Cannot Install - HTTP Download Error - Bad CDN Nodes

I recently purchased a new computer and one of the first things I tried to do was install Path of Exile. After many starts and stops, I am repeatedly getting the following error that's causing the installation to fail:

"

Connection Failure: Unrecognized or bad HTTP Content or Transfer-Encoding while downloading http://patchcdn.pathofexile.com/3.10.1.2/Metadata/Terrain/Doodads/SarnTown/RopeBasket.ao

When I try to access that file directly with Chrome, I get a network error and the file cannot be downloaded.

I spent a substantial amount of time trying to debug this issue, checking my network connection, my anti-virus settings, my firewall settings. I even completely wiped and reinstalled Windows on the new machine. Nothing helped.

I then tried to access that file in Chrome on a different machine. This time the file downloaded successfully, but I realized I was connected to a VPN on that alternate machine. The plot thickens...

Here's the verbose cURL output for downloading this file on my VPN in Virginia:

"

$ curl -v http://patchcdn.pathofexile.com/3.10.1.2/Metadata/Terrain/Doodads/SarnTown/RopeBasket.ao -o RopeBasket.ao

% Total % Received % Xferd Average Speed Time Time Time Current
Dload Upload Total Spent Left Speed
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 --:--:-- --:--:-- --:--:-- 0* Trying 205.185.216.42...
* TCP_NODELAY set
* Connected to patchcdn.pathofexile.com (205.185.216.42) port 80 (#0)
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 --:--:-- --:--:-- --:--:-- 0> GET /3.10.1.2/Metadata/Terrain/Doodads/SarnTown/RopeBasket.ao HTTP/1.1
> Host: patchcdn.pathofexile.com
> User-Agent: curl/7.64.1
> Accept: */*
>
< HTTP/1.1 200 OK
< Date: Fri, 10 Apr 2020 11:18:43 GMT
< Connection: Keep-Alive
< Accept-Ranges: bytes
< ETag: "1585205817"
< Cache-Control: max-age=86400
< Content-Length: 378
< Content-Type: application/octet-stream
< Last-Modified: Thu, 26 Mar 2020 06:56:57 GMT
< X-HW: 1586517523.dop176.dc2.t,1586517523.cds093.dc2.c
<
{ [378 bytes data]
100 378 100 378 0 0 4784 0 --:--:-- --:--:-- --:--:-- 4725
* Connection #0 to host patchcdn.pathofexile.com left intact
* Closing connection 0

Here's the verbose cURL output from downloading this file when not connected to my VPN:

"

$ curl -v http://patchcdn.pathofexile.com/3.10.1.2/Metadata/Terrain/Doodads/SarnTown/RopeBasket.ao -o RopeBasket.ao

% Total % Received % Xferd Average Speed Time Time Time Current
Dload Upload Total Spent Left Speed
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 --:--:-- --:--:-- --:--:-- 0* Trying 205.185.216.10...
* TCP_NODELAY set
* Connected to patchcdn.pathofexile.com (205.185.216.10) port 80 (#0)
> GET /3.10.1.2/Metadata/Terrain/Doodads/SarnTown/RopeBasket.ao HTTP/1.1
> Host: patchcdn.pathofexile.com
> User-Agent: curl/7.64.1
> Accept: */*
>
< HTTP/1.1 200 OK
< Date: Fri, 10 Apr 2020 11:20:01 GMT
< Connection: Keep-Alive
< Accept-Ranges: bytes
< ETag: "1585205817"
< Cache-Control: max-age=86400
< Content-Length: 200
< Content-Type: application/octet-stream
< Last-Modified: Thu, 26 Mar 2020 06:56:57 GMT
< X-HW: 1586517601.dop063.ny3.t,1586517601.cds060.ny3.c
<
{ [200 bytes data]
100 200 100 200 0 0 1960 0 --:--:-- --:--:-- --:--:-- 1960
* Connection #0 to host patchcdn.pathofexile.com left intact
* Closing connection 0

The interesting factoids here:

The successful download pulls 378 bytes. Also look at the "X-HW" header: "X-HW: 1586517523.dop176.dc2.t,1586517523.cds093.dc2.c"

The failed download pulls 200 bytes. Look at the "X-HW" header: "X-HW: 1586517601.dop063.ny3.t,1586517601.cds060.ny3.c". Looking at the downloaded file in a hex editor, I see that it's full of zero byte characters.

My conclusion is that a New York node of the patch CDN is not serving installation file(s) properly, whereas the Washington DC node that my VPN connects to is having no such issues.

Please fix this! I'm not the only one experiencing this problem!

https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/2813137
https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/2825800
https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/2794486

having same issue, when will there be a fix

Same issue. New York state.

I don't think it's as simple as one of these servers vs the other.

nslookup on patchcdn.pathofexile.com lists 2 IPs--the same 2 reported by OP.

I modified the hosts file to point patchcdn.pathofexile.com to 205.185.216.42, the IP from which the "good" file was retrieved.

I confirmed with ping that the URL is picking up that IP. Running the installer still gives the same error on the stupid rope basket.

For anyone else reading, I did try using PakCheck and repeating this exercise. While PakCheck reports it repaired RopeBasket.ao (and a couple other files), starting the installer again results in the same error

More data...

Using curl repeatedly on patchcdn.pathofexile.com seems to arbitrarily pick .10 or .42.

It must be more than which server the client connects to

Just posting to say I'm having a similar issue. Made a reddit thread about it here with the exact file missing error thingy. Will try a VPN.

Same issue as a casual returning player. Fresh install on Win10, installer keeps crashing on file: Act4/Arena/tier2_InsidePillarsns.dds

Connecting from NJ, but practically NYC. 1.03MB away so close..

Looking forward to the unique storage tab and derping around in the mines.

Having this problem as well, and I have to say that it speaks volumes about the dev team here that this is STILL an issue. Before I found this one I found other threads going back months with the exact same problem.

Makes me feel like they don't care... And I've barely started my journey.

Like I see and read States have problem with trying play with this game.
Europe don't, Russia don't, all rest World don't have, something is at Yours site wrong...

Connecting to my phones hotspot and re-running PoE got me by this issue. Hope this helps.