Sorcel

Is anyone else seeing this issue? I bought the game on the Microsoft Store (outright, not via Game Pass) on launch day, and have played for a few dozen hours. All of a sudden, as of today, it wouldn't launch. I got an "This app encountered a problem" message asking me to reinstall. I clicked reinstall, and a very quick download bar popped up, followed immediately by a "complete" message -- and the game *still* wouldn't launch. I checked my Windows version -- it's 1909. I tried uninstalling, rebooting, and reinstalling. Same download bar, same "complete" message. Still won't launch. In fact, the game no longer shows up on my app store's "Installed" list. It only shows up under "All Owned." Weirdly, it *does* show up in my Windows Start menu -- but clicking on it just opens the app store. I tried running wsreset.exe and rebooting. No change. I'm stumped. Any ideas?

Step 1: Create two new characters, and create savegames for both of them. Step 2: Exit PoE, then re-run PoE afresh. Step 3: Load savegame for character #1. Step 4: Without quitting the savegame for character #1, bring up the Save/Load/Quit menu, select Load Game, and load savegame for character #2. Step 5: From within the savegame for character #2, bring up the Save/Load/Quit menu, and select Quit Game. Result: You'll return to the main menu, but a Save/Load/Quit menu will be overlaid on it as if you were still within one of the savegames. Closing the Save/Load/Quit menu (i.e., by hitting ESC or clicking X) will expose the main menu, but the main menu buttons will randomly glitch and not function. I've reproduced the error multiple times, and had different buttons glitch -- sometimes New Game, sometimes Exit, etc.

Apologies if this (apparent) bug has already been reported. A forum search didn't turn up any posts on it. Maybe I don't understand how Zealous Focus is supposed to work, but as far as I can tell, it doesn't. When I activate it, it immediately deactivates. It's described as a modal ability, and all the other modal abilities I've seen (Defender, Reckless Assault, etc.) just stay on when activated. I've tried with multiple builds across a range of circumstances, and this issue appears to persist regardless of character race, level, other abilities selected, equipment, combat state, health or endurance, or proximity to companions.

Just want to add that I have the same problem trying to run the Beta alongside BitDefender antivirus 2015. The .exe is identified as that same Trojan and quarantined. Since then, I haven't been able to get the Beta to run at all, even after turning antivirus off, deleting the Beta, rebooting, and reinstalling the Beta. Steam keeps reporting the Beta as missing 1 file and showing "Update Required," but won't actually let me update -- when I start the update download, it briefly completes and then goes back to showing "Update Required." Also, Steam has started showing the Beta's build ID (in Properties) as 0, whereas before I could've sworn it showed a several-digit number. But I'm not 100% certain on that point. --S