid falling
    • Spawns need to have one way walls that push players out after a 15s grace period
    • Spawns need to be on a group timer to artificially regroup players together.
    Edited by MincMincMinc on 19 August 2025 19:51
    I only use insightful
    BG MMR should NOT reset, zos sponsored smurfing is a terrible design choice.
    PvP needs more incentives, even simple potion mats or gold would be better than rewards for the worthy inventory bloat
  • Chrisilis
    Chrisilis
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    Why bother? Near as I can tell communication re: anything Battleground related doesn't exist so reporting is pointless.

    And there's lots of reasons for people to afk so its hard to tell if its...malicious. The guy did die twice so he participated enough for that at least. Or participated enough not to violate terms on purpose. Anyway, if it were me I'd let it go, they dont care.
  • monkidb16_ESO
    monkidb16_ESO
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    If you are on a losing team, just afk and let the match end faster so you can reque and hopefully get on a winning team.

    I get that some people stop participating in an already lost match, but in this specific case the player in question was AFK from the very start and didn't even use a single skill the entire time. In the second example provided we even won the match by a big margin.
    Chrisilis wrote: »
    And there's lots of reasons for people to afk so its hard to tell if its...malicious.

    In this case it is however pretty clear cut intentionally, notice how the player did, as you can see on the scoreboard, absolutely zero damage or healing (i.e. he was fully 100% AFK).

    And it is also malicious, since to prevent the auto-kick, you have to move which this player did by wiggling around every two minutes or so.
    Chrisilis wrote: »
    The guy did die twice so he participated enough for that at least. Or participated enough not to violate terms on purpose.

    The two death were because the game ports you out from spawn after a few minutes of being on spawn.


  • CameraBeardThePirate
    CameraBeardThePirate
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    There were players in the old BGs that repeatedly exploited broken geometry on the maps, glitching the chaosball through walls that were supposed to be solid, and were never banned despite numerous reports with picture and video evidence.

    You actually think ZOS is gonna ban AFK players if they never banned the players actually exploiting?
    Edited by CameraBeardThePirate on 20 August 2025 15:16
  • xylena_lazarow
    xylena_lazarow
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    old BGs
    Players would repeatedly queue in perma AFK to 3s until they got their 2nd place daily rewards. The format was so incoherent that nobody would even notice. AFK'ers are much more noticeable in 2s where every player matters.
    PC/NA || Cyro/BGs || retired until Dagon brings a new dawn of PvP metas
  • MincMincMinc
    MincMincMinc
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    If you are on a losing team, just afk and let the match end faster so you can reque and hopefully get on a winning team.

    I get that some people stop participating in an already lost match, but in this specific case the player in question was AFK from the very start and didn't even use a single skill the entire time. In the second example provided we even won the match by a big margin.
    Chrisilis wrote: »
    And there's lots of reasons for people to afk so its hard to tell if its...malicious.

    In this case it is however pretty clear cut intentionally, notice how the player did, as you can see on the scoreboard, absolutely zero damage or healing (i.e. he was fully 100% AFK).

    And it is also malicious, since to prevent the auto-kick, you have to move which this player did by wiggling around every two minutes or so.
    Chrisilis wrote: »
    The guy did die twice so he participated enough for that at least. Or participated enough not to violate terms on purpose.

    The two death were because the game ports you out from spawn after a few minutes of being on spawn.


    Again what do you think when matches at that entry level are randomly won because the dysfunctional mmr system gives new players a 50/50 chance of being on the pugstomper team.

    If a new player participates while on the pugstomp team the match ends in a min and they get rewarded
    If a new player doesnt participate the match still ends in a min
    If a new player is on the unfortunate team the match ends in a min

    The afk timer is so long it doesnt even come into play here. Even the hide in spawn mechanic that auto teleports players down is far too long that the player only died twice.
    I only use insightful
    BG MMR should NOT reset, zos sponsored smurfing is a terrible design choice.
    PvP needs more incentives, even simple potion mats or gold would be better than rewards for the worthy inventory bloat
  • Major_Mangle
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    Had another "problem" that I´ve encountered the last few days connected to the long respawn timer. When doing 4v4 deathmatch and the other team has a lead, they simply refuse to jump down and fight since if we can´t attack them, they´ll avoid dying and potentially losing the game. They need to reduce the timer before you get ported down significantly. 2 minutes is way too long, should be 10-20 seconds at most. So many "non-PvP:ers" ruining BG´s by just straight up griefing.
    Ps4 EU 2016-2020
    PC/EU: 2020 -
  • monkidb16_ESO
    monkidb16_ESO
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    There were players in the old BGs that repeatedly exploited broken geometry on the maps, glitching the chaosball through walls that were supposed to be solid, and were never banned despite numerous reports with picture and video evidence.

    Yes, I had the exactly same happen as well, back then the support basically said to me "pics or it didn't happen".
    Good to know it wouldn't have made a difference if I had taken pictures/videos.
    When doing 4v4 deathmatch and the other team has a lead, they simply refuse to jump down and fight since if we can´t attack them,

    I can at least somewhat understand the psychological aversion of willingly jumping into a 1v4 (i.e. your certain death), especially if you have multiple lives left.
    But the port -down timer should definitely be shortened to 10-ish seconds, along with a group respawn so people don't just get farmed 1v4 in sequence.
  • Thumbless_Bot
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    I don't understand why it matters to you or why it should matter to zos.

    It doesnt matter to me and it is hard for me to understand why anyone would care. This is why I ask.

    If it is because you want to win, the likelihood that the afk player, or someone else who took their spot because they were banned, would have an actual impact on the outcome of a bg is very near zero. 99.9% of these new bgs are signed sealed and delivered before the matches start. I was in a 8v8 the other day that had me and five of my fellow bg guildies on one team and a bunch of pve players on the other. It went 500-0 in about 90 seconds. Anecdotal. I know. But this pattern is very consistent in bgs.

    Even if mmr was implemented in an effective way it wouldn't matter because high mmr matches wouldn't have afkers and you'd quickly move out of the afk bracket if you were actually playing. Also, those sweaties that have high mmr are not afk and the placement of these sweats is what determines the outcome of almost every bg. Not for nothing, the team that has 7, or 6 people usually see the other team and log out or go afk.

    Wasn't like that before. People did go afk, but not like they do now.

    Lastly, bgs now start without full teams, so consider your team down a person.

    Just reroll the queue and hope the cards fall in your favor next time. Or dont do bgs.

    The real problem here is mmr...
    Edited by Thumbless_Bot on 21 August 2025 02:03
  • Calastir
    Calastir
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    Good that it's allowed and kudos that ZOS doesn't take action against those players!

    Doing BG's can be punishment enough without having to worry about other players reporting you for literally doing nothing.

    Snitching is about the lowest, cowardly, most despicable thing anyone can do IMHO.
    Chaszmyr Do'Benrae (Dunmer Magsorc Vampire Infinity) ~ Dusk Doublespeak (Breton Magplar Werewolf) ~ Stan of Rimari (Nord Dragonknight Tank) ~ Bunto Kim Alhambra (Redguard Magplar Paladin) ~ Alicyankali (Argonian Magicka Necromancer Draugr Kin) ~ Gruuman Odinfan (Orsimer Magplar) ~ Boymans van Beuningen (Khajiit Stam Warden Bowzerker) ~ Flannelflail (Imperial Stamina Nightblade Brawler PVP) ~ Calastir (Altmer Stamina Dragonknight) ~ Sallystir (Bosmer Stam Warden Frostbite PVP) ~ Zalastir (Altmer Magicka Warden Ice Storm) ~ Capt Peach (Nord Stamcanist Crux Cannon) ~ PC EU ~ Flynt Westwood (Bosmer Magicka Dragonknight) ~ Chandu the Conjurer (Redguard Magcanist Rune Walker) ~ PC NA ~ since May 26th, 2021.
  • karthrag_inak
    karthrag_inak
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    no, any such players are OBLIGATED to provide themselves for your content and entertainment.

    Furthermore, it should be made MANDATORY that all ESO players routinely queue to BGs specifically for your pleasure. CONGRATULATIONS!

    PC-NA : 19 Khajiit and 1 Fishy-cat with fluffy delusions. cp3600
    GM of Imperial Gold Reserve trading guild (started in 2017) since 2/2022
    Come visit Karth's Glitter Box, Khajiit's home. Fully stocked guild hall done in sleek Khajiit stylings, with Grand Master Stations, Transmute, Scribing, Trial Dummies, etc. Also has 2 full bowling alleys, nightclub, and floating maze over Wrothgar.(Pariah's Pinacle)

    "Ever get the feeling you've been cheated?' -famous khajiit philosopher
  • Usureki
    Usureki
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    wow @Calastir and @karthrag_inak are you really defending players purposefully ruining other players game just coz u personally dont like pvp?

    i wonder how you would react if kicking afking players from trials would be impossible.
  • Usureki
    Usureki
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    btw I've reported not only continous afking but outright cheatings as well and from the dozen of reports 0 resulted in taking any action. this is the level zos absolutely does not give a flying fluff about pvp.
  • YffresTrill
    YffresTrill
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    It's been a long time since I did a BG, but I guess it is not possible to vote to kick a group member? If so, maybe this is something that should be added?
    @ Yffre'sTrill - PC/EU (No Steam)
  • Calastir
    Calastir
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    Usureki wrote: »
    wow @Calastir and @karthrag_inak are you really defending players purposefully ruining other players game just coz u personally dont like pvp?

    i wonder how you would react if kicking afking players from trials would be impossible.
    Usureki wrote: »
    btw I've reported not only continous afking but outright cheatings as well and from the dozen of reports 0 resulted in taking any action. this is the level zos absolutely does not give a flying fluff about pvp.
    Throwing a 15 minutes game is a minor inconvenience to the team.

    But secretly calling on authorities to suspend someone's account which they've put months or even years of money, time and effort in is cowardly evil and absolutely disgusting. In my ideal world, that would indeed be punished with account suspension.

    Doing that to dozens of people is something to be ashamed of.
    It's been a long time since I did a BG, but I guess it is not possible to vote to kick a group member? If so, maybe this is something that should be added?
    Vote kicking from BG will definitely be exploited to get rid of weaker players, especially in that toxic community.

    Edited by Calastir on 13 August 2026 14:19
    Chaszmyr Do'Benrae (Dunmer Magsorc Vampire Infinity) ~ Dusk Doublespeak (Breton Magplar Werewolf) ~ Stan of Rimari (Nord Dragonknight Tank) ~ Bunto Kim Alhambra (Redguard Magplar Paladin) ~ Alicyankali (Argonian Magicka Necromancer Draugr Kin) ~ Gruuman Odinfan (Orsimer Magplar) ~ Boymans van Beuningen (Khajiit Stam Warden Bowzerker) ~ Flannelflail (Imperial Stamina Nightblade Brawler PVP) ~ Calastir (Altmer Stamina Dragonknight) ~ Sallystir (Bosmer Stam Warden Frostbite PVP) ~ Zalastir (Altmer Magicka Warden Ice Storm) ~ Capt Peach (Nord Stamcanist Crux Cannon) ~ PC EU ~ Flynt Westwood (Bosmer Magicka Dragonknight) ~ Chandu the Conjurer (Redguard Magcanist Rune Walker) ~ PC NA ~ since May 26th, 2021.
  • karthrag_inak
    karthrag_inak
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    Usureki wrote: »
    wow @Calastir and @karthrag_inak are you really defending players purposefully ruining other players game just coz u personally dont like pvp?

    i wonder how you would react if kicking afking players from trials would be impossible.

    Pardon khajiit and his first-thing-in-the-morning snarkiness.

    you do make a reasonable point. Perhaps some form of vote-kicking could be considered, but only for players that are, as you say, afk for some period of time and not interacting with game client, or only interacting in a very minimal and not-at-all 'battle-ground'-y manner, and only if a queued player is available to replace them.
    Edited by karthrag_inak on 13 August 2026 14:51
    PC-NA : 19 Khajiit and 1 Fishy-cat with fluffy delusions. cp3600
    GM of Imperial Gold Reserve trading guild (started in 2017) since 2/2022
    Come visit Karth's Glitter Box, Khajiit's home. Fully stocked guild hall done in sleek Khajiit stylings, with Grand Master Stations, Transmute, Scribing, Trial Dummies, etc. Also has 2 full bowling alleys, nightclub, and floating maze over Wrothgar.(Pariah's Pinacle)

    "Ever get the feeling you've been cheated?' -famous khajiit philosopher
  • karthrag_inak
    karthrag_inak
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    and khajiit likes PVP just fine, especially BGs if they are 3-team. khajiit has nothing but distaste for the current 2-team BG system.
    PC-NA : 19 Khajiit and 1 Fishy-cat with fluffy delusions. cp3600
    GM of Imperial Gold Reserve trading guild (started in 2017) since 2/2022
    Come visit Karth's Glitter Box, Khajiit's home. Fully stocked guild hall done in sleek Khajiit stylings, with Grand Master Stations, Transmute, Scribing, Trial Dummies, etc. Also has 2 full bowling alleys, nightclub, and floating maze over Wrothgar.(Pariah's Pinacle)

    "Ever get the feeling you've been cheated?' -famous khajiit philosopher
  • Luneca
    Luneca
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    Usureki wrote: »
    wow @Calastir and @karthrag_inak are you really defending players purposefully ruining other players game just coz u personally dont like pvp?

    i wonder how you would react if kicking afking players from trials would be impossible.

    It's not about liking PvP or not, but the idea that a player can moderate another player's free will. That is what they are pointing out.
  • Ravynmagi
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    I play a lot of BGs and I really don't see this happen much. It's extremely rare for me to see another player AFK an entire match, much less do it repeatedly. I know I've been guilty of queuing up for a BG, then being in queue so long I forgot I was in queue and went AFK only to come back dead in a finished BG. Oops. So accidents happen.

    So I don't bother trying to report players or really even care, because could be non-malicious reasons why someone is AFK an entire match. You don't know if their house is burning down and they are saving the cat.

  • 16BitForestCat
    16BitForestCat
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    Y'all seriously necro'd a thread from a year ago just to restart an immature Internet slap fight....
    —PC/NA, never Steam—
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