Risen 2: Dark Waters - PCGamingWiki PCGW - bugs, fixes, crashes, mods, guides and improvements for every PC game

Risen 2: Dark Waters
Developers

	Piranha Bytes
Publishers
2012-2020	Deep Silver
2020-present	THQ Nordic
Release dates
Windows	April 27, 2012
Reception
Metacritic	69
IGDB	64
Taxonomy
Monetization	One-time game purchase, DLC
Modes	Singleplayer
Pacing	Real-time
Perspectives	Third-person
Controls	Direct control
Genres	RPG, ARPG
Themes	Fantasy
Series	Risen

Risen
Risen	2009
Risen 2: Dark Waters	2012
Risen 3: Titan Lords	2014

Contents 1 Availability 1.1 Version differences 2 Monetization 2.1 DLC and expansion packs 3 Essential improvements 3.1 Skip intro videos 3.2 Utilities 4 Game data 4.1 Configuration file(s) location 4.2 Save game data location 4.3 Save game cloud syncing 5 Video 5.1 Widescreen resolution 5.2 Windowed 6 Input 7 Audio 7.1 Localizations 8 VR support 9 Issues fixed 9.1 Very low frame rate on AMD with Crossfire enabled 9.2 Sound speaker option is greyed out 9.3 Risen 2 Fails to Launch / Hangs on launch 9.4 Black screen during intro 9.5 Game doesn't start / Frequency out of range error 9.6 Dropping / Low FPS with Nvidia graphics cards 9.7 Significant frame rate drops when player is near water 9.8 Game uses the wrong monitor 9.9 Game crashes during fast travel or cutscenes 10 Other information 10.1 API 10.2 Middleware 10.3 Hide system cursor when game is in focus 11 System requirements 12 Notes 13 References

General information

Deep Silver Official Forum

World of Risen

GOG.com Community Discussions for game series

GOG.com Support Page

Steam Community Discussions

Availability

Source	DRM	Notes	Keys	OS
Retail
GamersGate		Gold Edition also available.
		Gold Edition also available.
GOG.com		Gold Edition also available.
Humble Store		Gold Edition also available.
Steam		Gold Edition also available.
EA app (unavailable)		^[1]

Version differences

The Gold Edition is a complete edition with all DLC.

Monetization

DLC is sold individually on Steam, and as a combined package (Gold Edition Upgrade) on GOG.com.

DLC and expansion packs

Name	Notes
Air Temple
A Pirate's Clothes
Treasure Isle

Essential improvements

Skip intro videos

Delete/rename video files^{[citation needed]}
Go to `<path-to-game>\data\extern\videos`. Delete or rename `logo_ds.vid`, `logo_pb.vid` and `logo_ubi.vid`.

Utilities

Risen 2 Tune - small utility to manage general game options, like: disabling/enabling AutoSave, Static Camera, SloMo, Tutorial System, Changing resolution, etc.

Game data

Configuration file(s) location

System	Location
Windows	%LOCALAPPDATA%\Risen2\Config\
Steam Play (Linux)	<SteamLibrary-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/40390/pfx/^{[Note 1]}

ConfigUser.xml contains settings (all versions) and achievements (only DRM-free version).

Action_Map_User_1.xam contains primary key bindings.

Action_Map_User_2.xam contains secondary key bindings.

Save game data location

System	Location
Windows	%USERPROFILE%\Saved Games\Risen2\SaveGames\
Steam Play (Linux)	<SteamLibrary-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/40390/pfx/^{[Note 1]}

Windows XP save games are stored in %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application Data\Risen2\SaveGames\

Save game cloud syncing

System	Native	Notes
GOG Galaxy
EA app
Steam Cloud

Video

Video settings.

Graphics settings.

Graphics feature	WSGF	Notes
Widescreen resolution		For custom/unlisted resolutions see Widescreen resolution.
Multi-monitor		Use jackfuste's fixes, Flawless Widescreen, or Widescreen Fixer.
Ultra-widescreen		Use jackfuste's fixes or see the WSGF topic.
4K Ultra HD
Field of view (FOV)
Windowed	See Windowed.
Borderless fullscreen windowed
Anisotropic filtering (AF)
Anti-aliasing (AA)
Vertical sync (Vsync)
60 FPS and 120+ FPS	No frame rate or refresh rate cap.^[2]
High dynamic range display (HDR)	See the glossary page for potential alternatives.
Color blind mode	See the glossary page for potential workarounds.

Widescreen resolution

Edit ConfigUser.xml^{[citation needed]}
Edit the file %LOCALAPPDATA%\Risen2\Config\ConfigUser.xml, in section `<Window>` as follows: <Window Top="0" Right="5040" RefreshRate="60" Left="0" Bottom="1050" AdapterNumber="0" > Add the line `"AdapterNumber="0"` if not present. Edit the file `<path-to-game>\data\ini\ConfigDefault.xml`; in section `<GUI>` as follows: <Aspect48x10 VirtalWidth="1728" VirtalHeight="1080" EnableDrawScale="True" > Change VirtalWidth and VirtalHeight to match your current resolution

Edit ConfigUser.xml^{[citation needed]}

Edit the file %LOCALAPPDATA%\Risen2\Config\ConfigUser.xml, in section <Window> as follows:

<Window
Top="0"
Right="5040"
RefreshRate="60"
Left="0"
Bottom="1050"
AdapterNumber="0"
>

Add the line "AdapterNumber="0" if not present.
Edit the file <path-to-game>\data\ini\ConfigDefault.xml; in section <GUI> as follows:

<Aspect48x10
VirtalWidth="1728"
VirtalHeight="1080"
EnableDrawScale="True"
>

Change VirtalWidth and VirtalHeight to match your current resolution

Windowed

Edit ConfigUser.xml^{[citation needed]}
Go to `%LOCALAPPDATA%\Risen2\Config\` Edit `ConfigUser.xml`. Change `FullScreen` to `"false"` Save your changes and close the file. Notes To hide system cursor, see Hide system cursor when game is in focus.

Edit ConfigUser.xml^{[citation needed]}

Go to %LOCALAPPDATA%\Risen2\Config\
Edit ConfigUser.xml.
Change FullScreen to "false"
Save your changes and close the file.

Notes

To hide system cursor, see Hide system cursor when game is in focus.

Input

Input settings.

Keyboard and mouse	State	Notes
Remapping		Supports two bindings per function.
Mouse acceleration
Mouse sensitivity
Mouse input in menus
Keyboard and mouse prompts
Mouse Y-axis inversion
Controller
Controller support		XInput controllers only. Disabled by default.
Full controller support
Controller remapping		See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Controller sensitivity
Controller Y-axis inversion

Controller types

XInput-compatible controllers
Xbox button prompts
Impulse Trigger vibration

PlayStation controllers		See the glossary page for potential workarounds.

Generic/other controllers		See the glossary page for potential workarounds.

Additional information
Controller hotplugging
Input prompt override
Haptic feedback		Enabled by default.
Simultaneous controller+KB/M

Audio

Audio settings.

Audio feature	State	Notes
Separate volume controls		Speech, Ambient, Effects and Music.
Surround sound
Subtitles		Disabled by default; set in Options, Gameplay.
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost
Royalty free audio

Localizations

To choose the language for the GOG.com version use Settings.exe in the installation folder.^[3]

Language	UI	Audio	Sub	Notes
English
Czech
French
German
Italian
Polish
Brazilian Portuguese				Fan translation – download.
Russian
Spanish

VR support

3D modes	GG3D	Notes
Nvidia 3D Vision		Works with limitations (e.g. shadows must be disabled).^[4]
iZ3D
vorpX	G3D Officially supported game, see official vorpx game list.

Issues fixed

Very low frame rate on AMD with Crossfire enabled

Disable Crossfire^[5]

Sound speaker option is greyed out

Check Windows sound settings^[5]
Confirm Windows sound settings are correctly configured for 5.1/7.1

Risen 2 Fails to Launch / Hangs on launch

Install PhysX^{[citation needed]}
Install the Nvidia PhysX System Software.

Verify Game Integrity (Steam)^[5]
Find Risen 2 in your Steam Library Right-click the game name Select `Properties` Go to the `Local Files` tab Select `Verify Integrity of Game Cache...` This may take a while, just wait for it to finish Once it's done press `OK` Launch the game If that doesn't fix the issue, run these installers and reboot the computer afterward: `<path-to-game>\redist\DirectX\DXSETUP.exe` `<path-to-game>\redist\PhysX\PhysX_SystemSoftware.exe` `<path-to-game>\redist\VCRedist\vcredist_x86.exe`

Verify Game Integrity (Steam)^[5]

Find Risen 2 in your Steam Library
Right-click the game name
Select Properties
Go to the Local Files tab
Select Verify Integrity of Game Cache...
This may take a while, just wait for it to finish
Once it's done press OK
Launch the game

If that doesn't fix the issue, run these installers and reboot the computer afterward:

<path-to-game>\redist\DirectX\DXSETUP.exe
<path-to-game>\redist\PhysX\PhysX_SystemSoftware.exe
<path-to-game>\redist\VCRedist\vcredist_x86.exe

Black screen during intro

Change ATI settings^[5]
When starting up the game, the menu loads fine. But once the intro movie reaches Caldera, the screen becomes mostly black. Fix below is for ATI Video Card User's Only: In the Catalyst Control Center, change the "Texture Filtering Quality" to High Quality Set anti-aliasing AA in catalyst to use application settings and turn on vsync; then in the game, turn off AA and keep vsync.

Change ATI settings^[5]

When starting up the game, the menu loads fine. But once the intro movie reaches Caldera, the screen becomes mostly black. Fix below is for ATI Video Card User's Only:

In the Catalyst Control Center, change the "Texture Filtering Quality" to High Quality
Set anti-aliasing AA in catalyst to use application settings and turn on vsync; then in the game, turn off AA and keep vsync.

Game doesn't start / Frequency out of range error

Edit ConfigDefault.xml^[5]
In the section `<Window>`, you should verify that the values are correct: AdapterNumber="0" Top="0" Bottom="768" Left="0" Right="1024 RefreshRate="85"

Edit ConfigDefault.xml^[5]

In the section <Window>, you should verify that the values are correct:

AdapterNumber="0"
Top="0"
Bottom="768"
Left="0"
Right="1024
RefreshRate="85"

Alternative - delete ConfigUser.xml^[5]
Delete `ConfigUser.xml` (the next time you restart the game, it will recreate a default configuration file.

Dropping / Low FPS with Nvidia graphics cards

Uninstall 3D Vision^[5]
Uninstall your graphic driver. Reboot the system. Re-install the most up-to-date driver. However, while doing so, make sure to select "Custom Installation" and choose to not install the "3D Vision" component.

Significant frame rate drops when player is near water

De-activate water reflection^[5]

Game uses the wrong monitor

The game may pick the wrong monitor on a multi-monitor setup when a multi-monitor resolution is not used in-game.

Set monitor in ConfigUser.xml^[6]
Go to `%LOCALAPPDATA%\Risen2\Config\` Edit `ConfigUser.xml`. Change the `AdapterNumber` line so it reads `AdapterNumber="0"` Save your changes and test the result in-game.

Game crashes during fast travel or cutscenes

Turn texture quality down to medium^[7]

Other information

API

Technical specs	Supported	Notes
Direct3D	9.0c

Executable	32-bit	64-bit	Notes
Windows

Middleware

	Middleware	Notes
Physics	PhysX

Hide system cursor when game is in focus

When running in Windowed mode the game displays both in-game cursor and system cursor. This may be annoying for some people. Below is the script to solve this issue.

Use AutoHotkey^{[citation needed]}
1. Download and install AutoHotkey. 2. Start it, edit the script and use the one provided below: ; Script to hide cursor http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1432431 ; Modified by Nirklars and adjusted to work with Risen 2 by SuicideMachine SetWorkingDir %A_ScriptDir% ; Ensures a consistent starting directory. SystemCursor("Init") SetTimer, CheckIdle, 250 return CheckIdle: if WinActive("ahk_class Engine") { SystemCursor("Off") } else { SystemCursor("On") } return #Persistent OnExit, ShowCursor ; Ensure the cursor is made visible when the script exits. return ShowCursor: SystemCursor("On") ExitApp SystemCursor(OnOff=1) ; INIT = "I","Init"; OFF = 0,"Off"; TOGGLE = -1,"T","Toggle"; ON = others { static AndMask, XorMask, $, h_cursor ,c0,c1,c2,c3,c4,c5,c6,c7,c8,c9,c10,c11,c12,c13 ; system cursors , b1,b2,b3,b4,b5,b6,b7,b8,b9,b10,b11,b12,b13 ; blank cursors , h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6,h7,h8,h9,h10,h11,h12,h13 ; handles of default cursors if (OnOff = "Init" or OnOff = "I" or $ = "") ; init when requested or at first call { $ = h ; active default cursors VarSetCapacity( h_cursor,4444, 1 ) VarSetCapacity( AndMask, 324, 0xFF ) VarSetCapacity( XorMask, 324, 0 ) system_cursors = 32512,32513,32514,32515,32516,32642,32643,32644,32645,32646,32648,32649,32650 StringSplit c, system_cursors, `, Loop %c0% { h_cursor := DllCall( "LoadCursor", "uint",0, "uint",c%A_Index% ) h%A_Index% := DllCall( "CopyImage", "uint",h_cursor, "uint",2, "int",0, "int",0, "uint",0 ) b%A_Index% := DllCall("CreateCursor","uint",0, "int",0, "int",0 , "int",32, "int",32, "uint",&AndMask, "uint",&XorMask ) } } if (OnOff = 0 or OnOff = "Off" or $ = "h" and (OnOff < 0 or OnOff = "Toggle" or OnOff = "T")) $ = b ; use blank cursors else $ = h ; use the saved cursors Loop %c0% { h_cursor := DllCall( "CopyImage", "uint",%$%%A_Index%, "uint",2, "int",0, "int",0, "uint",0 ) DllCall( "SetSystemCursor", "uint",h_cursor, "uint",c%A_Index% ) } } 3. Reload the script in AHK.

Use AutoHotkey^{[citation needed]}

1. Download and install AutoHotkey.

2. Start it, edit the script and use the one provided below:

; Script to hide cursor http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1432431
; Modified by Nirklars and adjusted to work with Risen 2 by SuicideMachine
SetWorkingDir %A_ScriptDir%  ; Ensures a consistent starting directory.

SystemCursor("Init")

SetTimer, CheckIdle, 250
return

CheckIdle:
if WinActive("ahk_class Engine") 
{
    SystemCursor("Off")
}
else
{
    SystemCursor("On")
}
return

#Persistent
OnExit, ShowCursor  ; Ensure the cursor is made visible when the script exits.
return

ShowCursor:
SystemCursor("On")
ExitApp

SystemCursor(OnOff=1)   ; INIT = "I","Init"; OFF = 0,"Off"; TOGGLE = -1,"T","Toggle"; ON = others
{
    static AndMask, XorMask, $, h_cursor
        ,c0,c1,c2,c3,c4,c5,c6,c7,c8,c9,c10,c11,c12,c13 ; system cursors
        , b1,b2,b3,b4,b5,b6,b7,b8,b9,b10,b11,b12,b13   ; blank cursors
        , h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6,h7,h8,h9,h10,h11,h12,h13   ; handles of default cursors
    if (OnOff = "Init" or OnOff = "I" or $ = "")       ; init when requested or at first call
    {
        $ = h                                          ; active default cursors
        VarSetCapacity( h_cursor,4444, 1 )
        VarSetCapacity( AndMask, 32*4, 0xFF )
        VarSetCapacity( XorMask, 32*4, 0 )
        system_cursors = 32512,32513,32514,32515,32516,32642,32643,32644,32645,32646,32648,32649,32650
        StringSplit c, system_cursors, `,
        Loop %c0%
        {
            h_cursor   := DllCall( "LoadCursor", "uint",0, "uint",c%A_Index% )
            h%A_Index% := DllCall( "CopyImage",  "uint",h_cursor, "uint",2, "int",0, "int",0, "uint",0 )
            b%A_Index% := DllCall("CreateCursor","uint",0, "int",0, "int",0
                , "int",32, "int",32, "uint",&AndMask, "uint",&XorMask )
        }
    }
    if (OnOff = 0 or OnOff = "Off" or $ = "h" and (OnOff < 0 or OnOff = "Toggle" or OnOff = "T"))
        $ = b  ; use blank cursors
    else
        $ = h  ; use the saved cursors

    Loop %c0%
    {
        h_cursor := DllCall( "CopyImage", "uint",%$%%A_Index%, "uint",2, "int",0, "int",0, "uint",0 )
        DllCall( "SetSystemCursor", "uint",h_cursor, "uint",c%A_Index% )
    }
}

3. Reload the script in AHK.

System requirements

Windows
	Minimum	Recommended
Operating system (OS)	XP SP2	XP SP3, Vista SP1, 7
Processor (CPU)	2.1 GHz Dual Core	3.0 GHz Dual Core
System memory (RAM)	2 GB	4 GB
Storage drive (HDD/SSD)	5.5 GB
Video card (GPU)	Nvidia GeForce 8800 GTX ATI Radeon HD 3870 512 MB of VRAM DirectX 9.0c compatible	Nvidia GeForce GTX 260 ATI Radeon HD 4890 1 GB of VRAM
Sound (audio device)	DirectX compatible

Notes

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1
Notes regarding Steam Play (Linux) data:
- File/folder structure within this directory reflects the path(s) listed for Windows and/or Steam game data.
- Use Wine's registry editor to access any Windows registry paths.
- The app ID (40390) may differ in some cases.
- Treat backslashes as forward slashes.
- See the glossary page for details on Windows data paths.

References

↑ RISEN 2: DARK WATERS - last accessed on 7 June 2022
↑ New 120Hz Games Report - last accessed on May 2023
↑ Risen 2: Wrong language installed, page 1 - Forum - GOG.com - last accessed on May 2023
↑ 3D Vision and other graphical issues. - last accessed on May 2023
↑ ^5.0 ^5.1 ^5.2 ^5.3 ^5.4 ^5.5 ^5.6 ^5.7 http://forum.deepsilver.com/forum/showthread.php/63018-FAQ-Risen-technical-information-difficulties-problems
↑ Risen 2 displays on the wrong monitor - GameSpot.com - last accessed on May 2023
↑ Frequent random crashes - Steam Discussions - last accessed on August 2023