Linux Review:

ELDEN RING

THE CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED FANTASY ACTION RPG. Rise, Tarnished, and be guided by grace to brandish the power of the Elden Ring and become an Elden Lord in the Lands Between.

PROTON TIER: GOLD

Elden Ring - Linux (Proton) Technical Documentation

Elden Ring is a critically acclaimed fantasy action RPG where players explore the Lands Between and strive to become an Elden Lord.

Status: Proton. Gold tier rating on ProtonDB.

TWEAKS & TRICKS

• Controller Issues with Wayland: Controller input fails if Wayland is enabled through launch options.
• Game Launch Failure (Intel with E-Cores): The game may refuse to launch after a 2025 patch due to anti-cheat incompatibility with Intel CPUs utilizing e-cores.
  • Solution: WINE_CPU_TOPOLOGY=[number of P-cores]:0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15 %command% (Replace [number of P-cores] with the actual number of physical P-cores on your Intel processor).
• EAC Crashes (Online Play): Issues related to Easy Anti-Cheat (EAC) can cause crashes when attempting online play.
• Frequent Crashes (AMD GPU + DLC): The game may crash during fast travel or mid-fight when using an AMD GPU with the DLC installed.
• Sound Issues: Audio crackling.
  • Solution: -sdlaudiodriver=pulse
• PS4 Controller Input Issues: Controller input is initially not detected until PC restart; touchpad inputs can disable gamepad functionality.
  • Solution: Disable touchpad functionality while a mouse is connected in KDE settings.
• Shader Compilation Stutters: Runs smoother with reduced shader compilation stutters and similar or better FPS compared to Windows.
• Bios Instability: Frequent crashes can be reduced via BIOS adjustments.
  • Solution: Set C-State to Enabled, not Auto. Set PCIe Gen mode to a specific number (e.g., 4 or 5), not Auto.

Verdict:

Despite some reported issues, Elden Ring runs well under Proton and is a viable option for Linux gamers. Prioritize BIOS configuration and CPU topology adjustments for optimal stability, particularly on Intel systems with e-cores.