Get ready for Doom Eternal with the Launch FAQ and Known Issues list

(Image credit: id Software)

Doom Eternal is now less than 48 hours away, and in case you hadn't heard it's going to be really good. But that doesn't mean it will be entirely without issues when it finally lands in our hot little hands, and so Bethesda has put together a very handy "Launch FAQ" and rundown of known issues.

Information contained in the FAQ is mainly stuff that's already out there, like what Doom Eternal is (a fast-paced, violent, first-person shooter pitting the player against hordes of demonic enemies, in case you weren't aware), the system requirements, where the saved games are kept, and which display drivers you should have installed. 

It does get into some unexplored bits, though, including how to use the Photo Mode, what to do if you're stuck or haven't received your preorder or deluxe edition items, and how to handle launching into a black screen. There's also a promise that "Empowered Demons" will be added to the game in a future update, although nothing about what they actually are.

The list of known issues is probably more useful, as it covers things to look out for or avoid right from the get-go.

Gameplay:

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(Image credit: id Software)

Doom Eternal release date: Everything we know
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Doom Eternal Slayer Keys: Unlock the optional encounters
Doom Eternal Runes: Give Doomguy the edge
Doom Eternal settings: Kill in high-res glory

  • Issue: Pinned Weapon challenges on HUD are removed after reloading a checkpoint.
    Resolution: Re-pin the Weapon Challenge. This will be addressed in a future patch.
  • Issue: Weekly Challenges must be re-pinned after beginning a Mission from the Fortress of Doom.
    Resolution: Re-pin the Weekly Challenge. This will be addressed in a future patch.
  • Issue: Sentinel Status is not always removed consistently from players.
    Resolution: Re-accessing the Social Menu will correctly display the Sentinel Status of selected players. This will be addressed in a future patch.
  • Issue: Saves on Ultra-Nightmare difficulty are not deleted if the game is closed on the Game Over screen.
    Resolution: This is an intended function of the Ultra-Nightmare experience. Although the game cannot be progressed on a given save after dying, saves will only be deleted with user permission.
  • Issue: Player is unable to access the Weapon Wheel if the Weapon Wheel function is bound to the Photomode key (D-Pad down)
    Resolution: Do not assign Weapon Wheel to the same function as Photomode.
  • Issue: Why aren’t my friends receiving my Party invites?
    Resolution: In some situations, delivery of party invitations may be delayed. Re-send a party invite if it fails to arrive after a minute or two.
  • Issue: I’ve killed all the Demons in the current arena, but demon gates are still blocking me.
    Resolution: Demons may escape from their gates in rare situations. In most cases they return to the main arena shortly. However, if they persistent, restarting from the previous saved checkpoint resolves this issue.
  • Issue: Can I play a Battlemode match with a friend on another platform?
    Resolution: Doom Eternal currently does not support cross-platform multiplayer
  • Issue: Can I invite my friends to a private match or party from [Xbox One/PS4/Steam/Bethesda.net/Stadia] system software?
    Resolution: You can only currently invite friends to private matches and parties via the in-game Social Menu. Will be updating Doom Eternal to support system software invites in the near future.
  • Issue: The TAB key will stop functioning as a keybind for opening the dossier if the user minimizes the game window with alt-enter.
    Resolution: In order to restore this functionality, the user needs to first maximize the title, then alt-tab out of the game and alt-tab back into the game.

Accounts/Entitlement Redemption:

  • Issue: Milestone rewards don’t unlock if the player is offline when the Milestone is achieved.
    Resolution: This will be addressed in a future patch.
  • Issue: Is there a way to link my Bethesda.net account out of the game?
    Resolution: You can link your Bethesda.net account on the web here: https://bethesda.net/account/linked-accounts

PC Technical issues:

  • Issue: The specifications published online don’t match the specifications on my boxed copy. Will my PC be able to run Doom Eternal?
    Resolution: Performance optimizations during development resulted in the expectations for performance on the minimum specification to increase for the majority of players. PCs that meet the published back-of-box specifications will still run at those settings, but most users will be able to run at more graphically-intensive settings.
  • Issue: Doom Eternal fails to launch or crashes while launching on my Laptop.
    Resolution: We do not officially support laptop hardware. Laptops that conform to the supported hardware specifications may run Doom Eternal.
  • Issue: Game window is resetting to default resolution after removing monitors while game is running.
    Resolution: Issue is caused by changing hardware while title is active. Add/remove hardware before launching the game.
  • Issue: Game crashes on launch with two AMD GPUs installed.
    Resolution: Issue is caused by having multiple monitors plugged into different GPUs. Plug both monitors into the primary GPU to fix.
  • Issue: Game crashes when changing settings to Ultra, Nightmare, or Ultra-Nightmare on some RTX-enabled Ryzen GPUs.
    Resolution: When playing the game on these cards, keep settings at High until AMD releases fixes for this issue.
  • Issue: Game does not launch on Windows 8 with an AMD GPU installed.
    Resolution: The latest AMD drivers are incompatible with Doom Eternal on Windows 8.1. Install the AMD Radeon driver version 19.10.1 in order to play Doom Eternal.
  • Issue: Game or PC crashes when turning off Vertical Sync while OBS is open.
    Resolution: The Doom Eternal game-ready drivers from AMD resolves this issue. This can also be worked around setting V-Sync to “On”, “Adaptive”, or “Triple Buffered” on older AMD GPU driver releases.
  • Issue: Game crashes when launched on Intel or AMD integrated graphics chipsets.
    Resolution: Integrated Graphics options are not supported.
  • Issue: Some areas of the screen are obscured by large numbers of black particles.
    Resolution: If the issue is encountered, assuming you are able to run the game, disabling the Depth of Field option will resolve this issue.
  • Issue: Game loads to a black screen when launching in full-screen mode.
    Resolution: This issue is caused by the Doom Eternal executable getting quarantined by an Anti-Virus program. Add an exception to your Anti-Virus program to resolve.

The list will no doubt grow and evolve, and in fact the FAQ recommends referring back to the list for troubleshooting tips if you run into trouble in the future. We'll be watching for any issues that pop up when Doom Eternal goes live, too.

Doom Eternal comes out on March 20. It will not have deathmatch, but it will very likely make you chase around bouncing green question marks.

Andy Chalk

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.