Fix: Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous Keeps Crashing

Muhammad ZubyanPublished on August 1, 2023
Zubyan is a certified PCHP and Google IT Support Professional.
Reviewed by Huzaifa Haroon

The game Pathfinder: Wrath Of The Righteous has recently been experiencing a lot of crashes while launching the game, during the character creator, while tweaking any in game video settings, and when there is too much activity going on in the game, to name a few. This is really frustrating and hinders the experience of the game to an unenjoyable extent.

Best way to fix the Pathfinder: Wrath Of The Righteous Crashing issue.
Best way to fix the Pathfinder: Wrath Of The Righteous Crashing issue.

This has been happening to a lot of players of the game, including me, but the good thing is that I was able to fix the crashes and enjoy the game after just applying a few fixes. In this article, I will guide you through why the crashes occur and how you can easily fix them.

What causes Pathfinder to crash?

One of the main reasons the game crashes is because of corrupted game files, but it can also occur due to insufficient system requirements. Let’s better understand why these issues occur. Here are the following reasons that can cause the game to crash:

  • Insufficient System Requirements: If a system does not meet these requirements, it will struggle to run the game. This could lead to a range of issues, from slow performance to unexpected crashes.
  • Corrupted Game Files: Game files can get corrupted due to various reasons such as improper shutdowns, disk write errors, malware, faulty update, or even a corrupted installation. Corrupted game files will cause the game to break and behave unexpectedly, leading to crashes, and even prevent the game from launching altogether.
  • Outdated Graphics Driver: Outdated graphics drivers don’t support the latest graphics technologies used in modern games, leading to incompatibility issues, game performance problems, and crashes.
  • In-game Overlays: When you launch the game, the overlays also start to operate. Overlays use up system resources. During a high in game activity when the game also requires more resources, the extra load from overlays can overwhelm your system, leading to a game crash.
  • Outdated Windows: Outdated copy of Windows lack important updates that enhance compatibility with modern gaming technologies and hardware. This will then lead to instability and crashes during gameplay.
  • Corrupted DirectX installation: A corrupted DirectX installation can lead to game crashes, as the game can not effectively communicate with your system’s hardware.

How to Prevent Pathfinder from Crashing?

Now that we have a better understanding about why these crashes occur, we can put fixes into place to end the problem once and for all.

  1. Check Your PC System Requirements: Make sure you have at least the minimum system requirements to run the game. If you don’t, I would recommend you to upgrade your PC hardware to the recommended threshold required.
  2. Verify Integrity of the Games files: You can do this using Steam. Steam will read all the Pathfinder game files installed on your computer and replace any corrupted ones. Make sure you are connected to the internet while performing this fix.
  3. Update Graphics Driver: The Graphics driver acts as a bridge between your Graphics Card and your Operating system, updating it would fix any communication issues between them.
  4. Disable All In-game Overlays: Most overlay applications offer the option to disable them during gameplay. You can also selectively disable all the various overlays manually to prevent them from functioning in the first place.
  5. Update Windows: Pathfinder, just like many other games, requires the latest Windows Updates to function properly. The game’s anti-cheat system works best with the most recent Windows Security patches. If you have any pending Windows updates to install, now is the right time to do so. Always ensure you have the latest build of the Windows you are using to avoid any compatibility issues.
  6. Repair DirectX: Character creation involves real time rendering, which relies heavily on DirectX. A corrupted installation will fail to correctly handle this, leading to a crash. To repair and reinstall DirectX, you can download it from Microsoft’s official website.

1. Check Your PC System Requirements

Minimum Windows System Requirements

Recommended Windows System Requirements

Minimum macOS System Requirements

Recommended macOS System Requirements

2. Verify Integrity of the Games files

  1. Open Steam.
  2. Go the Library tab and locate the game.
  3. Right click on Pathfinder: Wrath Of The Righteous, and select properties.
    Right Click on the game and Select Properties.
    Right Click on the game and Select Properties.
  4. Click on the Installed files tab.
  5. Left click on the “Verify Integrity of Games files” button.
    click on the "Verify Integrity of Games files" button.
    click on the “Verify Integrity of Games files” button.
  6. Steam will read all game files and replace the corrupted ones.

3. Update Graphics Driver

  1. Right click on the Windows start button and select Device Manager from the context menu.
    Open Device Manager.
    Open Device Manager.
  2. Click on the arrow next Display adapaters.
  3. Right click on your primary GPU and select Update driver.
    RIght click on your primary Graphics Card and select Update driver.
    RIght click on your primary Graphics Card and select Update driver.
  4. Now select Search automatically for drivers.
  5. Windows will then automatically search for the best GPU driver available and install it on your Computer.

4. Disable All In-game Overlays

4.1 Discord

  1. Open Discord.
  2. Open the User Settings menu.
    Open User Settings.
    Open User Settings.
  3. Scroll down and go to Game Overlay.
  4. Toggle off “Enable in-game ovelay.”.
    Turn "Enable in-game ovelay." off.
    Turn “Enable in-game ovelay.” off.

4.2 Steam

  1. Open Steam.
  2. Press the Steam button on top left of the screen and select Settings from the menu.
    Open Steam settings.
    Open Steam settings.
  3. Open the In Game tab and turn off “Enable the Steam Overlay while in-game”.
    Open the In Game tab and turn off "Enable the Steam Overlay while in-game".
    Open the In Game tab and turn off “Enable the Steam Overlay while in-game”.

4.3 Nvidia Shadowplay

  1. Open the GeForce Experience app.
  2. Open Gefore Experience Settings.
  3. Turn off IN-GAME OVERLAY under Language.
    Turn off IN-GAME OVERLAY.
    Turn off IN-GAME OVERLAY.
4.4 Xbox Game Bar
  1.  Right click on the Windows Start menu.
  2. Select Settings from the menu.
  3. Open Gaming.
  4. Go to the Xbox Game Bar tab and turn it off.
    Turn off Xbox Game Bar.
    Turn off Xbox Game Bar.

5. Update Windows

  1. Open Windows Settings.
  2. Now open Update & Security.
  3. In the Windows Update tab, left click on Check for Updates.
    Press the Check for Updates button.
    Press the Check for Updates button.
  4. Windows will scan for updates and if any updates are available, you can install them by pressing the Download button.
    Press the Download button to install the updates.
    Press the Download button to install the updates.

6. Repair DirectX

  1. Open your Web Browser and go to this link: https://www.microsoft.com/
  2. Click on the Download button and the setup will start downloading.
    Click on the Download button.
    Click on the Download button.
  3. Locate the setup file on your computer and open it. Press YES when prompted for Administrator privileges.
  4. Accept the Terms of service if you agree with them, and press Next.
    Accept the Terms of service if you agree with them, and press Next.
    Accept the Terms of service if you agree with them, and press Next.
  5. Press Next again and it will start installing. Make sure you have a stable internet connection.
  6. Once the installation finishes, restart your PC.

Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous Keeps Crashing - FAQs

How can I prevent game file corruption?

Keeping your system clean from viruses and malware and regularly updating your game and graphics drivers can help prevent file corruption.

Why does changing video settings cause a game crash?

Changing video settings can lead to incompatible instructions for the game engine if the game files are corrupted, which may cause crashes.

How can I prevent game crashes due to insufficient system requirements?

You can prevent such crashes by ensuring your system meets the game’s minimum requirements, keeping your software updated, and optimizing your settings.

How do outdated drivers cause crashes when tweaking video settings?

Adjusting video settings changes the way the game renders graphics. If the drivers are outdated, they may not be compatible with these new settings, causing the game to crash.

How does corrupted DirectX cause crashes when tweaking video settings?

When you adjust video settings, the game changes how it uses DirectX to interact with your graphics hardware. A corrupted DirectX might not handle these changes effectively, leading to crashes.

Muhammad ZubyanPublished on August 1, 2023
Zubyan is a certified PCHP and Google IT Support Professional.
Reviewed by Huzaifa Haroon
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Photo of Muhammad Zubyan

Muhammad Zubyan


Muhammad Zubyan is a certified Google IT Support Professional with over 7 years of extensive experience. He has worked on more than 1500 computers, gaining valuable insights that enable him to detect and troubleshoot any complicated root cause of Windows-related issues and errors. In addition to managing Appuals as a Senior Editor, he is currently developing his own Game Optimization program that caters to both gamers and casual users alike.