ok, so first i had to add PROTON_USE_WINED3D=1 %command% --skip launcher to the launch options. this finally did something, and it told me that there was not proper communication to port 3216. i then had to manually open this port via the terminal, using this guide: https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/opening-a-port-on-linux I then removed PROTON_USE_WINED3D=1 %command% --skip launcher from the launch options. also, i forced it into using proton experimental this whole time. after that it was smooth sailing :) hope this could save someone the time it took me to figure out, lol