Where Winds Meet DX12 or Not? Normal vs DX12 Guide
© gamerblurb.com | Published on 11/15/2025 at 8:38 PM CST (USA)
Launching Where Winds Meet gives you two start options: the standard version and the DirectX 12 version. While both run the same game, the performance and stability can differ a lot depending on your hardware. Here’s how each version works and which one you should pick.
Which Version You Should Use
Start with DX12 if your system supports it. It gives smoother frame pacing, better multithreading, and access to AMD FSR features like frame generation. Most modern GPUs from NVIDIA’s RTX and AMD’s RX lines will handle DX12 fine.
If your game crashes, stutters, or shows a black screens when starting, switch back to the normal (DX11) version. It’s more stable right now, especially on older CPUs or integrated GPUs. The graphics difference between the two is minimal, but the stability difference can be big depending on your setup.
How to Switch Between Normal and DX12
Changing versions takes only a few clicks in Steam.
When launching the game, select “Where Winds Meet DirectX12” from the pop-up menu
If the option doesn’t appear, open your Steam Library and click the gear icon beside the Play button
Go to the General tab and look for “Selected Launch Option”
Pick DX12 or the normal version and close the menu
Relaunch Steam as an administrator if you hit black screen errors
Extra Details on Performance Differences vs Regular
DX12 mainly improves how the game handles multiple CPU cores, allowing smoother combat scenes and faster area transitions. It can also help with shader loading, reducing the stutter that happens when new effects appear for the first time.
However, DX12 also demands more from your drivers. Systems running outdated GPU drivers or missing Windows updates often see startup crashes or long shader compile times. DX11 doesn’t use as much parallel processing, but that also makes it easier to run on midrange laptops or older rigs.
Some players have reported that DX12 preloads Vulkan shaders or gb-proxy during launch, which can take extra time the first time you boot it up. After that initial load, it usually runs better, but that first startup might look like a freeze when it’s just caching data.
Final Blurb
In Where Winds Meet, DX12 gives slightly better visuals and performance when it works smoothly, while DX11 offers reliability with fewer crashes. Try DX12 first, test how stable it feels, and swap back if anything breaks. This balance may change as patches roll out, and we’ll update this guide when the game’s DirectX performance improves further.
FAQ
What’s the main benefit of DX12
It can use your CPU and GPU more efficiently for better frame pacing.
Why does the DX12 version crash on launch
It may be caused by missing shader data or driver conflicts.
Does DX12 look better
Not much, but lighting and draw distance may appear slightly smoother.
Can AMD users gain more from DX12
Yes, because FSR features like frame generation rely on DX12.
Should I always pick DX12 after patches
Yes, once stability improves, DX12 will likely become the preferred version for most systems.
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