Start with your monitor’s native output resolution, set Shadow quality and Fog quality to Low, turn Screen space AO Off, and leave Texture quality at Medium. Keep upscaling at 1x initially; if those targeted changes do not meet your frame-time goal, compare an available 1.5x upscaler. This is a repeatable starting profile, not a guaranteed FPS boost: the underlying guide was not benchmarked on a PC, and your result depends on the scene, hardware, cap and sync settings. The profile is based on Valve’s setting definitions and tooltips as documented by Hone.
The recommended starting profile
Apply the following in Deadlock’s video settings before changing anything else. Use the highest usable refresh rate supported by your display, but keep the game’s output resolution at that display’s native value.
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| Setting | Starting value | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Output resolution | Display native resolution | Preserves target readability and avoids making the entire image smaller. |
| Refresh rate | Highest usable rate on the display | Allows the display to show more updates when the game can sustain them; it does not create rendered frames. |
| Shadow quality | Low | Reduces shadow rendering quality. Return to Medium if lost shadow detail matters and frame time allows it. |
| Fog quality | Low | Reduces volumetric fog resolution. |
| Screen space AO | Off | Removes soft contact shadowing while reducing that screen-space effect. |
| Texture quality | Medium | Keeps a practical image-quality baseline; lower it only as a further test on constrained systems. |
| Upscaling | 1x | Renders at native internal resolution. Move to an available 1.5x mode only after targeted cuts fail to meet your goal. |
| Bloom and Area lights | Optional lower setting | Small visual-effect cuts for a leaner image; restore them if the trade-off is not worthwhile. |
| Depth of field | Personal preference | The current tooltip is described as negligible cost with no gameplay-performance effect. |
This order protects the information that matters most in a fight. Lowering the whole render resolution can make distant targets harder to read, and a smaller pixel count by itself does not prove that your particular bottleneck will improve. The Deadlock Handbook’s guide likewise recommends retaining native resolution, trying Quality upscaling when the GPU is the limit, and reducing shadows and particles for busy fights; it labels its hardware presets as starting points rather than benchmarks (Deadlock Handbook).
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Why shadows, fog and ambient occlusion are the first cuts
Shadow quality
Shadows can consume rendering work without changing the geometry of characters or map landmarks. Low is therefore a sensible first cut when you want to preserve a sharp output image. If reduced shadow detail makes positioning or visual confirmation harder for you, restore Medium and test another setting instead of accepting a readability loss automatically.
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Fog quality
Fog quality controls volumetric fog resolution. Lowering it can reduce the cost of atmospheric effects while leaving the output resolution untouched. Check the result in the same combat-heavy scene you use for every other comparison; a quiet menu will not expose the same workload.
Screen space AO
Screen space ambient occlusion adds soft contact shadowing around surfaces. Turning it Off removes that subtle shading, so the image may look flatter, but it is a targeted trade rather than a blanket reduction in scene resolution.
Textures
Texture resolution uses video memory. Medium is the initial compromise because dropping textures does not automatically produce a useful frame-rate gain on every system. Try Low only when you have a constrained system or have already measured that the change helps your repeatable scene. If textures look visibly muddy without a measurable improvement, return to Medium.
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During a busy fight, particles and other effects can add work at the same time as fog and shadows. The Deadlock Handbook specifically lists reducing shadows and particles as a way to approach heavy fights. Treat particle quality as a conditional cut if that control is exposed in your installation, not as a mandatory value for every player. Bloom and Area lights are lower-priority options in the Hone profile: their described costs are small, so lower them only when you prefer the leaner look and restore them when the visual loss is more noticeable than the benefit.
What 1.5x and 2x upscaling mean
Upscaling renders the game internally at a lower resolution and reconstructs the image for your chosen output. It can reduce GPU work, but it also trades away some fine detail. Treat the multiplier as an internal-rendering choice, not as a promised FPS percentage.
| Output example | Upscaling mode | Ideal internal dimensions | Internal pixels relative to output |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920 × 1080 | 1x | 1920 × 1080 | 100% |
| 1920 × 1080 | 1.5x | 1280 × 720 | 44.44% |
| 1920 × 1080 | 2x | 960 × 540 | 25% |
The 1.5x and 2x figures are geometry calculations for a 1080p output, not measured Deadlock performance. The game may round dimensions, and actual frame-rate gains depend on what limits the frame. Start at 1x, compare an available 1.5x mode only after the targeted cuts above, and move back toward 1x if distant targets or effects become too soft. NVIDIA DLSS requires a GeForce RTX GPU according to the settings guide, so use only upscalers and modes that your own installation exposes (Hone).
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At 1.5x, the internal image contains less than half as many ideal pixels as a 1080p output. That does not mean the game will render twice as fast: CPU work, simulation, effects, driver overhead and a frame cap can all limit the result. Compare the mode in a fight where the GPU is actually busy, then inspect distant hero silhouettes, lane geometry and ability effects before keeping it.
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A repeatable tuning procedure
Use a controlled comparison rather than changing a dozen options and guessing which one mattered.
- Record a baseline. Set the starting profile, choose your normal hero and output resolution, and note the frame-time and FPS readings.
- Enable HUD Telemetry. Set it to show frame time and FPS always. Valve’s tooltip, as reported in the guide, describes frame time as the worst recent frame time and FPS as the current average; these readings are not an exported 1% low.
- Warm up the test scene. Use a repeatable replay section or another consistent, busy fight after the scene has loaded and settled. A quiet menu or empty lane is a poor test for team-fight stutter.
- Freeze the variables. Keep hero, camera position, output resolution, renderer, frame cap and sync state unchanged for every run.
- Change one option. Test Low shadows, then Low fog, then AO Off, repeating the same scene each time. Record both the worst recent frame time and the average FPS.
- Test texture quality only if needed. Compare Medium with a lower value, and keep the lower value only if the visual cost is acceptable and the measured result improves.
- Try upscaling last. Compare 1x with an available 1.5x mode under the same scene and cap. Inspect distant target readability as well as telemetry.
- Recheck an ordinary match. A setting that looks good in one repeatable section still needs a normal-match check before you keep it.
A binding frame cap can mask differences between settings. If the cap is already holding the game below the load it could otherwise reach, two options may show identical FPS even though their uncapped frame times differ. Keep the cap fixed while comparing, then revisit it after you have selected image-quality settings.
How to read the comparison
| What you observe | What it tells you | Next step |
|---|---|---|
| Worst recent frame time improves after Low shadows or Low fog | Those effects are relevant to the tested workload. | Keep the lower value unless the lost detail harms target reading. |
| AO Off makes the scene flatter with no useful telemetry change | The visual cost is larger than the measured benefit in that scene. | Restore AO and test another targeted option. |
| Textures look muddy but FPS is unchanged | Video-memory texture use was not the limiting factor in that test. | Return to Medium. |
| 1.5x is clearer enough and frame time improves | The upscaler is reducing GPU-side internal rendering work. | Check a normal match and retain it only if readability remains acceptable. |
| Every option reports the same FPS | A cap may be binding, or the tested workload may be limited elsewhere. | Keep conditions identical, inspect frame time, and do not infer a CPU limit automatically. |
Use five comparison axes rather than a single FPS number: average FPS and worst recent frame time in the same scene; readability of distant targets and effects; image quality lost to lower effects or upscaling; input latency and tearing; and whether the option is actually available and useful on your hardware. There is no universal numerical weighting for those axes, so your sustainable profile may differ from another player’s.
Choosing a cap, Reflex and VSync
Frame caps and synchronization determine latency, tearing and consistency; they are not a universal FPS recipe. The cited settings guide recommends Reflex Enabled when it is available. VSync Off is the choice for a player who accepts tearing. Players using active NVIDIA G-Sync who want tear-free presentation need to consider the separate G-Sync/VSync/Reflex route described in that guide and verify the effective frame rate rather than copying a universal cap.
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A high-refresh display is useful only when the game can sustain enough updates to feed it. Selecting the highest usable refresh rate removes an unnecessary display-side limit, but it does not raise the number of frames your CPU and GPU render. If you prefer tear-free play, test the complete G-Sync, VSync and Reflex combination together rather than evaluating one toggle in isolation.
Diagnosing stutter in team fights
If average FPS looks acceptable but the fight still hitches
Watch the worst recent frame-time reading, not only the average FPS. A short spike can feel like a hitch while the average remains high. Reproduce the same fight after warming the scene and compare one setting at a time. Shadows, fog and effects that become expensive under simultaneous action are more relevant here than a menu benchmark.
If changing render resolution barely changes the result
Do not conclude automatically that the CPU is the limit. First check whether your cap is binding and whether the comparison used identical camera, hero, renderer and sync conditions. If the cap is already controlling the result, resolution changes may not appear in the displayed FPS. Repeat the test with the same cap and inspect frame time.
If the image is already blurry
Return to 1x upscaling or restore detail before making another clarity trade. A lower internal resolution is useful only when the measured improvement is worth the loss in distant readability and effects detail.
If stutter appears only after loading into a match
Allow the scene to warm up before recording a baseline. The comparison should use the same settled section each time; otherwise, loading and first-use work can be mistaken for a graphics-setting difference. Repeat the check in a busy fight because that is the workload the profile is intended to improve.
Is a Deadlock FPS config better than menu settings?
Start with the in-game menu and a documented, reversible profile. The reviewed guides address menu settings and repeatable local comparisons; they do not establish a universal configuration-file package that beats those controls. A shared code or external config can apply values quickly, but convenience is not evidence of better performance. After importing anything, inspect each value, return to native output resolution where appropriate, and run the same one-change-at-a-time test.
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Using Deadlock’s settings preview and share codes
Valve’s September 29, 2026 “City Never Sleeps” update added shareable settings codes and an instant video-settings preview (Valve: Deadlock – City Never Sleeps). These tools are useful for applying a profile quickly and inspecting its appearance. They do not establish that a shared code is the best configuration for your hardware, display or visibility preference. After importing a code, verify every value against the starting profile and run the repeatable test procedure above.
Display and hardware considerations
Use the display’s highest usable refresh rate when selecting the output mode. A higher-refresh monitor can present more updates when the game sustains them, but the display itself does not raise rendered FPS. If the monitor is limiting your chosen refresh rate, replacing it addresses that presentation limit; it does not replace graphics-setting tuning.
The Deadlock Handbook states that Valve has not published official system requirements, so treat third-party hardware presets as practical starting points rather than guarantees. Your own scene test is more useful than assuming a preset applies identically to every CPU, GPU, memory configuration or driver.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Evidence, dates and what is not established
Jonathan Houle’s Hone guide was published October 1, 2026. It says its choices use Valve’s English setting definitions and tooltips extracted through GameTracking on September 30, after the City Never Sleeps update, and explicitly says the proposed profile was not benchmarked on a PC (Hone). The Deadlock Handbook guide was updated October 6, 2026 and checked against the October 5 patch; its hardware presets are labeled starting points, not benchmark results (Deadlock Handbook).
No named Deadlock FPS benchmark or other measured performance statistic establishes a universal gain from any listed option. The 1080p upscaling numbers above describe pixel geometry only. Valve’s January 30, 2026 update post provides update history, not a current best-settings profile or benchmark evidence (Valve’s January 30, 2026 update).
Quick checklist before you keep a profile
- Native output resolution is still selected.
- Shadow and Fog quality are Low unless their lost detail harms your play.
- Screen space AO is Off.
- Textures remain Medium unless a lower value produced a measured, worthwhile improvement.
- Upscaling stayed at 1x, or a tested 1.5x mode delivered a useful result without unacceptable blur.
- HUD Telemetry was checked in a warmed-up, repeatable busy scene.
- Only one setting changed between comparisons.
- Hero, camera, renderer, output resolution, cap and sync state stayed fixed.
- Reflex, VSync and any G-Sync route match your latency and tearing preference rather than an assumed universal recipe.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Deadlock settings should I start with for more FPS?
Keep native output resolution, set Shadow quality and Fog quality to Low, turn Screen space AO Off, leave textures at Medium, and keep upscaling at 1x. Test each change in a warmed-up busy scene before trying 1.5x upscaling.
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What does 1.5x scaling mean in Deadlock?
For a 1920 × 1080 output, ideal 1.5x scaling renders internally at 1280 × 720, or 44.44% of the output pixels. That is a geometry calculation, not a guaranteed FPS increase, and the game may round dimensions.
Should I enable NVIDIA Reflex and VSync?
The cited guide recommends Reflex Enabled when available. VSync Off suits players who accept tearing; players with active G-Sync seeking tear-free output should test the guide’s G-Sync/VSync/Reflex route and verify the resulting frame rate rather than copy a universal cap.
Why does Deadlock stutter in team fights?
Averages can hide short frame-time spikes. Warm up a repeatable fight, show frame time and FPS telemetry, and compare shadows, fog, AO and effects one at a time while keeping the hero, camera, renderer, cap and sync state fixed.
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No. Keep native output resolution for readability and Medium textures initially. Texture resolution uses video memory, but lowering it is not an automatic FPS win; keep a lower value only when your measured scene improves and the visual loss is acceptable.
Is a shared settings code automatically best?
No. Valve’s September 29, 2026 update added shareable settings codes and an instant preview for convenience. Inspect every imported value and test it on your own hardware, display and preferred visibility level.
The Bottom Line
Use native output resolution, Low shadows and fog, AO Off, Medium textures and 1x upscaling as your baseline. Measure in a warmed-up team-fight scene, change one option at a time, and try 1.5x only when the measured gain justifies softer detail.
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