B580 hang in Darktide loading screen and visual artifacts.

[sgo1]

Fedora Linux 44 (tested on multiple distros)

AMD Ryzen 5 9600X
Intel(R) Arc(tm) B580 Graphics (BMG G21)

Drivers: Mesa 26.0.3
Proton: GE-Proton10-34

Hi, I’ve been trying to find a fix for this issue, but so far nothing has worked. I would appreciate some help, please.

When pressing the START button on the character selection screen, the game remains stuck on a loading screen with 0% GPU usage. After waiting several minutes, the game lobby appears filled with visual artifacts.

The attachments show the visual artifacts and the Proton log.

[VonM_Intel]

Hi sgo1,
Thank you for posting in our Community. From what you’ve described (0% GPU usage during load, followed by artifacting in the lobby), this points toward a potential driver/runtime or GPU pipeline issue during shader compilation or asset loading in Darktide, rather than a simple performance limitation. Let’s dig into it properly. To help isolate the cause, could you please confirm a few details:

• Does this issue happen only in Darktide, or do other Vulkan/DXVK-based games show similar behavior?
• Have you tried switching between different versions (e.g., Proton Experimental vs GE-Proton) and does the behavior change at all?
• Are you using Wayland or X11 during these tests, and does switching between them make any difference?
• Do you notice any errors or warnings in the terminal logs when launching the game via Steam (especially related to Mesa, RADV, or shader compilation)?
• If you have done any other tests, please let me know the details so we don't cover the same ground twice.

Additionally, I'd like to delve deeper and verify specifics like the graphics models, precise driver versions, and any system errors. Utilizing the Intel SSU tool will enable me to collect detailed information about your system setup, which could aid in identifying the underlying cause of this issue.

Have a nice day!

Best regards,

Von M.
Intel Customer Support Technician

[sgo1]

Hi, thank you for your reply. 

Does this issue happen only in Darktide, or do other Vulkan/DXVK-based games show similar behavior?
It only happens in Darktide. I tried the DX12(VKD3D) version of The Witcher 3, and it ran considerably worse than the DX11(DXVK) version, but there were no GPU hangs or artifacts.

Have you tried switching between different versions (e.g., Proton Experimental vs GE-Proton) and does the behavior change at all?
I tried every Proton version that allowed me to log into the game. Proton 8.0-5 and older versions give a backend error. All versions behave the same.

Are you using Wayland or X11 during these tests, and does switching between them make any difference?
I’m using Wayland, and switching to X11 did not make any difference.

Do you notice any errors or warnings in the terminal logs when launching the game via Steam (especially related to Mesa, RADV, or shader compilation)?

I didn’t notice anything, but I will share the terminal output just in case (console_launch_steam.txt).

If you have done any other tests, please let me know the details so we don't cover the same ground twice.

I tried other Linux distributions, installed the game on a different drive, and used Steam settings to enable/disable shader pre-caching and background processing of Vulkan shaders. None of these made any difference. The game runs perfectly fine on Windows 11. I’ve attached the output of the Intel SSU Tool and Proton logs(steam-1361210.txt).

[VonM_Intel]

Hi sgo1,

Thank you for the detailed explanation and for sharing the logs. I appreciate the thorough testing you’ve already done across Proton versions, display servers, and even different Linux distributions. At this point, I will need to do further investigation into this behavior especially since the issue appears highly specific to a single title and persists across multiple Proton configurations and system environments.

I will review the information and logs you’ve provided in detail and post back here as soon as I have a more concrete finding or next steps for you.

Thank you for your patience while I look into this further.

Have a nice day!

Best regards,

Von M.
Intel Customer Support Technician

[VonM_Intel]

Hello sgo1,

Thank you for your continued cooperation. To help me move forward more efficiently, could you please let me know which specific issue you’d like us to focus on first? This will allow us to narrow down the troubleshooting and provide a more targeted solution.

Additionally, I’d like to share that Windows and Ubuntu are the officially supported operating systems for Intel® Arc™ Graphics, as outlined in the Intel® Arc™ Graphics – Desktop Quick Start Guide. Working within these supported environments helps ensure optimal performance and compatibility.

With that in mind, may I ask if you have already tried testing the system using Ubuntu? This can help us further isolate whether the issue is OS-related or hardware-related.

Looking forward to your response so I can proceed with the next steps

Have a nice day!

Best regards,

Von M.
Intel Customer Support Technician

[sgo1]

Hi, I can’t point you to a specific issue because I don’t know the cause of the problem myself. A good starting point might be to test the game using the same GPU on a Linux distribution and see if you can reproduce the issue.

And yes, I’ve tried Ubuntu. I’ll share the logs and a YouTube recording.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUBMqx4AjOQ 

[VonM_Intel]

Hello sgo1,

Thank you for your response and for sharing the video and logs. I appreciate the effort you’ve put into this.

I understand that it may be difficult to point to a single specific issue at this stage. What I meant in my previous message was to identify which symptom or behavior you would like us to prioritize first, for example, performance drops, graphical artifacts, crashes, or any specific in-game issue you’re observing. Focusing on one area initially will help me narrow down the troubleshooting and make the investigation more efficient.

I also noted that you’ve already tested using Ubuntu, which is very helpful for isolating the issue. I’ll review the logs and the video you shared to better understand the behavior across environments.

Once I complete my review, I’ll get back to you with the next steps. In the meantime, if there’s a particular symptom that stands out the most on your end, please feel free to let me know so I can prioritize it.

Thank you again for your cooperation.

Have a nice day!

Best regards,

Von M.
Intel Customer Support Technician

[sgo1]

The main problem is an abnormally long shader cache compilation (my guess), causing a very long loading screen when entering the game’s main hub (Mourningstar). This issue repeats when switching between characters(each time I switch, it takes another two minutes, as shown in the YouTube video I shared).

[NathanielN_Intel]

Hello sgo1,

Thank you for your response. Kindly allow us some time to further review all the information provided regarding this issue. We will update this thread once we have more details to share.

Best regards,

Nathaniel N

Intel Customer Support Technician

[NathanielN_Intel]

Hi sgo1,

I would like to inform you that we are still investigating; however, we can support one issue per thread to ensure effective troubleshooting.

Please let us know which issue you’d like us to focus on in this thread:

• Hang on the loading screen, or
• Visual artifacts.

Once confirmed, we’ll proceed accordingly. If you need help with the other game issue, please open a new thread and share the link here.

Best regards,

Nathaniel N

Intel Customer Support Technician

[NathanielN_Intel]

Hi sgo1,

I wanted to check if you had the chance to review the questions I posted. Please let me know at your earliest convenience so that we can determine the best course of action to resolve this matter. 

Best regards,

Nathaniel N

Intel Customer Support Technician

[VonM_Intel]

Hello sgo1,

I have not heard back from you, so I will close this inquiry now. If you need further assistance, please submit a new question as this thread will no longer be monitored.

Have a nice day!

Best regards,

Von M.
Intel Customer Support Technician