Best graphics settings to run W40k Darktide on Low, High PC

Warhammer 40k: Darktide is a visually stunning, fast-paced action game that can put even high-end PCs to the test. With its immersive environments, dynamic lighting, and intense combat sequences, ensuring that you get smooth performance can be tricky—especially if your system isn't top-of-the-line. In this guide, we'll break down the best in-game graphics settings for both low and high-end PCs, so you can get the best possible experience from Warhammer 40k: Darktide, no matter what hardware you're running.

1. Ensure Your PC Meets Minimum System Requirements

Before diving into the in-game settings, make sure your PC meets at least the minimum system requirements for Darktide. Here's a quick look:

Minimum System Requirements:

  • OS: Windows 10 64-bit
  • Processor: Intel Core i5 3.0 GHz or AMD Ryzen 5 3.0 GHz
  • Graphics: Nvidia GTX 970 or AMD Radeon RX 580
  • Memory: 8 GB RAM
  • Storage: 60 GB available space

Recommended System Requirements:

  • OS: Windows 10 64-bit
  • Processor: Intel Core i7 3.5 GHz or AMD Ryzen 7 3.5 GHz
  • Graphics: Nvidia RTX 2060 or AMD RX 5700 XT
  • Memory: 16 GB RAM
  • Storage: 60 GB SSD

Also, ensure that your graphics drivers are up-to-date. Outdated drivers can significantly reduce performance and lead to graphical glitches.


2. In-Game Graphics Settings for Low-End PCs

If you're running a lower-end system, you'll want to tweak settings that reduce the load on your CPU and GPU while still maintaining a playable experience. Below are the settings optimized for lower-spec machines.

Display Settings

  • Field of View (FOV): 90+ (Start with 90 for smoother gameplay). A higher FOV gives you a wider view of your surroundings, but increasing it too much on low-end PCs can cause a performance hit.
  • Resolution: Native resolution (unless the frame rate is too low; in that case, drop to a lower resolution).
  • Screen Mode: Fullscreen (this typically offers better performance than windowed modes).
  • VSync: Off. While VSync can help eliminate screen tearing, it can also introduce input lag and lower frame rates on low-end PCs.

Performance Settings

  • Nvidia DLSS: On (if you have an Nvidia GPU that supports DLSS). This will help upscale lower resolutions with minimal quality loss.
  • Super Resolution: Off. This feature is mostly useful for high-end systems and can cause performance drops on lower-end setups.
  • Nvidia Reflex Low Latency: Enabled. This will reduce input lag, improving your responsiveness.
  • Frame Cap: Unlimited (unless you have a low refresh rate monitor; in that case, set the cap to match your monitor’s refresh rate).
  • FidelityFX Super Resolution 2: Balance. FSR is an AMD technology that upscales the image with minimal performance impact. For low-end PCs, choose "Balance" to find a compromise between performance and quality.
  • FidelityFX Super Resolution 1.0: Off.
  • Sharpen: On (to improve image clarity, especially when using upscaling like DLSS or FSR).
  • Anti-Aliasing: Off. Anti-aliasing smooths jagged edges but can be quite demanding on older hardware.
  • Ray Tracing: Off. Ray tracing can significantly reduce performance on older GPUs, so it's best to keep this disabled.
  • Ray Traced Reflections: Off.
  • RTX Global Illumination: Off.

Advanced Graphics

  • Ambient Occlusion Quality: Low. This setting simulates how light behaves around objects. On low, it still looks good but saves resources.
  • Light Quality: Medium. Reducing this further will impact lighting, but "Medium" strikes a good balance for lower-end machines.
  • Volumetric Fog Quality: Low. This setting affects the look of fog and smoke, and reducing it will help improve performance.
  • Depth of Field: Off. This feature blurs objects in the background to focus on the main subject, which is often unnecessary in fast-paced gameplay.
  • Global Illumination: Low. Global Illumination simulates realistic lighting, but lowering it will help boost your FPS.
  • Bloom: Off. Bloom creates glowing effects around bright light sources, but it's a performance-heavy effect that isn't necessary for a smooth experience.
  • Skin Sub-Surface Scattering: Off. This is a rendering technique used for realistic skin textures. It can be disabled for a smoother performance.
  • Motion Blur: Off. Motion blur can make the game feel smoother but at a significant performance cost. Disable it for smoother gameplay.
  • Screen Space Reflections: Off.
  • Lens Quality: Off. Disabling lens effects like chromatic aberration and glare can improve performance.
  • Lens Flares: Off. Lens flares are visually interesting but not essential for smooth performance.

Miscellaneous Settings

  • Scatter Density, Max Ragdolls, Max Weapon Impact Decals, Max Blood Decals: Keep these low to improve performance. These settings control how many environmental interactions are visible at once. Increasing them can cause performance issues on low-end systems.

Best Graphics Settings, W40k, Darktide, Low, High, PC
3. In-Game Graphics Settings for High-End PCs

For those with high-end PCs, the goal is to make the game look as stunning as possible while maintaining a smooth frame rate. The following settings will let you enjoy the visual beauty of Darktide without compromising performance.

Display Settings

  • Field of View (FOV): 100-110. You can comfortably increase the FOV on a high-end PC without sacrificing performance.
  • Resolution: Native resolution (if you have a 1440p or 4K display, go ahead and use it).
  • Screen Mode: Fullscreen for the best performance.
  • VSync: On. VSync can help eliminate screen tearing if your monitor's refresh rate is high enough.

Performance Settings

  • Nvidia DLSS: On, preferably set to Quality or Performance (for 4K gaming). DLSS allows you to upscale lower resolutions to achieve high frame rates with minimal quality loss.
  • Super Resolution: Off. This may be redundant if you're already using DLSS or FSR.
  • Nvidia Reflex Low Latency: Enabled to reduce input lag, particularly important in fast-paced games like Darktide.
  • Frame Cap: Unlimited. You can unlock the frame rate entirely, as high-end PCs can handle it easily.
  • FidelityFX Super Resolution 2: Ultra Quality. This will give you a sharp image and excellent performance with minimal sacrifice to visual quality.
  • FidelityFX Super Resolution 1.0: Off.
  • Sharpen: On, at higher settings to enhance the visuals.
  • Anti-Aliasing: TAA (Temporal Anti-Aliasing). This will smooth out jagged edges without significant performance penalties on high-end hardware.
  • Ray Tracing: On (if your GPU supports it). With high-end hardware like an RTX 3080 or higher, enabling ray tracing can result in stunning visuals, particularly with reflections and lighting effects.
  • Ray Traced Reflections: On.
  • RTX Global Illumination: On. Ray-traced global illumination significantly enhances how light interacts with the environment.

Advanced Graphics

  • Ambient Occlusion Quality: High. High-quality ambient occlusion enhances the realism of lighting and shadows.
  • Light Quality: High. High light quality results in more realistic lighting effects.
  • Volumetric Fog Quality: High. Volumetric fog can be demanding, but on high-end systems, it can be enabled for impressive visual effects.
  • Depth of Field: On. This adds a cinematic effect, blurring the background and focusing on the action.
  • Global Illumination: High for richer lighting.
  • Bloom: On for a subtle glow effect around bright light sources.
  • Skin Sub-Surface Scattering: On for more realistic skin textures.
  • Motion Blur: On. Adds a cinematic feel to fast movements.
  • Screen Space Reflections: On for realistic reflections.
  • Lens Quality: On for high-quality lens effects.
  • Lens Flares: On to add a dramatic effect to light sources.

Miscellaneous Settings

  • Scatter Density, Max Ragdolls, Max Weapon Impact Decals, Max Blood Decals: You can increase these values for more detailed physics interactions and visuals, especially if you have a high-end system.

Conclusion

With Warhammer 40k: Darktide offering such stunning graphics, adjusting settings for smooth gameplay is essential, especially if you're on a lower-end system. For high-end PCs, you can maximize the visual fidelity without sacrificing frame rate. Ultimately, it’s about finding the right balance between aesthetics and performance. By following this guide and tweaking the settings, you’ll ensure a smoother and more enjoyable gaming experience, whether you're playing on a low-end or high-end PC.

Comments