Warhammer 40,000: Darktide Ultimate Ancient Hardware Guide

1. Navigate to C:\Users\Steam\AppData\Roaming\Fatshark\Darktide\user_settings

2. Strip this game down to nothing.

3. After you are done making changes, go to properties and change to READ ONLY

**This guide assumes that you have reduced the quality of in-game and launcher settings as low as possible.**

– local_lights_shadows_enabled = false (this will aesthetically cuck your game and make it appear flat)

– lod_object_multiplier = 0.1 (Delicious and pervasive pop-in of world objects for your Pentium III PC)

– for 16:9; (Make sure you change both resolutions in the config file, there are two)
screen_resolution = [
854
480

– for 16:10
screen_resolution = [
960
600
*Changing your monitor’s native resolution to the corresponding Sega Saturn-esque resolution is advised; P.S. You may need to create a custom resolution for this like I did.

– Use Performance (DLSS) or Ultra-Performance mode (FSR 2); naked mole rat experience (can’t see enemies clearly past 15 feet; feels like playing a DOS box game on a lower-than-intended resolution)

– static_sun_shadows = false (we need to go flatter… like 2D flat)

– particles_capacity_multiplier =  (no bullet tracers, no indication of where you’re channeling a Trauma force staff, no red beam from [invisibly pixellated] snipers…. yeah, it’s a great time, biggest increase in performance…)

– volumetric_fog_quality = “false”

– performance_settings = {
decal_lifetime = 
max_blood_decals = 
max_impact_decals = 
max_ragdolls = 1 *NOTE: DO NOT REDUCE RAGDOLLS TO ZERO = CRASH*

– decals_enabled = false

– display_noise_enabled = false

– local_lights_max_dynamic_shadow_distance = 
local_lights_max_non_shadow_casting_distance = 
local_lights_max_static_shadow_distance =  (or default if you have Local_Lights enabled)
local_lights_shadow_atlas_size = [
1 (or 128 if you have Local_Lights enabled)
1 (or 128 if you have Local_Lights enabled)
]
local_lights_shadow_map_filter_quality = “false”

– rt_checkerboard_reflections = false
rt_light_quality = “false”
rt_mixed_reflections = false
rt_particle_reflections_enabled = false
rt_reflections_enabled = false
rt_shadow_ray_multiplier = 
rt_transparent_reflections_enabled = false
rtxgi_enabled = false
rtxgi_scale = 

– static_sun_shadow_map_size = [
1 (or 128 if you have static_sun_shadows enabled)
1 (or 128 if you have static_sun_shadows enabled)

– sun_shadow_map_filter_quality = “false”

– volumetric_extrapolation_high_quality = false
volumetric_extrapolation_volumetric_shadows = false
volumetric_lighting_local_lights = false
volumetric_reprojection_amount = 0
volumetric_volumes_enabled = false

– jitter_enabled = false *according to the wiki*; “In computer graphics, to “jitter a pixel” means to place it off side of its normal placement by some random amount in order to achieve a more natural appearance.” I don’t know what kind of performance impact turning this off has.

– world_interaction_size = [
128
128
*What does this even do?*

– ***nv_reflex_low_latency = 0*** (Many users have reported that this option is bugged and turning it off can cause a massive performance increase)

– nv_low_latency_markers = false (not sure what this actually does but I turned this off thinking that it could be tied to the bugged low_latency mode)

If you have indeed applied all the the “fixes” that I have listed, your game should appear as such:

I have now achieved a whopping unstable 35-60 FPS on an incredibly ancient Geforce GTX 1660 TI and core I-7 2.6Ghz computer that can run every other modern game flawlessly…