Direct answer: use the preset below as an evidence-informed calibration baseline, not a benchmarked universal best. It is aimed at a PC near Embark's recommended tier—Core i5-9600K or Ryzen 5 3600, 16GB RAM, and RTX 2070, RX 5700 XT, or Arc B570—with High at 1440p/60 FPS as the official reference target. These components are a hardware-class reference, not proof that alternatives perform identically.
Start at native display resolution with 100% Upscaled Resolution, a Quality upscaler, High View Distance and Textures, Medium Shadows and Effects, and Low Reflections, Foliage, and Global Illumination Resolution. Turn Motion Blur off, keep NVIDIA Reflex on when available, and leave Frame Generation off until the game already has a responsive base frame rate. Then use the in-game Detailed performance overlay to change the setting that matches your actual bottleneck.
The source pages and menu fields were checked on July 28, 2026; this is not a local hardware benchmark. The guide covers PC graphics, visibility, audio, and mouse-and-keyboard input. Controller sensitivity and deadzone calibration need their own device-specific test rather than a copied universal number.
Start With This Balanced PC Preset
This preset prioritizes steady combat readability without turning the Rust Belt into a flat low-detail scene. Setting names and ranges begin with the community-maintained January 15 settings snapshot. It is not a complete July client capture: an official January 27 update added Mouse Smoothing after that snapshot. If a label or option differs, use the live client's tooltip as the final authority.
| Setting | Balanced starting point | Change it when… |
|---|---|---|
| Window Mode | Exclusive Fullscreen for a focused test; Borderless Fullscreen if fast app switching matters more | Exclusive behaves poorly on your setup, or Borderless gives the same frame pacing |
| Display Resolution | Native monitor resolution | GPU load remains too high after lowering heavier options; reduce render resolution before the final display resolution |
| Upscaled Resolution | 100% | Keep this fixed while testing so the UI and final image remain consistent |
| Resolution Scaling Method | DLSS, FSR 3, or XeSS when supported; TSR otherwise | Compare one method at a time for shimmer, softness, and frame pacing |
| Upscaler quality | Quality | Use Balanced only when the GPU still misses the target; avoid jumping straight to Ultra Performance |
| Frame Generation | Off | Enable only after the base frame rate is usable; the January snapshot says FG also enables Reflex and disables VSync, so record all three states before and after |
| VSync | Off for the latency-first route | Turn it on if tearing is more distracting than the added synchronization delay |
| NVIDIA Reflex | On | Try Boost only for a repeatable CPU-bound case; it can increase power draw and slightly reduce FPS |
| Frame Rate Limit | A value the PC can hold consistently | Lower the cap if the system repeatedly swings below it or runs hotter/noisier than needed |
| Field of View | 75 as a neutral start | Raise toward 80 for more peripheral awareness; lower toward 70 if distant targets become too small |
| Motion Blur | Off | Re-enable only for visual preference or comfort |
| RTX Global Illumination | Static | Use Dynamic only when visual quality is the goal and GPU headroom is clear |
| View Distance | High | Move to Epic only after the performance overlay shows enough headroom |
| Anti-Aliasing | High with TAAU/TSR | Lower only if it materially improves a GPU-bound result without unacceptable shimmer |
| Shadows | Medium | Lower first on a GPU- or CPU-render-limited system; raise if dark-area readability becomes worse |
| Post-Processing | Low | Raise for visual preference after the target frame time is stable |
| Textures | High | Drop to Medium if VRAM pressure, texture streaming, or hitching appears |
| Effects | Medium | Lower during effect-heavy fights if the overlay points to GPU |
| Reflections | Low | Raise only for a visual-quality preset |
| Foliage | Low | Raise if the environmental look matters more than reducing small vegetation clutter |
| Global Illumination Resolution | Low | Raise after shadows, effects, and reflections if lighting quality is the priority |
Do not copy a guide that recommends a field of view outside the range you can select. The January 15 public snapshot records 60 to 80, with 70 as the documented default. A recommendation such as “90–100” does not match that published snapshot; confirm the live slider before applying any number.
Diagnose the Bottleneck Before Lowering Everything
ARC Raiders includes a Detailed performance overlay that separates CPU - Game, CPU - Render, and GPU limits. That is more useful than changing ten options and guessing which one worked.
- Apply the balanced preset from Speranza rather than in the middle of a fight. The public settings reference warns that changing the overall preset or Effects in-game can trigger additional shader preloading.
- Enable In-Game Performance Overlay → Detailed.
- Repeat one representative route or encounter for several minutes. Judge consistency and frame-time spikes, not one quiet-room FPS peak.
- Change one setting, repeat the same route, and keep the change only if the limiting metric or visible stutter improves. Frame Generation is the linked exception: record FG, Reflex, and VSync together because enabling FG can switch the other two automatically.
| Overlay result | Change first | Do not expect this to fix it |
|---|---|---|
| GPU | Render Resolution/upscaler quality, RTXGI, Shadows, Effects, Reflections, then Foliage | Lowering a keybind or audio volume |
| CPU - Render | Shadows, View Distance, and dynamic RTXGI | Ultra Performance upscaling as the only change |
| CPU - Game | Stop lowering GPU options; close background CPU load and check client, driver, and known-issue routes | A lower frame cap may improve consistency or heat, but it does not fix game-logic work |
| Stutter without a clear limit | Let shader work settle, avoid changing presets mid-raid, verify drivers and files, then retest | Declaring an average FPS number “stable” while frame times spike |
Embark's official PC performance targets provide useful anchors: the minimum target is Low at 1080p/60 FPS, the recommended target is High at 1440p/60 FPS, and the Epic target is Epic at 1440p/90 FPS with much stronger hardware. These are hardware-class targets, not a guarantee for every map, driver, background process, or combat scene.
Tune for Visibility Without Making the Image Noisy
The cleanest competitive-looking image is not simply “everything Low.” Low Foliage reduces vegetation density, while low Reflections, Post-Processing, and Motion Blur off reduce visual clutter. However, resolution scaling that is too aggressive can make distant movement softer or unstable, and extremely low shadows can make dark transitions harder to read on some displays.
Conceptual editorial comparison of a dense, effect-heavy scene and a lower-clutter scene. Use the live game for a controlled A/B test; this image is not benchmark evidence.
An independent foliage comparison observed that Low removes some knee-high vegetation while leaving larger concealment bushes. Treat that as a visibility signal, not proof that Low reveals every Raider. The practical route is:
- Keep Foliage Low for less small-ground clutter.
- Keep View Distance High so distant scene detail does not become the first compromise.
- Start the upscaler at Quality and inspect thin geometry, fences, foliage edges, and moving silhouettes.
- Use 75 FOV as the middle test. Move toward 80 when peripheral awareness helps; move down when distant targets become too small on your display.
- Calibrate monitor brightness and in-game visibility with detail still present in dark and bright areas. A washed-out image is not extra information.
For a broader equipment decision after the screen is readable, use the published ARC Raiders build guide rather than changing graphics settings to compensate for a weapon or range mismatch.
Choose Upscaling, Reflex, and Frame Generation by Input Goal
ARC Raiders supports multiple temporal upscalers. DLSS is available on compatible GeForce RTX hardware; FSR 3 and XeSS may appear when supported and exposed by the client. The January snapshot also records TAAU and the higher-quality but slower TSR option. Keep Upscaled Resolution at 100% first, then let the selected method change the internal render resolution.
For GeForce systems, NVIDIA's ARC Raiders technology brief verifies support for DLSS 4, Multi Frame Generation on RTX 50-series hardware, Reflex, and ray-traced global illumination. Its performance figures use specific RTX configurations and maxed ray-tracing tests; they should not be applied to a different GPU as an expected result.
Use this route split:
- Mouse and keyboard, latency first: Reflex On, Frame Generation Off, VSync Off unless tearing is unacceptable, and a stable FPS cap. Adjust sensitivity with a repeatable target sweep rather than copying another player's number.
- Visual smoothness route: establish a playable base frame rate, confirm hardware compatibility, then record the current FG, Reflex, and VSync states. Test the available Frame Generation mode, verify that Reflex turned on and VSync turned off as documented by the January snapshot, and compare the same aiming route. Keep FG only if latency and camera response remain acceptable. Controller use may change personal tolerance, but it is not a sufficient reason by itself.
- High-resolution visual route: use Quality upscaling first. Move to Balanced at 1440p or 4K only when the Detailed overlay remains GPU-limited.
- Native-quality route: use DLAA or a native-AA option only when the GPU has enough headroom. Native rendering is an image-quality choice, not automatically the best combat setting.
A published RTX 4070 test illustrates why hardware context matters: the same rig changed substantially across 1080p, 1440p, and 4K, and Balanced upscaling recovered much of the 4K loss. Use that as a method example, not as a promise that another PC will match its averages or 1% lows.
Keep the Input and Audio Settings That Prevent Mistakes
Input optimization should reduce missed actions, not chase a fashionable sensitivity. ARC Raiders already exposes the settings that matter most for a reliable PC route:
- Keep Show Reload Progress and Show Damage Direction on.
- Keep Move Crosshair When Line of Fire Is Blocked on. This helps show where a shot will hit when nearby cover blocks the weapon-to-crosshair line.
- Bind Shoulder Swap, Ping, Dodge Roll, Inventory, and both weapon slots where they can be reached without leaving movement keys for long.
- Use separate horizontal and vertical mouse sensitivity only if a controlled sweep proves the mismatch helps. Start equal and change one axis at a time.
- Test normal Zoom and Scoped Zoom multipliers separately. A good hip-fire turn does not prove a scoped sight is controllable.
Official Update 1.13.0 added a Mouse Smoothing option after the community settings snapshot. The note does not document a current default or algorithm. For a latency-first baseline, start with smoothing off, repeat the same target sweep, then test it on only if raw movement feels too abrupt. Keep the option that produces repeatable stops rather than assuming one state is objectively best.
For audio, use Stereo / Headphones when that matches the listening device. The January snapshot lists Night Mode as a toggle; test it on your headset rather than assuming it improves positional audio. Keep Effects audible and lower music only if it masks useful cues for you. On a lower-end PC using Raider Voice (Beta), combine it with Push to Talk rather than Open Mic if that feature adds system strain.
Fix Crashes and Stutter Before Chasing More FPS
If the game crashes, freezes, or hitches badly, a settings preset may not be the root fix. Embark's March 18, 2026 PC crash guide recommends checking hardware requirements, updating drivers and Windows, verifying Steam files, and disabling overlays or third-party software when needed. It also says to try disabling Raider Voice (Beta) if that feature is enabled and crashes occur.
There is also an officially documented alternate route for matching symptoms. Live Update 1.36.0, dated July 7, 2026, listed lower-than-usual FPS for some PC players as a known issue. Embark said to update GPU drivers first and, if the problem continued, attempt a rollback to a previous driver version. A later store update did not establish whether that issue was resolved, so do not assume every current slowdown has the same cause. If performance fell immediately after an update, record the game and driver versions before lowering more settings.
Use this order:
- Stop changing graphics options and reproduce the issue once.
- Disable Raider Voice (Beta) if it is active, plus unnecessary overlays.
- Update the relevant GPU driver and Windows, then restart.
- Verify the ARC Raiders installation through Steam.
- Return to the balanced preset and repeat the same route with the Detailed overlay.
This guide and its sources do not validate configuration-file edits or third-party performance tweaks. Start with supported in-game options and Embark's official troubleshooting path; move beyond them only when you can verify the change and reverse it safely.
FAQ
What ARC Raiders settings should I start with near the recommended PC tier?
Embark's recommended tier lists an i5-9600K or Ryzen 5 3600, 16GB RAM, and an RTX 2070, RX 5700 XT, or Arc B570 for High at 1440p/60. Near that tier, start with 100% upscaled resolution and a Quality upscaler, then use the Detailed overlay; this is not an equivalence or FPS guarantee.
Should frame generation be on in ARC Raiders?
Leave frame generation off while establishing a responsive base frame rate. Turn it on only when compatible hardware, an already playable base frame rate, a visual-smoothness goal, and your own input-latency test justify the tradeoff.
Does low foliage improve visibility in ARC Raiders?
Low foliage reduces the density of some vegetation and can make ground-level movement easier to read. It does not remove every large bush or guarantee that a position is visible, so keep using cover and test the result on the maps you play.
Why does lowering graphics not increase ARC Raiders FPS?
Open the Detailed performance overlay. If it reports CPU - Game, lowering GPU-heavy options may not help; if it reports CPU - Render, lower CPU-sensitive settings; if it reports GPU, reduce render resolution or heavy lighting and shadow options.
Sources and Version Boundary
The January 15 community settings snapshot supplies the menu names, ranges, tooltip effects, and bottleneck labels used here; it does not prove the July client menu is complete. Official hardware targets, NVIDIA feature support, Mouse Smoothing addition, the 1.36.0 FPS known issue, and Embark's crash guidance were checked on July 28, 2026. Patches can add options or change behavior, so the in-game tooltip and Detailed overlay are the final checks for your installed version.
This guide does not claim a universal FPS gain, fixed latency reduction, benchmarked best preset, or console-equivalent menu. The cover and visibility comparison are original AI-generated editorial bitmaps, not official screenshots, maps, UI captures, or benchmark evidence.
