High Isle upgrade gift through Microsoft store for in game gold

WastelandBaron

ZOS Please Clarify!

I have been unable to find a clear statement that gifting a Chapter such as High Isle and receiving in game gold is a TOS violation. There is no official ZOS position on this, only interpretations by other gamers. The definition of in game items appears key. It is obvious that trading cash or Starbucks gift cards for in game gold is not allowed. However, a chapter upgrade, such as High Isle, purchased through the Microsoft store as part of the game becomes an in game item upon installation.

I buy my crowns and my High Isle chapter upgrade from (ZOS owner) the Microsoft store. When I go to buy crowns the in game UI sends me to the same Microsoft store from which I can purchase the High Isle upgrade. I have gifted (unsolicited) the High Isle upgrade officially purchased through the Microsoft store to a friend for no consideration. Once I complete the gift, the chapter upgrade becomes an in game item upon installation. This is the same as when I buy crowns and acquire in game gift items for "trade." And I point out a trade is simultaneous, what actually happens is sequential gifts. This is precisely why ZOS does not have a crown item/gold trading component and sometimes helps but generally disclaims any responsibility for scams. You cannot COD crown items. You cannot COD Microsoft store High Isle upgrade codes. You can only gift. My friend sent a substantial amount of gold (which I returned twice) because a simple "thank you" was enough for me. If I had accepted the second gold transmission, or he gets a rare motif I have been hunting and sends it to me next month, can we both be banned?

Accepting gifts is not prohibited by TOS. Trading in game items is not prohibited by TOS, and what could be more "in game" the an operating component of the game itself? I have also seen guild raffle prizes for the upgrade being offered (which will presumably result in the purchasing of a gift of a download number to the raffle winner). Seems strange that many people get irate that a chapter gift transaction through the Microsoft store is "illegal" when High Isle chapter upgrade will be available for gift/trade in the crown store in a year with no questions asked. I have a not particularly close acquaintance guildmate, who is disabled and heard about my previously referenced gift. He is just a guildmate, plays all the time, and has a large bank of gold. However, his current situation did not allow him the spare cash and he wanted the upgrade. He would have been happy to gift me gold in return for helping him out by me gifting the High Isle chapter upgrade. Many people do not want something for nothing, and may well insist on something more substantial than a thank you. If I gift High Isle and the disabled recipient sends me $1 million in game gold to express gratitude, I am baffled why I might be banned if I accept such an expression of gratitude for my gift.

It sure would be great if we could get an official Zenimax response. It seems to me a clear statement allowing such a transaction (solely at the participants' risk), similar to what we have for crowns, would be a ZOS revenue enhancement and allow folks who are short on IRL cash to expand their gaming. In short, a win/win for everyone.

virtus753

https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/comment/5205829/#Comment_5205829

It is not an in-game item yet. Therefore it is not allowed.

See also the express statement against gifting "access keys" from outside of game:

https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/477493/gifting-chapters-in-exchange-for-ingame-gold

Ratzkifal

I think a support ticket is probably the better address for this than the forum.

There are definitely some technical issues with this and if ZOS is feeling particularly mean today, you could get banned for this, yes. But my gut feeling tells me so long as you aren't doing this regularly and as long as you aren't doing this with the expectation of receiving anything in return, you should be fine, even if you then got some gold anyway (which will definitely make you look suspicious and proving your innocence would be tricky in that case, assuming ZOS actually does something). There is always the option to not accept the mail with the gold!

After all, there are giveaways for the game on Twitch and we are told that you can gift these codes to friends who don't own the game yet, so in principle the act of gifting the game is fine, so long as you obtained it legally, which you seem to have.

But do send in that ticket and ask if it's okay or not first. I'm just some random person on the internet.

rpa

Dunno about Microsoft store but Steam codes which have been bought using stolen creds and resold via 3rd party have been a problem. (It's not Steam but the game publisher who pays for the chargeback.)

Grizzbeorn

Exchanging new Chapters/game keys for in-game gold is forbidden.

It IS allowable, however, to exchange in-game items for other in-game items, and ZOS has categorized Crowns as in-game currency, since you access the Crown Store from within the game.

Therefore, exchanging in-game gold for Crown items is permissible, via gifting, which includes the various DLCs.

So, it would violate the TOS if High Isle was exchanged for gold NOW, since it is still categorized as a Chapter, which is only available for purchase from outside the game, but you will be able to gift it from the Crown Store once it is downgraded to a DLC when next year's Chapter is released.

spartaxoxo

You can only exchange in-game items for other in-game items. In other words, both items being exchanged had to have been obtained with an in-game item. Crowns are considered an in-game item.

Coins are obviously an in-game item.
High Isle costs real money, so you cannot exchange a real money item for an in-game item.
Blackwood costs crowns (since it's no longer the chapter) and therefore you can exchange it for another in-game item.

This same rule is also why you can't buy a ESO+ gift card (if those still existed) for someone and then exchange it for coins. Or if they sold crown gift cards (they don't afaik) you'd be unable to gift those to someone either. Instead you would have to buy yourself the crowns and then gift them whatever item they wanted.

WastelandBaron

Respectfully, ZOS has NOT directly spoken about this particular issue and simply appears not to have responded. Most of the available threads on the topic date back well over two years, before Microsoft acquisition back when crown gifting was a new uncertainty. Gifting of Chapter content like High Isle is specifically enabled in the Microsoft store, which is accessed from in the game just like the Crown store. In order to send the gift, it must be sent to an in game gamer tag preferably on your friends list. If I wanted to spend $1000 and send the update as a gift to 20 or so guild mates on my in game friends list, I could do so. The gift comes in the form of a download code provided by ZOS/Bethesda parent Microsoft. It makes absolutely no sense to say that gifting of chapter content is not allowed when it actually appears to be encouraged. Just like with crowns, if gifting were not allowed the option would not be available. Everyone wants to read what they want, but I have seen nothing with @ZOS address that has said that I cannot use the Microsoft store to buy a gift of a chapter like High Isle from the same Microsoft store that the game sends me to when I buy crowns. I have also seen nothing with an @ZOS address that says that if someone spends a day helping me with my build out of gratitude, sends me gold, sends me mats, sends me a thank you or sends me nothing that a TOS violation has occurred. While I appreciate the input, the point is that ZOS has not said what everyone claims has been said. The response further underscores the need for ZOS clarification.

MoMo_Blend

WastelandBaron wrote: »

Respectfully, ZOS has NOT directly spoken about this particular issue and simply appears not to have responded. Most of the available threads on the topic date back well over two years, before Microsoft acquisition back when crown gifting was a new uncertainty. Gifting of Chapter content like High Isle is specifically enabled in the Microsoft store, which is accessed from in the game just like the Crown store. In order to send the gift, it must be sent to an in game gamer tag preferably on your friends list. If I wanted to spend $1000 and send the update as a gift to 20 or so guild mates on my in game friends list, I could do so. The gift comes in the form of a download code provided by ZOS/Bethesda parent Microsoft. It makes absolutely no sense to say that gifting of chapter content is not allowed when it actually appears to be encouraged. Just like with crowns, if gifting were not allowed the option would not be available. Everyone wants to read what they want, but I have seen nothing with @ZOS address that has said that I cannot use the Microsoft store to buy a gift of a chapter like High Isle from the same Microsoft store that the game sends me to when I buy crowns. I have also seen nothing with an @ZOS address that says that if someone spends a day helping me with my build out of gratitude, sends me gold, sends me mats, sends me a thank you or sends me nothing that a TOS violation has occurred. While I appreciate the input, the point is that ZOS has not said what everyone claims has been said. The response further underscores the need for ZOS clarification.

Never really thought about the Microsoft aspect of this whole thing. You kind of a have valid point of questioning this.