Elder Scrolls Online Dupe Bug Is Problematic

The Elder Scrolls Online Dupe Bug may have changed the game’s balance.

It didn’t take long for the Elder Scrolls Online to become the target of spammers. Last week I covered the growing headache in the article Elder Scrolls Online Spam: Can It Be Stopped? While spam is just an annoyance, it now appears that something far, far worse infected the game — an Elder Scrolls Online “Dupe Bug” that allowed certain players to achieve unlimited wealth. Thankfully, ZeniMax nixed the bug on Friday with Patch 1.0.4, but certain problems remain.

Elder Scrolls Online Dupe Bug

The Elder Scrolls Online Dupe Bug was not a virus or hack per se, but rather a game exploit that allowed players to become obscenely rich. This is how the bug worked:

1. Players placed items in their guild bank (armor, weapons, crafting materials etc.), and duplicated the items infinitely by withdrawing them over and over again.
2. Dupers took advantage of the glitch by downloading auto-clickers and duplicated millions of copies of the same items, then sold them off for gold.

I’ve attached a YouTube video at the end of this article showing how one duper scammed 1 million gold in a few hours time (warning: turn down your volume before playing the video — the music is loud).

There’s talk on Reddit that ZeniMax knew about the exploit since ESO was in beta. Whether or not the company knew about The Elder Scrolls Online Dupe Bug before launch I can’t say. It’s hard to believe that ZeniMax would ignore an exploit of such magnitude.

Problems Remain

The Elder Scrolls Online Dupe Bug has been eliminated, but unfortunately problems remain. Yes, stopping future duplicated items is a good thing, but the flood of gold and gear already injected into ESO potentially changes the game’s balance. The Dupe Bug may have caused serious repercussions by creating an uneven playing field, not only in Cyrodill’s PvP war, but in the upcoming Craglorn Adventure Zone (see Craglorn: Why We Should Be Excited).

Imagine going up against a player with millions in gold, the absolute best armor, weapons, etc. — all achieved through unscrupulous means. Do you think you’d stand a chance in battle? This shameless advantage is not only unfair, but it’s problematic for gamers like you and me who care about The Elder Scrolls Online and the integrity of the game.

What Can Be Done?

ZeniMax has closed the exploit, and has already proven that they take a hard stance against cheating. Nine days prior to killing The Elder Scrolls Online Dupe Bug, the company banned thousands of accounts in their “first major strike against those who choose to cheat in ESO” (see the announcement from Jessica Folsom, ESO Community Manager).

Banning cheaters is definitely a step in the right direction, and as Folsom indicates, we as the community need to “report any botters, gold spammers, and speed hackers” to the company. In addition, ZeniMax needs to be proactive in removing as many duplicated items as possible. Banning dupers and their ill gotten gains will mitigate the damage and potential consequences caused by The Elder Scrolls Online Dupe Bug.

Final Thoughts

What do you think about The Elder Scrolls Online Dupe Bug? Does this exploit concern you, and do you feel that ZeniMax is doing everything they can to eliminate potential repercussions? How do you feel the situation should be handled to make sure that the game is fair and square? Share your opinions in the Speak Your Mind section below, and let your fellow Elder Scrolls fans know what you have to say.

Update

Shortly after this article was published, Matt Firor (the Game Director for The Elder Scrolls Online) posted a “State of the Game Address” on the official ESO forums. In the address, Firor spoke specifically about The Elder Scrolls Online Dupe Bug, and indicated that the problem has been fixed and that the accounts of the worst offenders have been banned. He also gave assurances that the Dupe Bug did not cause lasting harm:

Contrary to some reports, exploitation of this bug did not result in destabilizing the ESO economy in any way.

He didn’t give specifics as to what ZeniMax did to eliminate duplicated copies of gear, etc. Regardless, this is most welcome news.

[youtube_sc url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoZQW0_OEmw”]