Back in the January beta weekend, I discovered this bug by accident. I reported it using /bug (and /feedback) and decided to keep the details to myself instead of telling everyone about it, hoping ZOS would fix it soon.

Since we just got a new build, which supposedly had tons of quest fixes in it, I tried this exploit again. It did not get fixed. I worry that bugs found by stress testers aren't getting looked at very thoroughly, because we're "just stress testers." But bugs such as this obviously deserve priority, because they can have disastrous long term effects for character progression.

I think that by going public with this information (the NDA is dropped anyway), it will be more likely that the developers will take note and see the urgency of getting this fixed. So I'm going to tell you how to get infinite skillpoints, with screenshots as proof.

It pertains to the Purifying the Wyrd Tree quest. This quest is on the Daggerfall Covenant side in Glenumbra. It's the final part of a questline that has some buggy spawns from elemental spirits (particularly the air one), so it's currently not easy to reach in the beta.

http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii155/Kaeldaron/TESO/Screenshot_20140315_172425copy.jpg

After you go inside, you fight the evil spirit that's corrupting the Wyrd Tree.

http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii155/Kaeldaron/TESO/Screenshot_20140315_172454copy.jpg

Normally, after fighting the spirit you gain a skillpoint, an achievement and a notification that you completed the quest. And then you're supposed to go outside to talk to the Wyress.

But let's not do that. What happens if we use the task manager to close the game while Angof is giving his monologue, and we log back in after? We get back into the Heart of the Wyrd Tree...

http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii155/Kaeldaron/TESO/Screenshot_20140315_174209copy.jpg

And we get more skillpoints!

http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii155/Kaeldaron/TESO/Screenshot_20140315_172818copy.jpg

Keep using the task manager to force close the game, just don't wait too long before relogging in because it will kick you out of the Wyrd Tree eventually, if your instance gets closed.

http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii155/Kaeldaron/TESO/Screenshot_20140315_174223copy.jpg

And just for good measure..

http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii155/Kaeldaron/TESO/Screenshot_20140315_182952copy.jpg
50 skill points! Wee! (that pose sure makes Victoria Crashius look extra tough)

If quest rewards are given out similarly in other quest instances, it's not unlikely that the exploit will work there as well. Anyway, this issue should not exist anymore by the time early access starts. For obvious reasons.

That explains the YouTube video showing a player with 603 skill points

I believe Carde said that was a different bug, and that those skill points were just displayed but couldn't actually be used.

These skillpoints can be used.

The /bug command is better to use for this type of info, then the /feedback command. Keep reporting it and it best not to share such info, people will abuse it if they know about it.

Ah, I actually did both /bug and /feedback at the time (will fix in OP). Because back in January I was stuck and couldn't leave the Wyrd Tree at all (that's how I found this reward bug), so I was also asking for someone to help me get out.

Chances are, it's already fixed.. just in launch patch.

While posting it on here will in one sense, cause people to go ahead and abuse this for themselves, I can only hope that enough people will be honest and report it with you to get it discovered before the game is released.

I'd suggest posting this to the forums on large fan sites too.

Getting this front page coverage will help get it fixed, since /bug apparently did not.

Well maybe I can get the skill points back that I lost when they reset by collecting 3 skyshards.

Some problems with quest phasing are still in the game but as long as problems aren't part of the main quest lines we can probably power through those. However skill point cheats are game breaking.

Stuff like this makes me wonder how much the server will be down for patches during the 5-day early access period.

Weekend beta version is 1.0.0.941004. What version is the ptr running?

This is pretty hilarious to me. I can't believe they didn't fix this yet after knowing about it for so long. If this bug is still working by the time early access starts then they will either continue to ignore it and let the game's reputation fall to sh*t, fix it and do a rollback to rid players of those extra skill points, or fix it and NOT do a rollback, which would also let their reputation fall to sh*t for allowing players that unfair advantage. So basically their only option is to fix this now, or fix it later and do a rollback (which no one really wants but its what they have to do if they don't fix it NOW).

Send a ticket and wait for a non-bot reply. Then it's addressed, and won't be in at launch.

ZOS is now definitely aware. One of their forum admins on the beta forum replied and closed the thread there.

So hopefully that means this is getting a fix sooner rather than later

Forum mods here: feel free to delete the thread if you feel it's for the better.