ntdll.dll crash error -random-frustrating! only with 3.15

I made a post in another thread a while back that didn't see further input, so I thought I'd make my own - maybe someone has similar issues.

Since 3.15 - Steam Version - I've been getting entirely random crashes, with Windows event viewer saying PathOfExileSteam.exe crashed with faulting module ntdll.dll

This is not game breakly constant, I've had a couple dozen hours in 3.15 where I now total 15 crashes. I did not crash at all in 3.14.

There seems to be no rhyme nor reason to it. I can play through an entire act, then log on the character again and within 3 minutes crash. I can run a few maps without a crash, or I can crash 3 minutes after I've logged on and started a map. I've even crashed just semi-afk in hideout. I've crashed midway through an uber lab, and failed a zana mission due to crash.

- I've tried adjusting in game settings, resolution, graphics, windowed mode, even set renderer to Vulkan, stopped playing with awakened POE mod. Game has crashed after trying all that.
- I've updated drivers, windows, everything I can think of.
- I've run dism and sfc tools in command prompt to see if there was a windows corruption - maybe a couple of irrelevant errors were found & fixed, but crashed afterwards anyway.
- Uninstalled and reinstalled the game on a completely different drive (my newer NVme game drive). Thought that fixed it for a day, then it started crashing again.
- I've run windows memory tester (on reboot) - no faults. Have not tried memtest86. Hardware seems to cope with stress testing CPU & GPU & Ram.

- I will NOT be reinstalling windows to try and fix this game.

thought: You'd think if critical system file ntdll.dll was corrupt, it would be affecting many things?

- My system is a 3900X with 32GB Ram, 2070 super & NVme system and game drives. This system is ~16 months old, and I can't recall an OS crash - it is very stable. Can have weeks of uptime without reset.

Currently have a gigabit connection with ping around 12-13ms and no apparent latency or packet loss issues. (I'm in Sydney, Australia) FPS remains high on lower settings (100-140).

I have a brother who plays the game - on an intel system with an RTX 2080, and he reported the same crash error today for the first time (faulting module ntdll.dll)
- So this tells me this is not specific to my system or CPU architecture.

Here is what Event Viewer says:
Faulting application name: PathOfExileSteam.exe, version: 0.0.0.0, time stamp: 0x6111c6ea
Faulting module name: ntdll.dll, version: 10.0.19041.1110, time stamp: 0xe7a22463
Exception code: 0xc0000374
Fault offset: 0x00000000000ff259
Faulting process ID: 0x6098
Faulting application start time: 0x01d791b21d87549b
Faulting application path: D:\Steam\steamapps\common\Path of Exile\PathOfExileSteam.exe
Faulting module path: C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\ntdll.dll
Report ID: e589be71-8872-4f90-b166-fe27090a64ab

In the details there is this specific line that may clue in any tech savvy:
Exception Offset: "PCH_7F_FROM_ntdll+0x000000000009D974"
This has also been PCH_A3 / PCH_6A / D9 / 05 etc

ALSO NOTE again: Windows Diagnostic Viewer lists 15 application crashes for PathOfExile Steam, the first of which was July 26. None last league at all.

I have Windows Data Execution Prevention set for essential only (some site suggested this might be a thing if was set for all)

I'm really not sure what I can do now.

Path of Exile is playable like this, except for no_portal or timed things. Uber lab, blight, delve, delerium & probably logbooks and some other things all have risk of loss. If I crash in a map I can usually just log back in and complete no issues.

I am at about the limits of what I can, with my limited tech knowledge, do to try and solve the problem, except for a couple things which would put my PC out of action for hours (which I'm not willing to do just yet) - but I'm thinking it is unlikely to be a hardware problem, else one would think I'd be getting constant similar crashes, esp in other games. No system crashes at all is fairly telling.

I've read multiple posts in the forum, searched the internet and really can't find any solution. There are really specific things I'm finding that seem rather tech-intensive but maybe too much trouble for just this game - including some tools I'm not sure i want to mess with.

I would really appreciate any input anyone has on if I've missed anything simple, or what else I might try.

Two more crashes. once before the patch, one after the patch.

I was hoping the patch notes that said it fixed two crash to desktop errors would fix it, but unfortunately, no :(

I presume there is no way to get actual official tech support on this?

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Tonight - log in start a map, and get 3 crashes in a row very quickly:
10:24:28pm - faulting module = ntdll.dll
(log back in, -> hideout -> enter map -> run a ways)
10:25:11pm - faulting module = athoexilesteam.exe
(same as ^^)
10:26:19pm - faulting module = ntdll.dll

Then I log back in, finish the map, including expedition & breach.
Then do another map killing a conqueror, then do a maven invitation, then faff about in my hideout a bit before logging off. No more crashes.

i have the same issue like you..

and ive done some research and as far is i can see its on poe side its faulty.
all we can do is hope that the next patch will fix it, otherwise we are doomed to crash every 20mins or so...

"

GrahamOz wrote:

I've run dism and sfc tools in command prompt to see if there was a windows corruption - maybe a couple of irrelevant errors were found & fixed, but crashed afterwards anyway.

Have you repeated the process to see whether issues are still found?

"

GrahamOz wrote:

thought: You'd think if critical system file ntdll.dll was corrupt, it would be affecting many things?

Whenever it’s blamed for a game crashing it’s almost always going to be something else.

That said - no, not necessarily, if the game happens to be the only software using a particular API call.

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Really, to look into this a DxDiag & MSInfo are needed. The former could be posted publicly, but the latter is sensitive.

"

HanuticH wrote:

i have the same issue like you..

Create your own thread.

ntdll is how applications are connecting to the deeper layers of the operating system - basically whatever you do, you use ntdll, so most errors will show up this library. To put it simpler: it's a messenger between two parties and when something goes wrong with party, messenger gets blamed. Full dump would be needed to debug it.

Thanks for replies, it was a few days without reply and I didn't check further, sorry.

Update - the game has only had a single crash - ntdll.dll - in the last 10 days or so.

This includes leveling up a new char to 91 and a fair amount of delving. So I don't know what is going on there, I'm guessing something fixed/changed in client code or execution somewhere.

I would really like to know what changed, but maybe I should just be thankful the crashing issue seems to be mostly over.

Nothing was changed or fixed.
If you want to know what did change, think of all the random things you did on your PC between then and now and begin backtracking, because not only is the issue on your end, it more than likely will come back eventually.
PoE has a really crappy trend where whenever someone has an issue with the game misbehaving, the first thing to do is to blame the game client.
What nobody seem to be capable to comprehend is the fact that when/if the actual game client has a technical defect causing crashes/glitches, most of the time forums get instantly spammed by rows and rows of topics describing the exact same problem in dozens of topics popping up right at the same time, and usually it happens right after a major/minor content update or patch.
What you have is a library error of all things, for anyone who is even remotely familiar with maintaining a system will almost instantly just reinstall windows, those errors do not just randomly pop up.