Avowed is one of the most visually impressive RPGs built on Unreal Engine 5, blending dense fantasy environments with cutting-edge lighting, global illumination, and large-scale exploration. But with that beauty comes heavy hardware demands — even for powerful PCs.
If you’re running a mid-to-high-end system and still seeing inconsistent frame rates, stutters, or unexplained performance drops, you’re not alone. Avowed’s performance challenges aren’t about turning everything to “Low.” Instead, they’re about targeted adjustments, understanding engine quirks, and working around a few known bugs.
This December 2025 Avowed PC optimization guide covers:
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The most impactful graphics settings
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A critical upscaler bug you must know about
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Advanced community-tested fixes
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Realistic performance expectations by resolution
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What to expect from the upcoming February 2026 Anniversary Update
⚠️ Critical Bug Warning: Upscaler Re-Enables Itself
Before touching any settings, be aware of a widespread issue:
If you disable DLSS or FSR, the game often re-enables the upscaler automatically on restart.
Workaround for True Native Resolution
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Disable DLSS / FSR
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Click Apply
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Exit the game completely
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Do not restart from the main menu
Failing to do this will silently re-enable upscaling, leading to misleading performance results.
1. In-Game Graphics Settings: Targeted Optimizations
Contrary to outdated advice, lowering every setting in Avowed is inefficient. Recent community benchmarking shows only a few options have a meaningful impact on FPS.
This allows most settings to remain on Epic while still achieving smooth performance.
High-Impact Settings Breakdown
| Setting Category | Recommended Setting | Why & Performance Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Upscaling | DLSS Quality (NVIDIA) / TSR at 67% (All GPUs) | Essential. DLSS provides a major FPS boost with excellent image quality. Unreal Engine 5’s TSR is a strong universal fallback. |
| Global Illumination | Medium | The single biggest performance win. Dropping from Epic → Medium can improve FPS by ~24% with minimal visual loss. |
| Shadow Quality | Medium | A major GPU drain. Medium preserves detail while dramatically improving frame rates. |
| View Distance | High | Reduces CPU and GPU strain with very little visual difference in most areas. |
| Ray Tracing (Hardware Lumen) | Personal Preference | Surprisingly well optimized. Costs only ~5 FPS at 1440p on an RTX 3070. Enable if you like the lighting. |
| Everything Else | Epic | Textures, Effects, Post-Processing, and Materials have minimal impact on capable hardware. |
What About DLSS 3 Frame Generation?
DLSS 3 Frame Generation can massively improve smoothness:
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RTX 4060 example: 75 FPS → 111 FPS
⚠️ Known Issue:
Frame Generation can corrupt the in-game dialogue box, making text unreadable.
Recommendation:
Use Frame Generation cautiously until Obsidian releases a fix.
2. Advanced Troubleshooting & Pro Tips
If performance still feels inconsistent, these community-tested fixes can help.
The “Ray Tracing Toggle” Shader Fix
Some players report incorrect shader initialization at launch.
Fix sequence:
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Launch Avowed
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Enable Ray Tracing
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Restart the game
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Disable Ray Tracing
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Restart again
This forces a full shader refresh and can stabilize performance.
Unlocking Resolution Options
If the resolution dropdown is locked:
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Switch from Windowed Fullscreen → Windowed
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Adjust resolution
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Switch back if desired
Monitor Your 1% Lows
Smoothness depends on frame-time consistency, not just average FPS.
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Large gaps between average FPS and 1% lows cause stutter
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Lowering GI, Shadows, and View Distance directly improves 1% lows
3. System-Wide & Driver Settings (December 2025)
These steps matter more than small in-game tweaks.
Storage & Shaders
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Avowed pre-compiles shaders on first launch
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Install on an SSD only for optimal performance
CPU Utilization
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The game is heavily multi-threaded
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Ensure SMT / Hyper-Threading is enabled in BIOS
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Close background apps (especially browsers)
GPU Drivers
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Always use the latest NVIDIA or AMD drivers
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Game-specific optimizations are frequent
Windows Power Plan
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Balanced is recommended
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Allows efficient CPU boosting without excess heat or instability
4. Performance Expectations by Resolution
The official system requirements remain accurate.
Target: 60 FPS at Epic Settings
| Resolution | Recommended GPU Tier |
|---|---|
| 1080p | RTX 3080 / RX 6800 XT |
| 1440p | RTX 4070 Ti / RX 7900 XTX |
| 4K | RTX 5080 / RTX 5090 (with upscaling) |
Even with powerful hardware, upscaling is expected, not optional.
5. Looking Ahead: February 2026 Anniversary Update
Obsidian has confirmed:
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The planned Fall 2025 update has been delayed
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It will now launch as a larger “Anniversary Update” in February 2026
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Includes New Game Plus, Photo Mode, and possibly performance optimizations
This may resolve:
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DLSS Frame Generation UI bugs
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Upscaler persistence issues
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Additional UE5 performance tuning
Final Verdict
You don’t need to gut Avowed’s visuals to get smooth performance.
By focusing on:
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Global Illumination
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Shadow Quality
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View Distance
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And using DLSS or TSR properly
You can maintain Epic-level visuals while achieving stable, fluid gameplay in the Living Lands.
Join the Community Discussion
What GPU and CPU are you running?
Did Global Illumination or Shadows give you the biggest FPS boost?
Have you tried Frame Generation despite the UI bug?
Share your results in the comments to help other adventurers optimize their journey.
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