Grinding Gear Games’ free-to-play ARPG – Path of Exile, was released back in 2013 and continues to dominate the genre with the likes of Diablo IV and Lost Ark. While a sequel has been announced, the hype around Path of Exile remains great thanks to the regular content drops and active support from the developers. From macOS to PS4 and Xbox One, the game’s been ported to other platforms too and is even playable on the Steam Deck. And speaking of the Path of Exiles on the Steam Deck, recently a lot of players have been complaining about a crashing issue.
Path of Exiles isn’t a Verified title for the Steam Deck. However, despite that, the game seems to run just fine without any major tweaks. But it isn’t immune to issues like crashes. Such types of issues are pretty common and can arise from a number of things, ranging from outdated software to missing game files. So, is there a fix for it? Well, let’s go ahead and find out.
Path of Exile crashing on Steam Deck: How to fix it
Since there’s no official fix for this issue, players will have to make do with the following workarounds. Try these and see if any of them are of help.
Update –
The very first thing that we recommend you do is check if there’s an update available for POE. If there’s one, download and install that update. Furthermore, if you haven’t updated your Deck in a while, make sure you do so.
Create a .drirc file –
Although this particular method is no longer necessary, you can still give it a try and see if it helps curb this crashing issue. Basically, what you need to do is switch to Desktop Mode and open the file manager. Next, head to the home/deck path and create a new file. Rename it to .drirc and copy-paste the following into the empty file:
<driconf> <device> <application name=”Path of Exile” executable=”PathOfExile_x64Steam.exe”> <option name=”vk_x11_override_min_image_count” value=”2″ /> </application> <application name=”Path of Exile” executable=”PathOfExileSteam.exe”> <option name=”vk_x11_override_min_image_count” value=”2″ /> </application> </device> </driconf>
Verify the game files –
A common cause behind issues like this one could be missing or corrupted game files, which can only be fixed by verifying and repairing them. And to do that, you need to select PoE from your Steam Library and select the cogwheel icon. Next, click on Properties > Installed Files > Verify integrity of game files. Once the process is over, launch the game and see if the issue persists.
Install PoE on the Deck’s internal storage –
This is specifically for those who happen to have Path of Exile installed on their microSD cards. Just uninstall the game from there and reinstall it on the Deck’s internal memory. Once it’s installed, launch the game. If the game still keeps crashing, then take a look at another workaround.
Adjust graphics settings –
You can also try adjusting the in-game graphics settings and see if that helps. Set everything to lower and then play the game. In case the game continues to crash, check out the next method.
Switch to another Proton version –
Players can also try switching to another Proton version to deal with this issue. Start by switching to Proton Experimental and checking if that works. If it doesn’t, switch to another Proton version.
Well, that’s all the workarounds we have for this issue. You can also take a quick look here if you want to know how to deal with the black screen at startup issue in PoE. And for more such content, keep following DigiStatement. Also read: Path of Exile No Login GUI Issue: is there any fix yet
