“60+ FPS” -Guide

Overview

Overview (1080p).. what to expect from your system.. how to tweak settings..

Intro

Welcome.. to the possible solution of your problems.
Since there is a real lack of basic info regarding FPS-settings for Last Epoch,
I made this Guide in hopes of saving the forums many threads about
“new system still performs poorly” in a Unity-game from 2019 ^^

System Requirements listed on Steam..

Minimum: Win7 (64bit) + 4core (3,3-3,7GHz ;2011) + 6GB RAM + GTX 660ti / R9 270 DX11, Internet connection, 20 GB (SSD)

If you play on mobile device and 720p / 900p is enough, it works.
-> 1080p will be a struggle for 30fps ;((
Recommended: Win10 (64bit) + 4core (3,2-3,6GHz ;2015) + 8GB RAM + GTX 1060 / RX480 DX11, Internet connection, 20 GB (SSD)

If you want to enjoy 1080p: “Recommended” is the baseline.
-> baseline means ~45fps.. (60fps requires quite strong gfx-cards)

note: keep reading and learn about FPS-Fixes !!

Overview – GFX card requirements

Now the big question: “What specs can your graphics card run smoothly ?”

FPS* @1080p

Nvidia

AMD

Quality

60+ fps:

gtx1070(8GB) / 1660super(6GB)

rx5600xt (6GB)

very high / ULTRA

55 fps:

gtx980ti (6GB)

rx5500xt (8GB)

very high

45-50 fps:

gtx970 (4GB) / gtx1060 (6GB)

rx480 (4GB) / rx570 (4GB)

high / very high

35-40 fps:

gtx960 (4GB)

rx470(4GB)

medium / high

30 fps:

gtx660ti (2GB)

medium

20-25 fps:

R9 270 (2GB) / rx560 (2GB)

low / medium

* average stable FPS // __ recommended cards

Performance (Medium /High /ULTRA)

The good news: ..most players can enjoy 40-60fps @1080p
The catch: ..LastEpoch is very demanding, better reduce some settings

Performance Cost :

The performance cost (better visuals) is quite high for an ARPG.
Most players will experience the best results by following my Overview-table above.
WHY?.. I´ll give an example by using the “recommended” gfx-cards:

Gfx-Card

Preset

average stable FPS

rx480 / rx570

1080p @ HIGH

45-50 fps

rx480 / rx570

1080p @ ULTRA

35-45 fps

Notes:

Even using NVMe SSD.. Ultra-Preset feels extremely “volatile”
Almost no difference between “High” and “Very High”
Modern cards don´t benefit much by using “Medium”

Disclaimer: LastEpoch is still in EA (Beta) with estimated Release 2022. Performance needs more focus. Despite the numbers above.. some regions have encounters that “half” your FPS for 2-3 sec !!

Settings (ingame)

Tweaks + Fixes

…it´s still EarlyAccess and hopefully Performance becomes a priority before Release (version 1.0)

FPS -Goal ??

While 30fps is playable, you really want 40+fps during fights ^^

60fps+ Issues :

If Vsync = OFF , make sure to LIMIT your FPS (eg: 60,120,144)

FPS -Reduction ingame :

– some Regions on each Map reduce your FPS significantly
– some Monster Types create unholy FPS-drops (~40%) ..kill them fast

Best Preset (Master Quality):

Medium -> solid Performance ..no issues
High -> ideal Setting ..for solid Quality + Performance
*Very High -> quite choppy ..unless your gfx-card is a beast
***ULTRA -> beware! ..prone to drops ~30-50% ;((

*/**/*** = risk of Screen-FREEZE (1-3sec)

Aspect-Ratio (16:9 / 4:3):

Games only support the Aspect-ratio listed ingame.
-> other Resolutions would be stretched or have black bars

Tweaks

Vsync – HALF (50% Monitor fps) : Don´t use it.. the polar opposite of “smooth”
Limit Background FPS : helpful whenever you TAB out of the game briefly

Warning : ULTRA -Preset will create a Benchmark-Stresstest. Make sure your Gfx-Cooling is perfect !! “Very High” is not much better, but depending on your Hardware (+Cooling) manageable..

Troubleshooting – Display & Settings

Locate the .ini file LastEpoch uses (for Linux check ->Links below)
Win (64bit): Last Epoch -Folder is Hidden and can be found here..
“C:Users[username]AppDataLocalLowEleventh Hour GamesLast Epoch”
“le_graphicsmanager” shows all info as described above (->Settings)

I added the common resolutions for 16:9

Benchmark Test

Test cycle with “recommended” rx480/rx570 (vers.0.8.2H – 06/2021)
Resolution: 1080p (Fullscreen)
All Presets: V.Low – Low – Medium – High – V.High – ULTRA
Additional Parameters: Vram – RAM – CPU

Since LastEpoch is extremely volatile we can´t use a Preset and take that FPS !! -> any serious test requires a real Scenario to understand the huge fps-Scope

Observation: CPU goes crazy even in IDLE (menu)

OK, let´s give this a closer look:
– CPU Utilization: uncapped fps 20-24%
– CPU Utilization: 60fps 10-13%
– CPU Utilization: 45fps 7-10%
– CPU Utilization: 30fps 5-8%
-> Great, the problem only exists with uncapped FPS – lucky us ^^

Solution:

Vsync/FPS-cap : CPU load -50%
Vsync HALF: CPU load -70%

-> This will also reduce System-Heat (+ power consumption) when idle or in menu..

Now for our Benchmark: “Menu – Camp – WelrynDocks”

Scenario: For reliable figures each Preset is measured over several minutes (FullClear-run)

PRESET :

VeryLow

Low

Medium

High

VeryHigh

Ultra

Vram (max):

2,0GB

2,5GB

3,7GB

3,8GB

RAM (max) :

6,2GB

6,6GB

6,8GB

7,8GB

Menu (fps):

105

Vram (max):

2,3GB

3,0GB

3,8GB

RAM (max) :

6,9GB

7,1GB

9,0GB

WelrynDocks (fps):

42 (*50)

Crowdfights (fps):

35-45

30-35

30-35 (*40)

SpecialEnemies (fps) :

19 (*30)

*DetailShadows OFF

What did we learn?
-> it´s a Unity game and Zones are instanced, so killing mobs (removing NPCs) frees RAM ^^
-> depending on Zone (..even within same Zone) overall FPS can vary ~30% by moving around
-> not really much difference between Medium <-> High (Placebo??)
-> ULTRA with DetailShadows OFF is actually similar to HIGH Preset with slightly better gfx !!
-> Those special enemies and their casts need to be fixed!! Esp. when playing on HC chars
-> FPS all over the place, even without any MULTIPLAYER, Trading, Services ..this means no networking issues or server lag!

Links

[link]
[link]

Last Epoch Guide