14 DAY TRIAL // Watch Dogs on the PC platform is still plagued by the already infamous disrupt_b64.dll error and crash, but some users have reported coming up with a workaround that fixes, at least for now, the nasty problem.
Watch Dogs launched last month and delivered a great open world experience that blended traditional mechanics, like driving or shooting, with hacking and stealth, impressing millions of players worldwide across the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One platforms.
Unfortunately, the launch was plagued by many issues and problems on most of these platforms, relating to failed online hacking missions or just downright crashes.
By far the most affected version of the game was the PC edition, which had problems with its visual settings, its gameplay, and, what's worse, with its actual files.
The most infamous error was related to the disrupt_b64.dll file that caused a crash just a few seconds after the game entered the main menu. We reported on possible solutions to the issue but many didn't work at all.
While Ubisoft is supposedly busy working on an official patch to solve this major problem, alongside other issues, users on the Ubisoft forums have found a new workaround for the disrupt_b64.dll error.
More specifically, it seems that the crash is due to the Shadows and Shader quality settings, which can be altered by editing the GamerProfile.xml file found in My Documents/My Games/Watch_Dogs/<random folder name>.
Once you open the file, navigate to the "ShadowQuality" entry and change it to medium, high, or ultra, depending on the power of your graphics card. The ShadingQuality setting also needs to be changed to medium, high, or ultra.
Apparently, many players report that, when the quality of the shadows and the shaders was set to low, the disrupt_b64.dll crash and error appeared. Almost all of those who said that the issue was fixed using the workaround above had AMD cards, so it's unclear if it works on Nvidia graphics cards as well.
Alternatively, if you encounter issues finding the GamerProfile.xml file or editing it, a full version of its contents has been posted on the official forums, so that you can copy and paste it over your existing file.
We have tried this solution on the Watch Dogs build that encountered the disrupt_b64.dll error and, unfortunately, it had no effect, as it still crashes just a few seconds after it enters the main menu.
As of yet, Ubisoft still isn't commenting on the errors plaguing Watch Dogs owners.
Thanks for the tip, Casper.