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Fix PoE Packet Loss, High Ping & Lag Spikes [Easiest Method]

Packet loss is not uncommon, but there’s always a solution for it

5 min. read

Updated onOctober 1, 2024

updated onOctober 1, 2024

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Key notes

Path of Exileis a free multiplayer role-playing game that has gained a lot of popularity. Players all around the world argue that it’s better than Diablo III. Others even dare to say that PoE is what Diablo III was supposed to be.

Either way, it’s a breath of fresh air, especially since it embraced the F2P culture quite tightly. Yes, PoE has some micro-transactions, but most of them are cosmetics.

However, that’s not why we gathered here. As you probably know, there’s no way to play Path of Exile offline. Therefore, you can imagine that this awesome game faces the same challenges as any other similar service.

Especially during new releases, patches, or updates, players complain about certain issues including but not limited to high ping,connection timeouts,jitter, and even the dreaded packet loss.

Although most of the time these problems arise as a consequence ofnetwork congestion, sometimes they might have something to do with underlying issues on your end. More so, you might even be able to fix them.

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Why is Path of Exile so laggy?

Why is Path of Exile so laggy?

Packet lossin Path of Exile can and will trigger nasty lag spikes. But what exactly is this issue you keep hearing about? Packet loss, or packet leak, is the inability of data packets to reach their destination.

None of these are ideal with Path of Exile, considering that you can lose experience points if you die.

However inconvenient it might be, packet loss can happen for various reasons. For instance, you might have bad cables, improperly configured hardware, or ISP issues.

Most of the time, packet loss occurs because of network congestion. Given that PoE is free-to-play, its servers are more often than not heavily populated. In this case, your safest bet would be changing the server or waiting it out.

How do you fix packet loss in Path of Exile?

How do you fix packet loss in Path of Exile?

1. Use a VPN against PoE lag spikes

ExpressVPN is an excellent all-around VPN service from Kape Technologies. Not only it can help you bypass packet loss with just about any service, but you can also use it to circumvent geo-restrictions, secure your connection, improve your privacy, and eliminate ISP throttling.

It’s worth mentioning that using a VPN won’t work if packet loss occurs on your side. The same applies to packets lost by the Path of Exile server you connect to. Using a VPN will only work if the packet loss occurs on your ISP’s side (intermediary).

ExpressVPN

2. Test packet loss in PoE

3. Troubleshoot your connection

We’ve mentioned in our guide that packet loss can occur in the following locations:

Thus, depending on the location of the packet loss, you can take one of the following actions:

How do I make PoE run better?

The sound may be one of the main causes of lag in your game, and it is becoming more popular in the community how completely disabling some sound settings can result in much better and more stable gameplay. To do so, you must first complete the following steps:

ambient sound volume2=false

music volume2=false

sound effects volume2=false

While doing so, make sure your game is closed. Simply save and close the file after completing the following steps, then relaunch Path of Exile. You’ll notice that the game is much quieter now.

All of the action sounds, such as shattering and volatiles, are muted. Applying these settings to “false” instead of “0” tells your PC that it must not process all of the extra sounds, resulting in a smoother gaming experience, especially on slower computers.

If you’re experiencing packet loss, don’t despair. Most of the time this issue fixes itself without any assistance. However, if the problem is recurrent, you might want to try using some of the fixes we’ve mentioned above.

Visit ourGaming Hubto discover more guides, reviews, and tips & tricks.

We can’t stress this enough, but using a VPN doesn’t automatically care take of everything. Do your research thoroughly before investing in such a service. Although VPNs can help you in many other ways, fixing packet loss only works in certain cases.

More about the topics:gaming,packet loss,RPG games,VPN

Vlad Constantinescu

Vlad might have a degree in Animal Husbandry and Livestock Management, but he’s currently rocking anything software related, ranging from testing programs to writing in-depth reviews about them.

He spent 3-4 years as a software editor at Softpedia and another year as a VPN specialist before he landed his current job as an author at Windows Report.

In his free time, Vlad enjoys playing guitar, doing jigsaw puzzles, researching cybersecurity, and even having a good read on rainy days.

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