ESO Is 12 Years Old And Female Characters Still Can’t Hold Weapons Properly
SANGUARI
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@ZOS_Kevin @ZOS_GinaBruno @ZOS_JessicaFolsom
Female weapon grip misalignment has existed since release because everything is aligned to the male rig. Clipping and grip misalignment happen across every weapon type on female characters.
But I guess fixing the 5 weapon categories in the game is impossible technology after 12
years. One-handed, two-handed, staves, bows, shields… truly groundbreaking engineering.
At this point whenever I see a new Crown Store weapon pack I just laugh. More than 10 years later and female characters still cannot properly hold weapons, yet ZOS keeps selling crown weapon pack cosmetics like this issue does not exist.
Honestly impressive. Huge MMO, endless cosmetic packs, but one of the most constantly visible character issues in the game is still there after a decade.
Edited by SANGUARI on May 9, 2026 1:48PM Female weapon grip misalignment has existed since release because everything is aligned to the male rig. Clipping and grip misalignment happen across every weapon type on female characters.
But I guess fixing the 5 weapon categories in the game is impossible technology after 12
years. One-handed, two-handed, staves, bows, shields… truly groundbreaking engineering.
At this point whenever I see a new Crown Store weapon pack I just laugh. More than 10 years later and female characters still cannot properly hold weapons, yet ZOS keeps selling crown weapon pack cosmetics like this issue does not exist.
Honestly impressive. Huge MMO, endless cosmetic packs, but one of the most constantly visible character issues in the game is still there after a decade.
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SANGUARI✭✭✭People please help keep this post up until we get an official response from @ZOS_Kevin @ZOS_GinaBruno @ZOS_JessicaFolsom
And please @mods do not move this into the bug section. This is not some random temporary bug, it is a long-standing female weapon rigging/alignment issue present since release.
Edited by SANGUARI on May 9, 2026 4:25PM11 -
SkaiFaith✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭I had noticed this issue but I had no idea it was caused by gender and it was running since launch, gasp!
One would imagine it would have been fixed after such a long time, but I read many times on the forum that ESO base code is a mess to deal with, so we can only hope..."..........Anyway, here's how
to tell if your RPG
sign is cheap" - Tony(?)0 -
SANGUARI✭✭✭I had noticed this issue but I had no idea it was caused by gender and it was running since launch, gasp!
One would imagine it would have been fixed after such a long time, but I read many times on the forum that ESO base code is a mess to deal with, so we can only hope...
this is not a base-code issue. It looks like a rigging / socket / attachment alignment issue.
There are only a few base weapon alignment types: one-handed, two-handed, staff, bow, and shield. If those female grip placeholders are misaligned, every weapon style using them inherits the same problem.3 -
Morimizo✭✭✭✭✭
✭The shield has to be the worst; it always floats above the forearm, barely if even touching it (particularly noticeable with light armor and clothing). Unfortunately, I seriously doubt that any of this will/can be fixed. Thanks for trying though, OP!3 -
kevkj✭✭✭✭✭Wow, there is no doubt that ESO is a truly well made game that I want to pay 15 dollars a month (and an additional 15 dollars every 3-4 months) for.0 -
Ardriel✭✭✭✭✭And the animation how male models walk slowly really needs to be updated. It looks like it's from a game from 1998 or so.
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Lucasl402✭✭✭✭✭Ya, but the female toons have the cute backside waggle when they walk that the male toons don't have. Still a bit surprised ZOS did that with their female animation. 3
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SkaiFaith✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭Ya, but the female toons have the cute backside waggle when they walk that the male toons don't have. Still a bit surprised ZOS did that with their female animation.
And that's a main feature to decide to buy any game XD absolutely keep it XP"..........Anyway, here's how
to tell if your RPG
sign is cheap" - Tony(?)1 -
SpiritofESO✭✭✭✭I put in a feedback/bug report a couple of weeks ago on the misalignment of the weapon grip (Wood Elf female) plus the fact that a bug has entered the "blocking grip" while wielding a staff where the hands misalign.
As far as the shield floating on the arm of the female model, I never really put in a bug report about it because I thought that the alignment was "good enough." *shrug*
I do notice that after I put in a feedback/bug report, corrective action is usually taken... but naturally it doesn't happen right away.
Edited by SpiritofESO on May 11, 2026 6:45AM-
~ PS NA ~ ALDMERI DOMINION ~~ "SPIRIT GOLDBLADE" WOOD ELF NIGHTBLADE ~~ GRAND OVERLORD ~ FORMER EMPRESS ~~"Adapt or Die"
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Displaced_Salad✭✭✭✭"Minor graphical issues" are not high on the list. "Massively broken quests and mechanics" aren't even high on the priority list.Maythor: honestly we're getting the supermarket treatment here ... shrinkflation with the addition of simply moving things about so they seem fresher .. all the while being told a corporation is our friend :P
If it comes with strings, it ain't free. It isn't a gift with purchase; you were overcharged.
I_CraftwithPntButter: 2023 is the year your supposed to be doing better , remember ? (Still waiting)
KlauthWarthog: Well, they can definitely measure fun on their spreadsheets, otherwise they would not be able to nerf it so consistently.1 -
SANGUARI✭✭✭SpiritofESO wrote: »I put in a feedback/bug report a couple of weeks ago on the misalignment of the weapon grip (Wood Elf female) plus the fact that a bug has entered the "blocking grip" while wielding a staff where the hands misalign.
As far as the shield floating on the arm of the female model, I never really put in a bug report about it because I thought that the alignment was "good enough." *shrug*
I do notice that after I put in a feedback/bug report, corrective action is usually taken... but naturally it doesn't happen right away.
I have sent feedback and opened tickets about this for years and never received any meaningful response. That is exactly why I am trying to make noise about it publicly now.Displaced_Salad wrote: »"Minor graphical issues" are not high on the list. "Massively broken quests and mechanics" aren't even high on the priority list.
“Minor graphical issue” while one of the main playable character models in the game cannot properly hold weapons after 12 years? Interesting definition of “minor.”
This is not some tiny texture bug hidden under a rock. It is a base character rig/alignment issue you constantly see while playing.
And the “quests and mechanics are bugged too” argument makes no sense. Yes? Then make your own thread about those issues too. This thread is about female weapon alignment.
Honestly one of the funniest things on ESO forums is how some players rush to become volunteer defense lawyers before ZOS employees even arrive.
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xencthlu✭✭✭✭Oh, man, I hate this one. It's so sloppy. It's really not a good look to let a problem like this persist for so long for half the characters in the game. Does the animation team look at female characters in the game?
It's just very confusing to me how gameplay devs claim ESO is an "action" MMO, but the animation side of things is so slapdash and shoddy. Action gameplay, even in MMOs, demands high quality animation work, because that's where the meat and pleasure of the game is: the motion. BDO's animations are genuinely beautiful to give you that shot of dopamine whenever you engage in serious combat, for example.
You can get away with clumsy work and abstractions in more tactical, slower paced games where players accept them as a conceit of the genre, because the pleasure in those kinds of games comes from preparation, making plans and seeing them through, puzzling through your options. The visuals only serve to add some level of clarity and understanding, so... It's fine they're simply functional, not flashy and exciting.
It constantly feels like we're getting the worst of all worlds in ESO. The dull tedium of constantly having to reapply self buffs in the name of action, but the ugly visuals of characters who literally can't hold weapons. The repetitive light attack weaving in between activating abilities to cancel the animations, but the clunkiness of having half our combat abilities locked behind the time it takes to swap bars. If this is an action game, the least that can be done is to make sure looking at our characters holding the weapons we earned looks pleasant.
This really diminishes my enjoyment of my hard-earned rewards. I don't make male characters. I only get to see this dumb, ugly bug.Edited by xencthlu on May 12, 2026 12:49PMI care what you think.4 -
Radiate77✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭This would be driving me insane!Edited by Radiate77 on May 13, 2026 5:31AMDragon Priest [Restoring Light, Draconic Power, Grave Lord]
Death Knight [Grave Lord, Winter’s Embrace, Siphoning]
Pyromancer [Ardent Flame, Dawn’s Wrath, Earthen Heart]
Summoner [Living Death, Grave Lord, Daedric Summoning]
Ranger [Animal Companions, Green Balance, Shadow]
Druid [Earthen Heart, Animal Companions, Stormcalling]
Elementalist [Stormcalling, Winter’s Embrace, Ardent Flame]
Dawnguard [Dawn’s Wrath, Restoring Light, Ardent Flame]0 -
Gabriel_H✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭Well, women do appear to have a hard time holding things in ESO ...
"I can't hold it" - Druid Olivya, Volcanic Vents
"No—no! I can't hold it! Ah!" – Lizabet Charnis, Fang Lair
PC EU
Never get involved in a land war in Asia - it's one of the classic blunders!3 -
Petoften✭✭✭✭How is it not proper? (kidding)
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQPAO9p3avvXIh9GQ4FqiibUsmn1A7kEWsn2A&s0 -
zaria✭✭✭✭✭
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I noticed it, its pretty easy to see then character stand still holding the weapon.I've never noticed this. I'll have to look next time.
Grinding just make you go in circles.
Asking ZoS for nerfs is as stupid as asking for close air support from the death star.0 -
Jordan_Black✭✭✭✭It's not a bug, it's leftover from back when they thought they could get away with unisex clothing/armor design. This worked decently enough on base game stuff that looked painted on, but once better looking layered textures came out with Orsinium the girls looked pretty laughable (I recall one memorable description of the orc armor making a toon look like there was a washboard shoved down her shirt), the fans got mad, and ZOS shaped up. The fact that they didn't go back and fix this grip problem suggests it might have been (and probably would still be) a little more effort than it's worth.
As someone who was with the fan base in the original rebellion (my toon roster is about half ladies) this grip problem never really bothered me much due to the continued existence of other weird clipping crud that plagues the game. It would be nice to fix, but it isn't at the top of my list.0 -
SANGUARI✭✭✭Can one of the officials please respond to this? @ZOS_Kevin @ZOS_GinaBruno @ZOS_JessicaFolsom
I have been sending feedback reports and tickets about this for years and I honestly cannot remember ever seeing an official response regarding whether this issue is actually fixable or not.
That is genuinely the main reason I made this thread. I just want a clear answer from the team after all these years.
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Sarthendria✭✭Yeah noticed it when I returned after a long hiatus, went 'wait didnt they update the 2h animations?' then realised that was just the skills not the idle animation. And oh boy now that I notice it I cannot un-notice it.(She/They) NA player, I enjoy making themed builds!0 -
AvalonRanger✭✭✭✭✭
✭Personally, I used to be making these thing as game graphic designer.
Mostly it can solve by just tuning null weapon node position of character's palm.
Then upload to the ROM. Not so hard work though.My playing time Mon-Friday UTC13:00-16:00 [PC-NA] CP over2000 now.
I'm Tank and Healer main player.1 -
SANGUARI✭✭✭I am a 3D artist. Like I said above, this has nothing to do with body morphs or hand size. The base null/placeholder weapon alignment for the 5 weapon categories is clearly using male rig alignment, and the offset is visibly off on female characters.Maybe it depends on the size of the character? Mine is rather small.
What I do not understand is why you keep confidently arguing against something you literally said you never even noticed for 12 years. Are you grinding forum stars or applying to become a volunteer ZOS defense attorney? xD
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SANGUARI✭✭✭AvalonRanger wrote: »Personally, I used to be making these thing as game graphic designer.
Mostly it can solve by just tuning null weapon node position of character's palm.
Then upload to the ROM. Not so hard work though.
This honestly does not even look like some insanely difficult thing to fix. We are talking about a few base weapon alignment placeholders. Maybe the whole system is built around a single rig setup shared between male/female morphs and that is where the issue comes from, who knows. But the silence from ZOS is what really disappoints me.
I have never played a single day without ESO+. I came from WoW, so paying a subscription never bothered me. I bought countless Crown Store items too.
But after 12 years, not even getting a real response about such a constantly visible issue is genuinely starting to push me away from the game.
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zaria✭✭✭✭✭
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I guess character height might factor in here? but everything should scale, make an as small as possible bosmer and as large an possible altmer or orc. And its likely they use the male rig for ladiesHm, I checked my main and don't see this with an axe and dagger.
Edited by zaria on May 15, 2026 4:54AMGrinding just make you go in circles.
Asking ZoS for nerfs is as stupid as asking for close air support from the death star.0 -
SANGUARI✭✭✭
No, you are wrong. I am trying to reach an actual employee here, not random forum/reddit guys throwing guesses around.
Instead of “I guess” and “maybe,” why not just send me proper screenshots of your female character holding weapons correctly?
Honestly, I think I am giving up here. Weird environment. Instead of grinding CP, some of you are grinding little forum stars.
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