Dear Blizzard Technical Support,
I am submitting this ticket as a follow-up to a previous request that was incorrectly classified as a network-related issue. Despite providing a detailed technical analysis regarding DirectX 12 shader caching behavior in Overwatch 2, I received a generic copy-paste response referring to DNS flushing, firewall settings, and router resets – none of which are relevant to the subject of my inquiry. The ticket was then automatically closed without addressing the actual content.
I am requesting that this issue be reviewed manually by a technical specialist familiar with Overwatch 2’s rendering pipeline and DirectX 12 integration.
Technical Context
I am running Overwatch 2 via the Blizzard Launcher (not Steam), using the DirectX 12 Beta API on a system equipped with an AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT (RDNA2 architecture, Adrenalin 23.x driver). My investigation focuses on the behavior and persistence of shader cache data under DX12.
Observations:
- Windows DX12 Shader Cache:
The folder
C:\Users\AppData\Local\D3DSCache
remains static at approximately 1.5 MB in size, even after extended gameplay sessions (30+ minutes, multiple matches, hero swaps, map transitions). No new .bin, .pso, or .cso files are generated, and no timestamps are updated. This suggests that either no persistent disk caching is occurring, or that Overwatch 2 is compiling shaders entirely in-memory during runtime. - Blizzard-Specific Directories:
No shader-related artifacts are found in the following locations:
C:\Users\AppData\Local\Blizzard Entertainment\Overwatch
C:\ProgramData\Blizzard Entertainment\Battle.net\Cache
C:\Users\Documents\Overwatch 2
These directories contain UI assets, configuration files, and session data, but no serialized pipeline state objects or shader blobs. - AMD Driver Behavior:
The Adrenalin driver does not expose any configuration options for DX12 shader caching. The only available action is “Reset Shader Cache.”
The folder
C:\Users\AppData\Local\AMD\DxCache
contains exclusively DX11-related shader binaries.
The OpenGL cache at
C:\Users\AppData\Local\AMD\OglCache
is irrelevant to Overwatch 2.
Technical Questions
- Does Overwatch 2 utilize persistent shader caching under DirectX 12, such as via , PSO serialization, or proprietary caching mechanisms?
- If persistent caching is implemented, where are the resulting artifacts stored on disk?
- Are there architectural differences between DX11 and DX12 in Overwatch 2 regarding shader compilation and cache persistence?
- Could the use of RDNA2 hardware or the DX12 Beta API affect shader caching behavior, such as disabling disk-based caching or altering pipeline state reuse?
Purpose
This inquiry is part of a performance analysis focused on shader compilation overhead, stutter reduction, and pipeline reuse efficiency. I am seeking clarity on whether Overwatch 2 under DX12 is designed to cache compiled shaders persistently, and if not, whether this is a limitation of the current implementation or an intentional design choice.
I would appreciate a response from a technical team member familiar with the engine-level behavior of Overwatch 2 under DirectX 12. Please do not close this ticket with a generic network troubleshooting response, as this is a rendering pipeline issue unrelated to connectivity.
Thank you for your time and support.
Best regards