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Steam Deck33 Reports
The game launcher supports gamepad input now, so the mouse is not needed once gamepad controls are set in the game itself for both gameplay and also the character select screen. Do close the launcher once the game launches for a performance boost in the Steam menu.
Game requires mouse controls to use the launcher also for initial setup
You need to set up gamepad mode in the game itself, and to also make gamepad mode be used for the title screen. A keyboard would be really useful for initial setup, but the built-in keyboard is enough. Using the steam button and the right trackpad is enough to use the mouse to click on the install and launch buttons.
PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 PROTON_SET_GAME_DRIVE=1 %command%
lower graphics preset and 40fps cap (game can run on a solid 90 tho) average batery life on steam deck oled is 4.5 hours with the tweaks
if the game stutters close the zenimax launcher after youre ingame
without the tinkering the game is borked but after these easy steps it should run without any problems
I play handheld and some text was a little small but nothing impossible to see.
Like others have said, a keyboard and mouse is really needed to start up the game and create a character. And then I had to use a keyboard and mouse to switch to Gamepad controls within the game (once logged into your character).
I get 50-55 FPS without any issue.
had to manually enable gamepad in eso settings
Eso only loads on steam deck with proton 7.0.6 anything newer and the graphics dont load.
Might need to use the touch screen or a mouse to navigate the launcher then closing the launcher once the game is opened
If you wanna play handheld/controller only I would highly recommend to force the game in gamepad mode in the game settings then it's pretty much flawless from there
Once in game, you need a keyboard and mouse to set up gamepad support in the game menu. You need to log into a character in order to do that. Once gamepad support is turned on, you can play like normal. Make sure to close the launcher that's running in the background to solve the stutters.
Close the launcher once everything is set up and running.
The steam gamepad works fine, but you need to use an external keyboard and mouse to get into the game and enable gamepad support.
The loading of other players is dependent on the quality of your Wi-Fi, I was fine for the most part, had the odd lag, but nothing out of the ordinary for Wi-Fi connections.
Unfortunately, you'll need a way to hook up an external keyboard and mouse, or a bluetooth combo to set it up. They're pretty cheap on Amazon.
Tried multiple versions of Proton and WineGE, it either crashes silently or throws an error about app crashing. Was not able to get the EGS version to run at all.
PROTON_SET_GAME_DRIVE=1 WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR=1 %command%
ESO Launcher window must be closed prior to character sign-in to prevent slowdown and framerate issues.
I had no issues with PvP that were specific to the Steam Deck and/or GE-Proton
Do not be scared of the 'tinkering', any such tinkering is minimal at best.
After starting the game, use Steam button to switch back to launcher and close it. Else there is stuttering in game.
As mentioned, launcher needs to be closed after startup
PROTON_SET_GAME_DRIVE=1 %command%
Must close launcher after starting game, otherwise the game stutters
Performance can be less than perfect when a lot is happening on screen, but no different than pc.
Game takes some tinkering for initial setup. Must click through and close the launcher after each startup. I recommend using an updated proton version and tweaking the game graphics down some. However, once you've set it up how you like, the game can run amazingly well at 60 fps.
Make sure to set right trackpad to mouse, and the click behavior. Makes the initial menus easier to navigate.
Close launch window after the game starts up or there is significant stuttering.
Playing in a group has been a breeze, not using the in-game chat at all, just a separate discord chat.
The fixes are easy, and well worth it. Once you get the controller set and GE running, it's been a blast.
After first installing ESO, a launcher installer will appear but the Deck does not see it so your screen is black. I thought the game wasn't working, but others pointed out you need to push the Steam button + right on the d-pad to get the installer to appear. It seems to be a bug due to how the launcher windows overlap the game. Once I installed the launcher it all ran smoothly.
Read what I wrote about showing the installer, but it works fine thereafter
PROTON_SET_GAME_DRIVE=1 %command%
Close launcher to improve performance
Couldn't select a character until I started the game with accessibility mode OFF and agreed to TOS/clicked through some windows etc.
You'll need to enter the command line as above or the installer will claim there's not enough space. First time playing, when it asks if you want accessibility mode (and you will eventually because gamepad support is awesome in this game) say NO until you successfully get to character select.
PROTON_SET_GAME_DRIVE=1 %command%
Need to use the ESO launcher before being able to play.
Black screen on first launch such that I had to blindly press on the touchpad to get through installation.
Gamepad support isn't turned on by default and requires use of the touchpad or touch screen to enable in the game's settings.
Occassional "an error has occurred" disconnects, but I get these on Windows too at about the same frequency.
Occasional disconnects that are on par with Windows.
Didn't explore a ton but got a stable 60 fps in Northern Elsweyr. Kind of a pain to get set up but nothing too big of a deal since you do it once and it's good to go forever -- took maybe 10 minutes at most between Googling and actually doing the steps. Haven't tried using addons yet.
PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 PROTON_SET_GAME_DRIVE=1 %command%
40fps/40hz reduced the TDP by -2
Yes, you will get a black screen after you first launch the game and it finishes installing the "InstallAnywhere"
A little small but not to bad
The game will stutter frequently unless you close the launcher window after you get into the game.
When you first launch the game, it will need to install InstallAnywhere, once it is complete, and if you've set the launch options and switched to experimental proton, you will likely see a black screen. To get past this, you need to press the Steam Button + Right Dpad to select the "continue" button you can't see, then you should see the luncher and it should start updating. After it is updated, you can click play and launch the game.
When you first open it after updating the game will ask you if you want to turn on Accessibility mode which switches the game to Gamepad mode, I HIGHLY recommend enabling it from the start to enable this otherwise you'll need to switch when you're already in game, likely with some external keyboard or mouse.
ALSO, very important:
Whenever you launch the game, it wiill always open the launhcer just like PC to load updates and news and stuff. Once you hit play, and get into game, Press the Seam button then go down to where you can "Switch Windows" and press "X" to close the window for the launcher. This is because it stays open and causes frequent stutters in game, this fixes that.
PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 PROTON_SET_GAME_DRIVE=1 %command%
40hz/40fps
Capped to 60 fps
Game plays well once getting past the initial setup and launch issues. Built in controller support is great.
PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 PROTON_SET_GAME_DRIVE=1 %command%
Also configured paddles and left trackpad for common hotkeys.
Capped refresh rate at 40hz. Manually configured UserSettings.txt and set
SET MinFrameTime.2 "0.02625000"
to get the game capped at as close to 40FPS as possible. The steam deck frame limiter caused the game to run significantly lower than the selected value.
Had to use the normal methods to get past the black screen witht he installer, use on-screen keyboard to press enter when the screen is black.
Using google fiber (wifi or hardwired) the initial launch failed with "Unable to load applications list" connecting to a hotspot on my phone allowed me to download the ~200MB update. Afterwards I was able to switch back to regular internet, but the launcher would take ~3.5min to become active and would fail to load the news. I switched to the Steam OS Beta update channel and that resolved the launcher issues (takes ~20s to get in game now), but haven't reinstalled to confirm if it also solves the first launch issue.
The game takes some significant configuring to get setup on steam deck, once this is done though, the game runs flawlessly.
PROTON_SET_GAME_DRIVE=1 %command%
If you keep the launcher open in the background while playing, you will have massive stuttering every 10 seconds or so. I recommend closing it.
Stuttering if I forget to close the launcher.
Ping spikes very high sometimes for no reason.
If you get a black screen while installing, press enter via the steam+right dpad shortcut. If you get an error about missing harddrive space, add the launch option I mentioned.
If you experience stuttering inside the game, make sure you close the launcher after starting the game.
PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 PROTON_SET_GAME_DRIVE=1 %command%
Run game at 40 fps. Sttering in a lot of areas, slow load.
Need to set a custom command, has issues with stuttering, and is slow in main areas, need to run at 40fps.
Runs well, requires some tinkering with the initial launches to get it to work. But after that no issues.
PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 PROTON_SET_GAME_DRIVE=1 %command%
I ran the game connected to an external display, keyboard and mouse via desktop mode
Rebound all the buttons to in-game shortcut keys
Initial install required downgrading to an older version of Proton. I was able to switch to the latest version after the installer had completed
If you want to play gamepad mode, it will probably be defaulted to keyboard and mouse making it impossible to change without switching to keyboard and mouse first.
Gamepad layout would take work to get used to if you're primarily a PC player. Multiple steps just to make the game playable. No good keyboard and mouse Steam Deck bindings make it a pain to play if you want to use the PC UI.
PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 PROTON_SET_GAME_DRIVE=1 %command%
Black Screen on initial launch, open on screen keyboard and press enter, crashes after first install, fine on second run
Glitching every 10-30s, close the launcher window when in game using the steam menu to get rid of the stutter
Controller doesn't work until you are in game and you have to enable gamepad mode in the settings in game
Couldn't download applications list or launch the game on Standard wifi, have to use a mobile hotspot (Google Wifi doesn't work)
Bit Fiddly to install and having to use a mobile hotspot is annoying but game plays incredibly well, video guide if people want it available here: https://youtu.be/zqXBwbofbDQ
Had drops in framerate with proton experimental, switch to GE-Proton7-18 and no more drops.
PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%
Tweaking settings
Just a couple of very minor tweaks to get it working but after that it runs great with graphics settings at whatever they default to.
PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 PROTON_SET_GAME_DRIVE=1 %command%
Highly recommend configuring the right trackpad as a mouse with left mouse click. This will allow you to navigate through the menus and launch into the game where you can then enable controller support
Install process went through but it took a couple of tries and re-launches for it to go through, no issues since then though.
No issues with playing online
Apart from initial setup game now runs perfectly even in game mode (with Steam Deck OS update from 25 APR 2022)
PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 PROTON_SET_GAME_DRIVE=1 %command%
- Back buttons:
- L4: ESC (to access non-gamepad escape menu)
- L5: , (comma - to unlock and use mouse)
- R4: DPAD LEFT (I use gamepad layout 1 from in-game settings which has this button assigned to swap weapons, that's uncomfortable mid-fight to me due to SD layout so I use this button instead)
- R5: F11 (I assigned toggling gamepad mode to this button in in-game "controls" settings)
- Left trackpad: Directional Pad
- Requires click: OFF
- Layout: 4 Way (No Overlap)
- Click Action: Right Mouse
- Left: I (to open inventory and alt menu in non-gamepad mode, might be just as useful to use "alt", but I use inventory often and it can be used in gamepad mode too)
- Right: E (the main button you are going to use in non-gamepad mode as this confirms all the actions)
- Up and Down: optional, I assigned them to F9 and F10 and then assigned those to custom actions of mods I use in in-game "controls" settings
- Rest I left on default setings
- Installation: First run ends in black screen. Tap at the bottom near the center to get rid of it or use "enter" (steam key + right arrow). Launcher appears again but exits back to Steam Deck launcher - just run the game again and it will start.
- With Deck update on 25 APR 2022 they introduced window management (you can swap windows in steam overlay) - this fixes issue with launcher popping up constantly so you can now play in steam game mode instead of using desktop mode.
- Be aware - log in screen doesn't support controller but it's easy to navigate just by tapping the screen (probably also character creation screen, just use right pad as mouse or touch screen).
- Once you load your character make sure press ESC (steam key + left arrow) and make sure to set following setting to ON: Settings > Gameplay > Gamepad section > Gamepad Mode. Your SD controller now works.
- You'll find some things are better to be managed in non-gamepad mode (e.g. mods without gamepad support). So I set up hotkey to swap between those modes if necessary. Core gameplay is great in gamepad mode tho after you get used to it.
- Chat - I found game mode Deck keyboard is good enough. "RemoteTouchpad" app I suggested in my last report doesn't work in game mode. You can use KDE Connect instead, refer to this reddit post for more info - setup app in desktop mode then add it as non-steam app so you can run it from game mode.
- When it comes to mods - I use minion app - Java version (needs Java 8). Definitely try "Controller Tweaks" mod and controller compatible mods from IsJusta.
- You can add "console / comand line" as non-steam app - do that for running TTC and minion app from game mode, I then use this bash script to first download TTC data and then run minion (change EU url and file locations if needed):
#!/bin/bash
echo downloading.... &&
curl -s -o ~/PriceTable.zip 'https://eu.tamrieltradecentre.com/download/PriceTable' &&
cd ~/ &&
echo unziping... &&
unzip -o -q ~/PriceTable.zip -d "/home/deck/.steam/steam/steamapps/compatdata/306130/pfx/drive_c/users/steamuser/Documents/Elder Scrolls Online/live/AddOns/TamrielTradeCentre/" &&
echo done &&
/home/deck/java/jre1.8.0_321/bin/java -jar /home/deck/Minion/Minion-jfx.jar
- Graphics - mid default settings run mostly at 60 FPS, feel free to experiment and bumping some options up.
Game runs perfectly once initial setup and a few workarounds to install it are done, see details below.
PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 PROTON_SET_GAME_DRIVE=1 %command%
- Back buttons:
- L4: ESC (to access non-gamepad escape menu)
- L5: , (comma - to unlock and use mouse)
- R4: DPAD LEFT (I use gamepad layout 1 from in-game settings which has this button assigned to swap weapons, that's uncomfortable mid-fight to me due to SD layout so I use this button instead)
- R5: F11 (I assigned toggling gamepad mode to this button in in-game "controls" settings)
- Left trackpad: Directional Pad
- Requires click: ON
- Layout: 4 Way (No Overlap)
- Click Action: Right Mouse
- Left: I (to open inventory and alt menu in non-gamepad mode, might be just as useful to use "alt", but I use inventory often and it can be used in gamepad mode too)
- Right: E (the main button you are going to use in non-gamepad mode as this confirms all the actions)
- Up and Down: optional, I assigned them to F9 and F10 and then assigned those to custom actions of mods I use in in-game "controls" settings
- Rest I left on default setings
This game is unplayable in Steam Deck launcher as ESO launcher constantly pops up for a few microseconds and interrupts your actions. Play the game in desktop mode using Steam Big Picture mode (I found out that steam overlay works best in this mode - you'll use it to change controller settngs on the go or turn on keyboard and other useful things I'm still learning about).
- I installed the game in Steam Deck launcher. First run opens ESO install wizard briefly before ending in black screen. I figured out that tapping screen gets rid of it. I tapped it at the bottom near the center and slightly left. Other people reported that using "enter" (assign some buttom to it) also works. After this launcher appeared again just to download someting and then exited back to Steam Deck launcher.
- This was OK - just run the game again and it will start. However, ditch Steam Deck launcher and go to desktop mode, open Steam in Big Picture mode and run it from there (see above why). - Be aware - log in screen doesn't support controller but it's easy to navigate just by tapping the screen (probably also character creation screen, just use right pad as mouse or touch screen).
- Once you load your character make sure you have ESC setup on one of your buttons because your SD controller is still not working. Press ESC and make sure to set following setting to ON: Settings > Gameplay > Gamepad section > Gamepad Mode. Your SB controller now works.
- However, you'll find some things are still better to be managed in non-gamepad mode. Some useful mods don't work in gamepad mode at all. That's why I set up hotkey to swap between those modes. However, I use it usually just to set up guild store sales and to use crafting tables and a few other things. Core gameplay is great in gamepad mode but it took me a while to get used to it.
- When it comes to chat - I use app called "Remote Touchpad". You can install it from software center in desktop mode. App displays QR code. Scan it with your phone (note: you must be on the same local network). It opens browser window you can use as touchpad or to type with it. You can write whole your message and then send it to ESO chat.
- When it comes to mods - I use minion app - Java version (needs Java 8). Definitely try "Controller Tweaks" mod. For TTC I found this script (change url for NA if needed and double check mod folder location on your system):
#!/bin/bash
echo downloading.... &&
curl -s -o ~/PriceTable.zip 'https://eu.tamrieltradecentre.com/download/PriceTable' &&
cd ~/ &&
echo unziping... &&
unzip -o -q ~/PriceTable.zip -d "/home/deck/.steam/steam/steamapps/compatdata/306130/pfx/drive_c/users/steamuser/Documents/Elder Scrolls Online/live/AddOns/TamrielTradeCentre/" &&
echo done
- When it comes to graphics I run on mid and it runs smoothly even with all my mods so far.
PROTON_SET_GAME_DRIVE=1 %command%
Elder Scrolls Online Launch window will flicker in and out of view while ingame. To resolved this, after clicking "Play", quickly click either the close the launcher or minimize it. This will prevent the launch window from popping into view.
Initially the game will not naively recognize the Deck's "Gamepad with Joystick Trackpad" layout. Required to change ingame settings. To do this an external keyboard and mouse or change Deck's default controller layout to "Keyboard (WASD) & Mouse" to access ingame settings.
Once logged into a character, access the Settings > Gameplay > Gamepad Mode, change to "on". Exit game, if needed change controller layout back to "Gamepad with Joystick Trackpad". Launch game, will need to use touch screen the click "Play" and select character. When logged into a character gamepad controller will work.
Launch options are required or wont be able to complete the install because of errors about limited hard drive space.
Need external keyboard and mouse or change Deck's default controller layout to "Keyboard (WASD) & Mouse". Required as the AnyInstall.exe will display as a solid black box, simple hit the "Enter" key to complete install.
Playable on Steam Deck after getting past black screen during install and setting gamepad mode to ON in the game's settings
During installation, the screen will turn black. Hold the Steam button and tap X to bring up the virtual keyboard and tap the Enter key to complete the initial install.
Once the game loads, it does not recognize the Steam Deck's controller. Hold the Steam button and use the right joystick as a mouse to select your character and click Play.
Once you are logged into the game, hit Esc (Steam button + Left Dpad) and use the mouse to click Settings, then Gameplay, then next to "Gamepad Mode" select ON. Exit and reboot the game.
During installation, the screen will turn black. Hold the Steam button and tap X to bring up the virtual keyboard and tap the Enter key to complete the initial install.
Once you login to the game and get to character select screen, it does not recognize the Steam Deck's controller. It does respond to touch on screen, so you can select a character and login, but then you will be stuck in-game with no controller support.
The game is playable on the Steam Deck, but it does not recognize the device's native controller. If that hurdle can be overcome, it'll be playable.
Many of the Linux reports have noted launch commands that do not appear to impact or change performance for the native Steam Deck install. I was able to launch and login to the game without any launch commands.
