EA Sports WRC’s Free Season 3 Update Adds Playable ‘Moments’ And Patch 1.5.1 Promises Fixes To Stuttering And Framerate Drops

Posting this item late due to sickness. Apologies for the gap in coverage (whole of February, 2024).

Between their rounds of layoffs, EA last month released their free Season 3 update for EA Sports WRC, bringing more iconic rally ‘moments’ to the title along with a new patch (significant changelog below) that fixes various issues with shaders, micro stuttering, framerate drops and reset (track cutting) lines.

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Full patch notes:

New Content
Added 10 Rally Pass Season 3 cosmetic items, in the Free tier.
Added 15 Rally Pass Season 3 cosmetic items, in the VIP tier.
Added 5 Rally Pass Season 3 cosmetic items, in the EA Play tier.
Added a new Season of Moments, with a new challenge going live every day (~60 in total).
Added a new livery to the Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 (WRC2) – Andreas Mikkelsen (2023) – Free to all players.
Key Fixes & Improvements
Expanded upon Unreal Engine’s shader compilation process when booting the game on PC, by adding PSO support for compute shaders. This should help reduce the amount of stutter experienced during gameplay.
Expanded upon Unreal Engine’s VFX system (“Niagara”), adding PSO support for compute shaders. This should help reduce the amount of stutter experienced during gameplay.
Fixed an issue in some scenarios in which micro-stuttering was occurring while the player was hitting maximum FPS with V-Sync enabled. This should result in a smoother experience during gameplay.
Fixed an issue on all locations in which some reset lines were only triggering from one side, allowing players to pass through them freely.
Fixed a number of issues related to reset lines, corner-cutting and object collision behaviour across several locations.
Addressed a number of areas in which framerate would drop significantly on Chile. Other locations may also see a slight performance improvement as a result.
Crash Fixes
Fixed an issue in Quick Play Multiplayer in which the game would crash after changing camera while spectating.
Fixed an issue on EA App in which the game would crash when starting a Quick Play Multiplayer Event at Sweden.
Fixed an issue on Xbox in which the game would crash when starting a Quick Play Multiplayer Event at Croatia.
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Audio
Adjusted bass levels when using the “TV” audio output preset.
Adjusted volume levels for engines, exhaust, gearbox and turbos in roadside replay views.
Adjusted volume levels for reflections and reverb in roadside replay views.
Adjusted volume levels for gravel kickup and skidplate effects in interior, bonnet and bumper views.
Adjusted volume levels for co-driver calls.
Adjusted volume levels for rumble strips.
Fixed an issue in which the reverb effect from chase camera was sent to the player too quickly compared to other views.
Fixed an issue in which the soundtrack would sometimes not play when expected.

Career
Fixed an issue in which a Benefactor Relationship icon was missing from certain events in the Calendar.
Fixed an issue in which the Benefactor relationship would not improve after winning an FIA championship while simultaneously exceeding repair budget.
Fixed an issue in which the Marquee Target would be shown twice in the Benefactor Targets menu.
Fixed an issue in which the player was showing as being in 1st place in events they are not participating in.
Fixed an issue in which the progress bar for the H2 FWD Extreme Trophy was not tracking correctly in the Benefactor Target screen.
Fixed an issue in which the progress bar for the WRC2 Championship was not tracking correctly in the Benefactor Target screen.
Made some balance changes to the discounts available in Motor Show.

Cars
Citroën C4 WRC – Fixed an issue in which dirt would appear on the inside of the windscreen under the window banner.
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI – Fixed an issue in which the car was incorrectly labelled as having an H-Pattern gearbox.
Volkswagen Golf Kit Car – Fixed an issue in which the car was incorrectly labelled as having an H-Pattern gearbox.
Opel Adam R2 – Fixed an issue in which the seats could get covered in mud while the doors were closed.
Championship Mode
Fixed an issue in the Service Area in which the calendar dates for some WRC rounds did not accurately reflect the 2023 season’s real-world dates.
Fixed an issue in which part-time drivers were present in events they were not set to compete in.

Clubs
Fixed an issue in which selecting “Retire from Event” from the Service Area or Results Hub does not retire the car.
Resolved an exploit in which the player could run infinite Shakedowns before starting a Club Championship Event

Co-Driver
Fixed an issue in which the French language co-driver would provide the wrong translation for “patchy now”.
Finland – Paijala – Fixed an issue in which some corners were being called too late.
Finland – Venkajarvi – Fixed an issue in which some co-driver calls were not present.
Japan – Okuwacho – Fixed an issue in which some co-driver calls were not present.
Pacifico – Loeboekmalaka – Fixed an issue in which some co-driver calls were not present.
Portugal – Celeiro – Fixed an issue in which co-driver calls would not trigger after starting the stage.
Sweden – Ekshärad – Fixed an issue in which some co-driver calls were not present.
Graphics & Performance
Expanded upon Unreal Engine’s shader compilation process when booting the game on PC, by adding PSO support for compute shaders. This should help reduce the amount of stutter experienced during gameplay.
Expanded upon Unreal Engine’s VFX system (“Niagara”), adding PSO support for compute shaders. This should help reduce the amount of stutter experienced during gameplay.
Fixed an issue in some scenarios in which micro-stuttering was occurring while the player was hitting maximum FPS with V-Sync enabled. This should result in a smoother experience during gameplay.
Fixed an issue in which birds would fly into the ground.
Fixed an issue in which dust and other kickup effects were not appearing in replays, after the player progressed through to a podium screen.
Fixed an issue in which roadside tractors would not properly drive up and down hills.
Made improvements to water splash effects in both interior and exterior views.
Central Europe – Fixed a number of minor road texture issues at specific junctions.
Chile – Addressed a number of areas in which framerate would drop significantly. Other locations may also see a slight performance improvement as a result.

Input Devices
Added a high torque safety warning to the wheel calibration setup process, for those using direct drive wheel bases.
Fixed an issue in which the wrong button icons were appearing when testing inputs in the Controls menu.

Livery Editor
Fixed an issue in which some cars had unpaintable rear spoilers.
Fixed an issue in which the “Select” option would disappear after deleting all decals.
Fixed an issue in which the action of duplicating a layer defaulted the player’s cursor to the lowest layer in the stack.
Fixed an issue in which the camera angle would reset itself when adding a new decal.
Fixed an issue in which the decal editor would not open after deleting a decal.
Fixed an issue in which the Duplicate Decal function opened the placement editor for the original decal instead of the new one.
Fixed an issue in which the Flip Decal option would not flip the selected decal.
Ford Puma S1600 – Fixed an issue in which the window strip could not be painted.
Renault Maxi Mégane – Fixed an issue in which the window strip could not be painted.

Locations
Fixed an issue on all locations in which some reset lines were only triggering from one side, allowing players to pass through them freely.
Central European Rally – Fixed an issue in which the skybox appeared pixelated in darker areas.
Central Europe – Fixed a number of spelling issues on voiceover subtitles of location reveal and service area screens.
Central Europe – Updated event plate on all appropriate vehicle liveries and UI screens.
Central Europe – Brusné – Fixed an issue in which the player could drive through a fence without colliding with it.
Central Europe – Brusné – Fixed number of issues in which certain roadside objects had incorrect collision behaviours.
Central Europe – Libosváry – Fixed an issue in which a reset line was not functioning correctly.
Central Europe – Libosváry – Resolved a corner-cutting exploit.
Central Europe – Lukoveček – Fixed an issue in which a reset line was not functioning correctly.
Central Europe – Lukoveček – Fixed an issue in which the player could drive through a fence without colliding with it.
Central Europe – Lukoveček – Fixed an issue in which the player could drive through a set of bushes without colliding with them.
Central Europe – Lukoveček – Fixed number of issues in which certain roadside objects had incorrect collision behaviours.
Central Europe – Lukoveček – Resolved a corner-cutting exploit.
Central Europe – Raztoka – Fixed an issue in which a reset line was not functioning correctly.
Central Europe – Raztoka – Fixed an issue in which the player could drive through a fence without colliding with it.
Central Europe – Raztoka – Fixed an issue in which the player could drive through a set of bushes without colliding with them.
Central Europe – Raztoka – Fixed number of issues in which certain roadside objects had incorrect collision behaviours.
Central Europe – Raztoka – Resolved a corner-cutting exploit.
Central Europe – Rouské – Fixed an issue in which a reset line was not functioning correctly.
Central Europe – Rouské – Fixed an issue in which the player could drive through a fence without colliding with it.
Central Europe – Rouské – Fixed an issue in which the player could drive through a set of bushes without colliding with them.
Central Europe – Rouské – Fixed number of issues in which certain roadside objects had incorrect collision behaviours.
Central Europe – Rouské – Resolved a corner-cutting exploit.
Central Europe – Rusava – Fixed an issue in which a reset line was not functioning correctly.
Central Europe – Rusava – Resolved a corner-cutting exploit.
Central Europe – Vítová – Fixed an issue in which the player could drive through a fence without colliding with it.
Central Europe – Vítová – Fixed number of issues in which certain roadside objects had incorrect collision behaviours.
Central Europe – Žabárna – Fixed an issue in which a reset line was not functioning correctly.
Central Europe – Žabárna – Fixed an issue in which hay bales were missing from a chicane while in Time Trial.
Central Europe – Žabárna – Fixed an issue in which the player could drive through a fence without colliding with it.
Central Europe – Žabárna – Fixed an issue in which the player could drive through a set of bushes without colliding with them.
Central Europe – Žabárna – Fixed number of issues in which certain roadside objects had incorrect collision behaviours.
Central Europe – Žabárna – Resolved a corner-cutting exploit.
Estonia – Elva – Fixed an issue in which a roadside bush would abruptly stop the car after a collision.
Estonia – Külaaseme – Fixed an issue in which a roadside bush would abruptly stop the car after a collision.
Estonia – Metsalaane – Fixed an issue in which a reset line was placed too close to the roadside edge after a jump.
Estonia – Metsalaane – Fixed an issue in which a roadside bush would abruptly stop the car after a collision.
Estonia – Vahessaare – Fixed an issue in which a roadside bush would abruptly stop the car after a collision.
Estonia – Vellavere – Fixed an issue in which a reset line was placed too close to the roadside edge after a jump.
Finland – Peltola – Fixed an issue in which trackside signage for a different route was placed in a few corners.
Finland – Peltola – Fixed an issue in which trackside signage for a few junctions was missing.
Japan – Habu Dam – Fixed an issue in which a reset line was not functioning correctly, and co-driver calls would not function after reset.
Japan – Habucho – Fixed an issue in which a reset line was not functioning correctly, and co-driver calls would not function after reset.
Japan – Higashino – Fixed an issue in which a spectator was not covered by a reset zone.
Japan – Hokono Lake – Fixed an issue in which a spectator was not covered by a reset zone.
Japan – Kudarisawa – Fixed an issue in which a reset line was not functioning correctly, and co-driver calls would not function after reset.
Japan – Lake Mikawa – Fixed an issue in which a reset line was not functioning correctly, and co-driver calls would not function after reset.
Japan – Lake Mikawa – Fixed an issue in which the player could drive through a hill on the side of the road.
Japan – Nenoue Plateau – Fixed an issue in which a spectator was not covered by a reset zone.
Japan – Tegano – Fixed an issue in which a spectator was not covered by a reset zone.
Kenya – Malewa – Fixed an issue in which some corners were being called too late.
Kenya – Wileli – Fixed an issue in which some corners were being called too late.
Mediterraneo – Asco – Fixed an issue in which a reset line was not functioning correctly.
Mediterraneo – Asco – Fixed an issue in which the player would not get reset when driving into a specific reset zone.
Mediterraneo – Maririe – Fixed an issue in which a reset line was not functioning correctly.
Mediterraneo – Monte Cinto – Fixed an issue in which a reset line was not functioning correctly.
Mediterraneo – Monte Cinto – Fixed an issue in which the player would not get reset when driving into a specific reset zone.
Mediterraneo – Poggiola – Fixed an issue in which a reset line was not functioning correctly.
Mediterraneo – Ponte – Fixed an issue in which a reset line was not functioning correctly.
Mediterraneo – Ponte – Fixed an issue in which the player would not get reset when driving into a specific reset zone.
Mediterraneo – Serra Di Cuzzioli – Fixed an issue in which the player would not get reset when driving into a specific reset zone.
Oceania – Doctors Hill – Fixed an issue in which a reset line was placed too close to the roadside edge, and another issue in which a reset line was missing.
Oceania – Mareretu – Fixed an issue in which a reset line was placed too close to the roadside edge, and another issue in which a reset line was missing.
Oceania – Oakleigh – Fixed an issue in which a reset line was placed too close to the roadside edge, and another issue in which a reset line was missing.
Oceania – Taipuha – Fixed an issue in which a reset line was placed too close to the roadside edge, and another issue in which a reset line was missing.
Pacifico – Gunung Tujuh – Fixed an issue in which a reset line was missing after crossing the finish line.
Pacifico – South Solok – Fixed an issue in which a reset line was missing after crossing the finish line.
Pacifico – Talao – Fixed an issue in which a reset line was missing after crossing the finish line.
Portugal – Anjos – Resolved a corner-cutting exploit.
Portugal – Baião – Fixed an issue in which the player could drive through some rock formations.
Portugal – Baião – Resolved a corner-cutting exploit.
Portugal – Caminha – Fixed an issue in which the player could drive through some rock formations.
Portugal – Caminha – Resolved a corner-cutting exploit.
Portugal – Carrazedo – Resolved a corner-cutting exploit.
Portugal – Ervideiro – Fixed an issue in which the player could drive through some rock formations
Portugal – Fridão – Fixed an issue in which the player could drive through some rock formations.
Portugal – Fridão – Fixed an issue in which the location was incorrectly labelled as an asphalt stage on UI screens.
Portugal – Marão – Resolved a corner-cutting exploit.
Portugal – Ponte de Lima – Resolved a corner-cutting exploit.
Portugal – Viana do Castelo – Fixed an issue in which the player could drive through some rock formations.
Sardinia – Bassacutena – Fixed an issue in which a reset line was not functioning correctly, and co-driver calls would not function after reset.
Sardinia – Littichedda – Fixed an issue in which a reset line was not functioning correctly, and co-driver calls would not function after reset.
Sardinia – Monte Olia – Fixed an issue in which a reset line was not functioning correctly, and co-driver calls would not function after reset.
Sardinia – Rena Majore – Fixed an issue in which a reset line was not functioning correctly, and co-driver calls would not function after reset.
Sweden – Älgsjön – Fixed an issue in which the player’s car would not reset after falling off a bridge.
Sweden – Ekshärad – Fixed an issue in which the player’s car would not reset after falling off a bridge.
Sweden – Lövstaholm – Fixed an issue in which the player’s car would not reset after falling off a bridge.
Sweden – Vargasen – Fixed an issue in which the player’s car would not reset after falling off a bridge.

Moments
Moved Season 2 Moments to Archive tab.
Addressed a number of issues where titles and descriptions were not being localised on UI screens.
Adjusted Moments carousel so that new events now appear at the far left of the list instead of the far right.

Options & Settings
Fixed an issue in which resetting tutorial messages would prevent players from accessing the Calendar in Career.

Photo Mode
Fixed an issue in which the time of day on longer stages was locked to the stage start time instead of current replay time.

Quick Play
Fixed an issue in Quick Play Multiplayer in which a reset line was not functioning on some stages in Japan.
Fixed an issue in Quick Play Multiplayer in which an additional set of tyres is accidentally given to the player midway through an asphalt event.
Fixed an issue in Quick Play Multiplayer in which penalty times were not correctly synced across results screens for all players.
Fixed an issue in Quick Play Multiplayer in which the player could improperly get Terminal Damage at a specific corner in Oceania.
Fixed an issue in Quick Play Multiplayer in which the player’s camera would change when moving to a new stage.
Fixed an issue in Quick Play Multiplayer in which the player’s total event time was displaying incorrectly after competing in multiple championships.
Fixed an issue in Quick Play Multiplayer in which the player’s total points were displaying incorrectly after competing in multiple championships.
Fixed an issue in Quick Play Solo in which penalty rules for Regularity were displayed twice.

Rally School
Resolved an exploit in which the player could repeatedly gain Rally Pass XP in Rally School.
Lesson 3 (Gravel) – Fixed an issue in which the player could complete the lesson without correctly stopping within the designated area.

User Interface & HUD
Added Jersey as a selectable option when choosing driver nationality.
Added Guernsey as a selectable option when choosing driver nationality.
Fixed an issue in which scrolling through leaderboard entries on PC with a controller would stop working.
Fixed an issue in which the Friends List was still accessible while the player was playing offline or disconnected from the network.
Removed a number of scene transitions from post-stage result screens.

Miscellaneous
Fixed an issue in which the game displayed incorrect information should a player attempt to boot the title without having DX12 on their PC.
Made some minor text and UI fixes across various areas of the game.
Made several minor bug fixes and improvements across the game.