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Loading and graphics performance
The game prepares graphics in the background while the world loads. The latest release addresses the 10–15 second freeze some players experienced shortly after logging in. Other players’ auras can appear a few seconds after the players themselves while their effects become ready.
| Situation | Current behaviour |
|---|---|
| First launch after an update | Graphics preparation runs while the world loads |
| Effect preparation after login | Effects are prepared in sequence, reducing the reported startup freeze |
| Clouds still preparing | Simpler clouds appear until volumetric clouds are ready |
| Later launches | Cached terrain, ship models, harbour sites and map results shorten some loading pauses |
| First-launch cache | Uses approximately 9 MB of storage; creating it can make that launch a little slower |
| Windows app minimized or covered | World loading continues |
Windows graphics options
Open Settings → Graphics → Display → Graphics backend, choose a backend, then restart the app. See Graphics backend for the Direct3D 11 and Vulkan comparison, fallback behaviour and refresh setting.
Performance depends on the computer and graphics driver. The release’s reported freeze duration describes the repaired issue, rather than a loading-time guarantee for every machine.