The Blood of Dawnwalker Launch Performance Patch Status
Hotfixes 1.0.2 and 1.0.3 fixed quest blockers and PC controller issues. PC stutter, shader crashes, console sprint cut, and lighting flicker are still in progress. Here is what each patch fixed, what is still broken, and the workarounds players are confirming right now.
Core problem: the game launched September 2-3 with a Day 1 60 FPS Performance Mode on PS5, PS5 Pro, and Series X, but PC stutter, shader crashes, controller sprint cutouts, and frame-gen flicker are still the things players are trying to fix right now. Hotfixes 1.0.2, 1.0.3, and console 1.004 fixed quests, DualSense support on Steam and GOG, and some PC controller deadzone and sprint issues. Stutter, shader crashes, PS5 button remap, console movement cutouts, and lighting flicker are not fully patched.
Current Patch Status (as of Sept 7)
| Patch | What it fixed | Still broken |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 (1.003) | Console Performance Mode targeting 60 FPS on PS5, Pro, XSX. Series S stays 30. PC FSR and DLSS frame gen notes. | 60 FPS on console often described as choppy. Foliage thinned in Performance. Series S: 30 only. FSR FG can crash on non-16:9. |
| Hotfix 1.0.2 / Console 1.004 | Tutorial Lunka pathing, Farkas quest lock if you killed nearby NPCs, blacksmith holy-sword recipe, PC controller deadzone and sprint input. | Windowed and borderless stutter, shader compile crashes, PS5 button remap, console diagonal sprint-stop, lighting flicker. |
| Hotfix 1.0.3 | DualSense support on Steam and GOG. | Console movement still reported as "stops when you turn." Some players reported quicksave failing after 1.0.3. |
1PC Fix Steps (Do These in Order)
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1
Confirm you have the latest hotfix.
Quit the game. Let Steam, PlayStation, or Xbox finish the update. On PC you want at least 1.0.3. On console look for 1.004+. Do not start troubleshooting on the Day 1 build.
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2
PC stutter first fix: switch to Fullscreen.
Settings, Display, Fullscreen (not Borderless, not Windowed). This is the official workaround and the one players keep confirming. Borderless is the usual cause of hitchy frame times even when the FPS counter looks fine.
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3
If the game crashes while compiling shaders (especially Intel): update your motherboard BIOS first.
Devs pointed at an old Intel + Oodle/Unreal conflict. Do this before reinstalling the game. If it still crashes after BIOS:
›Close the game. Delete shader and PSO caches, then relaunch and wait for compile to finish at the menu.›NVIDIA: %LOCALAPPDATA%\NVIDIA\DXCache, GLCache, %LOCALAPPDATA%\NVIDIA Corporation\NV_Cache›AMD: %LOCALAPPDATA%\AMD\DxCache, DX9Cache, DxcCache›Intel: %LOCALAPPDATA%\Intel\ShaderCache›Verify files on Steam. -
4
Make shaders stop hitching in new areas: set Shader Cache Size to 10 GB.
NVIDIA Control Panel, Manage 3D Settings, Shader Cache Size, 10 GB. On AMD, wipe and rebuild shader cache in Adrenalin, then play through the opening areas once so the cache fills. First pass will hitch, second pass should be cleaner. The game needs an NVMe SSD or traversal hitching stays.
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5
Controller: Coen stops sprinting when you turn.
Already partially patched on PC. If it still happens: drop in-game controller sensitivity from 1.0 to 0.8. In Steam Input: Dawnwalker, Controller layout, Joysticks, gear on left stick, Deadzone = Custom, Shape = Square or Raw. Multiple players said this fixed diagonal slowdown without the 0.8 change. On third-party pads (GameSir, etc.): change left-stick trajectory from Circle to Raw on the pad itself.
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6
Lighting flicker, shimmer, or "blood pools strobing": turn Frame Generation OFF.
Players isolated this to Frame Generation plus changing FPS, not always G-Sync. Turn FG off, restart the game, leave G-Sync or VRR on if you want. If you need FG for FPS: only enable it if base FPS stays around 50 or above, otherwise latency and flicker get worse. Ultrawide plus FSR FG can crash off 16:9: switch to 16:9 or use DLSS FG instead until patched.
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7
Settings that actually move the needle.
Drop these first: Shadows, Foliage, Volumetric Fog. Keep Textures and Details High if VRAM allows. Use DLSS or FSR Quality or Balanced. Cap FPS to your refresh rate. V-Sync off if you have VRR; if you do not, cap and enable V-Sync to hide tearing. Ultra plus Lumen is the trap; High plus upscaler feels close and runs far better.
2Console Mode Choice After the Day 1 Patch
Common Mistakes
- Staying in Borderless "because alt-tab." That is the stutter most people are fighting. Switch to Fullscreen.
- Judging 60 FPS from the counter. Frame pacing is the complaint. A 55 FPS flat frametime feels better than 40-70 swings.
- Enabling Frame Gen on a 30-40 FPS base. That is the flicker and latency reports. Only enable FG if base FPS is 50+.
- Clearing shader cache every session. Do it once after a crash or driver change, then let it rebuild.
- Expecting the console 60 mode to look like Quality. Players say vegetation is the tax for Performance mode.
- Assuming hotfix 1.0.2 or 1.0.3 fixed stutter. Devs and RPS both said stutter and shader crash are still in progress.