Fix low FPS, improve First Descendant TFD performance on PC

The First Descendant (TFD), Nexon’s free-to-play looter-shooter, has quickly gained a loyal following since its release. Combining fast-paced action with RPG elements, TFD offers an exciting multiplayer experience, but for some players, it can be marred by low FPS, stuttering, and performance issues. If you’ve noticed your game running slowly, you’re not alone — many PC players experience lag or performance drops.

The good news is that there are several ways to optimize your settings and boost your FPS, helping you enjoy smoother gameplay. Whether you're playing on a high-end rig or a mid-tier setup, the following adjustments should help you maximize your frame rates and minimize lag in TFD.

1. In-Game Settings for Maximum FPS

First things first, it’s essential to tweak your in-game settings. By focusing on performance over visual quality, you can significantly improve your FPS. Below are the best configuration settings for high performance:

Performance Settings:

• Scaling Type: Disabled (or NVIDIA DLSS if available)

  • Why: Disabling scaling or using NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) helps reduce the load on your GPU by allowing AI-powered scaling to enhance performance without sacrificing too much visual quality.

• Scaling Mode (NVIDIA DLSS): Balanced

  • Why: If you have DLSS enabled, the Balanced mode is an excellent choice to strike a balance between performance and visual fidelity. It will increase FPS while keeping the game looking good.

• V-Sync: Disabled

  • Why: Vertical Sync (V-Sync) can introduce input lag and cap your FPS to your monitor’s refresh rate, leading to a less smooth experience. Turning it off can improve responsiveness and frame rates.

• NVIDIA Reflex Low Latency: Enable Boost

  • Why: This setting reduces system latency, ensuring that your input commands are executed faster, improving both responsiveness and overall performance. Enabling “Boost” provides the best results in reducing lag.

• Frame Rate Limiter: Unlimited

  • Why: Setting the frame rate limiter to “Unlimited” ensures that your GPU can push as many frames as possible, giving you a smoother experience. However, if your system is struggling, you can cap it to a higher frame rate like 60 or 120 to avoid unnecessary strain.

2. Advanced Graphics Settings

These settings are designed to optimize the game's visuals without sacrificing performance. The goal is to lower certain graphical effects that are demanding on your system, while maintaining a playable, good-looking game.

• Visibility: Low

  • Why: Reducing the visibility range can significantly improve performance, especially in open-world areas where distant objects can cause lag.

• Anti-Aliasing: Medium

  • Why: Anti-aliasing smooths out jagged edges in the game, but it’s also GPU-intensive. Setting this to Medium will give you an acceptable visual quality boost without overloading your system.

• Post-Processing: Medium

  • Why: Post-processing effects like bloom and lens flare can look nice but are often very taxing on performance. Medium gives a good balance, making the game look decent without affecting FPS too much.

• Shadows: Low

  • Why: Shadows are one of the most demanding graphical effects. By setting them to low, you can expect a significant increase in FPS, especially in darker areas where shadows are more pronounced.

• Global Illumination: Low

  • Why: This setting controls how light bounces and interacts with objects in the game. Lowering it will reduce the workload on your GPU while still keeping lighting effects decent.

• Reflections: Bass (Lowest setting)

  • Why: Reflections are a huge performance hog in modern games. Setting this to the lowest possible setting will give you a noticeable FPS improvement, especially in areas with water or glass.

• Textures: Medium

  • Why: High-quality textures can look great, but they use up a lot of video memory. Setting them to medium will still give you good visual quality without taking a significant hit on performance.

• Effects: Medium

  • Why: In action-packed games like TFD, effects such as explosions and particle effects can really strain your GPU. Medium ensures the game remains visually engaging while not overwhelming your system.

• Vegetation: Low

  • Why: Dense vegetation can be a massive performance drain, particularly in outdoor environments. Lowering this setting will help increase FPS in areas with lots of foliage.

• Shader Quality: Low

  • Why: Shaders control how light and textures are applied to objects in the game. Reducing shader quality can help improve performance without significantly affecting gameplay visuals.

• Objects: Bass (Lowest setting)

  • Why: The number and complexity of objects in the environment can have a substantial impact on FPS. Setting this to the lowest setting ensures a smoother experience without cluttering your scene.

• Physical: Average

  • Why: Reducing the physics quality can make a noticeable difference in performance, especially in areas with complex physical interactions.

• Motion Blur: Off

  • Why: While motion blur can add a cinematic effect, it’s unnecessary for gameplay and can lower performance. Turning it off improves visual clarity and smoothness.

3. Other Performance Tips

In addition to adjusting in-game settings, there are other ways to further optimize your PC for TFD:

• Update Drivers: Ensure your graphics card drivers are up to date. Both NVIDIA and AMD regularly release updates to optimize performance for new games. Visit the official website of your GPU manufacturer and download the latest drivers.

• Close Background Applications: Before launching TFD, make sure to close any unnecessary applications running in the background. This will free up system resources and allow your PC to dedicate more power to the game.

• Check System Requirements: If your hardware is not meeting the minimum requirements for TFD, it might be time to upgrade components like your CPU, GPU, or RAM. You can check the official system requirements for TFD to ensure your system is capable of running the game smoothly.

• Optimize Windows Settings: In Windows, you can adjust your power settings to "High Performance," which ensures your PC is running at its full potential. You can also disable unnecessary startup programs and background services that consume CPU and RAM.

• Use Performance Monitoring Tools: Tools like MSI Afterburner can help you monitor your system’s performance while gaming. By keeping track of GPU usage, CPU temperatures, and FPS, you can better understand what is causing performance issues and make adjustments accordingly.

Conclusion

By adjusting the in-game settings and implementing some additional tweaks, you can significantly boost your FPS and enjoy a smoother, more responsive experience in The First Descendant. The key is to prioritize performance over visual quality, especially if you’re playing on hardware that isn’t top-of-the-line. With these optimizations, you’ll be well-equipped to take on the game’s challenges with fewer distractions and smoother gameplay. Happy gaming!