Optimizing your settings in Elden Ring can significantly improve your gameplay experience, whether you’re exploring the vast landscapes of the Lands Between or battling challenging bosses. FromSoftware’s latest title is visually impressive but can be demanding on your system. Finding the right Elden Ring optimal settings will not only ensure smooth performance but also maintain visual fidelity and responsiveness during combat. Whether you’re on a low-end PC, a high-end rig, or a console, tweaking specific graphics and gameplay settings can make a noticeable difference.
Why Optimizing Settings Matters in Elden Ring
Elden Ring is a massive open-world RPG with dynamic weather, intricate terrain, and detailed textures. While its aesthetic is part of the appeal, frame drops, stuttering, or input delay can make precise timing critical in this game frustrating. Optimization ensures smoother performance, better responsiveness, and overall immersion. Even players with powerful systems can benefit by eliminating unnecessary strain on hardware for a more consistent experience.
General System Requirements
Before diving into specific settings, it’s important to understand the game’s minimum and recommended requirements. Here’s a quick overview
- MinimumIntel Core i5-8400 or AMD Ryzen 3 3300X, 12GB RAM, GTX 1060 3GB or Radeon RX 580 4GB
- RecommendedIntel Core i7-8700K or AMD Ryzen 5 3600X, 16GB RAM, GTX 1070 8GB or Radeon RX Vega 56
Even if your system meets or exceeds these specs, Elden Ring has been known to exhibit performance issues due to how it utilizes CPU and VRAM. This makes adjusting your in-game settings a key factor in achieving the best balance.
Best Graphics Settings for Performance and Visuals
Here are the key settings you should focus on when trying to optimize performance without sacrificing too much of the game’s beautiful visuals.
Texture Quality
Set this to High or Medium depending on your VRAM. High textures enhance detail on armor, weapons, and environments, but require more GPU memory. If you have less than 6GB VRAM, consider Medium.
Antialiasing Quality
Set this to Low or Medium. While antialiasing smooths jagged edges, Elden Ring uses a softer implementation (likely TAA), which can make visuals blurry. A lower setting can boost FPS without drastically affecting visuals.
Shadow Quality
This is a performance-heavy setting. Set it to Medium or Low. Shadows look more detailed on High, but in fast-paced combat, most players won’t notice the difference. Lowering this can give a solid performance gain.
Lighting Quality
Medium is ideal. High settings enhance ambient lighting, but Elden Ring’s atmosphere remains moody even on Medium. Dropping this too low can flatten scenes, so avoid Low unless absolutely necessary.
Effects Quality
Keep this on Medium. This affects spell visuals, explosions, and atmospheric effects. High can be gorgeous but demanding. Medium retains the game’s flair while helping stabilize frame rates.
Volumetric Quality
This setting controls fog and mist. Set it to Low or Medium to improve performance, especially in fog-heavy zones like Liurnia. On higher settings, fog can become a visual obstacle while taxing on GPU.
Reflection Quality
Low is recommended. Reflections are subtle in most scenes, and reducing this setting often yields noticeable performance gains without visual loss.
Water Surface Quality
Low or Medium is best unless you frequently marvel at water physics. It doesn’t impact gameplay and can be turned down for improved performance in wet environments.
Shader Quality
Medium is a good balance. Shaders affect how light interacts with surfaces and materials. High shaders can slightly improve visual realism but are costly for lower-end systems.
Grass Quality
This setting has a surprising performance impact. Set it to Medium to maintain the feel of the world without overwhelming your GPU. High can cause dips in areas like Limgrave and Altus Plateau.
Recommended Settings Based on Hardware
Low-End PC Build
- Resolution 1080p or 900p
- Texture Quality Medium
- Antialiasing Low
- Shadows Low
- Volumetric Low
- Grass Low
- Frame Rate 60 FPS cap
Mid-Range PC Build
- Resolution 1080p or 1440p
- Texture Quality High
- Shadows Medium
- Volumetric and Effects Medium
- Grass Medium
- Frame Rate 60 FPS cap with VSync off
High-End PC Build
- Resolution 1440p or 4K
- Texture Quality Maximum
- Shadows High
- Lighting and Effects High
- Frame Rate Uncapped via mod or in-engine tweak
Additional Settings and Quality-of-Life Tweaks
Motion Blur
Turn this off unless you prefer cinematic visuals. It can obscure movement clarity, especially in combat-heavy moments.
Depth of Field
Set to Off or Low. This effect adds blur to distant scenes but has little gameplay relevance and can hinder visual clarity.
VSync
Use it to eliminate screen tearing, but be aware it may introduce input delay. For G-Sync or FreeSync users, you can often leave this off and use your monitor’s adaptive sync.
Field of View (FOV)
Elden Ring lacks an in-game FOV slider. Modding is possible, but altering FOV can lead to unintended visual bugs. For ultrawide monitors, mods may be necessary to avoid stretched UI.
Controller vs. Mouse and Keyboard
The game is designed around a controller interface. If you use mouse and keyboard, rebind dodge and interact buttons early, as default bindings can feel awkward. Reducing mouse smoothing via INI edits can help improve response time.
Console Optimization Tips
On PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, Elden Ring offers two modes Performance and Quality.
- Performance ModeTargets 60 FPS at a reduced resolution (generally 1800p)
- Quality ModeTargets 4K resolution with 30 FPS cap
For smoother gameplay, especially in combat-heavy areas like Farum Azula, Performance Mode is highly recommended. On PS5, running the PS4 version can provide more stable frame rates if you prioritize fluid motion over graphics fidelity.
INI Tweaks and Third-Party Tools
Advanced players may consider editing Elden Ring’s configuration files for further optimization. While this requires caution, common tweaks include
- Disabling unnecessary motion blur
- Unlocking frame rate caps
- Improving mouse responsiveness
Mods such as Elden Ring Reforged or FPS unlockers can enhance the experience, but use at your own risk, especially if you play online. These modifications may trigger anti-cheat protections, so offline use is safest.
Finding the best Elden Ring optimal settings is a balance between performance and visual fidelity. Whether you’re using a modest system or a powerful gaming rig, the right adjustments can enhance every fight, vista, and hidden boss encounter. By reducing unnecessary graphical strain and prioritizing frame consistency, you ensure that the game runs smoothly when it matters most. Explore the Lands Between with confidence, knowing your system is tuned for both beauty and performance.