Slow load times - Inventory

Same issues here.

Model Name: iMac
Model Identifier: iMac19,1
Processor Name: 6-Core Intel Core i5
Processor Speed: 3.7 GHz
Number of Processors: 1
Total Number of Cores: 6
L2 Cache (per Core): 256 KB
L3 Cache: 9 MB
Memory: 40 GB
Chipset Model: Radeon Pro 580X
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I’m having the same issue. Also, the quest giver exclamation point isn’t showing up.

Model Name: iMac
Model Identifier: iMac14,2
System Version: macOS 10.14.3 (18D109)
Processor Name: Intel Core i7
Processor Speed: 3.5 GHz
Number of Processors: 1
Total Number of Cores: 4
L2 Cache (per Core): 256 KB
L3 Cache: 8 MB
Chipset Model: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M
Memory: 32 GB
Boot ROM Version: 133.0.0.0.0
SMC Version (system): 2.15f7
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Those of you posting need to also post your OS version as well. Also, please check the drive(s) you are running from and post what the filesystem is. It will be one of the two below:

HFS Extended (Journaled)
APFS

The reason we need this info is to further narrow down the cause of the problem. For those that already posted, if you could simply edit your post instead of creating a new one that would be great (it would make it easier to parse the info as it is all in one place as opposed to scattered piecemeal through the thread).

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Icons taking too long to load…

3 Likes

Howdy Folks,

Been playing Season 21 pretty much all week, and just had this issue poopup yesterday, after playing for around 4 hours. I thought it was my MacBook Pro overheating and the system slowing down, but when I exited the game and checked temps, they were holding steady at around 68C, so that wasn’t it. I also thought that perhaps it was a memory leak in the game, as it didn’t start until I had been playing for awhile? I quickly loaded the game to test it before making this post, and did NOT have the issue. So it seems to develop over time for me. I also did not change any settings.

Here are my specs:

Model Name: MacBook Pro
Model Identifier: MacBookPro16,1
Processor Name: 8-Core Intel Core i9
Processor Speed: 2.3 GHz
Number of Processors: 1
Total Number of Cores: 8
L2 Cache (per Core): 256 KB
L3 Cache: 16 MB
Memory: 16 GB
Chipset Model: Radeon Pro 5500M 8 GB
macOS Version: Catalina 10.15.5
System Disk: Apple SSD
File System: APFS
Diablo 3 Version: 2.6.9.68722

Of note, I also have the issue with some translucent graphical effects rending with a bunch of black boxes. This season the easiest way to see it, is with the giant snow balls that spawn due to the season buff. This is cosmetic, and does not seem to causing any real issues.

Thanks!
Rich S.

It would appear that this issue is APFS related. Or more accurately, a combination of APFS and the game’s own filesystem, CASC.

The issue with CASC is that over time as patches are downloaded, the data and index files become fragmented, which slows performance down, sometimes noticeably. And because CASC files are patched in many different spots, every single change is accompanied by a new b-tree extents node under APFS, which causes severe performance degredation due to having to enumerate every last node for each file that is read from on the drive. It gets even worse if you are using a platter based hard drive instead of an SSD (SSDs mitigate APFS’ enumeration issues to an extent, but not completely as you’ve seen here in this thread).

One way to fix this for an APFS system, at least in the short term, is to uninstall and reinstall Diablo 3. This is actually easier than it sounds. To do so, you simply need to go into your /Diablo III folder and delete the /Data folder (while the game is not running of course!), then emptying the trash. When you start up the Battle.net app, instead of “Play”, you’ll see the big blue button for Diablo 3 reads as “Update”. Click it and let the game reinstall. You’ll have a fresh set of files that are as contiguous as possible, have no edits or changes (patches) to them, and will run markedly faster under APFS than a game that has been patched multiple times.

Note: If you have the Diablo 3 PTR installed, you need to delete that first, otherwise the Battle.net app will attempt to copy existing data over from the PTR folder and then patch after that has completed. You don’t want that because that just trades one set of fragmented files for another. With the PTR folder deleted, you’ll have a roughly 17 GB download. Go make a snack or three unless you have 300 Mbit/sec or better internet, because 17 GB takes a while to download.

This should restore some, if not all of your performance. The icons are loading slowly because they’re being read very slowly from the drive, and it’s the combo of APFS and CASC causing it. It doesn’t matter how fast your internet is because the icons aren’t downloaded, they’re read from the game data on the drive that Diablo 3 is installed onto.

Also, it should go without saying, but do not click the Play button until the installation has completed. Doing so will almost always corrupt your game’s files. CASC is finnicky like that. Always let the installation or patching finish before trying to play.

6 Likes

Thanks for the detailed explanation! Just a question, any idea why setting the Texture Quality to High ‘fix’ the issues?

It’s possible that the high quality textures are funcitonally fine and the low quality textures became corrupted at some point. Usually this happens when a player clicks “Play” while patching or installation is still going on. That’s why I noted to always wait until everything finishes before clicking Play. CASC is really dicey when it comes to playing while simultaneously downloading game assets. It almost always leads to corruption and bevvy of problems down the road.

Thank you TheTias! I am doing the ‘UPDATE’ now!

1 Like
Model Name: MacBook Pro
Model Identifier: MacBookPro11,5
OS: macOS High Sierra (10.13.3)
Processor Name: Intel Core i7
Processor Speed: 2.5 GHz
Memory: 16 GB
Chipset Model: AMD Radeon R9 M370X
File System: APFS

Few days ago deleted the “/Data” folder and let the game update (downloaded ~17GB). Still experiencing the same issue. When it happens I have to toggle between low and high graphics.

I have this issue, but only in multiplayer, and only after a new player joins the party (not immediately upon joining a multiplayer game). If I leave my inventory or stash open, everything syncs up eventually; then the problem goes away until a player leaves and another joins.

Model Name: iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2019)
Model Identifier: iMac19,1
OS: macOS Catalina Version 10.15.6
Filesystem: APFS
Processor Name: 8-Core Intel Core i9
Processor Speed: 3.6 GHz
Number of Processors: 1
Total Number of Cores: 8
L2 Cache (per Core): 256 KB
L3 Cache: 16 MB
Memory: 64 GB
Chipset Model: Radeon Pro Vega 48
1 Like

I suppose it needs to be asked then for the other posters: Is this happening during solo or just multiplayer? I do know that multiplayer syncs everyone’s client, including all of their stashes even though nobody can see your stashes.

Well that sucks. But at least the CASC portion of the problem was eliminated for a while anyway. That would still leave APFS as a potential culprit since that seems to be the filesystem everyone here is using that is experiencing the problem. I know there is a slight delay even on HFS+, so APFS only gets worse.

Total bummer. :frowning:

I do know that multiplayer syncs everyone’s client, including all of their stashes even though nobody can see your stashes.

Indeed, and my thinking was that the two may be related. The interesting part is that tooltip text (but not icons) loads fine if I mouse over a blank slot that I know contains an item. If I click to pick up that item, the icon then loads instantly, as do most or all other items in the same column (and sometimes adjacent ones as well).

I too Trashed, then immediately deleted, my Data folder, before re-downloading my game data (loading screens were flashing by much faster when I initially installed Diablo III under 1.6.8). Unfortunately, this has had no effect, either on my game load times (still much slower than 1.6.8), nor on my stash/inventory-loading delays.

Having the same issue, iMac 5k 2019, Catalina 10.15.6, 48GB Ram, Radeon Pro 580X 8GB, 512GB SSD. It almost always happens when in groups, and mostly AFTER finishing a greater rift… when I join everything is ok, but after closing the rift/vault/gr the inventory slows to a crawl…

I always had this issue since the release of Diablo III and whatever the machine I’m using (I’ve played diablo III from machine such as a 200 euros entry price PC and from a 4000 EUR+ workstation with huge CPU, tone of RAM and over powered GPU). All of the time, I’m on a 1 Gbit/s network or better.

The only common denominator between all of my configuration is that I’m playing on Linux using wine.

Changing the texture does not help and it appears even after a fresh install. Sometime the inventory loads instant, sometimes it take up to a few minutes to load.

I also did the same, and it’ s back to mostly slow loading of the inventory.
2012 mid MacBook Pro 15"

What I’ve found that works for me if I experience the issue…
I change the Texture Quality (if Low change to High, vice versa). In the new pop-up that asks if you want to “Accept” the change, I cancel (or press esc) and then from then on the game works fine until the next game.

2 Likes

I play on windows and i too encounter the same problem.
Slow loading of inventory items in Season 21 in Act 1, 3/4 and 5 (Worst Act ever for many seasons).
I find the most playable is Act 2 where the loading of inventory was not that bad.
I did not encounter this when i played Season 20.

Hope blizzard can solve this issue.

Forgot to note I had tried playing on my old and new pc. Same issue.

3 Likes
Model Name: iMac (5k, Mid-2017)
Model Identifier: iMac18,3
Processor Name: Intel Core i7
Processor Speed: 4.2 GHz
Number of Processors: 1
Total Number of Cores: 4
Memory: 64 GB
MacOS Version macOS High Sierra (10.13.6)
Graphics Chipset Model: Radeon Pro 580 8GB
File System: APFS

Having the same problem. Very slow inventory graphic/stat refresh/update. This problem is worse in multiplayer but is also happening in solo play. I thought about updating my Mac to 10.15 or newer but other players on this board have newer systems than I mine and they are having the same issue so updating my Mac probably won’t fix the problem.

1 Like

Hello,

I changed textures settings from low to high and it’s very nice now.
The problem seems solved with this.
Not intuitive but if it’s works it’s the main thing :smiley:

3 Likes