I gave up on reporting them long ago. There are so many that spending 5-10 minutes typing reports to get the same old auto-generated response eventually got on my nerves, especially after seeing the same bots who hadn't even been banned. I will happily report ToS violations, but if I see the support team not even give half a shite about my (or everyone else's) reports , I'm going to stop. Are the bots ruining the game's economy? Undoubtedly, but the game is being slowly ruined anyways, so I'll just sit here firmly grasping my wallet (hopefully everyone does the same) until ZOS realises that keeping their customers happy is actually important.

Yep! Stopped reporting them also. Don't need the same automated replies in my mailbox. Same bots been doing the same routes for months. Reported multiple times. ZOS can't get a handle on them, and they are ruing the games economy. Heck, ZOS even shies away from all threads on the forums about bots. I think they are helpless to do anything about them.

Rinlan_Darius wrote: »

Prices for purple and gold ingredients to upgrade jewelry fell in the trade guilds at least 20% (PS4 EU). I think this is the result of bots.

Or you know... Prices fell because the demand is lower now that every end game player golded everything, and the supply is higher...

My concern is that they will do nothing. Seen this happen in other titles that got overrun by bots and the company behind the game did nothing. It's like they want them there.

Samsgaard wrote: »

Not a "bot" issue per se, but:

Does ZoS have a position on multi-boxing? Over the weekend, I saw a lot of what must be multi-boxers running around killing mobs with "groups" of toons consisting very obviously of a directly controlled toon and several other toons slaved to it.

Also, if I were to follow such a group and heal-tag it, would I get to loot the corpses? Not saying I would spend my time that way, just asking . . .

From what I've seen in other MMO's that I've played and here while not blessed multi-boxers are accepted because they pay for multiple accounts. I think it is a fine line between botting and multi-boxing and if it was up to me neither would be allowed but alas ZOS could care less about what I think so I'm sure nothing will change.

Salvas_Aren wrote: »

I've heard so many rumors about bots, no clue what is true.

Bots are good, bots are evil, bots pay for ESO+, bots reduce the risk of major hacks and account theft, bots are the result of account theft, bots clear drug money, bots get banned, bots get not banned, Zeni does not care, Zeni has no idea what to do ...

Pick the truth you like the most.

"Third party tools, the use of "bots", "speed hacks", "deep-link", "page-scrape", "robot", "spider", algorithms or other programs that copy or monitor any part of the Services (including, but not limited to, the Game(s) and/or forums), software that transmits, manipulates, or distributes (including, but are limited to, "mirroring") the data stream or any aspect of the Services to another computer, server websites or other publication or distribution media, or software that permits You to use Services without human input are examples of methods not authorized by ZeniMax." - Terms of Service, the only truth that matters.

The sentence directly before that one is: "You agree not to use any hardware or software or any other method of support that is not authorized by ZeniMax or that may in any way influence or advantage Your playing abilities, or influence or advantage Your use of the Services." Which I think might apply to multi-boxing, since it might qualify as an advantage of sorts.

Rinlan_Darius wrote: »

For examplehttps://youtube.com/watch?v=DZlFNmVwUfk

Wow this is really bad! @ZOS_GinaBruno I hope something can be done

Rinlan_Darius wrote: »

Like this farming ore https://youtube.com/watch?v=RV7wDYxCDqY

This wasnt necesarrily a Bot. As i commented on the Video, this Character was looking at the Map or into the Inventory. It was no Duel Invite send or tried to talk to the Player. I sometimes need a few more on me, i stay for 20 or 30 mins at a spawnpoint around, sometimes even with my Sorc. Doesnt make me a Bot.

There's hoards of farming bots on khenarthi's roost ps4 NA right now, likely thanks to the sales. There's many nodes where there's multiple bots waiting on it to respawn, it's bloody ridiculous. Was running around there keeping my little sister alive while she did quests, and she even kept mentioning how many there were. Really wish something would actually be done about them.

DeathStalker_X wrote: »

IMHO, ZOS is simply stupid in not banning bots - they ruin things for everyone. It's not THAT hard to code against it.

Yes it is, it's extremely difficult, very labor-intensive, and to this day generally ineffective. Any anti-botting technique and associated algorithms would require a team of developers to implement and maintain and continuously update and that's really not very practical. Plus, the botters will find a workaround anyway for any current implementation of anti-botting methods. There are some new studies which are still ongoing that are attempting to find more practical and hopefully effective techniques but as of right now whatever technique ZOS is using, if any, is probably as good as it's going to get.