EAC bugged after Castlevania update

Hi everyone,

I just want to confirm that I did this and it works, Dead by Daylight is now playable. I didn't install Guild Wars 2 on Steam since the game is 70 Gb in size but I was in a hurry to try so I just installed Fortnight on Epic, it's 45 Gb. If anyone wanna try this I recommend spending more time to search for smaller game.

The main thing to do this is to find another game that uses EAC so it will be installed when you install the game. You can refer to this page by SteamDB. Once the game is installed, play it and it will automatically install EAC. Leave everything the way it is. Close the game. Open Dead by Daylight. It should now work because now EAC is already installed. They only need one installation of EAC.

Issue Summary, if you wanna read it instead of playing for some reason.

Background issue:

1. Dead by Daylight can't start because it is saying that Easy AntiCheat cannot initiate.
   1. It is impossible to know for sure whether EAC fails to initiate because it is installed but fails to initiate or that it is not installed. However, after I installed Fortnight I checked and found an Easy AntiCheat folder inside Fortnight folder.
   2. I believe EAC is game-dependent in away that it is bundled and installed along with a game that uses it BUT it will not install again if it's already found in the system. Similar to the way Visual C++ Redistributable is applied by games, I guess.
2. Easy AntiCheat cannot initiate for Dead by Daylight because EasyAntiCheat_EOS_Setup.exe file located in Easy AntiCheat folder inside the game installation files can not initiate properly. When you click on it, something flashes like a DOS window or something but it is too fast to read anything on it then the window is closed. I believe it should instead initiate and install EAC if it's not found on the system and if it is found then it will proceed and start the game. I checked, the EAC folder in Dead by Daylight and it is different size from the one in Fortnight.

Solution that does not work:

1. The quick repair for this is to INSTALL or REINSTALL EAC on your system, right? However, all tutorial for this refers to the game's EAC folder, which DOES NOT WORK for Dead by Daylight since the EasyAntiCheat_EOS_Setup.exe does not work so stop telling people to click on the file.
2. The next thing to do is to download the EAC installer on your own, you know, like a normal person. This seems to be impossible since EAC does not seem to provide the installer for end-user to download. Why??? I have no idea. This is really annoying. So you can not download the installer.

Solution that works:

1. The last thing to do is to get a game that uses EAC and install it. In the first guy's post he used Guild Wars 2 on Steam, for me I used Fortnight.

Please note that I have with me a .zip file of the folder EasyAntiCheat from Fortnight if anyone want to try replacing the one they have for Dead by Daylight and se if it works so you don't have to install an entire game just to have EAC. Anyone can do this and share so this could be a quicker solution for others. Careful though because anyone could just replace the .exe file with anything so if you don't know what you're doing then get the EAC from a trusted friend I believe we all have at least that one friend who plays Fortnight, right?

Note for BEHAVIOUR INTERACTIVE, no thanks to you and no need to respond to my days old complaint just check your Easy AntiCheat files FFS and get your s**** together.

On the side note, I have reasons to believe that this latest mess is a combination of BI (for not having their EAC dependent files through QC), Epic (for having such bizarre software and for having websites with no support or download page for your own software, kudoz to you, if no one can download your software, no one can exploit it, right on) and of course Microsoft with their Windows 11 recent policy to tighten security for certain files and folders. For example, notice that .exe files off your games installed by Microsoft Store or Xbox for PC app can no longer be interacted with by 3rd-party software. This is either the next mess or will blows over by the next update and on to the next mess.

Sometimes I am paranoid and think that perhaps they all do this on purpose and make it harder and harder to just want to play a game just so PC gamers give up and buy their consoles.

Was just trying to help. Should goes without saying that I wrote based on what I experienced in reference to the comment of the guy saying he did the same thing and it worked.

However, it isn't clear for me what you meant by "one of the first things I tried". I don't think it is quite the same as what I tried?

To be clear, here is what I tried based on the suggestion by the other guy I mentioned so I was talking in reference to our unique condition:

• I have no other games using EAC.
• Dead by Daylight EAC not working.
• I installed another game using EAC.
• Dead by Daylight works just fine now.

In your case, you already have other games using EAC and Dead by Daylight still having similar issue. So it's different from our "bubble".

Also, care to explain what do you mean by "I tried with multiple games"?

Here is a few thigs you may try which I am sure you already tried and goes without saying is based on my bubble:

• Replace the EasyAntiCheat_EOS_Setup.exe file inside folder C:\XboxGames\Dead By Daylight\Content\EasyAntiCheat with the one from your other games using EAC? The folder should be located inside each game using EAC. That file seems to be the problem with Dead by Daylight. Try that if you haven't and if it still doesn't work then forgive my bubble.

The objection here might be your opening statement:

"I just want to confirm that I did this and it works, Dead by Daylight is now playable."

For you, it's playable. For many of us who heard about this "fix" over a week ago and for whom it did not work, the game is still unplayable. And we have tried fiddling with EAC (along with trying all of the other suggestions in this thread and across Reddit, the Discussion group on Steam, this forum, etc.) which have not worked.

And we're very frustrated that 2 weeks on BHVR has still not fixed this bug. And it's most certainly a bug.

In that light, I believe that statements like yours will only create false hope in those who read it. It did for me.

As have many of us, I have already tried multiple variations of restoring the EAC install from other games and from the install folder to no effect.

So to sum up.. for many of us, who have spent hours at this point trying to fix a problem that is clearly on the BHVR side..

..the game is in fact decidedly UNplayable.

I promise you all of us have tried that and every possible "solution" that will be suggested. Some fixes have worked for people, but for the majority nothing has worked.

After weeks, they finally answered my support ticket, and after explaining everything in detail and linking this thread and telling them about the reddit posts and steam discussion, they still had the audacity to tell me "Have you tried starting the game as an admin" and "Here's a guide on how to verify files"

I will freaking scream if this issue doesn't get fixed.

same problem, tried everything and nothing works. all it says is "eac client cannot be instantiated" and then only allows me to quit game. fustrating

"For you, it's playable. For many of us who heard about this "fix" over a week ago and for whom it did not work, the game is still unplayable. And we have tried fiddling with EAC (along with trying all of the other suggestions in this thread and across Reddit, the Discussion group on Steam, this forum, etc.) which have not worked."

There shouldn't be any if we remain within linguistic conventions and understand that the word "I" means that it is subjective FOR ME.

I did this and it works FOR ME!

Might also want to you follow the conversation because it is clear that I am referring to my shared unique condition with the other guy and his fairly new "fix" as follows:

• We have no other games using EAC.
• Dead by Daylight EAC not working.
• We installed another game using EAC. He installed Gears of War 2, I installed Fortnight, both games have EAC in it.
• Dead by Daylight works just fine now.

That shouldn't be taken as: This works generally outside of the context above. And even if you have identical condition and it didn't work, a simple "It didn't work for me" should suffice.

Hi. I just wanna give you credit that your fix worked for me. Thanks. I didn't installe Guild Wars, I installed Fortnight. We share similar condition that we don't have any other game with EAC already installed. Just wanna mention that I'm installing Dead by Daylight using Xbox for PC app (Windows Store) and installed Fortnight using Epic app.

I uninstalled Fortnight and Dead by Daylight still works, just thought you might wanna try that. However, backup the Guild Wars 2 first so if anything happened you can reinstall without downloading again.

Thank you guy, and see you in Dead by Daylight! I know it's not Castlevania's fault but I have grown to really really hate looking at that background image of Castlevania as EAC fails to launch.

that means that file is not authentic, most likely being tampered with. if you did something to it, then don't do that. if you didn't do anything then validate the game on your platform (Steam, Xbox for PC, etc) it will erase whatever isn't a part of it and download what's necessary.

i dont make nothing, if you pretend that i make cheats or something like that, i never use cheats, but this appear from the updated of castlevania, before of this i can play normally, and is 2 weeks that i cannot play in linux, and dont play in windows, no anymore, i wait until fix and bump this image

Ok I didnt see this post when I briefly made mine i have this same problem is there nothing we can do to fix this on the client side?

Given that a dev specifically said that there's no update or ETA, any (volontary, it's possible some random update fixes it by coincidence) fixes will likely have to wait at least until late-september/early October since it's very likely not gonna be in the upcoming PTB.

for me, the issue got fixed with the patch today (even though nothing was mentioned in the patch notes?)

So, maybe just me but may be worth it for anyone affected to check for themselves

The new patch didn't fix it for me. I almost got excited :(

I'm dying over here girly.

Pc, Steam

Ya my game seemed to work after the last patch for a bit but as soon as I logged off and restarted my computer it seemed to show up again so Im right back to the same issue of eac not being able to run. Also again im on PC steam and deleting the EAC folder and having DBD redownload it doesnt fix the issue either cause I thought maybe something got tampered with or corrupted but nope

Patch did nothing. Uninstalled, cleared directories, reinstalled, no joy. Factory reset? You've got to be joking. Guess it's time to uninstall and come back in a few months hoping it's fixed. So annoyed that the Aurics purchased in preparation for the new killer are just sitting there and not refundable. Money spent, but surely not well spent. Later for now, DbD.

I am a steam user.

I honestly dont think they can fix it themselves It's something that the EAC company has to fix if bhvr could let us know that'd would be great but they could also be contractional obligated to stay silent on certain matters with eac so as to not sully its rep. I could be wrong however but thats just how ive heard it is

I tried again today after a few updates to reinstall DBD. The bug is still here "Easy Anti Cheat is not installed". When i try to launch EAC from DBD's folder, EAC appears 0.3s and then closes immediately.

I don't know what to do anymore. 20 days later still no information…

EDIT: It's working fine with the previous version of EAC, but the new one "EasyAntiCheat_EOS" refuses to open. I uninstalled every other EAC games but the problem persists.