For a fast, responsive ARC Raiders setup, use fullscreen mode, disable V-Sync and motion blur, enable NVIDIA Reflex when your hardware supports it, keep view distance high, and spend your performance budget on DLSS or FSR rather than making every quality setting Low. Start with Quality upscaling, use Medium shadows, effects and foliage, and keep reflections and post-processing Low. Leave frame generation off for the clearest mouse response; enable it only when your native or upscaled frame rate is already stable and you value smoother motion more than minimum click-to-photon delay.
The right target depends on your hardware. Embark lists 1080p/60 on Low as the minimum, 1440p/60 on High as recommended, and 1440p/90 on Epic with resolution scaling quality for its top tier. The sections below turn those targets into a practical preset, explain which settings actually matter, and give you a repeatable way to tune frame rate and latency.
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Recommended ARC Raiders settings at a glance
Apply this as a starting point, then measure average FPS and 1% lows after each significant change. A stable frame time usually feels better than a higher average that frequently stutters.
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|---|---|---|
| Display mode | Fullscreen | Provides the most direct presentation path for a latency-focused setup. |
| V-Sync | Off | Avoids the additional queueing delay associated with synchronizing every frame to the display. |
| NVIDIA Reflex Low Latency | On, if available | Reduces the render queue when the game and GPU support it. |
| Frame generation | Off initially | Generated frames can make motion look smoother but do not provide the same input response as genuinely rendered frames. |
| Resolution | Monitor native resolution | Preserves the display’s intended sharpness; use an upscaler before lowering the output resolution. |
| Upscaling method | DLSS or FSR | Recovers GPU headroom while retaining more detail than simply dropping every quality slider. |
| Upscaling mode | Quality, then Balanced if necessary | Quality is the best first compromise; Balanced is a useful fallback when the GPU cannot hold the target. |
| View distance | High or Epic | Keeps distant players, structures and world objects readable. |
| Shadows | Low to Medium | A common source of GPU cost with limited competitive value at higher settings. |
| Post-processing | Low | Reduces effects that can soften the image or consume performance without improving target visibility. |
| Reflections | Low to Medium | Preserves useful scene cues without paying for expensive reflection quality everywhere. |
| Foliage | Medium or Low | Controls dense vegetation cost while retaining the more important view-distance setting. |
| Effects | Medium | Maintains readable combat effects without the cost of the highest setting. |
| Textures | Medium to High when VRAM allows | Texture quality is primarily a memory and image-detail decision, so it can often remain higher than other settings. |
| Motion blur | Off | Keeps camera movement and target tracking clear. |
| Frame cap | A sustained rate your system can hold | Consistent delivery matters more than an unstable peak; a cap at the monitor’s refresh rate is a sensible first test. |
Match the preset to your hardware tier
Embark’s published targets are useful boundaries rather than guarantees for every combination of CPU, GPU, memory, driver and background workload. They describe the intended resolution, quality level and frame-rate class.
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| Tier | Operating system and CPU | Memory | Graphics hardware | Target |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum | Windows 10 64-bit; Intel Core i5-6600K or AMD Ryzen 5 1600 | 12 GB RAM | GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, Radeon RX 580 or Intel Arc A380 | 1080p at 60 FPS on Low |
| Recommended | Intel Core i5-9600K or AMD Ryzen 5 3600 | 16 GB RAM | GeForce RTX 2070, Radeon RX 5700 XT or Intel Arc B570 | 1440p at 60 FPS on High |
| Epic | Intel Core i7-9700K or AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | 16 GB RAM | GeForce RTX 4070 Ti, GeForce RTX 5070 or Radeon RX 7900 XTX | 1440p at 90 FPS with resolution-scaling quality |
If your PC falls between tiers, keep the target resolution and adjust the upscaler and expensive effects first. A system that can maintain 60 FPS with good 1% lows is preferable to one that reaches 90 FPS only in quiet areas.
How to tune ARC Raiders for higher FPS
1. Establish a repeatable baseline
- Set the display to your monitor’s native resolution and choose Fullscreen.
- Turn V-Sync and motion blur off. Enable NVIDIA Reflex if the option is present.
- Choose DLSS on compatible GeForce hardware or FSR on supported hardware. Begin at Quality with the in-game resolution scale at 100%.
- Use the table’s Medium/Low mix for shadows, effects, foliage, reflections and post-processing, while leaving view distance High or Epic.
- Play the same representative route or encounter for several minutes. Record average FPS, the lowest sustained behavior and 1% lows rather than relying on a single counter reading.
This gives you a meaningful reference. Changing several options at once makes it impossible to know which setting helped or harmed the result.
2. Choose an upscaler before lowering output resolution
DLSS and FSR render internally at a lower resolution and reconstruct the image at your selected output resolution. That approach usually preserves interface scale and scene composition better than switching a 1440p monitor to 1080p. Quality is the first choice when image clarity matters; Balanced is appropriate when the GPU still misses the frame-rate target. Move lower only after checking whether the problem is genuinely GPU-limited.
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3. Reduce the settings with the best performance return
Shadows, reflections, post-processing and dense foliage are normally safer cuts than view distance. Lower shadows to Low or Medium, reflections to Low or Medium, post-processing to Low and foliage to Medium or Low. Keep effects at Medium so explosions and combat information do not become needlessly degraded. Leave textures at Medium or High if your graphics memory has room; texture quality often changes detail more than frame time.
View distance deserves special treatment. High or Epic keeps distant world geometry and player silhouettes available, which is valuable in a shooter. Cutting it to gain a small average-FPS increase can remove information you need before a fight. If your 1% lows are poor, first test shadows and effects, then the upscaler, before sacrificing visibility.
Lower input lag without making the game look poor
Use a direct presentation path
Fullscreen, V-Sync Off and a sensible frame cap form the basic latency setup. V-Sync can prevent tearing, but it may hold completed frames in a queue until the display is ready. If tearing is unacceptable, test your display’s adaptive-sync feature separately and verify the result with your own latency or frame-time measurements; do not assume that a high average FPS automatically means low delay.
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Enable NVIDIA Reflex when supported
Reflex coordinates CPU and GPU work to reduce queuing before a frame is rendered. NVIDIA says its RTX 50-series testing showed up to 59% lower PC latency with Reflex in ARC Raiders. That is a vendor result for specified hardware and test conditions, not a universal reduction for every PC. Turn it on when the game exposes the option, then compare frame-time consistency and mouse response with the same scene.
Understand the frame-generation trade-off
Frame generation inserts predicted frames between traditionally rendered frames. The display can look smoother, but those inserted frames do not contain a new mouse sample in the same way a fully rendered frame does. GameSpot disables DLSS Frame Generation in its baseline because it adds some input delay, while PCGamesN recommends using it selectively when the base frame rate is already healthy.
For a competitive mouse-first setup, leave frame generation Off. If your native or upscaled rate is already stable and you mainly want smoother camera motion on a high-refresh monitor, test the 2x or equivalent option. Compare a repeatable encounter with the feature Off and On; keep it only if the visual smoothness is worth the extra response time to you. Do not use frame generation to hide an unstable 30–40 FPS base rate.
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DLSS, FSR and RTX 50-series features
ARC Raiders launched with DLSS 4 Multi Frame Generation, Reflex and ray tracing support according to NVIDIA. On RTX 50-series systems, NVIDIA reports vendor-tested gains of up to 3.6x at 4K and up to 59% lower PC latency with Reflex. Those figures are NVIDIA’s own results, so treat them as feature demonstrations rather than a promise for your particular CPU, resolution or quality preset.
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What one RTX 4070 test shows—and what it does not
PCGamesN recorded 104 FPS average with 55 FPS 1% lows at 1080p Epic on its RTX 4070 test rig. The same system averaged 78 FPS with 51 FPS 1% lows at 1440p Epic and 43 FPS with 33 FPS 1% lows at 4K Epic before DLSS adjustments. DLSS Balanced raised the 4K result above 70 FPS in that test.
These numbers illustrate how sharply resolution changes the workload and why 1% lows matter, but they are not universal guarantees. CPU model, memory configuration, drivers, game version, background applications, thermal limits and the exact test route can all change the result. Use them as a reference point when deciding whether to lower a setting or select a different upscaling mode.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Set a frame cap that feels consistent
Unlimited FPS is useful while diagnosing a bottleneck, but it can produce large swings and unnecessary heat. GameSpot recommends capping at the display’s refresh rate, whereas PCGamesN tested with an unlimited cap. Both approaches answer different questions: an unlimited run shows the system’s maximum potential, while a cap tests the experience you will actually use.
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- Run uncapped long enough to identify whether the GPU or CPU is limiting performance.
- Choose a cap your system can sustain in busy encounters, not merely in an empty scene.
- After capping, check 1% lows and frame-time consistency again.
- If the cap is missed regularly, lower the upscaler mode or the most expensive GPU settings one step.
A stable 72 or 90 FPS can feel more responsive than a fluctuating 110 FPS that repeatedly falls into hitching. The appropriate cap depends on your monitor and the rate your hardware can hold without severe dips.
Troubleshoot common performance and latency problems
High average FPS but sluggish mouse response
- Confirm V-Sync is Off and that frame generation is disabled for testing.
- Enable NVIDIA Reflex if supported.
- Check whether the GPU is saturated; lowering a CPU-limited setting will not fix a render queue.
- Use a stable cap instead of allowing large frame-time swings.
Good average FPS but distracting stutter
- Examine 1% lows and frame-time graphs rather than the headline average.
- Lower shadows, effects or foliage one step and retest the same route.
- Close unnecessary background workloads and check for thermal throttling.
- Keep textures within available VRAM; excessive memory pressure can cause traversal hitching.
Image looks soft or shimmers after enabling upscaling
- Move from Performance or Ultra Performance to Balanced or Quality.
- Check foliage, distant geometry and particle edges while moving, not only in a static screenshot.
- Keep the output at the monitor’s native resolution and adjust the upscaler before reducing it.
Frame generation feels smooth but aiming feels late
Compare the same scene with frame generation Off. If the base frame rate is low, generated frames cannot replace the missing input updates. Keep the feature disabled for direct mouse response, or raise the base rate with Quality/Balanced upscaling and lower-cost effects before trying it again.
Should you upgrade hardware?
Graphics card
Embark includes the GeForce RTX 5070 in its Epic 1440p/90 tier, and NVIDIA documents the RTX 50-series path for DLSS 4 Multi Frame Generation and Reflex in ARC Raiders. If your current GPU cannot reach your chosen target after using the baseline preset and an appropriate upscaler, an RTX 5070-class upgrade is a logical tier to investigate. Verify current pricing, power supply capacity, case clearance and stock before buying; no single model guarantees a particular FPS on every system.
Storage
PCGamesN cites an installation of roughly 130 GB and recommends an SSD instead of a mechanical drive to reduce long loading times. Storage can improve loading and asset access, but it should not be presented as an FPS or input-latency upgrade. Leave free space for the operating system and game updates so the drive does not become unnecessarily constrained.
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Headset
PCGamesN recommends using a gaming headset and Night Mode to make subtle positional cues easier to hear. That can improve awareness of nearby activity, but it does not change graphics performance, frame rate or click-to-photon latency.
Quick Recap
A practical decision framework
| Your problem | First change | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| GPU usage is near 100% and FPS is below target | Switch Quality upscaling to Balanced, then lower shadows or reflections. | Image stability in foliage and distant geometry. |
| GPU usage is low while FPS remains low | Investigate CPU limits, background tasks and frame caps before lowering visual quality. | CPU frame time and 1% lows. |
| Average FPS is acceptable but dips are severe | Lower effects, shadows or foliage; retain a stable cap. | Frame-time graph during combat and traversal. |
| Aiming feels delayed | Disable frame generation, keep V-Sync Off and enable Reflex. | Mouse response in a repeatable test scene. |
| Image is too soft | Raise the upscaler from Balanced to Quality or increase texture quality if VRAM permits. | Fine geometry, foliage and moving targets. |
| Distant targets are hard to read | Keep view distance High or Epic; reduce reflections or post-processing instead. | Silhouette and world-object visibility at range. |
Final setup checklist
- Use the tier that matches your CPU, RAM and GPU rather than copying an FPS claim from another system.
- Set native output resolution, Fullscreen, V-Sync Off and motion blur Off.
- Enable Reflex when available; leave frame generation Off until the base rate is stable.
- Start with DLSS or FSR Quality, then try Balanced only when necessary.
- Keep view distance High or Epic and lower shadows, reflections, post-processing and foliage first.
- Measure average FPS, 1% lows and frame-time consistency in a repeatable route.
- Cap at a sustainable refresh-aligned rate when stability matters more than an uncapped peak.
- Use an SSD for loading times and a headset for positional awareness, not as performance upgrades.
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