7 Days to Die: Crashes, Console Errors, Chunk Corruption, Broken EAC

The most common issue the 7DTD forums have is when the console of the game gets a massive endless wall of error messages. Sometimes, this leads to a crash or a freeze. This is due to broken mods or corrupt game files, but it’s primarily due to broken mods. So to fix it, you need to look for old outdated mods in three different areas.

IMPORTANT: verifying game files, uninstalling and reinstalling the game won’t help you most of the time, because the mods are considered a separate set of files. Steam doesn’t recognize third party assets as its own.

0. Shut down the game. Open up Task Manager, and make sure the game is not loaded in the background.

1. Verify your game twice. Yes, twice. Odd, I know.

2. Go to C:\Users\me\AppData\Roaming\7DaysToDie via %appdata% from Windows Start.

3. Find the mods folder, and delete/update everything inside it.

4. Go to the Steam app, right click 7DTD and select Browse Local Files.

5. Find the mods folder, and delete/update everything inside it.

6. Check if you have a mod manager like Nexus, Thunderstore, and/or Minion installed. Go to each of those, and make sure the mods and mod profile for each of them relating to the game is deleted/updated.

IMPORTANT: If you decide to update instead of delete, then you have to make sure the mods are updated to match the version you’re playing.

Sometimes, you may run across a building or a region of the map with some very odd looking, even broken buildings. During world generation, this can cause some parts to not generate properly. To reset the region, follow these instructions.

1. Stand on the location where the corruption is showing.

2. Open up console by pressing F1.

3. Enable debugmode by typing: dm

4. Type: cr f

IMPORTANT: This will reset the chunk. So if you’ve built things in that chunk or left some gear in a chest somewhere, they will be removed.

Most players reporting this issue are adamant the problem is 7DTD and not their hardware or their operating system. What they don’t understand is that BSOD happens when one thing triggers the cause. In this case, 7DTD isn’t the cause, but the trigger. Something in your computer is the cause.

You could argue, “but only 7DTD (or any other singular game) does this, and no other”. Yes, but perhaps no other game triggers the exact reasons in which to cause that crash in the first place. Let’s give you another perspective.

Let’s say you have two games installed. One is 7 Days to Die and the other is Bejeweled 3. BJ3 never crashes your computer. However, 7DTD does. Why? Because 7DTD requires more resources and triggers more functions than it does BJ3. BJ3 is a simple game. 7DTD is not. Does that mean 7DTD is the problem? It *might* be, but more likely, 7DTD is triggering something in your computer to cause that crash. So the solution is not to uninstall 7DTD. Rather, the solution is checking what the error code of the BSOD is and resolving that code. Either press the PAUSE key when the BSOD screen comes up, or check your Event Viewer (Event Viewer BSOD Guide[www.howtogeek.com]).

It’s better to fix the actual cause of the problem, than to bandage it up by uninstalling the trigger.

More often than not, BSODs happen when you have corrupt drivers, outdated drivers, and failing hardware. Games don’t do those things, unless they have nefarious applications built in to do something it’s not supposed to. Eg: malware, a virus, data miner, crypto miner, etc.

So what can you do? First note down the BSOD error code, then use the following possible solutions to resolve the error code.

• Disable v-sync.
• Go to your GPU manufacturer’s website and get the latest stable driver package.
• Monitor your CPU/GPU/MB temperatures by using HW64Info, Speccy, MSI Afterburner, or another monitor of your choice. Set the fan curve so it gradually turns up depending on the temperature. Don’t make it go up suddenly, or it may draw power from your PSU too fast too soon, and that can cause your PC to do a Black Screen.
• Sometimes, your RAM may be failing. Either reseat them, or replace them.
• Sometimes, your GPU may be failing. Either reseat it, or replace it.
• Sometimes, your PSU may be failing, or not outputting enough overall power. I would suggest getting a more powerful PSU. You can check your system’s requirements by looking at your MB, GPU, CPU, and peripheral recommendations.
• If your temperatures are high, try replacing the old thermal paste with a new better one.
• Run your anti-virus, anti-malware program in Windows Safe Mode or equivalent.
• Run chkdsk and sfc from CMD as an administrator to scan your hard drive for any corruption. Use chkdsk /f to fix issues, then run SFC /scannow to fix system files.
• If installing games crashes your computer, update your motherboard’s chipset drivers.
• Windows system reset may resolve your issues if all else fails.

I read that some people are ultra adamant in needing EAC to run the game with their friends, but it’s unnecessary. I successfully run two dedicated servers without it. All of my friends disable their EAC and it works just fine.

Just password protect the server, and create a domain name with an A record to your server’s external IP address. Then give your domain name to your friends to connect to. You can also use a sub-domain instead.

Other guides that are useful for everyone with issues.

• Basic Troubleshooting and Common Issues by SylenThunder
  https://steamcommunity.com/app/251570/discussions/1/3110269850346164483/
• Comprehensive Guide to Fixing Crashes by MayaOmkara (MaCarBre)
  https://www.reddit.com/r/valheim/comments/uq9b8x/my_valheim_is_crashing_fix_for_crash_guide/

  This one is about Valheim, but it basically applies to every program under the sun. Like driving, if a problem exist for one car, you can bet that the solution is most likely the same for other cars with the same problem too.