Assassin's Creed Origins & Valhalla Patches: Solutions to Windows 11 24H2 Issues

When epic historical adventures meet frustrating compatibility quirks, you can be sure the internet will make some noise. That’s exactly what’s unfolded as Ubisoft, known for their blockbuster Assassin's Creed franchise, has rolled out crucial patches for Assassin's Creed Origins and Valhalla. These updates aim to address the compatibility issues introduced by Microsoft’s recent Windows 11 24H2 update. Let's dissect how these updates came about, what they resolve, and explore the broader implications for gamers and Windows users.

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The Problem: Windows 11 24H2's Game Compatibility Woes​

The Windows 11 24H2 update, touted as an incremental enhancement to Microsoft's flagship operating system, inadvertently brought along a glitch in the matrix for gamers. Titles like Star Wars Outlaws, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, and several Assassin's Creed installments became the unexpected victims. Ubisoft’s acclaimed historical action series, spanning ancient Egypt (Origins), Viking-era England (Valhalla), and classical Greece (Odyssey), faced widespread crashes, unresponsiveness, and failed loads.
Microsoft acknowledged the severity of this problem in November 2024, listing these titles on their Windows Health dashboard. To prevent further chaos, the 24H2 update was blocked for systems with these games installed. Just imagine bracing for the mythical Norse apocalypse in Valhalla, only for your game to crash before the first swing of your Viking axe – not exactly Ragnarök-worthy.

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Ubisoft Steps In: Patch Details​

Ubisoft, in an effort to quell fan frustration, has released updates for Assassin's Creed Origins and Valhalla. Here’s what’s in store with these patches:

• Assassin's Creed Origins: Users can now download update 1.62, weighing 230MB. This patch targets and resolves compatibility issues, allowing gamers to explore ancient Egypt’s golden sands without technical interruptions.
• Assassin's Creed Valhalla: A meatier 500MB patch brings this title to version 1.7.0. Like its Egyptian counterpart, this update tackles the unresponsiveness and loading issues caused by the Windows update.

Unfortunately, Assassin's Creed Odyssey, often regarded as one of the series' biggest hits, remains untouched for now. While Steam reviews suggest fewer compatibility issues compared to the other two titles, Ubisoft has yet to clarify if an update for Odyssey is in the works.

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The Windows Health Dashboard and Remaining Concerns​

Microsoft’s Windows Health dashboard still warns about potential game-breaking incompatibilities for Valhalla, Origins, and Odyssey. Descriptions include ominous phrases like, “games might become unresponsive while starting, loading, or during active gameplay.” It’s likely this will soon change as users install the new patches. Even so, lingering skepticism remains around how robust these updates really are. Will this fully resolve the problem, or are gamers merely in for temporary relief?

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A Closer Look at Windows 11 24H2 and Gaming​

The botched compatibility here raises an eyebrow when evaluating Windows 11 as a gaming platform. Promoted for its gaming prowess with features like DirectStorage, Auto HDR, and optimizations for CPUs and GPUs, such glaring hiccups undermine user trust. Let’s unpack what caused the trouble and how patches like these come into play.

Compatibility & Windows’ Subsystems​

Windows updates, including 24H2, often involve under-the-hood changes to kernel operations, DirectX APIs, driver interfaces, and even memory allocation protocols. Games built on older or slightly customized engines, as is the case with Ubisoft’s AnvilNext game engine, can face runtime conflicts when such changes are made. Issues could stem from:

• Memory Addressing Mishaps: Modern games rely heavily on dynamic memory allocation. Mismanaged changes in Windows’ kernel or virtual memory mapping can lead to crashes when starting or during gameplay.
• DirectX Irritants: Updates to DirectX libraries can sometimes conflict with the graphics pipeline of games optimized for earlier versions, causing crashes or rendering bugs.
• Driver & Middleware Lags: Incompatibilities between updated Windows APIs and middleware like physics engines (e.g., Havok) or audio systems can pull games into the abyss of endless crashing.

Ubisoft Strikes Back: Updating AnvilNext​

The patches for Origins and Valhalla likely entail tweaks to the way AnvilNext interacts with these Windows subsystems. Such updates typically involve resolving calls to graphics/rendering APIs, debugging memory allocation requests, and ensuring middleware components don’t conflict with OS kernel alterations. The smaller patch size is promising, suggesting targeted fixes rather than a heavy-handed retrofit.

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The Broader Implications​

For Gamers​

These misadventures between Windows updates and games highlight the fragility of modern PC gaming. With an increasing reliance on day-one updates, live services, and post-launch patches, gamers are at the mercy of developers and platform holders. The palpable frustration among Ubisoft’s community reveals one truth – stable updates should be a priority, not an afterthought.

For Microsoft​

The situation is also a wake-up call for Microsoft to rethink its communication and testing strategies. While using machine learning to predict compatibility issues is a step forward (hence blocking updates for affected titles), the proactive inclusion of gaming partners before rolling out significant OS changes could streamline the process. A stronger developer-preview ecosystem might preempt such compatibility blunders in the future.

For Ubisoft​

Ubisoft’s quick response (well, “quick” in a generously relative sense) is commendable, though its inability to ship simultaneous patches across the affected games leaves room for criticism. Leaving Odyssey users in limbo risks alienating a portion of their loyal fan base – hardly ideal for a studio with an ambitious AAA roadmap.

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How to Update Your Game​

If you’re one of the affected players and want to waste no time diving back into your game, here’s how you can grab the updates:

• For Steam: Ensure that automatic updates are enabled. Go to your game in the Library, right-click > Properties > Updates, and verify that “Always keep this game updated” is selected. If you don’t see an update, restart the Steam client.
• For Ubisoft Connect: Open the client, navigate to your library, and select the gear icon for Origins or Valhalla. Click “Verify Files” to force-check for updates.
• For Epic Games Store: Launch the client, go to your Library, and click on the three-dot menu for the game. Select “Manage” and toggle the auto-update option.

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Final Thoughts: Who Watches the Updates?​

This entire kerfuffle serves as a reminder: gamers and developers alike exist in a complex patchwork of operating systems, APIs, and hardware. While today we’re celebrating smoother gaming sessions in Origins and Valhalla, we’re also left asking bigger questions—how can industry giants like Microsoft and Ubisoft work together to guarantee smoother patches and fewer disruptions?
What are your thoughts on these updates? Did the compatibility issues affect your gameplay? Head over to the Forum and share your experience. Let’s talk gaming and tech!

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Source: Neowin Updates hit Assassin's Creed Origins and Valhalla to fix Windows 11 24H2 compatibility issue

 

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For fans of Ubisoft’s widely celebrated Assassin's Creed series, a recent patch has delivered some much-needed salvation. If you’re a PC gamer who struggled to immerse yourself in ancient Egypt or the Viking world due to nagging issues with the latest Windows 11 version 24H2 update, your days of frustration might be over. Let’s dive in.

The Compatibility Quandary​

When Microsoft rolled out its 24H2 feature update for Windows 11, many were eager to embrace the changes, bringing enhancements across user experience, security, and performance realms. However, for gamers, particularly those in Ubisoft's sprawling Assassin's Creed community, this update came with a catch—serious compatibility issues with Assassin's Creed Origins and Assassin's Creed Valhalla. What did this look like, you ask?

• Login Woes: Some players couldn’t even get past the title screen. Imagine booting up the game, excitement building, only to be locked out entirely.
• Instability: Frequent crashes and freezing drove many gamers back to the drawing board, trying compatibility modes and troubleshooting every setting.
• Graphical and Performance Glitches: Particularly for performance-driven titles like these, the lags and stutters were immersion-breakers.

Ubisoft to the Rescue: A Patch Saves the Day​

After weeks of player complaints, Ubisoft has responded with a patch designed specifically to untangle these issues on Windows 11 24H2. And the outcome? By all accounts, both Assassin's Creed Origins and Valhalla are now running smoothly on updated systems. That’s right—no more boot loops or game-ending crashes in the middle of battle.
But what exactly did this patch fix? While Ubisoft hasn't disclosed every technical detail, the fix likely involved adjusting the games to better interact with changes in Windows 11’s core systems, such as DirectX updates, kernel changes, and driver-handling processes. Here’s what this means for you as a user:

• Smooth Gameplay: The games load correctly and maintain stability across extensive sessions.
• Graphics Restore Order: Clipping, stutters, and frame rate drops should no longer make you want to uninstall the game in frustration.
• Seamless Save Loading: Reports of corrupted save files seem to have vanished with this update.

If you haven’t patched yet, it’s highly recommended to update via Ubisoft Connect or your gaming launcher immediately.

Microsoft’s Stance and a Word of Caution​

While Microsoft emphasized that the issues solely affected these two titles from the Assassin's Creed franchise, they also issued an advisement to users: if you own other Ubisoft titles, don’t assume you’re safe just yet. Games like the upcoming Star Wars: Outlaws or the heavily anticipated Avatar adaptation may still face challenges running on systems running the 24H2 update.
The problem, in part, highlights the complexity of optimizing games for evolving operating systems. Operating system updates are inevitable, but they can significantly affect how older software interacts with updated hardware drivers, rendering engines, or even user permissions—a reality that can lead to malfunctions like those encountered by Ubisoft's games.
Microsoft has yet to roll out adjustments on their side for games not covered in this patch, urging players to exercise caution. The takeaway? If you own these titles and enjoy smooth gameplay, you might want to delay updating to 24H2 just yet.

The Broader Implications: Why Do Updates Break Games?​

This isn’t the first time a major update broke something beloved by gamers, and it certainly won’t be the last. So what gives?

• API Changes: A significant portion of the issue stems from changes in APIs like DirectX, which can leave code optimized for older versions in the dust.
• DRM Conflicts: Ubisoft, like many AAA game developers, employs DRM (Digital Rights Management) solutions that operate at a deep level within the system's architecture. If a kernel change or new security option in Windows disrupts these algorithms, the entire game might fail to launch properly.
• Driver Dependencies: Updates can also alter how GPUs and CPUs interact with games. Bugs often surface when an updated driver reconfigures memory allocation or processing instructions.
• Testing Limitations: No team has infinite resources, meaning not every possible hardware/software configuration is evaluated. What works reliably on a test machine might fail spectacularly on 99% of PCs.

How Gamers Can Stay Ahead of the Curve​

If you’re not thrilled by the prospect of surprise bugs disrupting your gaming marathons, you can adopt a few best practices:

• Check Forums Before Updating: Platforms like WindowsForum.com and Reddit are often flooded with crowdsourced reports right after an update drops. If gamers are suffering, word will spread fast.
• Dual Boot Systems: For hardcore enthusiasts, maintaining a secondary partition running an older, stable version of software may save your sanity.
• Backup It All: Before making significant updates to your OS, back up game saves and system settings—you’ll thank yourself later.
• Be Patient: Game and OS updates often see critical patches rolled out within weeks—waiting can save you a lot of headaches.
• Use Compatibility Tools: Windows has built-in compatibility tools you can leverage to run potentially problematic software in older configurations.

What About Other Ubisoft Games?​

While fans of Origins and Valhalla can now heave a sigh of relief, it seems Ubisoft’s technical bandwidth isn’t infinite. No announcements have been made regarding patch rollouts for potential issues in other Ubisoft software. Given the size of the Assassin's Creed, Star Wars, and Avatar fandoms alone, these teething problems could cause significant irritation for Ubisoft if not addressed.
Microsoft, on the other hand, has managed to sidestep outright blame for this round of headaches, emphasizing its collaborative efforts with developers to ensure smoother transitions. Whether a more proactive approach could have mitigated these issues earlier is another debate entirely.

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In Summary: Don’t Abandon Ship Yet​

Ubisoft’s rapid response to the Windows 11 24H2 crisis demonstrates their commitment to their dedicated Assassin's Creed community. While Origins and Valhalla players can continue leaping from rooftops and exploring elaborate open worlds, caution is still warranted for owners of other Ubisoft titles. Be vigilant, stay informed, and update wisely.
Get back to exploring Egypt and storming Viking shores—it’s officially time to hit “Continue.” Are you still experiencing issues? Let the community know in the comments, and we can tackle these modern-day Animus anomalies together!

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Source: RaillyNews https://raillynews.com/2025/01/assassins-creed-origins-win-11-problems-solved/