Mortal Shell II: Fix EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION Crash on Continue Game
Stop the UE access-violation crash when clicking Continue Game. The 30 FPS lock trick, Frame Generation off, save recovery, and Intel 13th/14th-gen steps.
Core problem: You click Continue Game and Mortal Shell II crashes with EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION, often tied to a garbage-collection / mesh-destroy stack (MeshComponent::BeginDestroy, GarbageCollection). High-end PCs including 13th/14th-gen Intel and high-FPS setups are not immune. The crash happens during save load while the engine runs uncapped or high frame rate.
1The Continue-Specific Workaround (30 FPS Lock)
This is the step people say actually gets them past the Continue button:
- 1Launch the game and stay on the title/settings screens. Do not click Continue yet.
- 2Open Settings, graphics/display, and set an FPS lock of 30.
- 3Apply, go back to the title screen, then click Continue Game.
- 4After the world has loaded and you can move, open settings and remove the 30 FPS cap (or set your normal cap).
The crash is tied to loading a save while the engine runs uncapped. Dropping the rate for the load, then unlocking after spawn, unblocks Continue.
2If It Still Crashes on Load: Stability Stack
Do these in order. Change one thing, then try Continue/Load again.
- 1Turn Frame Generation off before loading. Community reports tie UE access-violation / render-thread crashes to FG, including after patches. Load first, then decide if you turn it back on.
- 2Cap FPS (60 or your monitor refresh) even after the 30 FPS trick. Uncapped loads are a recurring theme in crash reports.
- 3Disable ray tracing / Hardware RTX and test. Some players only stabilize after this.
- 4Disable Steam, Discord, NVIDIA overlay, and capture tools. Then retry Continue.
- 5Verify game files: Steam, right-click Mortal Shell II, Properties, Installed Files, Verify integrity of game files.
- 6Remove mods and any custom Engine.ini (especially if set read-only). Players and patch notes both treat those as load/crash triggers after updates.
- 7Intel 13th/14th-gen (e.g. 14900K): This exact GC access-violation has been reported on those CPUs in other UE games too. Check BIOS microcode / Intel default limits / undervolt stability separately from game settings. The 30 FPS load trick is still the first thing to try.
Key Decision Points
- Crash only on Continue, New Game works: Use the 30 FPS lock, load, unlock sequence. Prefer Load Game over Continue.
- Continue drops you at the opening campfire: Stop. Open Load Game, then Recover Save. Do not keep playing that slot.
- Crash after death/teleport/beacon, not just Continue: Same stability stack: FG off, FPS cap, RT off, no overlays. Death/reload crashes share the same UE access-violation pattern.
- Started after a patch, was fine before: Verify files, drop FG plus custom ini/mods, then the 30 FPS Continue trick.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Clicking Continue repeatedly after a failed load. That is how people lose or overwrite save slots.
- Leaving Frame Generation on "to test if the crash is random." For this bug, FG is a common trigger, not a spectator.
- Playing on a save that looks like a new intro after a crash. Stop and use Recover Save immediately.
- Stacking Engine.ini tweaks plus mods plus FG while diagnosing. Isolate one variable at a time.
- Assuming it cannot be the CPU because the GPU is a 4090-class card. The report that named this exact crash address was on a 14900K plus 4090.