The Wasteland series has been an acclaimed franchise when it comes to post-apocalyptic RPG games. The first two installments pretty much pioneered the era for post-apocalyptic survival games and even introduced a scathing storyline that carries on to this day. Wasteland 3 was released by the developers today and it features new graphics and takes the story even further.
While inXile Entertainment tried their best to iron most of the bugs in the game, some major ones persist that have been reported in the initial hours of the game’s launch. Let’s take a look at some of the most common bugs and their fixes for Wasteland 3.
Stuck in Ambush site
- Affected Platforms: PC, PS4, and Xbox
While playing Wasteland 3 many players have encountered an issue where the game suddenly gets stuck while transitioning. This is most prevalent at the Ambush Site scene when your vehicle is repaired or after the combat ends. The issue has been acknowledged by the developers and a workaround to fix this issue has been listed below. A fix is expected in the upcoming patch to Wasteland 3.
Fix
This issue plagues users that have the region set to countries like Turkey, Poland, Thailand, Indonesia, etc. Changing your region to either the United States or the United Kingdom should fix this issue for you. You can revert to your original region settings once you have completed the Ambush site mission.
Issues launching/saving Wasteland 3
- Affected Platforms: Mostly PC
Another widely documented issue with Wasteland 3 is the inability to save your game on PC. Users have also reported being unable to launch the game after its first launch. This bug is caused due to a firewall/security software preventing Wasteland 3 from accessing your local storage. Let’s take a look at its quick fix.
Fix
Whitelist Wasteland 3 (WL3.exe) in your Anti-Virus/security program. Alternatively, if you use a firewall, then ensure that Wasteland 3 is whitelisted in your firewall as well. Ensure that you restart your system for the changes to take place. If the issue persists, then try whitelisting Wasteland 3 as an administrator. If the issue persists then you might want to consider disabling your Anti-Virus while playing the game. A fix for this bug is expected in the next patch to Wasteland 3.
Auto-Save not working
- Affected Platforms: Mostly PC
Many users have reported that the Auto-Save functionality does not work for them. This is another issue that the developer is aware of and the only workaround to fix this bug, for now, seems to be disabling AutoSave altogether and doing manual saves instead. This issue is caused due to in-game transitions conflicting with AutoSave as it takes place when transitions are happening. Let’s take a look at how to disable AutoSave in Wasteland 3.
Fix
Launch Wasteland 3 and select ‘Options’ from the Main Menu. Now click on ‘Gameplay’. Select ‘Autosaves (Off)’. Autosaves should now be turned off and you should be able to save your progress manually.
Progression resets while playing co-op (quest and character)
- Affected Platform: PC, PS4, and Xbox
This is a well-documented bug with Wasteland 3 that has been prevalent since its initial release. Thankfully the 1.1.0 patch fixes this issue for most users and you should update your game at the earliest if you haven’t already to fix this issue. In case you are losing progression despite applying the latest patch then you can use the workaround below.
Fix
The only fix to retaining your progression in quest and co-op mode seems to be to disable AutoSave functionality. You can follow the guide in the above ‘AutoSave not working’ bug section to help disable Autosave features for you. You can then save your progress manually without losing your progression and XP. You should however consider reporting this bug to the devs as they seem to have fixed this issue in the latest patch ie: 1.1.0
Host stuck at 33% in co-op & guest unable to join again
- Affected Platforms: Mostly PC and Xbox users with some PS4 exceptions
This bug plagues users that are trying to play co-op with your friends. The host will get stuck at 33% on the loading screen while the other members of the lobby will be able to join the game. Another issue that arises from this bug is the inability for guests to rejoin a lobby until it has been recreated. The devs are aware of this issue and are working on a fix in the upcoming patch. For now, you can use the workarounds below to fix this issue for you.
Fix
Disabling the Autosave functionality will allow you to play co-op with your friends normally. Although you will have to save your progress down the line manually.
Another fix that seems to work for many users is to load a single-player save during the co-op game. You can also create a save game and return to the co-op and then load it if you plan to venture into a new area.
Lastly, if your guest is unable to rejoin the already created lobby then you will need to create a new lobby again. The guest will then be able to join the new lobby. This procedure will however need to be repeated if the guest gets booted or kicked from the lobby again.
Unable to join co-op matches with friends
- Affected Platforms: Mostly PCs
This is a bug that has been randomly affecting players since the game was launched. Players have reported being unable to start co-op games with their friends no matter the fixes they try. The developers are working on this bug and a quick workaround has been provided to fix this issue.
Fix
If you are unable to play co-op with your friends then it is likely due to your firewall and network settings. You should first try by whitelisting WL3.exe in your firewall. This should be done on both the host PC and the guest PC which should fix the issue for you.
If the bug persists then you can try this port forwarding guide from the developers that is the final workaround to fix this bug.
Random crashes
- Affected Platforms: Xbox and PS4
This is a major bug that has been affecting mainly console users since Wasteland 3 was initially released. The game seems to be conflicting with transitions at random times which leads to memory leaks and intermittent freezing. This is a known issue and the devs are working tirelessly on the patch. The upcoming 1.1.0 patch for console users is expected to fix this issue but currently, there is no workaround to circumvent this bug.
Unable to adjust brightness from the in-game menu
- Affected Platforms: Xbox and PS4
Another known issue is the inability to adjust the game brightness from within the in-game options. Although the option to change the value is present, it does not affect the game. This issue has been acknowledged by the devs and has been already fixed in the upcoming patch. There is no workaround to fix this issue for now and you will have to wait for the upcoming patch.
HP gets reverted when transitioning to another scene
- Affected Platforms: PC, Xbox & PS4
Wasteland 3 has the nifty ability to heal your characters with the help of a doctor. However many players end up losing their HP despite healing once they transition to another scene. This is a known issue and a fix is expected soon. For now, you can use the workaround below to get around this bug in Wasteland 3.
Fix
Once you transition and your health has been reverted to its original value, switch to a different character that is not one of your originals. Then visit the doctor again and heal your party. Your HP should now be full for all the characters and should not revert to its initial value.
Pause feature does not work
- Affected Platforms: PC
This is more of a visual bug than an in-game bug that will be fixed in the upcoming update. If you have tried to remap your keys in Wasteland 3, then you have probably come across the option to set a dedicated key to the Pause menu. Sadly this feature was removed during the initial development of the game and hence remapping this function won’t do anything in the game.
Performance & Frame drops despite great specs
- Affected Platforms: PC, PS4, and Xbox
Many users have reported facing performance issues despite having more than adequate hardware. This is a known issue in the game and apparently, the ‘Simultaneous Enemy Movement’ setting is to be blamed for this that has not been optimized well for performance. Whenever the game AI tries to engage enemy movement by reading your actions it causes a significant hit to your system’s processing power. This issue has not been acknowledged by the developers yet, but here are some community-driven workarounds that seem to fix this issue for many users. Let’s take a look at them.
Fix
Disable ‘Simultaneous Enemy Movement’ in the game settings. This will reduce the performance load on your system which should help deliver consistent performance.
If disabling this option does not have a significant impact on your performance then you can use third-party software like Razer Cortex to optimize your experience. Some users have reported significant performance improvements by using such third-party software.
Audio cracking
- Affected Platforms: Xbox and PS4
The console release of the game seems to be facing an audio issue where the audio will suddenly stop working or cracking during the game. This is a known issue that has been reported to the developers and a fix for it is expected in the upcoming 1.1.0 patch for consoles. For now, there is no workaround for this issue but to wait for the upcoming patch.
Game crashes at Denver Fight
- Affected Platforms: PC, Xbox, and PS4
The Denver Fight is a notorious part of the game that seems to be causing crashes for many users. The issue seems to be persistent for PC users and no confirmed workaround for this issue has been identified yet. Though many players suspect that loot drops might be the cause of this issue. Let’s take a look at its workaround to ensure that loot drops don’t cause crashes for you.
Fix
The Denver Fight is a pretty big battle so naturally, you are going to kill tons of enemies. Wasteland 3 seems to have a threshold for unpicked loot drops in the game which seems to take a significant hit on your resources. Ensure that you keep picking up loot drops from enemies to ensure that your game does not crash when it reaches the loot drop threshold.
Original Characters losing skills and attributes
- Affected Platforms: Mostly PC with some Xbox users
This is a major bug that can affect your gameplay drastically. If you swap out your original characters from your party and swap them back in then they will lose all their acquired skills and attribute points. This issue has been acknowledged by the developers and there seems to be currently no fix for it. A fix is expected in the next patch to Wasteland 3. For now, if you have swapped out your original character and lost all your progress then the only way to revert is to load a previous save file where you hadn’t swapped out the character.
Infinite enemy attacks
- Affected Platforms: Mostly PC
This is another major bug that seems to be affecting multiple users at different locations and objectives in the game. Once you setup your firing line, after your turn, the enemy AI will continue taking turns until you are defeated. Ideally, you should be allowed to attack after one turn from the AI but this bug prevents that from happening. This is a known issue that has been affecting people across the board and currently, there seems to be no workaround for this bug.
Unable to download from GOG
GOG or Good old games is one of the most popular platforms to buy PC games in today’s age. They offered DRM free games which is one of their main selling points and recently gain popularity. Sadly users that have bought the game through GOG are experiencing intermittent issues while downloading the game. Many users are unable to click on the Install button itself, which appears to be greyed out while others are getting an ‘installation failed’ message whenever the process starts.
The new v1.03 update to the game is supposed to fix this issue for most users. So if you are still waiting to install the game from GOG, now would be a good time to try it. However, if you still keep facing an installation error, then there is a tedious workaround for this bug, so bear with me.
Instead of using the GOG launcher to install the game, you will have to download the install files manually and then install them as well. GOG Launcher will then recognize your game as valid and allow you to launch it from within the launcher itself.
Here comes the tricky part, you will have to install the game in an existing GOG games directory. This means that during install, you will have to select an existing game’s directory that you purchased through GOG. While existing users won’t have a problem with this, new users might face trouble during this process. New users can try to recreate existing GOG games directory or download a small game from within the launcher itself.
Note: A fresh launcher install might create a games directory for users, but we are not sure on that yet.
Mouse button rebinding not working
This is an issue reported by mostly gaming mice users with macro controls and other additional keys. Most games including Wasteland 3 for now do not support the in-game binding of your mouse buttons to particular functions. The only workaround for this, for now, is to use your Mouse OEM’s software to map your additional mouse keys to particular keyboard keys which can then be mapped to your desired in-game function from within the game itself. There are also third-party tools that will help you achieve the same functionality but might introduce a few latency issues.
Co-op crashes and random drop-outs
Although an RPG, Wasteland 3 offers a comprehensive multiplayer mode as well which allows you to play with other players or your in-game friends. Sadly numerous users have reported issues while joining their friends in Co-op mode. On the other hand, random matchmaking seems to be working fine for most users. Let’s take a look at some of the common issues faced when trying to initiate Co-op in Wasteland 3.
- Message for ‘connectivity error’.
- Random drop-outs while in-game
- Random Crashes
The issue seems to be happening for a select few users for now but it seems to be server sided. As this is only the first week of their launch, these kinds of things are to be expected but not as regularly as it seems to be happening for some users. inXile Entertainment has a nifty guide on port forwarding that seems to be the official solution for these issues. You can check it out at this link.
Another fix that has been reported is that if a guest leaves your lobby then you will need to recreate another room so that the guest can rejoin.
As always, ensure that you are updated to the latest version 1.03 of the game which fixes many initial day bugs.
Camera bug
The camera issue particularly with edge scanning is a well-documented issue with multiple reports during this initial release phase. It seems to be an issue with the game’s mechanics where the mouse control resembles movement in an X-Y axis as though mimicking analog controls. There is no ‘fix’ for this problem but you can try holding down your middle mouse button while looking to rotate it much more smoothly. Some users have also reported an issue with directional movement where the additional smoothing seems unnatural and has a learning curve to it. This is another instance of the way the game is designed.
Game not saving/ Quick Save not working
The Game save issue is one of the most widely documented and reported issues of Wasteland 3. Users have reported problems trying to save the game after hours of initial gameplay which was disheartening for most players, to say the least. inXile has a quick fix available on their official website as well and the main culprit seems to be anti-virus programs. Reportedly Wasteland 3 is not being detected as a safe to run the program which prevents it from saving any kind of file on your PC. Here are some quick fixes that you can apply if you are facing this issue.
Note: Before trying any of these fixes, ensure that you are updated to the latest version of Wasteland 3 ie: v1.03. A quick fix patch was released by the devs shortly after its release which fixes major known bugs in the game.
Recognize Wasteland 3 as a safe program
If you are using Windows Defender then you need to make sure that Wasteland 3 has not been identified as a threat. If you are using third party anti-virus programs then ensure that Wasteland 3 is not only recognized as safe by your anti threat protection but also any firewall and other file scanning protection in place. Most real-time protection services might also block the program so ensure that it is recognized as a safe program to run on your system. Windows smart screen can be another program that might interfere with Wasteland 3
Restart your system and proceed with administrative privileges
If the fix above does not work for you then try to restart your system and make the same changes to your anti-virus program using administrator privileges. If you have any other protection services in place then ensure that they are not preventing Wasteland 3 from writing files on your system memory.
Nuclear Option
If nothing seems to work for you, then the best bet would be to disconnect your system from the internet, disabling your anti-virus program, and trying to save a Wasteland 3 save file. If this seems to solve the issue for you, then you might need to check in with your antivirus settings again. On the other hand, if you are not the administrator of the current machine then you will need administrative privileges to save games in Wasteland 3 for now.
Problems launching Wasteland from Xbox Game Pass
If you are a Game Pass user then you have probably been waiting for Wasteland 3 for quite some time now. The game has been showcased for months so it comes as a disappointment to many when the game refuses to launch upon install. Some users have reported being stuck on the home screen while others are unable to launch the game no matter what. While the latest update ie: v1.03 seems to have fixed this issue for some users, it still seems to be plaguing several users. The only workaround, for now, seems to be reinstalling the Xbox Services on your PC. Follow the guide below to help you reinstall the program on your pc.
Right-click on the Start menu icon in the bottom left corner of your screen and click on ‘PowerShell (Admin)’.
Now copy-paste the following command in the PowerShell window.
get-appxpackage Microsoft.GamingServices | remove-AppxPackage -allusers
Hit ‘Enter’ to execute the command once pasted.
Wait for the process to finish, and then copy-paste the following command below in the same PowerShell window.
start ms-windows-store://pdp/?productid=9MWPM2CQNLHN
The Windows Store page will now open up. Install the app on a particular page.
Once the app is installed, try to launch Wasteland 3 again and it should fix this issue for most users.
Software updates and fixes:
Update 1.1.0 patch Notes
Keeping up to their promise of regular bug fixes, inXile has released another update to Wasteland 3 that helps patch many major bugs for PC users. The 1.1.0 patch comes with further optimizations as well but is sadly only available for PC users. The update is expected to hit consoles next week. Let’s take a look at the changelog and all the bugs that have been fixed by this new patch.
Gameplay Fixes
- Fixed issues that could cause character and quest progression to be lost
- Fixed Fishlips’ encounter
- Fixed an issue where some players would see an endlessly looping Ambush Site intro
- The La Perla quest can now be completed
- Polly and the Cyborg Chickens have been beefed up
Co-Op Fixes
- Fixed issues that could cause character and quest progression to be lost
- Fixed multiple issues that could cause an infinite loading screen
- We’re aware this issue is still impacting some players and are investigating
- Fixed a sync issue where the host and guest could see the Kodiak in different places after receiving a radio call
- The host and guests will no longer get different radio calls on the world map
- Resolved an issue where one player would only see a black screen while the other is watching the intro video
- Resolved an issue whereby one player getting disconnected in character creation within Ranger HQ would cause the other player’s game to become unresponsive
- Fixed a crash that could occur when a second player joins an in-progress conversation with Irv
- Fixed a crash that could occur for the guest when talking with Hope Emerson
Performance Optimization
- Fixed a possible freeze when approaching a specific robot in Broadmoor Heights
- Fixed an issue where the UI could disappear if viewing the main menu for a long time
Fixes for Console users
- Numerous changes aimed at improving stability
PS4 Fixes
- [L2] button now highlights items in the game world
When is the 1.1.0 patch coming for Consoles?
While the 1.1.0 patch has been released for PC users, Console users are still running the 0-day patch. According to the official account of inXile, the patch will be released next week ie: between 14th to 21st September. Console users seem to be affected by a lot more bugs when compared to PC users and the developers wish to ensure that they can fix as many as they can before the patch is released.
Update v1.03
To fix the initial bugs and issues, inXile Entertainment released an incremental update to Wasteland v1.03 with the following bugs squashed. As such, if you were facing any of the following issues, you should first update to the latest version and that should fix most of the problems for you.
- Your selection reticle will get stuck when browsing your inventory if you choose a weapon that a character has equipped and then swap to a character that doesn’t have a weapon equipped in the same slot.
- The move/attack range outlines for the Kodiak don’t show up properly in the tank’s movement grid.
- The action bar can be selectable underneath some menus and screens.
- Selection boxes may appear offscreen, and UI selections may double up.
- The reputation of world map merchants is always displayed as Neutral when you speak with them regardless of their actual reputation. This is just a display issue.
- HIt chances for enemies are not showing up as often as intended.
- Guests can’t rejoin a co-op lobby game after quitting.
- Sending a chat message when selecting a starting duo in co-op will actually start the game.
- The Player Options menu in the co-op lobby can’t be closed unless you select something.
- In console versions of the game, co-op guests who use a deployable to pull an enemy into combat will crash the game.
- Guests may be unable to equip preorder bonus weapons if they are dropped and traded in a co-op session.
- Some of the Kodiak’s weapons don’t deal damage when you ambush enemies.
- Some Downtown Colorado Springs NPCs are shivering instead of playing their normal idle dialogue.
- If you aim elsewhere after targeting an AOE in combat, the enemies may stay highlighted.
- Enemies will sometimes get stuck in a walk cycle when seeking cover.
We hope this guide helped you fix most issues plaguing the latest release of Wasteland 3. What did you think about the game? Feel free to share your thoughts with us in the comments section below. As always, if you wish to report a bug to the devs, you can contact them using this link which you can bookmark for easy access.
