Hey!
Windows 11 gamer here, I basically only use my new PC desktop for gaming. Using Nvidia. Right now playing mostly GW2 and CK2.
I just started fiddling around with Linux a few weeks ago. I tried Linux Mint but had problems with CK2 recognizing my Nvidia card despite installing the driver. So I moved over to Ubuntu. CK2 is now working perfectly, but GW2 is stuttering whenever I move my mouse, making it not playable. I’m running it as a non Steam game on Steam.
Which distro would you recommend for me? I’m thinking about Bazzite (but maybe it’s mostly for handheld games?) or Pop_OS? Fedora? Or can I maybe fix GW2 on Ubuntu somehow?
All the different distros is making this a bit overwhelming 😅
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Make sure you choose an arch-based distro, you need the latest features, fixes for nvidia. I dualboot garuda and windows 11, and garuda has better performance on a slower ssd. They recently released a new major release
Welcome!
I assume CK2 is Crusader Kings 2? If so, it already has a Linux native build. For Guild Wars 2, you can download it from Steam and use you own credentials on the launcher and play like that. It would be easier that way.
For different distros, it doesn’t actually matter that much. Just pick one you like and delve into it. You may want to change it when you learn more about Linux, but that’s for some time later.
This game is buggy on Windows, moreso on Linux.
I get memory leaks when playing for longer than an hour. My pc has 48gb of memory, and i’ve caught gw2.exe taking over 10gb by itself after a long session. This has happened to me on multiple distros and machines. If you let it continue it eventually crashes the game
That said, it’s pretty playable. You can just reboot your pc when you are done.
You should try to figure out what’s going on with Ubuntu. Maybe try a different proton version, or try using proton-GE. You could also look at Lutris and either use that or copy the relevant flags they are using to your launch options in Steam.
I play (not often) on Fedora just using steam. My gpu is AMD. No big issues except the memory leak.
It also very well could still be a driver issue. Driver installation is a bit different on Linux vs Windows, perhaps something wasnt enabled or configured properly.
You’re overthinking it - distro doesn’t matter that much. Fix the issues you have on the distro you’re running.
It’s not like “Ubuntu is good for GW2, bazzite runs god of war, mint for baulders gate”
Different distros ship updates in different pace and optimized for various use cases
Bazzite or nobara. Bazzite just works, nobara is a bit more flexible with what you can install easily
I’ll toss in a vouch for bazzite too. I tried it out and it’s not at all for me, but that’s because I wanted to tinker with shit and bazzite’s a very “locked-down” immutable distro. if you want something that just works out of the box and don’t plan on doing a lot of tweaking, it’ll get the job done. I ended up switching to cachyOS which suits my needs much better, but I don’t think I’d recommend it to someone brand new to linux as a whole.
Seconded on Bazzite. It works great on desktop, nothing about it limits it to handhelds.
I don’t think that’s distro related. I’ve played GW2 on Mint with an Nvidia card and it worked just like on Windows. I installed the Steam version though and linked my account.
What Proton version are you using in Steam to play it, did you try some different ones? Without knowing what your issue really is, there are some tinker steps mentioned on ProtonDB, maybe have a look. It’s really hard to recommend anything without more info.
For simplicity and ease of use (also shipped with NV drivers) Bazzite.
It’s not as ease of use if you want to fiddle with stuff but as a turnkey solution it’s the best out there IMHO, it’s geared to non savvy users, it comes with everything pre-packaged OOTB (or gives you the option to run an install script for it) and it just works for the most part. Highly recommend going with KDE and Plasma.
That’s not to the detriment of other distros (don’t torch my house Arch fans), just that, bazzite really invested into the UX and it shows.
I only have experience with Mint, but you could try running GW2 as a steam game? Not sure if it would help.
You need to add “-provider Portal” to the launch options so you can use your non-steam account.
Could also ask in!guildwars2@lemmy.wtf for GW2 specific advice.
You might give Bottles a go. It can be used to run GW2 the same way steam does, but you’ll have access to tweak all the different settings of the compatibility layer.
You can also use ProtonUPQT to install custom versions of proton, then set steam to use them from game properties.
Fedora desktop with KDE. Or you could do grape Arch
Or Blueberry Fedora
