Best Path of Exile 2 settings for FPS

Path of Exile 2 is out in early access, and it's making waves in the ARPG scene because of its excellent gameplay mechanics and focus on ensuring the game remains as friendly as possible for free-to-play players. However, despite that, it's only natural that players will want to know what the best settings are to ensure they can have the best possible experience.

To help those players, we're here with a dedicated article going through all of the best settings for Path of Exile 2 players. This includes guiding you on the display and graphics settings you should use for the ideal gameplay experience as well as the overall controls most high-level players tend to go for if they want easy access to necessary inputs.

Without further ado, here are the best Path of Exile 2 settings you should use for the best possible experience.

Resolution and Display Mode

Changes in resolution and display mode have a material impact not just on visual quality but on performance as well. For the clearest image, always set the resolution to your monitor’s native setting. While reducing the resolution will make performance better, it comes at the cost of visual clarity. If you have a low-end system, lowering the resolution slightly can improve performance. 

For display mode, Fullscreen has the highest and most consistent FPS with the least amount of input lag, making it feel much smoother. If you like to multitask, Borderless Windowed mode is easier, but it can cause a slight performance hit. If you notice screen tearing, keep VSync on “Adaptive”. Otherwise, you can turn it off. 

Texture Quality

Texture quality adjusts detail in the game’s environment and character models. To break it down, Medium usually has VRAM usage of 5-6 GB with background processes while high has around 8 GB. Texture quality at Medium is the best trade-off for performance and visuals, giving enough detail without sacrificing FPS. 

If you have a 4 GB or lower VRAM, keep it at medium. 8GB and higher should have no problem with FPS even if they keep it high, Either way, make sure to keep background processes off to decrease the CPU load.

Shadows and Lighting

Shadows and lighting are important for the in-game atmosphere, but they can also affect performance. Set Shadow Quality to Medium or Low to lighten the GPU load while maintaining enough shadow detail for a realistic feel. 
For light settings, the default is usually fine; but for a lagged and choppy quality, dynamic lighting can be decreased to help boost FPS further. 

Disabling Global Illumination (light bounces that look realistic) can tremendously increase FPS (a 32% increase!), but this would take away some cool lighting effects. The best compromise is to keep “Shadows + GL Quality Low” to get practically the same performance while keeping both.

Anti-Aliasing and Post-Processing 

Anti-aliasing makes rough edges smoother, but it may also affect performance. For maximum FPS, set anti-aliasing to either Low or completely disable it. However, it is better to use Temporal Anti-Aliasing (TAA) for more satisfactory edges since this will lose a smaller performance potential. Bright objects are surrounded with light halos because of Bloom, which can obstruct your view during a fight. Switching off or reducing the bloom may improve visibility. 

Objects that are outside the veteran's focus are blurred by the Depth of Field, which makes it hard to notice enemies or loot. When switched off, you are given added clarity so that you can focus on the action.

Texture Filtering and Effects

Texture filtering improves the sharpness of distant objects. Set it to 4x or higher to make textures look clearer, especially when in an outdoor scene. 
Another setting to consider is Screen Space Reflections. Disabling this option can prevent FPS drops in water-heavy areas where reflections consume additional resources. 

The lowest Water Details setting improves performance by 3%- but it takes a hit on the visual aspect of a level with many environmental effects like rivers, oceans, or fog. You can keep this high unless you’re in a very watery area.

Performance Settings

In Path of Exile 2, a good frame rate has to be maintained for a smooth game experience. Enabling “Low-Quality Effects" in crowded areas or during intense fights reduces particle effects and improves your FPS. 

• Use "Max Frame Rate" if you want to further limit your frame rate so you can prevent your PC from overperforming. 
• Reducing post-processing effects such as Motion Blur and Bloom will minimize unnecessary visual noise and improve visibility and performance.

Camera and UI Settings

Experiment with the camera distance and zoom settings until they feel right. Switching to a more zoomed-out camera means one should have a better view of the battlefield in combat. The UI settings improve this gameplay experience: set the UI scale at a value that increases the legibility of the text and icons. 

You might want to minimize unwanted UI elements such as tooltips or pop-ups that cause visual clutter. Adjusting your hotbar allows you faster access to abilities, bringing some smoothness to combat.

Audio Settings

Audio is very important when it comes to following enemies and reacting to events in Path of Exile 2. Set the Master Volume so that important cues, such as footsteps and skills, are clear without being overbearing. If the music is distracting you during the action-thrilling moments, lower the Music Volume.

Be sure that you have set Footsteps Volume to high so you can hear enemies. Keep Sound Effects high to hear critical cue sounds, keeping background noise from taking over so you can stay on top of things.

FAQs

What is the best display mode for Path of Exile 2?

Fullscreen mode provides the highest FPS and lowest input lag, making gameplay smoother. Borderless Windowed is good for multitasking but may slightly reduce performance.

How can I improve FPS without sacrificing too much visual quality?

Lowering Shadow Quality, turning off Global Illumination, and reducing Anti-Aliasing settings can boost FPS while maintaining decent visuals. Setting Texture Quality to Medium also helps balance performance.

Should I disable post-processing effects like Bloom and Depth of Field?

Yes, disabling Bloom can improve visibility in combat, and turning off Depth of Field helps keep enemies and loot clearly visible. Reducing other post-processing effects like Motion Blur also improves clarity.

How does Shadow Quality affect performance?

Shadows play a big role in immersion but are demanding on performance. Setting Shadow Quality to Medium or Low reduces GPU load while maintaining decent shadow detail. Disabling Global Illumination can boost FPS by around 30%, but this also removes realistic lighting effects. A good compromise is setting Shadows + Global Illumination to Low to keep performance high while preserving some visual depth.