Are addons safe?

Wuggums47

In particular I'm Interested in knowing if the addons you can download from curse or minion are safe to use. By safe I mean two things, they don't get me banned, and they don't hack my account. Sorry if this is a newbie question, this is my first post after all. I'm still waiting for the game to load, I have been for about 12 hours now

babylon

I use Minion, it's up to date and safe (you won't be banned or get hacked).

eventide03b14a_ESO

Good luck getting through the game without them. Unless you enjoy tedious time sinks.

Vuron

Yes. The addons from the major sites, like ESOUI are safe for use. Addons are supported and even encouraged by ZOS, so they won't get you banned.

Addons are LUA scripts used to modify the UI and can only effect what has been opened in the API by the dev team.

Hacks and other programs that modify the actual game code or scripts that perform multiple actions (botting) will get you banned, but these are not accepted on the major addon sites and are written in a language other than LUA.

Dominoid

The LUA (the language they are written in) is fairly benign. They do have access to your @Name through the code, but absent of any virus-type program on your system they really can't get the information outside the game.

They won't get you banned.

They can be poorly coded and cause errors, performance loss or crashing though. Stay with the popular ones AND ones that have been updated recently and you'll be fine.

Elsonso

The addons themselves will not hack your account or install malware. They are simply text files that are interpreted by the game and are limited to what the game allows. The addons are considered safe for all intents and purposes.

People will tell you that it is possible for the ZIP file that contains the addon to contain malware. While technically possible, I have yet to encounter any. I never open ZIP files using Windows Explorer (double clicking on them) until they have been checked.

The addon manager that you might use to install and maintain them will be as safe as any application that you download from the internet. I know at least two of these managers have caused problems in the past, for other games, so even popular addon managers can suddenly become a problem.

As for banning, in general you will not have an issue here as long as you stick to the main ESO addon sites (Nexus, ESOUI, Curse). There could be some addons that are pushing the edge of the code of conduct, but the majority of them will not be doing this intentionally.

Wuggums47

Thank you so much to everyone who replied! I can tell already we have a good community here. If I asked something like this to people from games I've played in the past, they would probably tell me delete system 32 or something along those lines. But all of you who posted were mature and helpful. Thank!

Before I go, which addons would you reccomend, I plan on rolling a sorcerer with the stormcalling spells.

Elsonso

Wuggums47 wrote: »

Before I go, which addons would you reccomend, I plan on rolling a sorcerer with the stormcalling spells.

Play the game for a while and find out what annoys you (missing, broken, etc) and then look for addons to solve the problem.

I don't recommend trying what people suggest before you decide for yourself.

Swampster

Wuggums47 wrote: »

I can tell already we have a good community here.

You're new around here aren't you?

Cuyler

Wuggums47 wrote: »

Thank you so much to everyone who replied! I can tell already we have a good community here. If I asked something like this to people from games I've played in the past, they would probably tell me delete system 32 or something along those lines. But all of you who posted were mature and helpful. Thank!

Before I go, which addons would you reccomend, I plan on rolling a sorcerer with the stormcalling spells.

Skyshards, Lorebooks, Treasuremaps, Shopkeeper, Wykkyd's framework, EMM minimap, research assistant, researchaigrid, recipebook.

You might also want a conversion addon to automatically sync your out of date addons to the new version."compatability tool for update 3".
Maybe a good "reload ui" as well so you can keybind that.

Foundry tactical combat is a good dps counter with buff cooldown meters although I prefer to use it with the frames set to off.

I could go on

Wuggums47

Yes, I'm new. I got the game yesterday and it's still loading though... Well, it's not like it's loading junk, the game will be good if it takes days to download. I've decided to do a quick lookaround on the internet. I figure it's better to be prepared than to just bumble around desperately trying to figure out how to do the most basic things.

Sindala

50/50
I think the term 'Buyer beware' is relevant here. You take your chances and no comebacks.

onlinegamer1

To the OP:

1. AddOns are 100% safe. They do not execute computer code, they are simply data files (no executable code at all) which are read by the ESO Client.

2. AddOns cannot get you banned, at all, ever. They use an API (Application Programming Interface) published by ZoS themselves, and can only do what that API allows. Therefore, they cannot, by definition, do anything "illegal" in an AddOn.

Hope this helps.

Sindala

onlinegamer1 wrote: »

To the OP:

1. AddOns are 100% safe. They do not execute computer code, they are simply data files (no executable code at all) which are read by the ESO Client.

2. AddOns cannot get you banned, at all, ever. They use an API (Application Programming Interface) published by ZoS themselves, and can only do what that API allows. Therefore, they cannot, by definition, do anything "illegal" in an AddOn.

Hope this helps.

1. Wrong, the very fact that you have to download them means they contain .exe files, they don't just magically appear organised in the game client. They have to be told where and what to do.
They wont ever damage the game but they can be used to plant malicious software in your hard-drive, which is why no games company will ever endorse them.

2. Wrong, although most addons are harmless, they can be used to create exploit's which take advantage of game bugs, like the Farming one where chars would appear half under the ground and travel through mountains and walls.

Chuggernaut

Sindala wrote: »

onlinegamer1 wrote: »

To the OP:

1. AddOns are 100% safe. They do not execute computer code, they are simply data files (no executable code at all) which are read by the ESO Client.

2. AddOns cannot get you banned, at all, ever. They use an API (Application Programming Interface) published by ZoS themselves, and can only do what that API allows. Therefore, they cannot, by definition, do anything "illegal" in an AddOn.

Hope this helps.

1. Wrong, the very fact that you have to download them means they contain .exe files, they don't just magically appear organised in the game client. They have to be told where and what to do.
They wont ever damage the game but they can be used to plant malicious software in your hard-drive, which is why no games company will ever endorse them.

2. Wrong, although most addons are harmless, they can be used to create exploit's which take advantage of game bugs, like the Farming one where chars would appear half under the ground and travel through mountains and walls.

What addons for ESO have you downloaded that have an executable? All the zips I've download need to be manually placed in the AddOns folder before they are functional so I'm confused? Also do you think all downloads have exe files? If that's the case what happens when you download something in the Mac and Linux environment?

onlinegamer1

Sindala wrote: »

onlinegamer1 wrote: »

To the OP:

1. AddOns are 100% safe. They do not execute computer code, they are simply data files (no executable code at all) which are read by the ESO Client.

2. AddOns cannot get you banned, at all, ever. They use an API (Application Programming Interface) published by ZoS themselves, and can only do what that API allows. Therefore, they cannot, by definition, do anything "illegal" in an AddOn.

Hope this helps.

1. Wrong, the very fact that you have to download them means they contain .exe files, they don't just magically appear organised in the game client. They have to be told where and what to do.
They wont ever damage the game but they can be used to plant malicious software in your hard-drive, which is why no games company will ever endorse them.

2. Wrong, although most addons are harmless, they can be used to create exploit's which take advantage of game bugs, like the Farming one where chars would appear half under the ground and travel through mountains and walls.

You are absolutely confused. You are thinking of hack/bot programs, NOT official ESO AddOns.

1.No addOns contain .EXE files. They contain two and only two types of files: .LUA files, and .XML files. Both of those file types are non-executable.

2. Again, 100% wrong. You are thinking of Hack/Bot programs, not AddOns.

Wuggums47

Thanks, although there have been some dissenting opinions, I think the general concept I can take away with this would be that all addons that don't contain .exe files are safe.

Aymen1

Thanks for posting this and for the responses. I've also wondered the same thing.

Nocturnalis

While things have happened (a long time ago) with addon manager clients, developers have taken steps to ensure it won't happen again:

http://www.curse.com/news/curse/43460-official-update-regarding-virus-spread-through

There are still "fake" addon management clients out there, just make sure you download from the official site and you shouldn't have any problems.


Be aware that using macro recording/ playback keyboards & mice to input multiple keystrokes for you is against the TOS, even though these are made by upstanding companies (Logitech, Razer, Steel Series). While not full on botting, it is automation.

Rosveen

Cuyler wrote: »

Wuggums47 wrote: »

Thank you so much to everyone who replied! I can tell already we have a good community here. If I asked something like this to people from games I've played in the past, they would probably tell me delete system 32 or something along those lines. But all of you who posted were mature and helpful. Thank!

Before I go, which addons would you reccomend, I plan on rolling a sorcerer with the stormcalling spells.

Skyshards, Lorebooks, Treasuremaps

This is the kind of addons I wouldn't recommend without knowing what kind of player you are. For someone like me who loves exploration, revealing all hidden objects from the start takes away a lot of enjoyment.

It would be best to play without addons for a while, anyway. See what you want to change first. Some UI addons are almost indispensable though, especially if you're planning to create multiple characters. Inventory management is pretty terrible in this game, so definitely use Advanced Filters and some kind of bank assistant (I have Personal Assistant, but there are others).
Guild Store Search Extended, AwesomeGuildStore and Shopkeeper if you want to trade through guilds.
Research Assistant, AI Research Grid, Craft Research Timer, Sous Chef if you're a crafter.
ShowMotifs, Wykkyd's mods, SoftcapInfo and possibly something to show buffs and debuffs, for general utility. Librarian if you like reading.

TehMagnus

Wykkyd wrote: »

@Meggedo‌, add-ons couldn't hack you if they tried. This reveals how little you know about them.

They are plain text.
They can't talk to anything but the game client.
They can't talk to anything on your system, not even a text file.
The game client itself actually executes them, and limits what they can do.

So, unless you, for some reason, distrust the ESO game client, your fears are 100% unfounded.

Facebook apps compile and execute on their own against your system, your browser and Facebook's API. Of COURSE those can hack you.

Spreading unrealistic fears is just a sign of ignorance, not wisdom.