To increase the FPS in Valheim and get a dozen, or even dozens of frames per second more, it is enough to make a few small changes in the configuration file. However, the final result will depend on the power of your PC.
CONTENT
- Setting graphics options
- Shadow quality
- Level of detail
- SSAO
- Depth of field (DoF)
- Additional settings besides game parameters
- Running the game exclusively in full screen mode
- Set the game to high priority in the task manager
Setting graphics options
Let’s start with the basics, which is the graphics settings available in the game. Surely, many players first set the minimum values if there are problems with FPS. You won’t be able to squeeze out more of these settings, and if you want a good balance between quality and smoothness, be sure to check out the individual settings below that have the most impact on game performance.
Shadow quality
This is by far the biggest culprit for the drop in frames per second. On a GeForce GTX 1080, lowering this setting from High to Medium increases the smoothness of playback by an average of 20 frames per second. In turn, further reduction from “medium” to “low” – gives only 3-4 additional frames.
Level of detail
This parameter affects the terrain detail and the distance at which objects are fully rendered. Again, lowering this value from “Very High” to “High” adds an average of 8-10 frames per second. Reducing to “Medium” quality will give about 5 more FPS.
SSAO
SSAO is an option known as “Ambient Occlusion” and provides additional shading for objects visible in the game, especially those on the ground. Unfortunately, there are no quality settings here – you can either turn it on or off. Disabling this option on a GeForce GTX 1080 improves smoothness by about 15 frames per second. Unfortunately, this is associated with a significant loss of image quality – the scenery becomes much more “flat”.
Depth of field (DoF)
Depth of Field is responsible for blurring the landscape in the distance. The setting provides a “cinematic” effect and can mask rendering imperfections further away from the player, but many people dislike this effect. Disabling this option allows you to get another 5-6 frames per second.
Additional settings besides game parameters
The tweaks available in the game are one thing, but it’s worth keeping in mind that there are other ways to improve performance as well. For example, edit the configuration file. In this file, you can add two commands that will increase the FPS. To do this, go to the folder where Valheim is installed.
In the game directory, go to the subfolder named “valheim_Data”. Find a file named “boot.config”. Right-click on it, select “Open With”> Notepad. The file that opens will contain the default configuration commands. At the top, you need to add the following two lines:
gfx-enable-gfx-jobs = 1
gfx-enable-native-gfx-jobs = 1
Save your changes and close the file.
Running the game exclusively in full screen mode
By default, the game can run in full screen or windowed mode. However, to increase the FPS, you need to set it to full screen. To do this, you need to make the appropriate change in the game settings on Steam.
- Go to the Steam app and go to your library.
- Find Valheim in the list and right click on it. Select Properties from the drop-down menu.
- A new configuration window will appear. In the “Launch Parameters” field you need to paste the following command
- -windows-mode exclusive
- Close the game properties window.
Set the game to high priority in the task manager
The last thing to do is to give the game high priority in the task manager. This will increase the CPU usage as well as add frames. To do this, you need to start Valheim and minimize it. Open the “Task Manager” with the key combination CTRL + SHIFT + ESC. Next, go to the “Details” tab and find “Valheim.exe” in the list of running processes. Right-click this process and select Set Priority> High. Then close the dispatcher and return to the game. Unfortunately, this step must be performed every time you restart the game.
