8BitDo Ultimate 2C Wireless Controller
Hall-effect sticks and L4/R4 bumpers with low-latency 2.4G dongle for 60 FPS Sync Attacks and Legion positioning.
Windows Setup Wizard, AppImage & RecompLauncher
Astral Chain-Setup.exe on Windows and Astral-Chain-Setup-1.18.0-x86_64.AppImage on Linux turn your own legally obtained Astral Chain 1.0.0 base game and 1.0.1 update into a portable native folder. No MSYS2, Visual Studio, or .NET SDK installation is needed: the release bundles an embedded Python 3.14 environment, llvm-mingw, Ninja, and ac_xlate.
~25 GiB PeakFree disk needed during 1.0.1 BKTR merge
~14 GiB FinalInstalled game folder (+ ~4 GiB build-cache)
1-3 MinutesTypical C lift, link & shader pre-build
System prerequisites and required user inputs
Neither the upstream project nor this guide provides game files, console keys, or extraction instructions. Everything is verified locally by SHA-256 before writing output.
| Requirement | Verified Specification |
|---|---|
| Operating system & CPU | Windows 10/11 64-bit or Linux x86_64 with at least x86-64-v2 (SSE4.2); AVX2/FMA (x86-64-v3) strongly preferred for full speed |
| Graphics card & driver | Vulkan 1.3 capable GPU supporting VK_EXT_external_memory_host (NVIDIA GTX 900/10-series & RTX, AMD Polaris/RDNA/RDNA2+, Intel Arc & Xe) |
| Disk space budget | ~25 GiB free during setup (~11 GB temporary Program NCA merge workspace + ~14 GB installed game + ~4 GB build-cache/ for fast mod rebuilds) |
| User-supplied files | Your own legally obtained Astral Chain base game 1.0.0 (01007300020FA000, XCI or NSP), update 1.0.1 (01007300020FA800, NSP), and console prod.keys |
First-time setup on Windows, Linux & RecompLauncher
The GUI setup window (localized in English, Russian, Brazilian Portuguese, and Simplified Chinese) wraps a deterministic resumable CLI pipeline.
Windows 10 / 11 x64
GUI Wizard & SmartScreen
Unpack Astral.Chain-Setup-1.18.0-windows.zip into an empty folder (Unicode and Cyrillic Windows usernames are supported via UTF-8 activeCodePage manifests) and start Astral Chain-Setup.exe. Because the binary is unsigned, click More info then Run anyway on Microsoft Defender SmartScreen after checking the SHA-256 hash. Pick Install the game for the first time, select your 1.0.0 base, 1.0.1 update, prod.keys, language, and destination folder.
Linux & SteamOS
AppImage & Headless CLI
Mark Astral-Chain-Setup-1.18.0-x86_64.AppImage executable (chmod +x) and run it directly from Desktop Mode or a terminal. Advanced users and scripts can invoke the underlying Python module with JSON or line progress events:
python -m installer --base base.nsp --update upd101.nsp --keys prod.keys --lang auto --dest "./Astral Chain" --progress-lines
One-Click Port Updates
Updating & RecompLauncher
To upgrade an existing installation to 1.18.0, unpack the new setup release, pick Update my installed game, and point it at your existing Astral Chain folder. It verifies astralchain-install.json and rebuilds the executable without needing your NSP/XCI dumps again. The repository also ships recomplauncher.json (requiring RecompLauncher 0.90.0-beta.27+) for integrated updates, Display/Graphics presets, and exit-code diagnostics.
| Installer Stage | What Happens on Disk |
|---|---|
| Input & space check | Verifies both archives open with your keys, checks main, sdk, and rtld against 1.0.0 and 1.0.1 hashes (differing main.npdm metadata is allowed as a warning), and confirms CPU SSE4.2+, Vulkan 1.3, and ~25 GiB free space. |
| ExeFS extract & BKTR merge | Extracts the 1.0.1 ExeFS and merges its delta RomFS BKTR section with the 1.0.0 Program NCA, validating every IVFC hash level against expected-v1.0.1.json (10,310,254,332 B RomFS). |
| ARM64-to-C lift | Runs recomp/gen.py with patches-v101.txt across parallel worker processes into build-cache/gen/, folding enabled ExeFS mod patches simultaneously. |
| Native C compile & link | Compiles generated C chunks alongside modules.c, romfs.c, patches.c, and ov_zstd.c via bundled llvm-mingw + Ninja, linking astralchain.exe (or astralchain on Linux). |
| Ahead-of-time shader warm | Runs prepare_shaders.py and astralchain --prepare-shaders to translate Maxwell shaders via ac_xlate, warm the GPU driver disk cache, and pack shader-cache/shader-cache.pack. |
| Workspace cleanup | Removes the ~11 GB temporary Program NCA merge folder, moves build logs into build-cache/logs/, and writes astralchain-install.json plus build-cache/rebuild.txt. |
Portable installed directory structure
Once setup finishes, the installed folder is self-contained: you can delete the Astral Chain-Setup zip/folder unless you use automatic ExeFS cheat/mod rebuilding ([mods] mods_rebuild = auto), which references the setup toolchain recorded in build-cache/rebuild.txt.
- Back up saves easily: copy
profile/saveandprofile/account.uidbefore testing overhaul mods. - Add NVIDIA DLSS: drop
nvngx_dlss.dllright next toastralchain.exe. - Chinese & Korean text: place Switch shared
.bfttffonts inshared-fonts/next to the executable (or setAC_SHARED_FONTS).
<install folder>/
astralchain.exe (or astralchain), SDL3.dll, libopus-0.dll, libxess.dll, ac_xlate.exe
astralchain.ini # Active settings; uncomment lines to override defaults
exefs/, romfs/ # Extracted & merged 1.0.1 data from your own copy
shader-cache/shader-cache.pack # Packed SPIR-V translations
shader-prepared.bin # Variants pre-warmed into your GPU driver cache
profile/save/ # Game save files & account.uid (portable across updates)
mods/ # One subfolder per mod (<name>/romfs, exefs, cheats)
logs/astralchain.log # Latest run log (+ astralchain.1.log .. .4.log)
build-cache/ # Cached C chunks & objects for fast mod rebuilds
astralchain-install.json # Release version, input hashes & completed step ledgerControllers for dual-stick Legion combat
Astral Chain Recomp uses SDL3 for low-latency gamepad input, rumble curves, gyro aiming, back paddles, and automatic Xbox or PlayStation prompt detection.
View on Amazon
GameSir Super Nova Hall-Effect Gamepad
Drift-free Hall sticks, physically swappable ABXY faceplates (pad_layout = xbox or nintendo), and motion gyro via SDL3.
8BitDo Pro 2 Bluetooth Gamepad
Symmetrical dual-stick layout with Switch/X-Input modes, motion aiming for Bow Legion, and rear paddles (`lpaddle1`/`rpaddle1`).
GuliKit KK3 Max Wireless Controller
TMR electromagnetic sticks and 1000 Hz polling for tight 360-spin and Perfect Dodge input windows on Windows and Linux.
Affiliate disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, astralchainrecomp.wiki earns from qualifying purchases at no added cost to you.
Installation & update troubleshooting
Common setup wizard, disk space, and folder portability answers.
What happens if setup is interrupted or cancelled halfway through?
Every step records a content hash in astralchain-install.json. Running the installer again on the same destination folder skips completed steps whose outputs are intact and resumes immediately from the interrupted stage.
Why did setup stop with check.input_damaged?
The installer verifies SHA-256 hashes of the base 1.0.0 code modules, the 1.0.1 update module, and every IVFC level of the merged RomFS. check.input_damaged indicates a truncated or corrupted file copy on disk.
Does Astral Chain Recomp need Nintendo Switch firmware files?
No firmware folder is needed to install or play in English, Japanese, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese, or Russian. Only Chinese and Korean in-game text require the console's shared BFTTF fonts in shared-fonts/.
What do RecompLauncher exit codes 70 and 71 mean?
Exit code 0 indicates a clean exit. Exit code 70 means the game stopped on a handled runtime error (typically GPU device loss or exhausted VRAM/RAM). Exit code 71 indicates an unhandled crash; attach logs/astralchain.log when reporting.