DragonSword Awakening Save File & Config Backup Guide

#Where are DragonSword Awakening save and config files?

The official startup-crash notice confirms this route inside the installed game folder:

DS > Saved > Config > Windows > GameUserSettings.ini

That is a confirmed configuration file used by the official graphics-settings workaround. It is not enough evidence to label the same folder as the complete save-data location. A YouTube video claims to show the save and config locations, but this site has not independently verified a specific local progress-save filename.

Use the workflow below to protect what you can identify without inventing a save path.

#Confirmed versus unconfirmed

#Back up the confirmed configuration

1. Close DragonSword completely.
2. In Steam, right-click DragonSword: Awakening.
3. Open Properties → Installed Files → Browse.
4. Open DS, then Saved, Config, and Windows.
5. Copy the entire Windows config folder to a dated backup directory outside the game installation.
6. Keep GameUserSettings.ini unchanged in the backup.

Example backup label:

DragonSword-config-before-1.0.3-trainer-test-2026-07-25

A clear name is more useful than overwriting one generic “backup” folder every time.

#Protect progress when the exact save file is uncertain

Because Steam Cloud is enabled, do not assume Cloud synchronization alone is a backup. If an unsupported tool writes a bad state, that state may be synchronized.

Use a cautious sequence:

1. exit the game and wait for Steam synchronization to finish;
2. make a copy of the confirmed DS/Saved tree before changing anything;
3. do not delete unknown files merely because a video calls them cache files;
4. store the copy outside the Steam library;
5. record the game patch, date and reason for the backup;
6. avoid launching the game on another PC until you know which state Steam Cloud selected.

Copying the broader Saved directory is a precaution, not a claim that every file inside it is player progress.

#Official config reset for the launch crash

Hound13 documented a workaround for crashes after certain graphics changes:

1. close the game;
2. browse the installed files through Steam;
3. open DS > Saved > Config > Windows;
4. delete GameUserSettings.ini;
5. restart the game.

Before deleting it, copy the file. The game can regenerate settings, but your backup preserves the previous resolution and graphics configuration for comparison.

Update 1.0.2 later fixed several graphics issues, including a Frame Generation crash, FPS-limit persistence and excessively small resolution after verifying files. Keep the current patch in mind before following an older video.

#Before testing a trainer or item editor

Create a backup checkpoint with these notes:

• Steam app: 4570720;
• game patch: currently Update 1.0.3;
• tool/publisher name;
• trainer profile version, if shown;
• options you intend to test;
• whether Steam Cloud was synchronized;
• whether the test will remain offline.

Test only on a disposable state. Do not treat “the game launched” as proof that quest flags, inventory, achievements and later co-op remain unaffected.

#Restoring safely

If the game becomes unstable after a configuration or trainer test:

1. close both game and third-party tool;
2. copy the current affected files to a separate diagnostic folder rather than destroying them;
3. restore the dated backup;
4. verify the official game files in Steam if executable files may have changed;
5. launch without the trainer;
6. inspect progress before allowing a new Cloud synchronization.

Steam Cloud conflict prompts should be read carefully. Choose based on timestamps and the state you intentionally preserved, not simply “newer is always better.”

#What not to download

Avoid “100% complete saves,” achievement unlock saves and anonymous save packs when the provenance is unclear. Apart from malware risk, imported progress can mismatch quest flags, DLC ownership, character state or achievements. The official Steam listing confirms achievements, stats and Cloud support, which increases the number of systems an imported state may touch.

#Related guides

• Trainer availability overview
• Trainer download safety checklist
• XMODhub trainer status
• Patch compatibility checklist
• Engine and graphics troubleshooting

#Sources

• Official known issue: startup crash after graphics settings – confirmed config path and reset procedure.
• Official Update 1.0.2 – graphics and crash fixes.
• DragonSword: Awakening Steam Store – Steam Cloud, achievements and stats listing.
• YouTube: save and config location video – third-party location claim, not treated as official confirmation.