How to fix game performance!

Hi,

After a lot of experimenting, I've found finally how to completely fix shader slutter issue using for both DX12 and Vulcan. 2nd API was a bit tricky, but I think I had best results with it and it is maybe the best API for budged PCs and notebooks.

Recommended options:
Performance: Vulcan (Valve Fossilize)
Easy to do: DX12 / Vulcan (driver based shaders)
Compatibility: DX12 (driver based shaders)

1) DX12 (driver based shaders)

This was easiest quick fix of all. Just do my steps and play your game as usual. Performance will improve more as you play, because now game doesn't need to compile shaders everytime you see something, but only once. Next time you see same mosters, skills etc. game will just load it from cache.

* Open NVIDIA App (or AMD/NVIDIA control panel)
* Find global graphics settings
* Set shader cache to 100gb (or unlimited)
* (optional) Enable smooth motion, that force game to use 2x framegen. This will increase GPU usage and reduce CPU usage with minimal impact on latency and quality. I recommend it only if you have 120hz+ monitor. It is not noticable if you have 60+ base fps. Don't panic if you see you have half fps when runing game, because game engine doesn't recognize framegen. Just count is as x2.
* Restart PC

2) Vulcan (driver based shaders)

Basically almost same as DX12, just with few aditional steps. Game will slutter slightly more at beginning, but

* Open NVIDIA App (or AMD/NVIDIA control panel)
* Find global graphics settings
* Set shader cache to 100gb (or unlimited)
* Set Vulcan presentation method to DXGI (it enables gsync/freesync and others windows related things, even with Vulcan)
* (optional) Enable smooth motion, that force game to use 2x framegen. This will increase GPU usage and reduce CPU usage with minimal impact on latency and quality. I recommend it only if you have 120hz+ monitor. It is not noticable if you have 60+ base fps. Don't panic if you see you have half fps when runing game, because game engine doesn't recognize framegen. Just count is as x2.
* Restart PC

If you have steam version of game:

* Open steam
* Go to settings > Downloading and disable pre-cache. Usually at bottom of the list.
* Restart steam.

Steam pre-cache is waste of space (usually grows up to 50gb, in extreme cases 200gb) and causes fps drops if you don't use Valve Fossilize. Because you always compile shaders no matter if you already saw that effect/monster or not.

3) Vulcan (Valve fossilize)

This is the best solution if you want slutter free performance, but for now it is slightly annoying, because you must do it manually. Theoretically, it could be automated if devs will work with Valve do add this steam functionality.

* Open NVIDIA App (or AMD/NVIDIA control panel)
* Find global graphics settings
* Set shader cache to 100gb (or unlimited)
* Set Vulcan presentation method to DXGI (it enables gsync/freesync and others windows related things, even with Vulcan)
* (optional) Enable smooth motion, that force game to use 2x framegen. This will increase GPU usage and reduce CPU usage with minimal impact on latency and quality. I recommend it only if you have 120hz+ monitor. It is not noticable if you have 60+ base fps. Don't panic if you see you have half fps when runing game, because game engine doesn't recognize framegen. Just count is as x2.
* Restart PC

And now Valve fossilize part:

* Close steam and game
* Modify shortcut to run steam by adding -console in *target like this: C:\Games\Steam\Steam.exe -console
* Run steam using this modified shortcut (instead of store, library etc. you will have also new option "Console"
* Open console tab
* (only once) write shader_build 2694490 and hit enter. This will prepare steam game 2694490 (POE2) to accept fossilize shaders
* write shader_scan 2694490. This will generate merged and more optimized shaders based on steam pre-cache replay.
* Wait 15m.
* Run your game and enjoy. Don't panic, if game say it is processing shaders, because it says that even when loading them from steam. It is just much faster and eats less CPU.

This shader_scan step have to be repeated once in a time! To update your cache based on your gaming history. Steam with pre-cache enabled will generate cache and pipeline files for each game launch and record what a replay of your game (only shader part). You can see these files in C:\Games\Steam\steamapps\shadercache\2694490\fozpipelinesv6 and C:\Games\Steam\steamapps\shadercache\2694490\nvidiav1\GLCache. If you don't want to wait 15m, you can just check that in nvidiav1 you have only steamapp_merged_shader_cache.bin/.toc and in fozpipelinesv6 you have only steamapp_pipeline_cache.foz files. That means shader compilation is done. If there is any file named cache or pipeline, it is "not processed" replay of the game, that you can merge with main file using shader_scan command. So waiting 15m is just for ease to use, you just need to wait untill all files are processed.

Next time you run game, you will compile shaders only for things, that are not already included in pipeline_cache and merged_cache files thus saving a tons of CPU performance and preventing slutter and FPS drops. Just get used to do this once a while, to include new things you saw since last shader_scan.

I usually play with 158fps cap and in abyss I drop to 10-20fps. With increasing shader cache I have like 30-40fps and it feels less sluttery. With this Valve Fossilize solution even in heaviest situation I never drop under 120 fps. Only exception is, if it is new map, monsters etc. that are not cached yet.

It also seems, some game patches that impact performance can reset shader cache!

Enjoy your slutter free game.

tuf gaming laptopn 3050 ti cant play whit fire skills and ignited ground maps at all....

"

tuf gaming laptopn 3050 ti cant play whit fire skills and ignited ground maps at all....

Check your in-game settings for Shadow + GI quality. Use high if you use ultra, it looks almost same but saves you a ton of performance in dynamic scenes with lights. Fires are using this a lot.

Another settings:

Number of lights: Set low to disable fire dynamic lights completely, if you don't have enough performace. But game will look worse.
Lighting: You can also save some performance using shadows instead of shadows + GI.

Don't forget to increase your shader cache and for laptop I recommend Vulcan. If you can do it, Valve Fossilize variant is much better, but driver based is also helpful and easier to do. If you use fossilize, I recommend few first days run shader_scan on daily basis and next week you can do it only once a week. As you have more cached shaders, you need less frequency to update them.

Enjoy your game. :)

"

The0dil#4308 a écrit :

"

tuf gaming laptopn 3050 ti cant play whit fire skills and ignited ground maps at all....

Check your in-game settings for Shadow + GI quality. Use high if you use ultra, it looks almost same but saves you a ton of performance in dynamic scenes with lights. Fires are using this a lot.

Another settings:

Number of lights: Set low to disable fire dynamic lights completely, if you don't have enough performace. But game will look worse.
Lighting: You can also save some performance using shadows instead of shadows + GI.

Don't forget to increase your shader cache and for laptop I recommend Vulcan. If you can do it, Valve Fossilize variant is much better, but driver based is also helpful and easier to do. If you use fossilize, I recommend few first days run shader_scan on daily basis and next week you can do it only once a week. As you have more cached shaders, you need less frequency to update them.

Enjoy your game. :)

all my setting are at Low everything that is possible to turn off is off
the only thing that slighly makes it better is going for "ultra performence" mode which makes the game so ugly i cant play it that way

3050ti (mobile) is very weak GPU and there are many variatons with totally different performance. There is not much to do.

which is better to use dx12 or vulcan?

want to know the true performance enhancer?

use a palm of the dreamer.

no more corpses.

enjoy farming 200 divines for your fps gain.

^^

"

which is better to use dx12 or vulcan?

Theoretically Vulcan. In some cases DX12 have higher FPS, but Vulcan is better suited for high stable FPS in towns and big fights. But without enabling DXGI, it doesn't work properly with gsync/freesync, hdr etc., although it can be easily fixed.

"

want to know the true performance enhancer?

use a palm of the dreamer.

no more corpses.

enjoy farming 200 divines for your fps gain.

^^

Yea, this solution could theoretically work, but I wanted to fix bad performance without any impact on game, not gain more performance by removing everything. :)

"

The0dil#4308 a écrit :

"

which is better to use dx12 or vulcan?

Theoretically Vulcan. In some cases DX12 have higher FPS, but Vulcan is better suited for high stable FPS in towns and big fights. But without enabling DXGI, it doesn't work properly with gsync/freesync, hdr etc., although it can be easily fixed.

"

want to know the true performance enhancer?

use a palm of the dreamer.

no more corpses.

enjoy farming 200 divines for your fps gain.

^^

Yea, this solution could theoretically work, but I wanted to fix bad performance without any impact on game, not gain more performance by removing everything. :)

want to know a better solution? have corpses 'expire' and disappear. much like the scourge mobs do in poe1.

killed something? cool. after 5-10 seconds. get rid of the corpse.

does that suck for me as a minion player? (or like, a detonate dead character.. which... lets be honest. wouldnt really matter as much) sure.. i cant back track to get a spectre sometimes. but that can be worked around by trying to be quick. just like spectre'n scourge monsters in poe1.

ill take the hit as a class, for 10 fps+ for EVERYONE.

getting rid of corpses/objects to increase performance... was something we learned in like... all of the bethesda games. its a 20 yr old solution to a 20 second ago, and 20 year old problem.

will they do it. probably not.

but if they did. everyone would instantly get 10+fps regardless of their computer.

Yea, but it is fix that must be done by devs. My solution helps and you don't need them for it.