Summary
The Elder Scrolls Online has long been plagued by automated farming accounts—bots that strip nodes, flood the economy, and frustrate players. From the game's earliest days, ZeniMax has acknowledged that black market activity accounts for up to 85% of customer service tickets. While Roblox's Murder Mystery 2 recently lost over 85% of its player base to a bot purge, ESO faces a quieter but equally insidious problem: bots are deeply embedded in the game's economy, and legitimate players are paying the price. The demand to buy The Elder Scrolls Online Items from shady sites keeps these bot farms running. This guide explains how botting works in ESO, why it matters, and what you can do about it.
How Bots Operate in ESO
Bot farms in ESO typically consist of low-level characters running scripted paths to harvest crafting materials. Players report seeing them:
Following identical routes in starter zones and popular farming areas like Craglorn
Using identical setups—often Sorcerers with familiars and similar naming conventions
Never engaging in combat or leveling up
Running on multiple accounts from a single console installation
The bots have become increasingly sophisticated. Previously, players could disrupt bots using tools like the Trap Memento or Nightblade path abilities—but smarter bot software now corrects itself and continues farming.
Why Bots Exist: The Black Market Economy
The driving force behind botting is real-money trading (RMT). Bot operators:
Farm crafting materials using hundreds of automated accounts
Sell those materials for in-game gold
Sell the gold on third-party websites for real money
This creates a lucrative business that exploits ESO's economy while undermining legitimate players.
How Bots Affect the Economy
Effect | Impact |
Material prices drop | |
Gold is devalued | |
New players struggle | |
Flippers profit | Bots supply cheap mats; flippers buy low, sell high |
As one player explains: "The more available a currency or commodity, the less its value. It might make mats cheaper, but the knock-on is that everything else is more expensive. Bots don't make the economy better; they alter it and shift it."
What ZeniMax Is Doing
Ban Waves
ZeniMax regularly takes action against bot accounts. Recent enforcement includes:
Permanent bans on 57 accounts using "FishyBot" automation software
Proactive bans on Xbox accounts being set up for botting
Manual hardware security measures to block virtual private servers
The Challenge
Despite these efforts, bots remain a persistent problem. Reasons include:
Bots are easy to recreate—new accounts can be spun up instantly
Detection is difficult—bots mimic human behavior
The black market is profitable—operators have financial incentive to continue
In 2014, ZeniMax's Matt Firor acknowledged the scale of the problem, stating that combating black market activity is "a marathon, not a sprint."
What This Means for Legitimate Players
Zone Experience
Bots ruin the experience in farming zones. Players report:
Craglorn has seen bot resurgences after temporary clearances
Starter zones are clogged with bots, pushing new players away
Cyrodiil suffers from artificial population inflation—bot accounts that AFK for hours lock the zone to real players trying to join
Trust in the Game
As one player noted: "Botting is one of those issues that quietly damages the whole game, even for players who never interact with the bots directly. It affects material farming, the economy, zone experience, and general trust that the game is being actively maintained."
What You Can Do
1. Report Bot Activity
ZeniMax encourages players to report suspected bots in-game or via the help portal.
Tips for reporting:
Note the character names (often random letters/numbers)
Document the bot's behavior (same route, no combat, identical setup)
Report consistently—reports help identify patterns
2. Avoid Buying from Third-Party Sellers
Purchasing gold or items from bot operators fuels the problem. Every transaction incentivizes more botting.
3. Adapt Your Farming Strategy
Farm in less-popular zones to avoid competition
Sprint ahead of bots to grab nodes before they do
Join the "Sanctuary" community of players who disrupt bots (though this is less effective with newer bot software)
Conclusion
The Elder Scrolls Online's botting problem mirrors the crisis seen in Murder Mystery 2—artificial inflation of player counts, economic distortion, and frustrated players. While ZeniMax has taken steps to combat bots, the battle is ongoing. A major driver of this issue is the underground market for The Elder Scrolls Online Items for sale, which incentivizes botters to keep farming around the clock. For legitimate players, awareness and reporting are key tools—and if you're looking to acquire items safely without supporting the botting economy, we recommend MMOEXP, a trusted platform known for reliable transactions. As one player put it: "Please keep doing this [ban waves], and please keep making the reporting process as easy and useful as possible for players who spot bot farms in the wild."
