How To Fix Path of Exile 2 Frame Drops in Dawn of the Hunt

The latest update for Path of Exile 2, titled Dawn of the Hunt, has been met with significant backlash from the player base. While the expansion introduces new content, mechanics, and balance changes, many in the community—including both casual and professional players—have expressed frustration over controversial adjustments and performance problems plaguing the PC version.
If you’ve noticed a drop in frame rates, stuttering, or crashes since the update, you’re not alone. Fortunately, there are several ways to improve performance. Below, we’ll explore the most effective fixes, including official developer recommendations and community-tested solutions.

Why Is the Community Upset?

Before diving into fixes, it’s worth understanding why the update has been so divisive:

• Balance Changes: Several skill and item adjustments have disrupted established builds, forcing players to rethink their strategies.
• Performance Issues: Many players report increased stuttering, frame drops, and even crashes, particularly on systems that previously ran the game smoothly.
• NVIDIA Driver Problems: Some users with NVIDIA GPUs have encountered instability when using Reflex, a feature designed to reduce input lag.
• Shader Compilation Problems: The new update has introduced longer shader compilation times, leading to temporary freezes.

Despite these issues, Grinding Gear Games has acknowledged some of the problems and is working on fixes. In the meantime, here’s how you can improve performance.

How to Fix Performance Issues in Path of Exile 2

1. Disable NVIDIA Reflex (If You Have an NVIDIA GPU)

Many players have reported that NVIDIA Reflex, a feature meant to reduce input latency, is causing performance degradation in Path of Exile 2. This isn’t an isolated issue—several recent PC games have suffered from similar problems due to driver-related bugs.
How to disable it:

• Open the in-game settings.
• Navigate to Graphics or Performance options.
• Locate NVIDIA Reflex and set it to Off.

The developers have confirmed this as a temporary workaround, and NVIDIA may release a driver update to address the issue.

2. Switch to the Vulkan Renderer

Path of Exile 2 supports both DirectX 12 and Vulkan rendering APIs. While DirectX 12 is the default for many players, Vulkan often provides better stability and smoother frame pacing, especially on AMD systems.
How to enable Vulkan:

• Open the game’s settings.
• Go to Graphics > Renderer.
• Select Vulkan instead of DirectX 12.

If Vulkan causes crashes instead:

Some players have reported that Vulkan leads to instability. If thishappens, you can manually switch back to DirectX 12 by editing thegame’s configuration file:

Navigate to:

Copy

Documents\My Games\Path of Exile 2

Open poe2_production_Config.ini in Notepad.

Find the line:

Copy

renderer_type = Vulkan

And change it to:

Copy

renderer_type = DirectX12

Save the file and relaunch the game.

3. Try the Standalone Version (If You’re Using Steam)

Some players have found that the standalone version of Path of Exile 2 (downloaded directly from Grinding Gear Games’ website) runs moresmoothly than the Steam version. Since your progress is account-bound,you can switch between versions without losing data.

How to switch:

Download the standalone client from the official website.

Install and log in with your existing account.

If performance improves, stick with this version until Steam stability is patched.

4. Verify Game Files (Steam Users)

Corrupted or missing files after an update can cause crashes and performancedrops. Steam’s built-in file verification tool can help.

How to verify files:

Open Steam and go to your Library.

Right-click Path of Exile 2 and select Properties.

Navigate to Installed Files > Verify Integrity of Game Files.

Wait for the process to complete, then restart the game.

5. General Performance Optimizations

If the above steps don’t fully resolve your issues, try these additional tweaks:

• Update GPU Drivers:
  • NVIDIA
  • AMD
  • Intel
• Update DirectX & Visual C++ Redistributables:
  Ensure you have the latest versions installed from Microsoft’s official website.
• Disable Background Applications:
  Programs like Discord, web browsers, or streaming software can impact performance.
• Add Path of Exile 2 to Antivirus Exclusions:
  Some security software may interfere with the game.
• Update Windows:
  Make sure you’re running Windows 10 (1909 or later) or Windows 11 with the latest patches.
• BIOS Update (For Intel 13th/14th Gen Users):
  Some players have reported stability improvements after updating their motherboard BIOS.

Final Thoughts

While Path of Exile 2’s latest update has introduced some frustrating performance issues, thefixes above should help stabilize your gameplay. Grinding Gear Games islikely working on patches, so keep an eye out for official updates.

Have you found any other solutions? Share your tips in the comments below!

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