How to access gifts 2025 ESO

An_kari

Hi everyone! I’m just an ordinary ESO player like you guys. I bought the game back in 2017, played for about 5 years, and then had to take a break due to life circumstances.

A few months ago, I came back to the game — I wanted to play together with a friend who’s new to ESO. I decided to give him a gift, but noticed I couldn’t send gifts anymore (the gifting feature was disabled because I’d been inactive for a few years). So I contacted support, and they told me: ‘You haven’t shown sufficient in-game activity.’ At the time, I thought, ‘Well, maybe that’s fair enough — okay.’

A couple of months later, after playing actively every day, my friend’s birthday was coming up. I thought it’d be the perfect chance to get him something nice — and surely Support would help if I explained the situation! I’d already bought a Crown Pack, but once again they sent me the same template reply: ‘Not enough in-game activity.’

I love The Elder Scrolls universe so much — I’ve dedicated so much time to this game. But when you’re an active ESO+ subscriber, you spend money, you’re an active player, you’re an old fan who supported the game from the very beginning — and you get treated like this… just because Support couldn’t be bothered to look into your case properly. They probably didn’t even check my account — they just copy-pasted a standard answer.

I read up on this problem… Okay, I get it — you want to fight fraudsters, that’s a good thing. But what’s the point if you just label everyone the same way?
I’m a real person — I’ve never broken the game’s rules, I’ve never had any restrictions, I pay for ESO+ and I just want to play with my friend and make him happy with a mount from the Crown Store.

They’ll just tell you ‘no’ with a standard response — and you won’t be able to get what you’re entitled to. If your gifting option is disabled, guys, Support will never help you no matter how much you play, how much money you spend on the game, or how long you’ve been around.

Really awesome — thanks for this kind of treatment.

Here’s my last ticket number for example — 250627-002744

An_kari

Dear community managers, I urge you to stand up for the interests of real players, because Support simply doesn’t care.

Malyore

After what just recently happened last time I think everyone, including the community, is going to be a bit more cautious. Rallying cries for support and "standing up for players" are no longer going to seem so honest.

And really, I don't believe gifting is that important of an option to have in the first place. Sure, it can come in handy on occasion-- I've had a friend who had ESO+ for awhile gift me stuff with his remaining crowns because he'd lost interest in the game and no longer wanted to play. And it is easier when someone who has an abundance of crown gems can simply choose something out of a crate to gift.
But most of the time, if you're wanting to buy something with regular crowns for a friend, you're probably better off just giving them money to spend on their own for the crown store. Happy birthday.

Don't expect a flock of support. Genuine or scammer, you're likely on your own-- with ZOS' verdict holding steady.

valenwood_vegan

Even assuming for a moment that this plea is genuine, this is particularly bad timing given the *extremely* similar thread recently and how that turned out.

I think it's quite unfortunate actually that zos somewhat caved to pressure publicly and decided to make an exception and allow gifting access in the other thread, because now they've essentially given bad actors a blueprint for how to use the forums to further their goals, and we're all going to be more suspicious of these posts now. Particularly one that appears to be from a brand new forum account.

The reality is that OP may be totally genuine and it's possible that support didn't give them fair consideration, but we don't know the history of the account or what data zos is looking at, and are in no place to judge for ourselves.

OP is probably just going to have to appeal the decision with support, and may unfortunately need to show consistent gameplay for longer than a couple months. The gifting process is definitely a bummer for legitimate customers, and I think we all wish it could be improved and hopefully they will keep trying to improve it.

virtus753

valenwood_vegan wrote: »

Even assuming for a moment that this plea is genuine, this is particularly bad timing given the *extremely* similar thread recently and how that turned out.

I think it's quite unfortunate actually that zos somewhat caved to pressure publicly and decided to make an exception and allow gifting access in the other thread, because now they've essentially given bad actors a blueprint for how to use the forums to further their goals, and we're all going to be more suspicious of these posts now. Particularly one that appears to be from a brand new forum account.

I would think that suspicion you noted is precisely what is going to warn (at least some) bad actors away from using the forums like this, actually.

They have had this blueprint for a while - there must have been hundreds of posts here with people saying they’ve been rejected for gifting and asking for CM and/or player support getting it enabled since the change. Now not all of those will have been scams, of course, but bad actors have had them as models to try to follow for years now. ZOS was willing to grant access in the case this past week (despite their misgivings) to see what happened, and the result confirmed they have reason to keep their process the way it is. Knowing both that they were willing to try and that it backfired is important, imo.

The unfortunate thing, to me, is that’s the world we live in, where it is so easy for bad actors to exploit and for us to need to be wary of everyone because of them.

Kevin’s post helped show (not just tell) why ZOS is being so wary as a general rule — it isn’t just a theoretical bad actor scenario but real fraud actually happening with people whose posts we are reading and replying to. To me, that’s worth knowing to help raise awareness among both honest and dishonest actors that this has been tried and the guidelines are there for a reason. When people now post asking for CM/public support (especially when they claim they’re “entitled to” this thing that can be and has been so easily exploited), we can direct them to this incident to show why that may not go the way they expect. The less traction they get on the forums, the less they will likely try to use it as an avenue to get an exception.

I certainly feel bad for the honest players, but like you said incidents like the one this past week show that we as fellow players and forumgoers aren’t in a position to assess who’s honest here and who’s not.

valenwood_vegan

virtus753 wrote: »

valenwood_vegan wrote: »

Even assuming for a moment that this plea is genuine, this is particularly bad timing given the *extremely* similar thread recently and how that turned out.

I think it's quite unfortunate actually that zos somewhat caved to pressure publicly and decided to make an exception and allow gifting access in the other thread, because now they've essentially given bad actors a blueprint for how to use the forums to further their goals, and we're all going to be more suspicious of these posts now. Particularly one that appears to be from a brand new forum account.

I would think that suspicion you noted is precisely what is going to warn (at least some) bad actors away from using the forums like this, actually. [snip for length].

Ah sure, you make a good point - it was eye-opening for the community to see such an incident play out right in front of them on the forums, and I think there are some benefits to that as well.

I suppose what I was more trying to get it is that it may also have an effect of closing the forums, somewhat, as an avenue for players to seek assistance from zos on matters such as gifting and bans, which is sad because there are limited avenues to communicate with zos. It puts us all in a bind I think because there are absolutely players that have legit issues with zos support, but they may start to find the community on here is more suspicious or even hostile toward them, at least in the short term while the incident in the other thread is fresh on peoples' minds.

But you're right too, that on the flip side... pointing people to an actual example of a bad actor might help them understand where zos is coming from, and may cause some of the bad actors to go elsewhere. I appreciate you looking it at in a different way than I was. And I agree, it's a shame that this is the reality of the world we live in (and the internet) today.

Four_Fingers

But... Just because one person was a bad example should not condem everyone else. Just means ZOS support needs to make more effort. I already just gave up on gifting on one of my household accounts. Good thing I have two other accounts that have gifting enabled. All accounts were created at the same time over 10 years ago and all have CP in the 4 digits. Just don't get why the one account is denied. No bans, not even a warning in game.

SilverBride

Support does care, about the safety of the community. I am glad they have these restrictions in place.

Eskibidus

SilverBride

There is more than just how active a player has been, or how many CP or achievements they have. As we recently learned, there are suspicious markers that may prevent a player from being granted gifting.

joergino

Malyore wrote: »

And it is easier when someone who has an abundance of crown gems can simply choose something out of a crate to gift.

There is no gift option for either gem purchases or endeavor purchases. Only the crown crates can be gifted, not their content. Or is there some option I failed to see?

An_kari

@SilverBride @Malyore @virtus753 @valenwood_vegan

A good example here is how Charlie Chaplin once entered a Charlie Chaplin look-alike contest — and didn’t even win! 😂

I repeat: ZOS’s approach of slapping the same template label on everyone is crazy. Sure, there are always bad actors — but punishing everyone indiscriminately, just because there might be one ‘bad guy’ among a crowd of innocent people, is not the right way to do things. Do you agree?




Guys, don’t forget the fact that I’ve been playing since 2017! 😂 Yeah, I didn’t go on the forums — just like most ESO players. I might have been playing longer than you.
Here’s a screenshot.

I don’t even know what else to say. Having to prove that I’m a real person is just absurd.

An_kari

@valenwood_vegan
Bro, I played since 2017
How much time i spend in Eso? - Years, a lot)

An_kari

Guys, the problem is that these ‘suspicious markers’ can be purely subjective. We don’t know ESO’s internal policies — neither you nor I are ESO staff.
Calling someone ‘suspicious’ or simply making a mistake while reviewing a ticket — and then refusing to admit it — is easy. With this kind of approach, they can completely ignore player feedback and just do whatever they want.

Here’s just an abstract example:
Let’s take Country A — there’s a dictatorship regime there, where law-abiding citizens are sent to prison. That way, we have absolute safety. Perfect, right? 😄 No)

A single isolated case of fraud should never be used as the basis for an entire company’s policy. People have rights, and if we pay money, those rights should be respected.

Maitsukas

A single incident can make people more cautious over things. Whether it was the recent incident with a suspicious player or the accidental merger of PC-NA LIVE and PTS last year.

Grizzbeorn

The guy in the other thread spun a seemingly very heart-felt tale and swore vociferously up and down that he was above-board and had genuine positive intent in every single comment/response he made in his thread.
And we see how that turned-out.

A brand new, private forum account bringing the same intensity of claims as to their goodwill just two days later isn't very convincing, if not highly suspicious.
If ZOS has turned down your request, they have good reason for doing so.

sleepy_worm

Malyore wrote: »

After what just recently happened last time I think everyone, including the community, is going to be a bit more cautious. Rallying cries for support and "standing up for players" are no longer going to seem so honest.

...

Don't expect a flock of support. Genuine or scammer, you're likely on your own-- with ZOS' verdict holding steady.

This is what is known as a chilling effect. It is widely considered negative in free societies.

SilverBride

An_kari wrote: »

With this kind of approach, they can completely ignore player feedback and just do whatever they want.

Yes, they can. It's their game and their rules.

An_kari wrote: »

A single isolated case of fraud should never be used as the basis for an entire company’s policy. People have rights, and if we pay money, those rights should be respected.

Gifting virtual items in a game isn't a right. It's a feature that they can allow or not at their discretion.

SilverBride

Grizzbeorn wrote: »

A brand new, private forum account bringing the same intensity of claims as to their goodwill just two days later isn't very convincing, if not highly suspicious.

I also noticed that the profile was set to private.

An_kari

@Grizzbeorn
I’ll tell you more — I don’t care how sincere you think I am. 😄
But bro, your logic is amazing. It’s genius, really.

By your reasoning, if one player lied about a gift issue, then everyone who posts about gift-related problems on the forum must be a scammer too? LOL.

If your neighbor farts in the elevator, does that mean all neighbors fart in the elevator?

An_kari

@SilverBride

Let me ask you a counter-question.
So, if we take an abstract, imaginary country as an example — where a made-up government can imprison anyone for no reason — does that mean you agree with this and fully justify it?

An_kari

I don’t even care anymore whether they unblock the feature for me or not — I’m speaking up about this issue because I’m an old ESO player and I want to raise awareness about this problem.
You can keep looking for excuses, guys — but explain one thing: why are you standing against the players?

SilverBride

An_kari wrote: »

@SilverBride

Let me ask you a counter-question.
So, if we take an abstract, imaginary country as an example — where a made-up government can imprison anyone for no reason — does that mean you agree with this and fully justify it?

This thread isn't about an imaginary government. It is about a feature in an online game.

Grizzbeorn

An_kari wrote: »

@Grizzbeorn
I’ll tell you more — I don’t care how sincere you think I am. 😄
But bro, your logic is amazing. It’s genius, really.

By your reasoning, if one player lied about a gift issue, then everyone who posts about gift-related problems on the forum must be a scammer too? LOL.

If your neighbor farts in the elevator, does that mean all neighbors fart in the elevator?

He argued that he was genuine, just as you are doing for yourself.
Given the intensity of his declarations, by your reasoning, logic would dictate that he was operating with good intent, and despite the fact that ZOS saw several red flags in his in-game behavior and activity, they relented due to the same forum sentiment that you are attempting to garner.
Yet, he ended-up being a bad actor.

You can state your innocence as strongly and as often as you want (just as he did), we still have no way of knowing if you are being genuine. But if you have been denied the privilege of gifting, then it's because ZOS has seen something in your activity/behavior that warrants that decision, and you are just going to have to live with it, regardless of what anyone on the forums says.

ZOS_Kevin wrote: »

Hi everyone. Our Anti-Fraud team made up of Devs, Customer Service, and Community team members wanted to follow up here after monitoring this thread and engaging with the original poster of the thread. We believe it’s important to go over this case, because it’s a good example of a bad actor and the tactics they use to circumvent safety processes to do harm.

First, we want to acknowledge that while the gifting process can be frustrating, it is designed to keep both you, the player, and us safe from bad actors.

When the user originally placed their ticket in for gifting access, we denied their request due to account markers that showed future signs of potential fraudulent behavior. However, the user then opened this thread noting their playtime and claim to eligibility. In addition to their claims, we heard from many of you. We understand the frustration with the process and empathize with it. Many of you know that we often go through threads like this and try to assist where we can with the support of our customer service team.

Upon reevaluation of the account, we could tell the user was an active ESO player, but still had concerning markers on their account. We weighed the pros and cons of those risks and ultimately granted access to gifting. Unfortunately, within 24 hours, we were able to confirm new fraudulent behavior made by the user. They have now been permanently banned in-game and from the forum.

We highlight this because a common tactic bad actors use is the power of public forums here and elsewhere: taking advantage of the everyday player’s goodwill to garner public support to be let back in. Based on this situation, future threads like this will be based only on the follow-up investigation and closed once the investigation is complete.

To close out this post, we are still working to get as many people in as possible to the gifting program. We relaxed rules for gifting earlier this year and will continue to monitor these rules. Our goal is to stop bad actors, while keeping everyone else safe. Thanks to everyone for taking the time to read this follow up.

An_kari

@SilverBride

The problem with your logic is that, hypothetically, ZOS could just delete all the zones, leave only Summerset, and turn it into one big Battle Royale. Then they’d just present it to everyone as a fact: ‘ESO is now a Battle Royale.’ 😂

Developers make a game for the players — players pay money for it — and the developers present the game in a certain way. If they suddenly change the conditions, that’s called deception.

Oh, and by the way — are you telling me I should just stop playing ESO?
Also, please answer the question.

An_kari

@Grizzbeorn
Bro, we’ve all already understood your brilliant logic. 😄 Chill.

Grizzbeorn

An_kari wrote: »

@Grizzbeorn
Bro, we’ve all already understood your brilliant logic. 😄 Chill.

Yours isn't brilliant, either.
Bro.
Give it up.

An_kari

I can only repeat this: dear players, please — if you ever face problems or unfair treatment when your requests are being handled, don’t stay silent. Speak up and let others know about it.

Support can reply however they want — they’re people too, and they make mistakes — but we are the only ones who can really stay for fairness. As many have rightly said, they just don’t care.

We are a community, and we must speak out and stand up for our interests and rights — because we bought this game once and we want to keep playing the ESO we love.

SilverBride

An_kari wrote: »

@SilverBride

The problem with your logic is that, hypothetically, ZOS could just delete all the zones, leave only Summerset, and turn it into one big Battle Royale. Then they’d just present it to everyone as a fact: ‘ESO is now a Battle Royale.’ 😂

Developers make a game for the players — players pay money for it — and the developers present the game in a certain way. If they suddenly change the conditions, that’s called deception.

Oh, and by the way — are you telling me I should just stop playing ESO?
Also, please answer the question.

ZoS isn't going to start deleting zones and make radical changes. And it is not deception if the conditions change because the terms of service gives them that right.

But neither of these is relevant to whether or not they grant a player access to gifting.

An_kari

@SilverBride

In fact, within the framework of the Terms of Service, we can consider such hypothetical scenarios — yes, they’re a bit fun, but still valid))
By the way, you haven’t answered the questions.

Malyore

I think this thread should be closed. The poster's appeals have already been denied. There's no reason for them to continue bumping this thread and trying to make something happen that won't.