(Guide) Game files are corrupted!

[SyncWolf]

Troubleshooting Guide
Your game has crashed and you've received this error message? Then read this post on how to resolve this.

Error: ERROR: Game files are corrupted! Please try to completely uninstall the game and reinstall via Steam or Epic Games Store.

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Notice!
These error messages have since been updated to include a particular line relevant to the crash. If the below steps do not help, reply with the screenshot or contact members with the technical support role through Discord.​

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Has it worked before? If yes, then what changed since it stopped working? This error can occur for a few reasons.

• The game had an update
• There are single player mods installed

Delete Watchdog file or folder
Starting with version 1.2.x, Watchdog has been causing problems with the game. Deleting this has resolved this error for several players. The file is found inside the Bannerlord folder. You can choose to delete the Watchdog.exe file or the entire Watchdog folder. Then try launching the game again.
\steamapps\common\Mount & Blade II Bannerlord\bin\Win64_Shipping_Client\Watchdog

The Game had an update
It is fairly common for game files to get corrupted when the base game is updated through Steam. Verifying the game files will resolve this.


There are single player mods installed
Although it's perfectly possible to have single player mods installed, it highly depends on the mods whether they will cause conflicts with Bannerlord Online. Go through the steps below until it works.

1. Disable all single player mods in the base game Launcher. Try launching Bannerlord Online.
2. (Temporarily) Remove the mods from Bannerlord.
   1. Create a new folder in a location convenient for you.
   2. Navigate to the Bannerlord Modules folder. "\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\Mount & Blade II Bannerlord\Modules"
   3. Move all single player mods to the new folder created in step 1 and try launching Bannerlord Online. Only the following mods should remain.
      - BannerlordOnline
      - BirthAndDeath
      - CustomBattle
      - Multiplayer
      - Native
      - SandBox
      - SandBox Core
      - StoryMode
   4. Verify the game files. See steps for "The Game had an update" above.
3. Reinstall Bannerlord and Bannerlord Online.

Steam Workshop

Like mods installed through third party websites suchbas nexusmods, mods installed through the steam workshop can also cause conflicts. However, the steam workshop does not install the mods into the Modules folder. As these mods are automatically re-downloaded if moved, the only option is to unsubscribe to the mods installed using the steam workshop.​

​

Conflicting Mods

For a list of known conflicting mods, check (Info) Mods conflicting with BO​

​

Newtonsoft.json

The steps below should only be followed if your error concerns the Newtonsoft.json file.​

Below solution has been provided by Axor.​

​

​

******** READ THIS CAREFULLY !!! *******
**** WARNING THIS IS TEDIOUS AND CAN CRASH YOUR COPY OF WINDOWS! YOU MUST DO ONLY WHAT I AM TELLING YOU HERE AND HAVE NO EXTRANEOUS KEY STROKES ****​

1. You must copy the file "GACUTIL.EXE" - which is normally found in [COLOR=rgb(247, 218, 100)]C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SDKs\Windows\v10.0A\Bin\NETFX4.8 Tools[/COLOR] to the [COLOR=rgb(247, 218, 100)]C:\Windows\System32[/COLOR] directory.
2. Then click on the Start Menu and in the search bar type "Developer Command Prompt" and when it appears above the Search Bar, right click it and "Run as Administrator".
3. In the black Windows command prompt box that then appears, type the following gacutil /u Newtonsoft.json. This will remove the faulty Newtonsoft DLL library from your Windows install. The Newtonsoft library is a part of the Windows .NET framework and is used by many programs and if it is needed, the .NET framework will reinstall this file when needed.
   If you do not find "gacutil.exe" you may need to download the Microsoft Visual Studio free version from Microsoft and install that first. It contains many tools that are used to write and repair programs and apps in Windows and it takes about 13 Gb of space if you download only the basic version of this utility.

 

[blackho]

I keep getting this message even when fresh install in both game and banerlord. it anybody else having the same issue with latest Bannerlord game? V1.0.3.9860 [Never Had Any Mods and had fresh steam and Bannerlord installs, still no Luck]

 

[SyncWolf]

I keep getting this message even when fresh install in both game and banerlord. it anybody else having the same issue with latest Bannerlord game? V1.0.3.9860 [Never Had Any Mods and had fresh steam and Bannerlord installs, still no Luck]
View attachment 1115

Try verifying your game files through Steam multiple times. It's not uncommon for files to get messed up with Steam downloads.
Verifications are quick checks and sometimes need multiple runs before it finds an issue.

 

[KolyaDaync]

You are mistaken. I can prove it. Write to me in PM, we will communicate.

 

[Jonah Krompart]

Yea so I've never downloaded any mod other than this one and I get this error message every time. Downloaded the game through steam and have verify the game files countless times. Have reinstalled the game plus the mod three times each. Bought this game mainly to play this mod with a friend would be nice if someone had a fix for this.

 

[MoooreBroccoli]

Yea so I've never downloaded any mod other than this one and I get this error message every time. Downloaded the game through steam and have verify the game files countless times. Have reinstalled the game plus the mod three times each. Bought this game mainly to play this mod with a friend would be nice if someone had a fix for this.

I'm getting the same issue. Will update if I find a solution

 

[Bighands]

Same issue on my end, Steam version. Validated game files numerous times. Used professional uninstall software to clear every shred of game and mod in registry, twice over. Moved game to several different drives. My only guess is that there is some sort of latent hardware incompatibility? Regardless, be very cautious if you are purchasing the game for this mod.

 

[KaelRavenwind]

Same issue on my end, Steam version. Validated game files numerous times. Used professional uninstall software to clear every shred of game and mod in registry, twice over. Moved game to several different drives. My only guess is that there is some sort of latent hardware incompatibility? Regardless, be very cautious if you are purchasing the game for this mod.

Same issue. Can’t get past the first dialogue before it crashes and says Files Corrupted

 

[KaelRavenwind]

Troubleshooting Guide
Your game has crashed and you've received this error message? Then read this post on how to resolve this.

Error: ERROR: Game files are corrupted! Please try to completely uninstall the game and reinstall via Steam or Epic Games Store.

View attachment 774

Has it worked before? If yes, then what changed since it stopped working? This error can occur for a few reasons.

• The game had an update
• There are single player mods installed

The Game had an update
It is fairly common for game files to get corrupted when the base game is updated through Steam. Verifying the game files will resolve this.

• Epic Store: Open the Library and click on the 3 dots below Bannerlord. Then choose "Verify".
• Steam: Right-click on Bannerlord and choose "Properties". Go to "Local Files" and choose "Verify Integrity of game files..."

There are single player mods installed
Although it's perfectly possible to have single player mods installed, it highly depends on the mods whether they will cause conflicts with Bannerlord Online. Go through the steps below until it works.

1. Disable all single player mods in the base game Launcher. Try launching Bannerlord Online.
2. (Temporarily) Remove the mods from Bannerlord.
   1. Create a new folder in a location convenient for you.
   2. Navigate to the Bannerlord Modules folder. "\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\Mount & Blade II Bannerlord\Modules"
   3. Move all single player mods to the new folder created in step 1 and try launching Bannerlord Online. Only the following mods should remain.
      - BannerlordOnline
      - BirthAndDeath
      - CustomBattle
      - Multiplayer
      - Native
      - SandBox
      - SandBox Core
      - StoryMode
   4. Verify the game files. See steps for "The Game had an update" above.
3. Reinstall Bannerlord and Bannerlord Online.

Steam Workshop

Like mods installed through third party websites suchbas nexusmods, mods installed through the steam workshop can also cause conflicts. However, the steam workshop does not install the mods into the Modules folder. As these mods are automatically re-downloaded if moved, the only option is to unsubscribe to the mods installed using the steam workshop.​

​

Conflicting Mods

For a list of known conflicting mods, check (Info) Mods conflicting with BO​

Has there been any fix? I just downloaded the game via Steam today and the Online mod, same problems

 

[SyncWolf]

Has there been any fix? I just downloaded the game via Steam today and the Online mod, same problems

Have you tried looking at the steps?

- Have you installed any other mods aside from Bannerlord Online?
- Which game version does it show Bannerlord on in the single player launcher?
- Have you tried verifying game files through Steam?

 

[KaelRavenwind]

Have you tried looking at the steps?

- Have you installed any other mods aside from Bannerlord Online?
- Which game version does it show Bannerlord on in the single player launcher?
- Have you tried verifying game files through Steam?

No mods other than the online launcher.

I’ll check single player one later

verified 6 time on each install and reinstalled like 4 times

 

[SyncWolf]

No mods other than the online launcher.

I’ll check single player one later

verified 6 time on each install and reinstalled like 4 times

Starting with version 1.2.x, Watchdog has been causing some problems with the game. Deleting this has resolved some errors for several players. The file is found inside the Bannerlord folder. You can choose to delete the Watchdog.exe file or the entire Watchdog folder. Then try launching the game again.
\steamapps\common\Mount & Blade II Bannerlord\bin\Win64_Shipping_Client\Watchdog

 

[SirNooch]

Starting with version 1.2.x, Watchdog has been causing some problems with the game. Deleting this has resolved some errors for several players. The file is found inside the Bannerlord folder. You can choose to delete the Watchdog.exe file or the entire Watchdog folder. Then try launching the game again.
\steamapps\common\Mount & Blade II Bannerlord\bin\Win64_Shipping_Client\Watchdog

I am unfortunately having this issue on my 2nd machine and renaming the exe as well as renaming the whole Watchdog folder did not solve the issue. I verified game files, uninstalled the game and BLO, reinstalled game through Steam and re-ran BLO setup from this website. I still get the corrupted files error. When I enter Zeo surroundings the ground is purple and I get the message to re-install the game. The main game works and I've never downloaded or installed any M&B2 mods on this or any other computer, never used the steam workshop etc. The worldmap and arena seem fine and I can see other players on the map or walking around the tavern or fighting in the arena, but then I get this message within 20 seconds of joining and get kicked back to the region selection screen. Happens for me on both EU and NA. Still works fine on the first computer.

The native BannerLord launcher says v1.2.8.31530. The BLO launcher says 36.0 / v1.2.8.31530

 

[SyncWolf]

I am unfortunately having this issue on my 2nd machine and renaming the exe as well as renaming the whole Watchdog folder did not solve the issue. I verified game files, uninstalled the game and BLO, reinstalled game through Steam and re-ran BLO setup from this website. I still get the corrupted files error. When I enter Zeo surroundings the ground is purple and I get the message to re-install the game. The main game works and I've never downloaded or installed any M&B2 mods on this or any other computer, never used the steam workshop etc. The worldmap and arena seem fine and I can see other players on the map or walking around the tavern or fighting in the arena, but then I get this message within 20 seconds of joining and get kicked back to the region selection screen. Happens for me on both EU and NA. Still works fine on the first computer.

The native BannerLord launcher says v1.2.8.31530. The BLO launcher says 36.0 / v1.2.8.31530

I imagine renaming the folder may not be enough, as the folder is still in the directory and likely gets loaded either way. No harm in deleting, as verifying will restore the files.

As for the purple floor, that's very common and related to the graphics settings, this happens on one of the lower settings.

 

[SirNooch]

I imagine renaming the folder may not be enough, as the folder is still in the directory and likely gets loaded either way. No harm in deleting, as verifying will restore the files.

As for the purple floor, that's very common and related to the graphics settings, this happens on one of the lower settings.

Hey SyncWolf,

Thanks for the support. I unfortunately am still not able to play on my second computer, still getting this same corrupted message.

I have never installed mods other than BLO. I've verified integrity like ten times. I've completely deleted the watchdog folder (which verifying through Steam restores). I've tried moving the install between hard drives. I've tried every few days so I think I've tried this across a few different updates of BLO now. I still get the same behavior every time no matter what I try.

I've looked in Windows event viewer and there are no errors around hard disk health, etc. These are nVME drives connected directly to the motherboard.

The only guess I can make is that on my primary BLO computer I have the game installed on the G drive. On my secondary computer, which is my main gaming rig, I only have C and D drives. Is it at all possible the BLO config for my user is trying to reach things on the G drive that doesn't exist?

 

[SyncWolf]

Hey SyncWolf,

Thanks for the support. I unfortunately am still not able to play on my second computer, still getting this same corrupted message.

I have never installed mods other than BLO. I've verified integrity like ten times. I've completely deleted the watchdog folder (which verifying through Steam restores). I've tried moving the install between hard drives. I've tried every few days so I think I've tried this across a few different updates of BLO now. I still get the same behavior every time no matter what I try.

I've looked in Windows event viewer and there are no errors around hard disk health, etc. These are nVME drives connected directly to the motherboard.

The only guess I can make is that on my primary BLO computer I have the game installed on the G drive. On my secondary computer, which is my main gaming rig, I only have C and D drives. Is it at all possible the BLO config for my user is trying to reach things on the G drive that doesn't exist?

The drive shouldn't matter, aside from the conditions in which windows permissions might mess things up.
If BO wasn't able to find the installation, you wouldn't be able to get as far as to get the error message.

All I can tell about this error in particular is that it's either returning because there's a mismatch with files or it's failing to read files to check if they're a match. In which case i'd look at things such as firewalls/antivirus... or even some folders used by Bannerlord being in a cloud folder, like OneDrive.

 

[SirNooch]

The drive shouldn't matter, aside from the conditions in which windows permissions might mess things up.
If BO wasn't able to find the installation, you wouldn't be able to get as far as to get the error message.

All I can tell about this error in particular is that it's either returning because there's a mismatch with files or it's failing to read files to check if they're a match. In which case i'd look at things such as firewalls/antivirus... or even some folders used by Bannerlord being in a cloud folder, like OneDrive.

No OneDrive on that machine. Very bare-bones, only used for gaming. Anti-virus is Crowdstrike and no alerts in the console

 

[Zaplore]

Yeah I'm getting this problem as well

 

[SyncWolf]

Can you try the step to remove the Watchdogs folder?


Delete Watchdog file or folder
Starting with version 1.2.x, Watchdog has been causing problems with the game. Deleting this has resolved this error for several players. The file is found inside the Bannerlord folder. You can choose to delete the Watchdog.exe file or the entire Watchdog folder. Then try launching the game again.
\steamapps\common\Mount & Blade II Bannerlord\bin\Win64_Shipping_Client\Watchdog

 

[ProNub]

Also having this problem. Able to login with a character, but the error pops up after a few minutes with no input. I've tried removing bannerlord online files in Documents and reinstalling the game on a separate SSD (multiple times) to no avail. Also tried deleting the Watchdog folder. I have no mods subscribed on Steam workshop.

Could there be an compatibility issue with AMD CPU/GPU as I have AMD for both? The mod works fine on my laptop running NVIDIA GPU and Intel CPU.

Are there any log files to look at to see what game files are corrupted?