Updated my video drivers, deleted contents of Data file and emptied trash. Reloaded patch. Still getting “downloading additional content” message twice every time I start D#.
It keeps happening at the start of the game rarely and if it does not, there’s a high chance that I get stutters and complete freezes while playing.
At first, game freezes at seemingly random occasions, then I get a blank gray screen as if the whole application about to crash back to desktop in an instant. Sometimes game continues as if nothing happened but loads the entire user interface of icons slowly bit by bit. Sometimes, it can not recover and I was forced to shut the entire thing down. It’s not entirely fun to do so and I can’t tell if it’s from downloading additional content, my own unique network settings or official servers being too busy.
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That tells me it’s downloading shaders for some reason. It shouldn’t need to do so repeatedly unless you do a few areas in one login session, exit, log in and do more areas not previously visited during the same patch, rinse and repeat. The process will also repeat if you update your graphics drivers or perform a Windows update.
Oops!
All this time I didn’t think I was getting that message. However, since it’s been reported I’ve noticed a flash of something when the game is loading. It only happens for a fraction of a second, so I just ignored it. Although I always wondered what that screen was that flashed by me.
Tonight I decided to video capture running the game. I was able to pull the frames out as screenshots and here is what I got:
Because it happens so fast on my system, I’m not going to worry about it. But, hopefully Blizzard will see what other players are experiencing from the images.
I updated my NVIDIA driver Saturday, March 1, 2025 to version 572.60.
I don’t know what prompted me to check again today. But, Friday, March 7, 2025 they already had version 572.70 available. So, I updated again.
This is likely shaders being updated. This shouldn’t be occurring once shaders for all zones are compiled.
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Would that be as simple as entering each Act?
Or are we talking about entering every Act, every area in every Act and every dungeon in every area in every Act?
I’m not really that concerned. As I said above, it’s not affecting me. I hadn’t even noticed it until I went “digging” for it last night.
I’d just play however you normally play. Enough tilesets will load that you’ll get pretty much all of the shaders in short order.
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it’s still happening to me. there’s no tileset i havent been in this season.
it’s something else. And them being hush hush about it is a bit slimy.
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Two words on D3: Maintenance mode. I’d understand if it were D4, DI, or D2R, as those are in active development. Now, if D3 was going to add more content, it would have been 6 or 7 years ago. People still hold out hope that there will be more content (a sixth-tenth act and/or eighth and ninth class), but that ship sailed when the pandemic hit 5 years ago.
Yesterday I decided to play through Campaign Mode. It’s been years since I’ve done that and I haven’t been playing much these past few weeks. Especially since I’ve finished the Altar and the Season 34 Journey. I thought by doing this I should eventually encounter all of the tilesets.
In my first game session I stayed on T16 and played through the Quest, Reign of the Black King, I believe it’s called, in Act I. As I followed the quest-line I also full cleared each map I was on and any dungeon that was on that map. (I’m sure full clearing the maps wasn’t necessary, but I was having fun). I didn’t engage in all conversations. And I did not participate in all of the Cursed Chest or other non-Quest Events to save time.
I quit the game at that point. I resumed my game a few hours later. This time I did not get the “Downloading additional content” screen flash I’d been getting. I quit my second game session when I was about to speak with the Ferryman about going to Wortham. (The Doom in Wortham Quest). As I continue in Campaign Mode, I’ll keep an eye out for anymore “Downloading” screen flashes when I run D3 and get to the subsequent Acts.
Edit
I just thought of something. The areas I covered during the first game session in Campaign Mode did not include any areas that I had not covered in Adventure Mode. That includes Act I Bounties, Visions, Nephalem Rifts and Greater Rifts.
What if it’s just a matter of switching from Adventure Mode to Campaign Mode and entering a game? Maybe those who are still getting that startup screen can test this out:
- Run D3 and check for the “Downloading additional content” screen. If you get it, go to step 2.
- Switch to Campaign Mode. (Assuming you were previously in Adventure Mode). Start a game. Without playing, exit the game, wait a few seconds and run the game again. Check to see if you still get the “Downloading” screen.
not really. Hasn’t been for 2 years now. Check the (lack of) patch notes.
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