Destiny 2 PC Graphics Options Explained And How To Improve FPS

The PC version of Destiny 2 is shaping up to be a game specifically tuned for the platform to such an extent that every graphics options gets a full explanation and side-by-side comparison. Nvidia did the brunt of that work, showcased in a blog post that went up recently on the company's official website. It even gave internal benchmark results that tested the framerate difference between all the different settings.

One thing to note is that multisample anti-aliasing (MSAA) was scrapped from the anti-aliasing options, which caused problems for performance and visual quality in the PC beta. However, everything else that was seen in the beta will be in the final game. Graphics options are as follows:

• Resolution
• V-sync (30 FPS, 60 FPS, Off)
• Field of View (55 to 105)
• Anti-aliasing (FXAA, SMAA,)
• Ambient Occlusion (HDAO, 3D)
• Texture Anisotropy (Anisotropic Filtering, up to 16x)
• Texture Quality
• Shadow Quality
• Depth of Field
• Environmental Detail Distance
• Character Detail Distance
• Foliage Detail Distance
• Foliage Shadow Distance
• Light Shafts
• Motion Blur
• Wind Impulse
• Render Resolution
• High Dynamic Range (HDR)

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Nvidia makes note of certain options that will give the most noticeable boost in framerate without affecting visual quality significantly. This is particularly helpful for systems that struggle with max settings. Based on the company's tests using a GTX 1060 GPU (6GB) and Intel Core i7-6700K CPU (4.6GHz) at 1080p, the following was recommended:

• Turning off "Depth of Field" gave an extra 4 FPS
• Going from an "FOV" of 105 to 95 saved about 2.4 FPS
• "Foliage Detail Distance" from High to Medium added 4.1 FPS
• Using HDAO instead of 3D for "Ambient Occlusion" boosted framerate by 5.4 FPS
• "Shadow Quality" on High instead of Highest saves about 4.1 FPS
  • Note: using Medium offers a 9.4 FPS boost from Highest

Some visually striking effects actually don't impact performance, as you can see from Nvidia's test results and in-depth analysis. There are also interactive screenshot comparisons for nearly every option possible. You'll be able to do this yourself on October 24 when Destiny 2 launches for PC. For more on the game itself, check out our wealth of guides here on GameSpot. And read Kallie Plagge's Destiny 2 review in which she awarded the console versions 8/10, stating "It's a much stronger foundation than the original had and one that's enough on its own to keep people coming back week after week."