Game crashes with "D3D11 Create Device: unknown error" message - Windows 11

Hey. I keep having a VERY annoying error that keeps me from playing POE1 this league. For some context: I am playing Ruetoo's Elemental Hit Slayer, so a very heavy AOE / ailment build.

The issue occurs almost exclusively during mapping (I don't think I ever crashed while bossing), specifically the exact instant I hit a pack of mobs with an ability.
This happens mostly when I use Ele Hit, but I saw it happen even when using dash abilities like Whirling Blades.

At the trigger event:
The game freezes for approximately one second, the screen turns black, and then one of two things happens:
1. The game either recovers and reloads, showing the "gears loading" UI element
OR
2. The game completely crashes to the desktop. When it crashes completely, it throws the "D3D11 Create Device: unknown error" message.

I AM ABSOLUTELY OUT OF IDEAS on what to do anymore. It really sucks the fun out of the game having to reload a map 3-4 times just because I am crashing that many times. Here is a list of everything that I considered relevant. If I can help with any logs, please help me in providing them, as I do not know where to look.

It DOES NOT SEEM TO BE A COOLING ISSUE, as my GPU is at a comfortable ~70°C during load (95°C hotspot) and my CPU is at around the same mark.

1. System Specifications, OS, Driver & Game versions
MOBO: GIGABYTE B550 GAMING X V2
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
GPU: Sapphire Radeon RX 7600 PULSE 8GB GDDR6 1‎28-bit
RAM: Corsair Vengeance RGB RS 32GB DDR4 3200MHz CL16 Dual Channel Kit
Storage: Kingston NV3 1TB PCI Express M.2 SSD Gen 4.0 x4
PSU: GIGABYTE UD750GM, 80+ Gold, 750W

OS: Windows 11, latest (KB5083769) (26200.8246)
AMD Driver & Software version: 26.3.1 (latest)
POE1 Standalone launcher (3.28 Mirage League)

2. In-Game Settings & Configuration
Resolution: 3440x1440 (Ultrawide).
Display Mode: Windowed (Have also tested Fullscreen and Borderless Windowed; the issue persists across all).

Graphics Quality: All settings turned down to the lowest possible values. If it can be turned off, I turned it off.

Render resolution: 67%
VSync: Off
Dynamic culling: Enabled
Dynamic resolution: Enabled
Engine Multithreading: Enabled

Renderer API Tested:
DirectX 12: Current setting. Causes the specific crash detailed below.
Vulkan: Game instantly closes when the trigger event happens.
DirectX 11: Game performance/framerate is entirely unbearable, didn't get to play up to the point of a game crash.

3. Troubleshooting Already Attempted
AMD Adrenalin Software Tweaks: Even applied custom GPU tuning which yielded a very minor improvement in stability (game does not crash as much, instead I get the gears loading UI element more often), but did not fix the core issue.

CPU settings untouched, default tuning.

GPU Undervolt: -15mV
Core Frequency: -15MHz
Power Limit: -3%
Tweaked fan curve to hit 100% RPM when at 60°C.

"

Lămâie#7408 wrote:

CPU settings untouched, default tuning.

While searching and fixing the error, it is better to return the entire system to its default state.

"

Lămâie#7408 wrote:

GPU Undervolt: -15mV

This may lead to deterioration in stability.

"

Lămâie#7408 wrote:

Core Frequency: -15MHz

-15MHz? Not 150? Even 150 might not be enough.

"

Lămâie#7408 wrote:

Power Limit: -3%

This may not be enough to achieve a noticeable effect.


Some people found it helpful to roll back to driver version 25.9.1.