Starter Guide
Increase FPS Without Making It Ugly (High-Impact Tweaks)
Answer: A practical list of settings that usually improve FPS without destroying visuals, plus a safe way to test changes.
Use referral code to start with 50,000.
Enter during signup — or within 24 hours after account creation.
Quick answer
Answer
The trick is to cut expensive effects first, not overall detail everywhere.
- The trick is to cut expensive effects first, not overall detail everywhere.
- You can often keep readability and style by lowering a few heavy settings and using upscaling.
- Verify changes in the same scene so you don’t chase placebo.
Do this now
- Lower volumetrics/clouds before anything else.
- Reduce shadow distance/quality (big cost, moderate visual hit).
- Use upscaling to trade pixels for FPS while keeping UI readable.
- Keep textures as high as VRAM allows (textures are often cheaper than heavy effects).
- Retest in the same location; stop when the game feels smooth enough.
Common mistakes (and exact fixes)
| Mistake | What happens | Fix (exact) |
|---|---|---|
| Lowering textures first on a VRAM-rich GPU | You lose quality for little gain. | Target effects (clouds/shadows) first. |
| Chasing max FPS everywhere | You make the game ugly and still stutter in hubs. | Aim for ‘smooth enough’ + stable feel. |
| Ignoring CPU limits | GPU tweaks won’t fix CPU-bound scenes. | Run the CPU vs GPU bottleneck test. |
FAQ
What’s the best ‘low ugliness’ lever?
Shadows and volumetrics are common wins.
Is upscaling worth it?
Often yes — it’s one of the cleanest FPS trades.
Should I disable all post-processing?
Only if needed; start with the biggest levers first.
Why is one city always worse?
Some scenes are heavier; use them to test worst-case.
Where do I go for a full baseline?
The performance guide has a full checklist and requirements tiers.