Friendly reminder to update OS/drivers prior to VoH launch

PC General Discussion
1

Good aftermeowning :slight_smile:

This is just a reminder for those that aren’t on the latest drivers to update to the latest, or the latest stable driver for your graphics card before VoH launches tomorrow, as the 2.x patch will require updated graphics drivers. As I am not on the AMD side and since Blizzard has not updated its Diablo 4 system requirements support article, I can only recommend that the latest driver be installed. For nVidia users, you need at least version 552.xx or later (551.76 is the actual listed minimum if I remember correctly, but the 551 drivers are notoriously unstable except for 4080 Super owners).

Today would be a grand time to perform the update(s) if you are done with the seasonal activities. For Windows 11 you’ll want to be on the latest release, period. For Windows 10 you can use 1903v2 or later, though the latest nVidia drivers are optimized around a 22H2 installation, which is the latest version of Windows 10.

The -bypassgpudrivercheck command line argument set from within the Battle.net app itself will not work for VoH. It will just silently let you launch the game only to be met with a black screen once you select your character and try loading into the game world. This time the driver requirements are actual hard requirements and you’ll need to meet the minimum requirements for them to play VoH.

Edit: If you have used the procedure to fix the nVidia HDMI audio driver going to sleep (i.e. you’ve forced it to stay awake) previously, you will need to reapply this fix every time you update your nVidia driver as GPU driver updates reset this registry key.

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING STEPS ARE FOR ADVANCED USERS ONLY

nVidia HDMI sleep/timeout fix: https://nvidia.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/5441/~/why-does-part-of-my-audio-get-cut-off-when-sending-audio-to-my-tv%2C-soundbar-or

4 Likes
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Am I the only one who never does this and never has any problems?

7 Likes
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I wouldn’t update unless really needed. If ain’t broken, don’t update.

Also since VoH is coming out tomorrow, it’s safer to keep your current drivers so at least you can play the game even with subpar graphics (assuming the current graphics driver is only giving subpar performance).

The reason is if the new update is faulty, then two things:

  1. You have to fix it
  2. You can’t play VoH

If you keep your current driver:

  1. You can play VoH

If you’re gonna update the driver, it should had been like 1 or 2 weeks before.

If you can play D4 now without any driver update, keep it. If you have backup PC, then feel free to update one and play on the other.

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I was thinking the same thing… why on earth would you dl fresh patches and drivers that havent been tested before slamming voh?

1 Like
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Windows updates sure, but in most cases even manufacturers suggest only updating drivers if you experience issues or if the update is security driven.

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If your driver is below the minimum on the nvidia side you will end up with black screens and unable to enter the game world.

I tested this on the PTR. I know what will happen with severely outdated drivers.

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There was a new nVidia driver released on oct 1. FYI!

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Apparently not optional.

Should not be required when you own a 1070TI which is an old graphics card.

Do I really need 552.75 Blizzard? Do I really?

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You don’t. I ignored the update thing, restarded battle net and got into the game without any issues.

NEVER update anything unless it’s absolutely necessary. Updates break more crap than they fix, as a rule. Goes double for drivers.

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The game would not start with my graphics driver. A dialog notifies me of the version issue and then exits. Not sure how you got by it.

The game ran perfectly 2 days ago with my current driver :).

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I just ignored that warning, restarted battle.net and went into the game without issues (and without any further warning).

Not that I’m playing this mess of a game now that they effed my eternal characters into oblivion, but anyway.

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I never had to do any of that either, ever.

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Yeah, did all the updates and am still getting CTD just by walking around. I have a pretty standard system that hasn’t had any problems for the last 2 years until this expansion.

14

Hi,

So just to make sure, if I dont have GPU that meet the requirements now, I will not be able to launch the game with the -bypassgpudrivercheck «trick»?

GPU: GeForce GT 750M
Driver: 425.31 (newest possible driver to dowload)

I managed to launch the game (VOH) after I deleted the steam_api64.dll file, but get an error code just before Im about to login to the game (Problem with login. Code:1910). If I restore the .dll file, i get error «Steam must be running to Play this game»

Ive played Diablo IV without problems in the past, But after VOH patch, I just cant get it to run. So is it time to face the facts? Do I need to buy a new gaming PC/laptop? Or is there any more «tricks» to Play Diablo IV?

I cant afford a new laptop ATM, and hate to wait for a paycheck to play Diablo again :confused:

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Are you launching it from Steam’s shortcut or from the Diablo IV.exe directly? You can’t do the latter with Steam as both the Steam API and Battle.net API need to be running at the same time.

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First off all, Thanks for replying :slight_smile: Your the first that even give me an reply on this matter. Ive tried 4-5 different forums, Reddit, etc etc. So Thanks!

I made a shortcut of the Diablo IV.exe from the Steam–>steamapps…. directory, and added «-launch -sso -bypassgpudrivercheck» to the target directory in the shortcut tab (in properties). This is how Ive managed to bypass the gpu check earlier. I have only bought the game on Steam, and runned it via shortcut from the steam directory. Never actually launched the game from Steam. I Dont use Battle.net at all for this game.

17

You are going to have to use it to patch the game at the very least. The Launcher handles game versions and if you don’t have the correct one you can’t play. You need to use the launcher to update the game.

You can turn the launcher off again once you are updated to the current version, but you are going to have to use the launcher periodically to patch. Esp with a new release that is patching frequently.

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Friendly reminder to hire a competent development team prior to future DLC developments.

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Friendly reminder to NOT update your Nvidia driver to 565.90 because it’s an uber-buggy piece of crap.

install it if you want your game to crash nonstop.

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Im sorry, I ment I didnt use Battle.net for this game, because I use Steam. So Steam for updates, patch etc. I thought first I had the game on both platforms when I bought it on Steam. But seems like you need to buy it both places for use on Battle.net and/or Steam