# Diablo 4 Patch 2.0.4: An Issue-Riddled Update Leading to Crashes and Dissatisfaction
Recently, the realm of **Diablo 4** experienced a significant update, **Patch 2.0.4**, which coincided with the start of the **Macabre Festival**, a Halloween-themed celebration that had players buzzing with excitement. However, rather than improving gameplay, the patch has brought forth numerous new challenges that have left players feeling frustrated and the experience nearly unplayable for many.
## The Macabre Festival and Patch 2.0.4
On **October 29**, Blizzard deployed Patch 2.0.4, aimed at fixing various bugs and issues within the game. The update also brought some quality-of-life enhancements, such as raising the limit for gem fragments and correcting an odd bug that rendered horses excessively responsive to damage. Furthermore, the patch was anticipated to balance certain overpowered aspects, like the **Ghostborn**, a character build notorious for its dominance in the game.
Nevertheless, rather than resolving these concerns, the patch has unveiled a much graver issue: **frequent and widespread game crashes**. These interruptions have prevented many players from enjoying the new content, with feelings of frustration clearly evident across social media and forums.
## Widespread Crashes: A Game-Altering Problem
The most prominent problem that came with Patch 2.0.4 is that the game now **crashes regularly** when players partake in the main activity of Diablo 4: **combat against monsters**. Many reports suggest that the game crashes promptly after engaging enemy mobs, obstructing any progress. A common error message players see is:
> *[Prism] Device Removal – Win10/Dx12 BC:Misc*
This issue has been extensively discussed on both the **Blizzard forums** and **Reddit**, where players have expressed their frustrations. Some users have even mentioned that their entire PC crashes while playing Diablo 4, with one player humorously claiming their system reverted back to **Windows 95**—although this is likely an exaggeration, it highlights the seriousness of the issue.
The sheer amount of reports signals that this is not just an isolated case. It appears to be a widespread dilemma impacting a significant part of the player community, rendering Diablo 4 nearly unplayable for many.
## Blizzard’s Reaction and Workaround
Blizzard has recognized the issue and has responded swiftly. **Adam Fletcher**, a community manager for Diablo 4, shared on the official forums that the development team is aware of the predicament and is actively seeking a solution. However, no official **hotfix** has yet been issued to remedy the crashes.
In the meantime, Blizzard has offered a **temporary workaround** for players encountering crashes. Here’s how to implement the workaround:
1. Open **Battle.net** and go to **Diablo 4**.
2. Click the **cogwheel** next to the **Play** button.
3. Select **Game Settings**.
4. Check the box for **Additional command line arguments**.
5. In the new field that appears, input: `-nostreamline`.
This workaround has reportedly assisted some players in reducing or eliminating crashes. Moreover, several players have discovered that **disabling DLSS** (Deep Learning Super Sampling) also alleviates the problem. Consequently, Blizzard has disabled DLSS by default until a comprehensive fix is available.
## What’s on the Horizon?
Although the workaround has provided short-term relief for some, the community remains anxious for an official hotfix from Blizzard that permanently addresses the issue. Considering the gravity of the crashes, it’s probable that Blizzard will prioritize this resolution, but no timeline has been disclosed at this point.
Once the game is functioning smoothly once more, players can anticipate the actual enhancements that Patch 2.0.4 was meant to introduce. These encompass:
– **Augmented gem fragment capacity**: A highly requested quality-of-life enhancement.
– **Adjustments to mount mechanics**: Correcting a bug that made horses disproportionately susceptible to damage.
– **Balance modifications**: Tweaks to overpowered builds like the **Ghostborn**, which had been ruling the game’s meta.
## Conclusion
The rollout of **Patch 2.0.4** for Diablo 4 has been anything but seamless. Instead of uplifting the game, the update has spawned a game-breaking issue that triggers regular crashes, leaving numerous players unable to engage with the new content introduced by the **Macabre Festival**. While Blizzard has offered a temporary workaround, the community is eagerly looking forward to a lasting fix.
For now, players may attempt the proposed solutions to alleviate the crashes, but feelings of frustration persist. Hopefully, Blizzard will issue a hotfix soon, enabling players to fully dive into the dark and exhilarating realm of