Ticket # 260203-003454 - 100+ Dry Run on Sash Lead - Account Flag Investigation

Haruki_Ishi · February 12

Hello @ZOS_Kevin,
I am requesting assistance with Ticket # 260203-003454. I've been in contact with support since Feb 3rd regarding a likely 'Ghost Lead' bug for the Ancestor Samite Sash.
I have opened 100+ Necrom Reward Coffers across 20 characters. I am concerned my account data is 'stuck' in a state where the lead won't drop, despite not being in my journal. Support recently helped me set up this forum account, but my actual technical issue has not been addressed.
Could you please help me get a technical review of my account-wide antiquity flags? I’m feeling quite stuck and unable to progress with my Mythics.

Haruki_Ishi · February 12

I am providing a final update on my testing for the Ancestor Samite Sash lead (Ticket #241029-005118).
I have concluded a high-volume data collection phase with the following results:
Total Attempts: 104+ Necrom Daily Coffers (Delve, World Boss, and Bastion Nymic).
Methodology: These were completed using quest-sharing across 20 different characters in intensive sessions.
Verification: I utilized UI addons to track and confirm the opening of every single coffer to ensure no drops were missed.
Mathematically, 100+ attempts with zero results for this specific lead indicates that this is not an RNG issue, but a server-side account flag error (Ghost Lead). My account appears to be hard-coded as 'ineligible' for this drop despite the Antiquity Journal showing it as unearned.
I have exhausted all in-game troubleshooting. I am respectfully requesting that a Senior Agent or Developer perform a manual database check on my account's Antiquity flags for this specific lead. I do not require further gameplay advice; I require a technical fix for a stuck account state.
@ZOS_Kevin — Please see the ticket number above. The automated responses are not addressing this verified technical discrepancy.

Haruki_Ishi · February 17

UPDATE - February 17th:
Still no update from the specialized team regarding Ticket #260203-003454.
To rule out any "user error" or "level requirements," I want to provide additional context on my account's status:
Antiquities Expertise: I am Level 10 in both Scrying and Excavation.
Proven System Functionality: I have successfully obtained and completed the Oakensoul Ring and two other Mythic items recently.
The Issue: Despite the system working perfectly for other Master-level leads, the Ancestor Samite Sash remains non-existent after 104+ reward coffers via 20-character quest sharing.
This confirms that my character is fully eligible and the Antiquity system is functioning on my account for other items. This reinforces the evidence that the Sash specifically is in a 'Ghost Lead' stuck state.
@ZOS_Kevin — Could you please check if the specialized team has a timeline for the manual flag verification? I have done everything possible on the player-end to troubleshoot this.

freespirit · February 17

I hate to say this BUT my main account spent over a year trying to get the final lead(the safebox one) for the Dreams and Memories music box.

In that time I actively farmed safe boxes in Dhalmora, the crafting area with no Guards, often for hours at a time. I also opened absolutely every safebox I came across. I gave up counting the number of boxes after it passed into multiple 1000's. Then one night it magically dropped, actually in Dhalmora!!

This was the first set of leads for the box, I wasn't filling the codex, so there was no apparent reason for it to take such a long time to drop. Having said that I still have a couple of codex entries at 2/3, the final lead just refuses to drop, again these are antiquities that were available when the system released not more recent ones.

I wish you luck but you are not alone in your frustration by any means!!

Attorneyatlawl · February 18

Yep, rng can be a cruel mistress.

Dojohoda · February 18

In case you might want to know, the lead is at the Tel Var merchant this week. I just read this post about the Tuesday change.
https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/688865/infinite-archive-imperial-city-weekly-vendors-between-february-17-and-february-24-2026

Haruki_Ishi · February 19

Thank you thank you thank you!!! I will get farming telvar today.

Haruki_Ishi · February 19

This has been...frustrating, to put it mildly. The Telvar vendor helps greatly.

Haruki_Ishi · February 20

FINAL UPDATE - February 19th:
It has been 7 days since my ticket #241029-005118 was "escalated to a specialized team" with no response or status update.
Because the Ancestor Samite Sash lead is currently on the Weekly Tel Var merchant, I am being forced to farm 250,000 Tel Var to bypass what I have already proven is a technical drop error on my account (104+ failed coffers across 20 characters).
As a returning player since January, I do not have a current PvP build. This forced farm into the Imperial City represents an undue burden and a high risk of currency loss due to a technical failure on ZOS's part.
@ZOS_Kevin — I am proceeding with this purchase today to finally resolve the issue myself, but I will be seeking formal compensation for the 250k Tel Var and the 16 days of lost progress once the transaction is complete.

Haruki_Ishi · February 20

CORRECTION - February 19th:
I was misinformed on the price; the Ancestor Samite Sash lead is actually 25,000 Tel Var at the merchant this week.
While this is a lower cost, the principle remains: I am being forced to use a rare currency and enter a PvP zone I am not built for because the specialized team has not responded to my 16-day-old ticket.
@ZOS_Kevin — I am farming the 25k now to resolve this myself, but I still expect a resolution and reimbursement for the time and resources lost due to this "Ghost Lead" state.

Haruki_Ishi · February 20

VICTORY UPDATE - February 19th:
I have finally obtained the Ancestor Samite Sash, but NOT through a drop and NOT with help from Support.
After 16 days of waiting and 104+ failed coffer runs, I was forced to take matters into my own hands. Since the "Specialized Team" remained silent for a full week, I had to enlist a friend to carry my non-PvP build through the Imperial City to farm the 25,000 Tel Var needed to buy the lead from the weekly merchant.
I have submitted my final receipts and screenshots to Ticket #260203-003454. While the item is finally in my journal, the 100+ hours of wasted labor and the "Ghost Lead" bug remain unaddressed by ZOS technical staff.
@ZOS_Kevin — I have officially requested compensation for this massive service failure and the 16 days of lost progress. I hope the team will do the right thing and provide a "make-good" for this ordeal.
Thanks to everyone in the community who suggested the Tel Var merchant! Without you, I’d still be stuck in support limbo.

Haruki_Ishi · February 22

Forum Update - February 22nd:
It has been 72 hours since I submitted my final receipts and proof of the forced Tel Var purchase to Ticket #260203-003454.
I still have not received an acknowledgment or a response regarding my request for reimbursement and compensation for the 16+ days this "Ghost Lead" bug has persisted.
@ZOS_Kevin — Could you please check if the specialized team has actually reviewed the evidence I provided on Thursday? I’ve had to resolve a technical bug with my own in-game currency, and the silence is disappointing.

Soarora · February 22

Some leads just have really bad RNG. Yes, doing something over a hundred times should have gotten you the lead but even statistical significance doesn’t save you from outliers.

Attorneyatlawl · February 23

Soarora wrote: »

Some leads just have really bad RNG. Yes, doing something over a hundred times should have gotten you the lead but even statistical significance doesn’t save you from outliers.

This. And heck, 100 times isn't really that many when considering a low chance item. You absolutely can just have bad rng.

SolarRune · February 23

If the drop rate is 1% (and I believe it's lower than that), from a pure chance perspective, you still have a 37% chance of not having had the lead at only 100 tries. (if you multiply the chances of getting nothing for each attempt). So, probably not even in the realms of bad RNG yet, at 289 tries you still a 5% chance of having nothing (again IF the drop rate is 1%)