wardogs crash guide

what it is: the game's own watchdog killing itself because its render thread stopped responding. a game bug, by far the most common one.

can you fix it: no, the devs have to. see step 4 for what might help in the meantime.

what it is: the game's protection layer (runtime.dll) crashing on startup.

can you fix it: not really, just relaunch. see step 5.

what it is: your pc ran out of RAM + pagefile.

can you fix it: yes, see step 3.

what it is: the game's 3D audio plugin.

can you fix it: no, report it. see step 5.

what it is: could be unstable RAM or CPU (XMP/EXPO, overclock, undervolt).

can you fix it: maybe. test on stock settings.

install WinDbg (free, from the microsoft store or with this command):

open your dump with File → Open dump file, type this in the command box and look at what it prints:

• ExceptionCode: 00008000→ the freeze crash
• runtime_...+0x0000000000000001 and Attempt to execute non-executable address→ the launch crash
• runtime_...+0x0000000002b6e517 and Attempt to write to address 0000000000000018→ out of memory
• atmokyTrueSpatial+...→ the audio crash

the full analysis

type this instead. the first time it takes 1 to 2 minutes (it downloads microsoft's symbol files) and it prints a lot, so scroll to the FAILURE_BUCKET_ID line:

• APPLICATION_FAULT_8000_WardogsClient-Win64-Shipping.exe!Unknown→ the freeze crash. FAILURE_ID_HASH will be {9d270a92-128e-14a2-a826-642bbd7d489f}, the same on every pc we've checked
• SOFTWARE_NX_FAULT_INVALID_POINTER_EXECUTE_CODE_c0000005_runtime.dll!Unknown→ the launch crash
• INVALID_POINTER_WRITE_c0000005_runtime.dll!Unknown→ out of memory (WRITE_ADDRESS should say 0000000000000018)
• INVALID_POINTER_READ_c0000005_atmokyTrueSpatial.dll!Unknown→ the audio crash
• anything else→ something we haven't seen yet, send it over

or just send me the dump and i'll check it.

1. close wardogs completely
2. Win + R, paste this, press enter:
   %LOCALAPPDATA%\Wardogs\Savedcopy
3. delete every file that starts with D3DDriverByteCodeBlob_ (they end in .ushaderprecache and are a few hundred MB each). that's the game's compiled shaders, one file per graphics card
4. don't touch Config (your settings), SaveGames, or Wardogs_PCD3D_SM6.upipelinecache (deleting that one just gives you more stutter)
5. optional, to fully copy what a new driver does: also empty %LOCALAPPDATA%\NVIDIA\DXCache (amd: %LOCALAPPDATA%\AMD\DxCache and DxcCache). other games use this cache too, so they'll recompile once
6. launch and let it finish compiling before you join a match. close other heavy stuff while it compiles

this isn't a confirmed fix for the freeze, switching driver versions didn't change anything (see what doesn't help). but it rules out a broken driver install, and if the new driver is newer than yours, the game recompiles its shaders too. do the shader recompile at the same time and you've reset everything.

1. find out which graphics card you have and download its newest driver before you start (dropdowns below)
2. download DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller) from the official site only, there are fake copies around: wagnardsoft.com. extract it somewhere
3. disconnect from the internet (unplug the cable or turn wifi off), so windows update doesn't sneak its own driver in
4. boot into safe mode: hold Shift and click Restart in the start menu → Troubleshoot → Advanced options → Startup Settings → Restart → press 4. if your pc uses bitlocker or device encryption it can ask for your recovery key, so have that ready
5. run DDU, set the device type to GPU, pick your brand (NVIDIA / AMD / Intel) and click Clean and restart
6. back in normal windows, install the driver you downloaded, then reconnect the internet

that's the game's protection layer, not your pc. one player got it 3 times in a row and the 4th launch worked, so just relaunch. it can also hit mid game but that's rare.

the 0.1.2 patch said it fixed a "WD-L020" crash caused by a windows 11 update, but we still see this one on the newest build. if you get a popup with an error code like WD-L020, post it, that tells us if it's the same bug.

that's the game's 3D audio plugin reading memory it already freed. we've only seen it on one pc so far, but on two different builds.

if the game has a spatial or 3D audio option, try turning it off (nobody has tested that yet). either way, report it to the devs with the dump.

windows' gpu timeout is 2 seconds and it never kicked in during any of my crashes (no Event 4101). the freeze lasts ~20 sec and then the game kills itself, no registry setting changes that. (if you do see 4101s, that's a different problem, see extra checks.)

same freeze on 582, 610, 616 and 617 drivers, and on amd cards too.

crashed the same way with all of them.

my old 11 GB card still had over 3 GB free when it froze.

looked promising at first, then later capped sessions died at the usual times.

checked under load, zero thermal throttling, and it happens on every kind of card.

the exact same crash, down to the same code addresses, on at least 8 different pcs, windows 10 and 11, nvidia and amd.

Event Viewer → Windows Logs → System → Filter Current Log → Event ID 4101. if you see these at the times you crashed, your gpu driver is resetting, and that's a different problem from everything above. for you the TdrDelay tweak is actually worth a try.

in an admin terminal, then reboot:

to undo it:

a clean driver reinstall with DDU (step 4) is worth doing too.

after playing, open a terminal and run:

under "Clocks Event Reasons Counters", if SW Thermal Slowdown and HW Thermal Slowdown both say 0 us, your card hasn't throttled from heat since you booted.