The Division PC tweaks guide to help you understand and alter each and every graphics setting so as to attain your desirable gameplay experience.
With over 20 graphics settings, more than 90 options, and PC-exclusive upgrades, you need PC Tweaks to get the most out of the graphics The Division offers.
It goes without saying that one needs a high-end PC to max everything out but The Division PC Tweaks can help you get the max out of any rig.
For more help on the Division, read out our The Division Crafting Guide, The Division Factions Guide, and How to Increase Air Filter Levels.
The Division PC Tweaks
The Division PC tweaks guide details everything that you need to know about different graphics options and how to tweak them to the optimal gaming experience:
Ambient Occlusion
AO essentially adds contact shadows where two objects meet and affects the shadowing accuracy. Without AO, the screen appears bland and unrealistic and it seems like the objects are floating in the air.
In visually intense area, the low-ultra options cost between 1 to 3 FPS. As for HBAO+, while it delivers a richer experience, it costs about 4.5 frames per second.
Anisotropic Filtering
This and other similarly named options essentially affect the sharpness of textures across large distances, at angles, and on the sides of the screen. Without AF, the screen appears blurry and image quality appears downgraded.
From a performance perspective, AF does not cost much – a mere 0.6 frames per second between 1x and 16x.
Contact Shadows
Unlike Ambient Occlusion, Contact Shadows are basically shadows created when light rays from the Sun, Moon, and spotlights are occluded. Both Ambient Occlusion and Contact Shadows deal with two separate types of shadows to enhance image.
From a performance standpoint, the FPS difference varies from location to location and whether a player is using HFTS or PCSS. For HFTS, all high costs 6.5 FPS and 6.0 FPS on PCSS.
Depth of Field
The DoF in the Division basically adds out of focus blur as well as diamond-shaped Bokeh effects during the cutscenes. Since there is no noticeable difference and the cost, it is a good idea to stick to medium unless you have got a monster GPU.
Wind-Affected Snow
When enabled, this effect essentially triggers a fluid simulation causing snow particles to flow and wrap around buildings. Enabling the effect costs about 1 frame per second.
Extra Streaming Distance
ESD basically adjusts the amount of detail that is rendered in the distance. By using a higher value, you will notice less pop-in and see more stuff rendered in the distance.
However, one important thing that you need to understand about Extra Streaming Distance is that landmarks and important gameplay elements will always be rendered; regardless of your chosen setting.
From a performance standpoint, the ESD usually costs about 6-7 frames per second which can increase depending upon your CPU since the settings is more dependent upon CPU.
Lens Flare
Lens Flare in the Division is directly related to floodlights and spotlights which are used to illuminate areas around them.
Since the Lens Flare does not contribute much to the overall high level of image quality, you can simply disable it and acquire a couple of precious frames per second.
Local Reflection Quality
The LRQ basically deals with reflections of characters, scenery, and other objects scattered around the world via puddles and other reflective surfaces. This setting essentially ensures a high quality overall image and must not be turned off completely!
When it comes to performance impact, you will notice a gap of 7.1 frames per second between very high and off. Despite the cost, the overall image quality achieved by LRQ is totally worth it.
Object Detail
The OD can be set anywhere between 0 to 100 and adjusts the details to be rendered. When combined with ESD, it can vastly enhance the distance detail fidelity in some scenarios.
When it comes to performance, OD costs about 11 frames per second which can vary from person to person considering that it also depends upon the CPU.
Parallax Mapping
This setting basically enhances the visible detail of a surface by adding more depth and detail – more visible on surfaces such as brick walls. Performance-wise, it only costs a couple of frames per seconds which is why it should be enabled.
Particle Detail
This setting not only alters the resolution of effects such as steam, smoke, and explosions; but also increases or decreases the number of particles. Since there is only a couple of FPS cost, it is recommended to crank the setting to max possible!
Sharpening
The sharpening in the Division can be set anywhere from 0 to 100 and renders the screen and overall image quality crisp. As for its impact on performance, it only costs a fraction of frames per second.
Spot Shadow Count
This setting essentially determines the number of shadows from artificial illumination that can appear on screen at any time provided! Since FFC at high costs around 6.6 FPS, it is better to stick to medium which only costs 3.3 FPS.
Sub-Surface Scattering
Players who prefer a more realistic image over an image which is more sharp, houses more sharp shadows, and overall sharpening need to enable SSS; others can simply disable it. However, do note that enabling it will cost 2.5 frames per second.
Volumetric Fog
This setting essentially adjusts the resolution of things such as mist, fog, and other fog-like conditions.
When it comes to performance, there is no noticeable difference between high and ultra, but ultra-setting costs a lot of FPS which is why it is a good idea to stick to medium or high when it comes to adjusting Volumetric Fog.
This is everything we have on the Division PC tweaks guide. If there is something else that you would like to know, make sure to let us know in the comments section below!
