Dragon Age: 2 Crashing during Loadscreens

[scavengerkonig]

During my recent playthrough my game continues to crash every 10-20 minutes into my playthrough, this generally occurs during location changes. I have tried to lower my settings despite the fact that my computer can easily handle this game (I have dual 1080s, 64gb RAM) and have turned off the High Resolution textures (although I haven't uninstalled it). I have tried to repair the files to no success, I have turned off the Origin Overlay in-game, I have set capability at Windows 8 and 7 with neither working, I have even done the "set affinity" item to disable some CPU's which does help me load into my save but doesn't stabilize the game. I have scoured the web looking for fixes but can't find any. I should note that when I did my playthrough 2 years ago I had no crashing issues, but since then I bought the full DLC bundle, so I'm wondering if there was for some reason a patch or if one of the DLCs corrupts the game? Any help is appreciated.

[EA_Atic]

@scavengerkonig We haven't update the game in years.

Honestly It would not surprise me if the SLI is causing the crashing.

/Atic

[isaacsuit]

I believe that the crashing began happening after Windows' most recent C++ update on 7/12/21, as I am having the exact same problem. I was playing DA2 just fine that very day. It crashed and when I restarted it, it gave me a runtime error. I have researched this extensively for four days now, and that is the best thing I can figure in terms of why it won't work.

It is also affecting my DAO play in that DAO keeps crashing intermittently now, or just crashes at startup altogether without even allowing me to get to resuming my game.

The first time I loaded DAI after these issues, it threw the same error, which was a C++ error but after repairing the game files through Origin, it has worked almost seamlessly (however it has crashed three times since whereas before 6/12/21, it never did).

This is the original write-up I intended to do regarding my issue, before I found this thread.

I play DA2 regularly. Over the past 2 weeks it has begun crashing randomly without throwing any error messages. Then on 6/12/21 after one such crash, every time I tried to start the game and resume it like I have the past 2 weeks without problems, it finally threw an error. I have researched this exhaustively, but cannot find anything for now in 2021. The one thing I uncovered by looking at my own update history was that it seems that C++ was recently updated by Microsoft, and that occurred on the same day that this new error occurred. I can no longer play DA2 at all, no matter how I try to manipulate it. I have tried:

• Downloading and installing each and every VC++ updated file directly from Microsoft, first separately, then all together, then in varying combinations, to no avail.
• Uninstalling the game (I have it through Origins) and reinstalling it, both as administrator and "normally."
• Repairing the game.
• Uninstalling the game and making certain every related folder and file was wiped manually from my computer plus doing a restart before reinstalling via Origin.
• I have both done restarts and not done restarts with all of these attempted solutions (I've been working on this almost 4 days solid and while I'm no tech guru, I'm savvy enough to find others' past solutions and work through them, which I have done several times).
• Running games as Administrator
• Checking compatibility and allowing troubleshooter to try different solutions, to no avail
• Changing DX types between 9 and 11 (although I'm using DirectX 12 right now on my computer, that's longstanding, not a recent change).
• Both disabling and enabling Origin overlay
• Made sure my NVIDIA drivers are all updated
• I have attempted to apply the 2010-2013 resolutions I've found throughout extensive EA site, Origin site and all-over Google searches, all to no avail.
• I have manually re-run the distributables that come with the games, as per a years-ago solution I found, to no avail.
• I have downloaded the latest C++ drivers from Microsoft, but all were already installed on my computer. In spite of this I installed them again to be on the safe side. It fixed nothing.

My system information:

• Microsoft Windows 10 Home
• Version 10.0 19043 Build 19043
• Manufacturer: Alienware
• Model: Alienware Aurora R11
• Type: x64-based PC
• Processor: Intel((R) Core(TM) i7-10700 CPU @ 2.90GHz 2904MHz, 8 Core(s)
• BIOS Version Date: Alienware 1.0.5 3/2/2021
• Physical Memory: 32.0 GB

I should note that:

I started a brand new DA2 game and successfully played it through to the exact spot where I was at the end of Act I about to head into the Deep Roads when the first error occurred as described above. It's reacting the same way. I cannot get past the last thing I have to do (right now it's exiting the apostates' cavern to report back to Thrask) before heading to Hightown to tell Bartrand I'm ready to go (I already paid him earlier). It is when I attempt to exit the cave that the major crash occurs, and from which I cannot resume or even load a previous save...even if the previous save is from *before* I even go to the site to speak to Thrask.

The system tried to throw me the same error for DAI, but I simply clicked OK on the popup and proceeded to play without issue (thus far). Also re: DAO when I tested it, it logged me out (of my EA account) of its own volition since last I played it some few days back. I managed to get logged back in but it crashes randomly. At first it was only during transitions, but this last time just today I was simply running through Denerim and it just crashed without throwing any errors.

Attached are the event log entries (only two of many, I might add) which may help you with information I simply don't understand, one for DAO and one for DA2 when the issues occurred.

[isaacsuit]

I've also just tried again and got the popup error that happens when I try to resume or load my current game; it's attached.

[EA_Atic]

Thanks for all the details! @isaacsuit 

For the Microsoft Visual C++ did you install both X 86t and x64 versions? 

Could you try another Windows account with admin powers, to see if its related to kernel issues. 

/Atic 

[isaacsuit]

@EA_Atic Hello! Yes, I installed both 86 & 64 as that was in one of the potential solutions I'd found. I do not have another Windows account with Admin powers...it's just me.

There is an update, and it's quite an odd one, regarding DA2.

One of the people who had this issue some years back, said they resolved it by switching from using Steam DA2 to Origin DA2 - they got refunded by Steam and bought the Origin version. Well, I've been using Origin version for my DA2, so I went through the uninstallation and folder deletion process, then went over to Steam and actually purchased DA2 there. I was *eventually* able to get the game to start, and I can keep getting it to start, but it involves a process so crazy that it's only my dedication to wanting more play-throughs that gives me enough patience to mess with it. :-P

Now, sometimes I have to do some of these steps more than once - and it only works with Steam DA2 (the Origin one will not start at all no matter what I do):

1. Turn on computer for the first time in the day (or restart if it's already been running & used)
2. Steam and Origin both start on Startup, so I wait for them to load
3. Open up the bin_ship folder where the DA2 exe file is
4. Run DA2 exe file as administrator (it will appear as though it's starting, but it fizzles before you get the DA2 icon in the middle of the monitor)
5. Go to Steam Library and hit the Play button on the game 3 times (this process will literally not work if you do it any more or less than 3 times - trust me, I have spent hours on this, lol). It will also fizzle after looking like it's going to launch, but never getting to the center-screen icon
6. Quit Origin
7. Quit Steam
8. Go back to bin_ship and run exe file as admin again (will once again fizzle, after it forces both Steam and Origin to re-open and logs me in automatically on both)
9. Restart the computer
10. Wait for Steam and Origin to open and sign in, then quit them both
11. Go back to bin_ship and run the DA2 exe file as admin - now at this point, sometimes the game will actually start and sometimes it won't. if it doesn't, it becomes a mish-mosh of me trying Steps 1 through 10 randomly (as occurred yesterday, in fact) but eventually I got it going and it happily resumed my game - then some four or so hours later, just blinked out of existence (crashed) without any warning as I was walking/running through Lowtown. Maybe it just didn't want to be in Lowtown. *shrugs*

So I had to abandon two games/characters during my initial issues as described previously, but this Hawke play-through has seen me all the way to where I'm in the first fourth of Act III, so fingers crossed.

Come to think of it, the games where I kept crashing were me romancing Anders and now I'm romancing Sebastian. Perhaps a mage conspiracy is afoot...