Severe game connection and crash issues for the first time today, March 17

Evilie

I was playing fine without crashes or problems until today, March 17..

Nothing on my computer has changed. When I logged in today I experienced numerous error messages, unable to log in, game crashing before character select, game crashing after character select, game crashing once I was able to get in the game, over 26 error messages and game crashes in the time I tried to play.

For the past 8 hours I have tried everything, running in both 32 bit and 64 bit, repaired the game twice, ran the Zenimax Connectivity troubleshooter, adjusted all my Nvidia settings to performance, deleted the usersettings file, turned off all add-ons, upgraded Master Merchant.. much more that I have forgotten... and yet I am still crashing, crashing crashing : (

I submitted a ticket, good luck to me and all who have done so, sounds like no one afflicted with these crash issues has had any luck with that. Well, if it is not fixed, ESO will lose a player here since release, and possibly our guild, because I doubt my teammates will stay here without me if I can't play with them.

I am attaching the Game Consultant file that I just ran. If anyone has any ideas, please help me get back in the game.

Thanks,
Evilie

DenniMyuu

I finally got my crashes to be fixed by deleting ShaderCache and Usersettings file, open the ports for the game on the router and flush the DNS. Don't forget to increase LUA memory before you play and use addons to prevent bad FPS drops.

Evilie

Thanks DeniiMyuu, I followed your advice and also received the advice below from Zachariah on my support ticket. After doing all this (which took me hours) I am finally playing without crashes! This may help anyone else with the crash issues. Although I must say after playing MMO's for 15 years I have never had to go through this kind of effort to connect with a game....

From Customer Support:

Thank you for taking the time to get in contact with us, though I am sorry that it is due to the game not responding properly. I had a similar issue when I downloaded the game to my new PC. That being said, I can understand how concerning and frustrating being unable to resolve it on your own must be and we appreciate you letting us know what is going on. I would also like to personally thank you for doing the troubleshooting you have tried so far.

I was looking through your consultant's netstat results-- at the bottom of the consultant-- and it seems that there is a connection issue of some kind with your computer and our systems. This doesn't necessarily mean there will be an issue with other programs, but there is something going on here. Below is a list of steps that may help:

Step 1: update your graphics card

Intel Video Cards: http://www.intel.com/
· Click Menu.
· Choose Support and then Downloads and Drivers.
· Select Option 2: Automatically Find Drivers and Software.
Nvidia Video Cards: http://www.nvidia.com
· Click Drivers.
· Choose Option 2: Automatically find drivers for my NVIDIA products.
AMD Video Cards: http://www.amd.com
· Click Drivers & Support.
· Click the Find your driver button.
Other Video Cards:
· Contact the computer's manufacturer for driver updates.


Step 2: automatically run the launcher as administrator:

· Right-click on the launcher icon.
· Click on Properties.
· In the Shortcut tab, click on the Advanced button.
· Tick the Run as an administrator box, and then click on OK.
· This option may be available under the Compatibility tab of some versions of Windows.

Step 3: Make an exception/whitelist inside the anti-virus software to allow either the Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited folder or the specific files of ESO.exe and the Bethesda.net_Launcher.exe. You may want to temporarily disable your firewall and antivirus software for testing purposes and run the game again. Be sure to re-enable your antivirus and firewall after you have tried this!

Step 4: Forward ports in the router to make sure it isn't blocking anything we are trying to send out.

To do this, access a setup utility for the router. Try opening a web browser and typing "192.168.1.1" into the address bar. If that does not work, players will need to find out what their router's IP address is. To do this, follow the directions below:

Press Windows key + R.
Type cmd as a command, and press OK or Enter to access the command line.
Type ipconfig to get the information.

Please note that the computer's IP address is IPv4 and the router IP is under the Default Gateway.

There should be a prompt for a username and password to enter the router's setup utility. The following are four commonly used default combinations that players can try. If you have previously entered the gateway, you may have setup another combination that you should enter here instead:

Username / Password
admin / password
admin / [blank]
admin / 1234
[blank] / admin

Once you are on the router gateway, navigate to the "Security" or "Firewall" section and set any options to Low. These firewalls are additional security to any firewalls installed on a computer.

While in the router, also forward ports that the game uses. On the "Port Forwarding" screen, there should be a button called Add Port Forwarding or Add Service. Press it and enter the port details. Below are the three sets to create:

Set One
Name: ESO Game
Start Port: 24100
End Port: 24131
Protocol: TCP/UDP or "Both"
Server IP: (enter the computer's IP address)
Enable Port Forwarding

Set Two
Name: ESOLobby
Start Port: 24500
End Port: 24507
Protocol: TCP/UDP or "Both"
Server IP: (enter the computer's IP address)
Enable Port Forwarding

Set Three
Name: ESOLobby2
Start Port: 24300
End Port: 24331
Protocol: TCP/UDP or "Both"
Server IP: (enter the computer's IP address)
Enable Port Forwarding

Once the port forwarding is complete, please flush the DNS:

Press Win+X to open the menu.
Right-click on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator.
Type ipconfig /flushdns and hit Enter.
If it was successful, players will see the message "Windows IP configuration successfully flushed the DNS Resolver Cache."
Power cycle the router to clear the cache so that it doesn't store the bad route.

Then, to powercycle a home network, follow these steps:

1. Turn off the router by unplugging it. Players who have a modem and router in one device should turn it off and then proceed to step 3.
2. Turn off the DSL or cable modem for three minutes.
1. Note: If the modem has one, please remove the backup battery to completely turn off the modem.
3. Turn off all computers attached to the network.
4. Turn on the DSL or cable modem first and let it boot. Let it complete its connection to the ISP before proceeding to the next step. Players who have a modem and router in one device should proceed to step 6 after it connects to their ISP.
5. Once the modem completes the connection to the ISP, plug in the router. Let it complete its power on Test before proceeding to the next step.

Step 5. Perform a clean boot of the PC by following the instructions on the Microsoft web site: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929135 . Please let us know how it went, and send us a Consultant if you need more help.

Step 6: If you aren't already, please try to use a wired connection. This always provides the best possible connection.