Gamers Beware: Windows 11’s Latest Update Could Be Breaking Path of Exile 2

I’ve been playing a lot of Path of Exile 2 ever since the game was released and lately, I’ve noticed that my computer has been locking up during intense gameplay sessions. For no apparent reason, whenever I transition to a new area, the screen freezes. This is indicated by the gears at the bottom of the screen no longer spinning. When it happened once, I thought, “Okay, this is PC gaming; stuff like this happens sometimes.” But after it kept happening repeatedly, I put on my IT Professional hat and started investigating the issue.

Using an overlay to monitor my PC usage while running Path of Exile 2, I noticed that transitioning to a new level caused the CPU usage to spike to 100%, effectively locking up the system, all without the fans sounding as loud as a PlayStation 4 Pro, which if it did, would have pointed me into the right direction at the start. Scratching my head in confusion, I started digging deeper and remembered that I had recently forced the installation of the Windows 11 24H2 update. Then I came across a lot of chatter about this very update and the problems it’s been causing.

Putting two and two together, I realized the update might not have been worth installing. Assuming it was the culprit, I began checking around and found that other Path of Exile 2 players were reporting similar issues. Eventually, someone confirmed the same suspicion: a bad Microsoft update was causing yet another round of headaches.

This update has also been linked to several other issues, such as causing problems with Ubisoft Connect and breaking Microsoft Outlook, with users experiencing startup and syncing issues, among other issues. These telltale signs pointed me further toward the update being the root of the problem.

Unfortunately, there isn’t a direct fix to stop Path of Exile 2 from locking up your PC if the 24H2 update is installed. However, there are a few workarounds to mitigate the issue:

What Can You Do?

Try to Roll Back the Update (Might Be Too Late)

If you noticed these problems within a week of installing the update, you can roll it back by following these steps:

1. Open Settings in Windows.
2. Go to Recovery and select Restore Recovery Point.
3. Look for the restore point dated around the time 24H2 was installed and revert to it.

Try to Stop Path of Exile 2 from Claiming all of your CPU

Another workaround involves limiting the CPU cores allocated to Path of Exile 2. While this won’t prevent crashes entirely, it will stop your system from locking or Path of Exile 2 completely freezing up the PC, allowing you to restart the game without rebooting your PC.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Start Path of Exile 2 and press Alt + Tab to minimize the game.
2. Open Task Manager and navigate to the Details tab. You’ll see it on the left-hand side of the Task Manager.
3. Locate “PathOfExile.exe” and right-click on it.
4. Select Set Affinity from the menu.
5. 
6. Uncheck 4–5 CPU cores (start from the bottom) and click OK.

You’ll need to repeat this process each time you start the game. Be careful not to disable too many cores, as this might lower your game’s performance.

Reinstall Windows 11 and Don’t Install the 24H2 Update

If all else fails and the crashes persist, the only drastic solution is a full reinstallation of Windows 11. This involves:

1. Backing up all your important files.
2. Formatting your drive and reinstalling Windows.
3. Recovering your files and applications.
4. Reinstall Windows with the 23H2 update instead. The downside to this, however, is while the 24H2 update is causing issues, it also has a number of updated security fixes as well.

This is a time-consuming process and should be considered a last resort.

As of December 2024, Microsoft has admitted that this update has been known to cause issues, and is working on a fix with no known ETA. For now, my advice is simple: DO NOT install the Windows 11 24H2 update. It’s bad for your PC, bad for your gaming experience, and a hassle to undo if you run into problems.

If you’ve already installed it, your best bet is to wait for Microsoft to address these issues—though given how long this update has been available, a fix might not be quick to arrive. In the meantime, proceed with caution, and let’s hope for a smoother road ahead.