Is this normal? Memory leak?

Vasoka · January 2017

To sum up.

I log in some major city, max settings keeping 60 fps no problem (vsync locked).

I go out, quest around for a while and return to the city. Now I have 45-55 fps and notable choppyness and horrible performance.

Restarting the game and logging back in seems to solve it completely.

I read that there has been a lot of memory leaks wit this game, is that what it is?

Specs: MSI gaming X gtx1070 - i7-4790k. SSD evo850 samsung

Vasoka · January 2017

Has anyone else noticed this? Trying to see if it's a problem with me or normal game behavior.

itz_Lobster · January 2017

Yes I have noticed it too, seems to be somewhat random for me though.

MissBizz · January 2017

I notice this in VMA. Very rarely after dungeon marathons... But every time I got into VMA I need to restart the game every 30 minutes.

Gargath · January 2017

Happens to me too, from time to time the game needs to log of-log on character to play smooth again. Then after an hour or more the process must be repeated.

Draxys · January 2017

Yep, happens in pvp all the time

ZOS_PeterT · January 2017

We recommend that you exit the game and run a repair on the game launcher to ensure that it is completely up to date.

If the problem persists, please let us know and we'll be sure to investigate further. In the meantime, here are some tips that may help reduce and minimize the effects of the memory leak. Start by adjusting the graphics settings. This will reduce the strain on the computer:

•Change the display mode to Windowed (Fullscreen)
•Turn on Vertical Sync
•Reduce quality settings for SubSampling, Shadow Quality, and Water Reflection Quality

In addition to this, it may be helpful to launch the game directly using eso.exe from the installation directory (located here by default: C:\Program Files (x86)\Zenimax Online\The Elder Scrolls Online\game\client). Alternatively, it could help to alt-tab out to the game launcher once the game has launched.

Similarly, the you may want to try closing out of any programs not being used to avoid overtasking the computer. The simplest way to do this is to run the computer in selective startup, which will limit the number of programs which will start when rebooting the computer.

To put a computer in selective startup mode, follow these steps:
•Click Start and type "msconfig" in the search box
•Right click on the "msconfig.exe" program and choose "Run as administrator"
•On the General Tab at the top, click on the Selective startup button
•Uncheck "Load startup items"
•Click on the Services tab and check the "Hide all Microsoft services" box
•Click the "Disable all" button at the bottom
•Click Apply, then click OK.
•Restart your computer

When the computer boots up again, it will be in selective startup. Try the game again and see if this helps limit the memory leak problem. After playing, selective startup can be turned off. This is done by opening the msconfig window again and selecting the Normal startup button. Click Apply, then click OK, and restart the computer again.

For more detailed instructions on this process, visit the Microsoft support page here: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929135.

Note: Spending a long time at the character selection screen seems to increase the effects of the memory leak.

xRIVALENx · January 2017

Probably not a sound idea to disable your antivirus or firewall but what do I know right.... May want to let those load in selective startup.

Humbled_Sniper · February 2017

I am having this same issue. I've tried settings, disabling/uninstalling addons, tweaking the usersettings.ini, I don't understand what to do. I play for 30 mins and my FPS goes from 60 at the beginning down to 30-40 fps in the same area. I just made the switch from Xbox to PC this week. I was already unhappy with the loss of all my Crown Store purchases, as they are not transferable but this is almost unplayable. Can't even do quests on this new character as I have to restart the game every 20-30 mins. Extremely disappointed as I have now bought 2 copies of this game and have been an ESO Plus sub since day one. The whole reason for switching to PC was to get BETTER performance than consoles, not worse. I hope something is done about this soon.

aurly · February 2017

There's another thread on the subject here, perhaps it has useful information: https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en-GB/discussion/241603/fps-drop-over-time/p7 (@ZOS_PeterT in case you missed it)

It may be a problem in Windows 10, not in the game, and some people have "fixed" it by going back to Windows 8.1. I've been unable to confirm that for myself but I can say nothing else has worked so far for me. If it's an option for you, it might be worth giving a shot.

chodenode · February 2017

Just reporting that I have the same problem that did not seem to happen about 6 months ago (I took a long break).

Problem seems to exacerbate when I transition between zones, but does slow down over time if I remain in a single zone. Towns make the framerate drop happen quicker.

Closing and relaunching the game resolves the problem completely. Have tried deleting and reinstalling. Problem occurred on a new install WITHOUT using mods. I have tried turning off all shadows, lowering the particle effect sliders, and the various tweeks in USERSETTINGS.txt that you find on these and other forums. I consistently start with an fps in the 45-60 range and over time drop to 11-14 fps before I get frustrated and relaunch the game. Upon login, I get back to 45-60 fps in the same place I was getting 11-14.