Guide

Installation on Linux

Before you start

  • Have Steam installed and working, with suitable graphics drivers. On Steam Deck, switch to Desktop Mode for setup. A keyboard and mouse make the Windows installer easier to use.
  • Keep enough free space for the game download, its installed files and Proton's Windows environment. Check the launcher's space estimate before installing. Mods will require additional room, at least 10-20GB more for a safe buffer.
  • If returning from 0.6.1 or earlier, use a fresh 0.7 installation rather than installing over the old game. Preserve the old game folder, personal settings and custom content; see Installation.

A prefix is Proton's Windows environment: its virtual C: drive, registry, installed runtimes and Windows user folders. Use one Steam library entry to keep the same prefix for the .NET installer, setup launcher and installed launcher. Adding each executable as a separate game would create separate environments and could leave the launcher unable to find .NET.

Install through Steam

1. Download and place the setup files

  1. Download launcher.exe from the Download page or the launcher project's releases.
  2. Download Microsoft's .NET Desktop Runtime 6.0.36 Windows x64 installer. Its filename is windowsdesktop-runtime-6.0.36-win-x64.exe.
  3. Create a setup folder you own, such as edsetup in your home folder, and move both downloaded files into it. This is not the final game directory.

Use the Windows x64 Desktop Runtime, even though you are installing on Linux: the launcher is a Windows application running inside Proton. You do not need the Linux runtime or the SDK.

Flatpak Steam: If Steam's file browser cannot see your setup folder, give Steam access to it through Flatseal. Select Steam and add the folder under Filesystem > Other files, then restart Steam. For a Steam library on another drive, add the parent folder containing steamapps. This gives Steam access to the files it needs without opening up your entire home directory. See the Flathub instructions for external libraries.

2. Create one non-Steam shortcut

  1. In Steam, choose Games > Add a Non-Steam Game to My Library > Browse, select the setup launcher.exe, and add it.
  2. Open that entry's Properties > Compatibility. Enable Force the use of a specific Steam Play compatibility tool and select Proton 9.0-4.
  3. Under Shortcut, set Target to the setup launcher.exe and Start In to the folder containing it. Use Browse and the file manager's actual absolute paths, not a literal ~. Keep paths with spaces enclosed in double quotes.
  4. Set Launch Options to the following and retain it throughout setup and normal use:
DOTNET_BUNDLE_EXTRACT_BASE_DIR=.cache %command%

This sets the launcher's .NET extraction folder to .cache inside its working directory. Keep Start In set to the folder containing the launcher so it can write there.

3. Open the prefix and install .NET into it

  1. Select Play in Steam once. Proton prepares a prefix. If the launcher requests .NET, close the prompt and wait for the Steam entry to stop running.
  2. Before changing the shortcut, locate its prefix as described below. Save the prefix path and the current shortcut settings so you can find them later. Keep this library entry throughout setup.
  3. If the launcher already opens normally, continue to game installation. Otherwise, open this same entry's Properties > Shortcut and temporarily use Browse to change Target to windowsdesktop-runtime-6.0.36-win-x64.exe in your setup folder. Leave Start In, Compatibility and Launch Options unchanged.
  4. Select Play, complete the runtime installer, then close it. Restore Target to the setup launcher.exe. Select Play again to open the launcher.

Finding the prefix: Enable hidden files in your file manager and locate Steam's steamapps/compatdata directory. Steam's Settings > Storage shows your library locations. Common paths start with ~/.steam/steam or ~/.local/share/Steam; Flatpak Steam usually stores its files under ~/.var/app/com.valvesoftware.Steam/.local/share/Steam. Look for the numbered folder created or updated when you ran the launcher. Its pfx subfolder is the prefix. Record the complete path; the number is specific to your Steam entry.

If you cannot identify the folder, temporarily change Launch Options to PROTON_LOG=1 DOTNET_BUNDLE_EXTRACT_BASE_DIR=.cache %command%, then launch and close the entry. Find the new steam-<ID>.log in Steam's home directory and match its ID to the numbered folder in compatdata. For Flatpak Steam, check its sandbox home directory. Restore the original Launch Options once you have found the prefix.

4. Download and install the game

  1. In the launcher, select Next and let it find the available release.
  2. Choose a fresh installation folder and note the Windows destination shown by the installer. An ElDewrito folder on the Windows user's Desktop inside the prefix keeps the game separate from your setup files.
  3. Select Install and wait for the download and installation to finish. Keep the machine awake and the destination drive mounted. If the download stalls or an error appears, see Troubleshooting.
  4. When the launcher offers Play, launch the game, then exit the game and launcher normally before updating the shortcut.

5. Point Steam at the installed launcher

The downloaded launcher is a setup copy. Future launches should use launcher.exe in the installed game folder beside eldorado.exe.

  1. Open the recorded prefix's drive_c folder in your file manager and follow the Windows destination you chose. For example, C:\users\steamuser\Desktop\ElDewrito becomes drive_c/users/steamuser/Desktop/ElDewrito inside the prefix.
  2. Find launcher.exe beside eldorado.exe in the installed game folder. If you installed outside the virtual C: drive, use that location instead.
  3. Copy the installed launcher's full Linux path. In the existing Steam entry, set Target to that file and Start In to its containing directory. Quote each complete path when it contains spaces. Leave Compatibility and Launch Options unchanged.
  4. Select Play in Steam again. It should open the installed launcher rather than the first-time installation wizard or runtime installer. Confirm it still uses the recorded prefix. If .NET is suddenly missing, restore the previous shortcut fields and check the prefix before installing anything again.
  5. Rename the entry to ElDewrito if you like. Once it launches correctly after restarting Steam, you can remove the temporary setup files.

Play on desktop or Steam Deck

On Steam Deck, return to Gaming Mode and open the same entry under your non-Steam library. Do not add another shortcut for Gaming Mode. The Windows launcher may still need mouse or touch input before you select Play.

Connect your controller before launching and check that Steam detects it. Use the entry's controller layout and the game's input settings to configure it. If the controls act like a desktop mouse or produce duplicate actions, adjust this game's Steam Input layout. Keep the game window focused while playing.

  1. Open a local game to set up movement, aiming and sound.
  2. Open the game's server browser and select an active server. The site's Server Browser can help you find one.
  3. Allow time for any required custom content to download. Continue to Playing for controls and joining games, or Custom content for downloads and mods. Port forwarding is only needed for hosting, not joining a server.

Updates and troubleshooting

Use the installed launcher to update the game. Before changing Proton versions, moving the game or repairing the installation, close the game and launcher, then back up the prefix and any game files stored outside it. Save the Steam shortcut settings alongside the backup. If the prefix links to folders elsewhere, back those folders up separately.

If something stops working, check Troubleshooting before deleting the prefix or reinstalling. Keeping the existing prefix preserves your runtime installation and settings.

When asking for help, include your Linux distribution, whether Steam is installed through Flatpak, your GPU and driver, and your Proton version. Explain whether the problem occurs in the runtime installer, launcher, game menu or server join. Check logs for personal paths and other private information before sharing them.