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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Start with the Low quality preset, enable a supported upscaler, turn off ray tracing, and lower shadows and effects before touching textures. Then change one option at a time while checking the same scene. This is a cautious starting point—not a guaranteed preset or tested FPS recipe.
The current Steam listing sets a useful boundary: its minimum target is 30 FPS at 1080p on Low with upscaling on a Ryzen 5 3600/Core i5-10600K, Radeon RX 5600 XT/GeForce GTX 1660 Ti, 16 GB of RAM and an SSD. A PC below that specification may need compromises that the game cannot solve through settings alone.
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What “low-end” means for Valor Mortis
“Low-end” is not a single hardware class. A computer that runs other modern games comfortably can still fall below Valor Mortis’s published minimum in CPU performance, GPU memory, system memory or storage. Use the current minimum specification as the practical comparison point rather than assuming that any older gaming PC will run the game.
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| Tier | CPU | GPU | RAM | Storage | Published target |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum | AMD Ryzen 5 3600 or Intel Core i5-10600K | AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT or Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti | 16 GB | SSD, 60 GB available | 30 FPS at 1080p on Low with upscaling |
| Recommended | AMD Ryzen 7 5800X or Intel Core i5-13400 | AMD Radeon RX 6800 or Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 | 16 GB | SSD | 60 FPS at 1440p on Medium with upscaling |
These are targets published on the store page by the publisher, not independent benchmark results. They also describe specific configurations; they do not promise that every machine with one of those parts will reach the stated frame rate. CPU cooling, laptop power limits, driver state, background applications and the final game build can all change performance.
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The storefront snapshot used for this guide displayed an October 13, 2026 release date while also showing that the game was not yet available and an approximately 14-hour countdown. Store details and requirements can change around launch, so check the installed build’s own requirements if they differ from this table.
Read the two target tiers correctly
The minimum and recommended rows are not two quality presets that every computer can select. They are separate publisher targets tied to different hardware and resolutions. The minimum row pairs a Ryzen 5 3600 or Core i5-10600K with an RX 5600 XT or GTX 1660 Ti and aims at 30 FPS at 1080p Low with upscaling. The recommended row moves to a Ryzen 7 5800X or Core i5-13400, RX 6800 or RTX 3070, and 1440p Medium with upscaling for a stated 60 FPS target.
Both rows list 16 GB of RAM and an SSD, and the minimum row specifies 60 GB of available space. A machine that matches the GPU but has less memory, a weaker processor or a slow drive is not an exact match for the stated target. Conversely, owning one listed component does not guarantee the advertised frame rate because the figures are store-page targets rather than controlled measurements across every motherboard, driver, laptop design or thermal condition.
Use this starting preset first
The detailed control names below come from an unofficial reference to the demo’s in-game menu. The release menu may add, remove or rename options. Treat the sequence as general guidance and verify every control in your copy.
- Open the graphics settings and choose Quality Preset: Low. Apply it before making individual adjustments so hidden options do not remain at a higher preset.
- Set your display resolution to the monitor’s native value initially. If the frame rate is still too low, use Resolution Scale or a supported upscaler rather than immediately making the whole desktop image unusually small.
- Choose an upscaler that your GPU supports. The demo inventory lists DLSS, FSR, TSR and XeSS. Upscaling renders internally at a lower resolution and enlarges the result, reducing the amount of work the GPU performs. The available choices depend on the hardware and game build.
- Disable Ray Tracing when performance is the priority. The demo reference says ray tracing requires supported hardware and DirectX 12. If the switch is present, leaving it off is the conservative choice for a system near or below minimum.
- Lower Shadow Quality next. The settings reference identifies shadows as a large GPU cost. Move this control down before sacrificing texture detail.
- Lower Effects Quality if fights or busy scenes are the problem. The same reference describes effects as particularly heavy in large fights, so this is the next targeted reduction for combat slowdowns.
- Keep Textures Quality as high as available video memory allows. Lower textures only when you see texture loading problems, hitching associated with VRAM use, or an in-game memory warning. Texture quality generally changes surface detail more than the number of objects being rendered.
- Set a Frame Rate Limit if it makes delivery steadier. Choose a cap your system can sustain rather than chasing a fluctuating peak. The best cap is individual to the PC; no universal value was established for low-end hardware.
- Apply the settings and inspect the image. A lower preset should still leave enemies, hazards and the environment readable. An official pre-alpha announcement recorded a bug in which the Low visual-quality preset could appear darker than intended. That report is historical and may not affect the current build, but it is a reason to check visibility after changing presets.
Do not change every slider at once after this first pass. Record the original value, alter one control, and replay an identical scene or encounter. Without a controlled low-end benchmark, that method is the clearest way to identify which setting is limiting your particular PC.
How to tune resolution and upscaling
Start with an upscaler
If your graphics card exposes a compatible DLSS, FSR, TSR or XeSS mode in the game, test it at the quality level offered by the build. Upscaling can preserve a sharper output than simply selecting a much lower display resolution, but image quality varies by implementation and scene. Inspect fine geometry, foliage, distant silhouettes and moving objects rather than judging only a static menu.
Use Resolution Scale when no suitable upscaler is available
Resolution Scale reduces the internal render resolution while leaving the output display mode in place. Lower it gradually and stop when the image becomes difficult to read. A very low scale can make the game look soft even if the frame rate improves; there is no published percentage that guarantees a particular result on a given GPU.
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Do not assume frame generation replaces rendering power
The demo inventory includes an FSR frame-generation option. Its presence does not establish that it is available on every GPU, that it works in the release build, or that it can compensate for a system below the minimum specification. Treat it as an optional control to evaluate only after the base image is playable, and follow the requirements shown in your installed build.
Which quality controls to reduce first
Shadows
Shadow maps can consume substantial GPU time, particularly at higher distances and resolutions. Lower Shadow Quality before reducing textures when the frame rate falls in outdoor areas or scenes with many light sources. Check nearby and distant shadows after each change so you know whether the visual trade-off is acceptable.
Effects
Effects Quality is a sensible response to slowdowns during large fights, where particles, explosions and other transient effects can accumulate. If ordinary exploration is smooth but combat is not, test this control independently instead of lowering every category.
Ray tracing
Ray tracing is an optional workload in the demo menu and requires compatible hardware and DirectX 12. Disable it for a low-end-first configuration. Re-enable it only if the resulting frame pacing remains acceptable in the most demanding scene you can reproduce.
Textures and materials
Textures and Material Quality affect surface detail and memory use. Keep them at the highest level that fits your GPU’s available VRAM, then reduce them if you encounter texture pop-in, missing textures, severe hitching or a memory warning. Lowering textures is not a substitute for reducing shadow or effects cost when the problem is GPU computation rather than memory capacity.
View distance, anti-aliasing and post-processing
The demo inventory lists separate View Distance, Anti-Aliasing and Post-Processing controls. They can be useful after the larger controls above, but the available evidence does not provide measured FPS costs for each one. Change them one at a time, compare the same location, and keep the setting that improves consistency without making targets or edges hard to distinguish.
A repeatable troubleshooting procedure
- Confirm the baseline. Note the current resolution, preset, upscaler, frame limit and whether ray tracing is on. Use the same save or repeatable encounter for every check.
- Apply Low and an available upscaler. Play long enough to reach the area that normally slows down; a menu scene is not representative of a large fight.
- Turn off ray tracing. If the frame rate or frame pacing changes, keep it off while testing the remaining controls.
- Reduce shadows, then effects. Test each separately. This identifies whether general lighting or combat effects are the dominant load.
- Adjust resolution scale in small steps. Stop when the image loses useful detail. If an upscaler produces distracting artifacts, compare it with a modest resolution-scale reduction.
- Address VRAM symptoms with textures. Do not lower textures automatically if the issue is only low frame rate with no memory symptoms.
- Try a frame-rate cap. Keep the cap only if frame delivery feels more consistent on your PC. The setting is a stability tool, not a guaranteed performance increase.
- Check readability and restart if required. Look for the historical dark-Low-preset issue, missing effects that hide hazards, or a setting that did not apply until a restart.
Keep a short note of each change. If a later patch changes the menu or default values, you can restore the last known-good combination instead of guessing.
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What to expect on hardware below minimum
The current minimum GPU comparison is a Radeon RX 5600 XT or GeForce GTX 1660 Ti, paired with a Ryzen 5 3600 or Core i5-10600K and 16 GB of RAM. If your graphics card is below that tier, the Low preset and upscaling are still reasonable experiments, but the store’s 30-FPS target does not apply to your configuration. No controlled result establishes what a particular below-minimum card will deliver.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsCPU limits can look like GPU limits. If lowering resolution scale barely changes performance, the processor, memory pressure or a busy background process may be limiting the frame rate. Settings that reduce scene complexity—such as view distance, shadows or effects—are more relevant in that case than further reducing output resolution, but the game’s own frame-time behavior is the deciding evidence.
An SSD is listed as required for the current PC version. That requirement is relevant to installation and loading, not proof of a frame-rate increase. Replacing a hard drive with an SSD should not be presented as an FPS upgrade by itself.
How to identify the limiting part
Use the behavior of the game rather than a single headline FPS number. If reducing internal resolution produces a clear improvement, the GPU is likely doing most of the work. If resolution changes have little effect while crowded areas remain slow, a CPU, memory or background-process limit is more plausible. Texture warnings, missing surfaces and hitching tied to asset streaming point toward VRAM pressure, while broad slowdowns across every scene can indicate that the machine is simply below the title’s minimum class.
These observations are diagnostic clues, not guarantees. Measure the same encounter after each change and avoid comparing a quiet corridor with a large combat arena. A cap can make frame delivery feel steadier, but it cannot create rendering capacity that the hardware does not have.
Historical pre-alpha information: useful context, not current requirements
A 2025 official pre-alpha playtest profile listed a different hardware target: an RTX 2070 or RX 5700 XT, 8 GB of RAM and an SSD, with Low at 1080p and an expected 60-FPS average. The announcement explicitly described that profile as pre-alpha and identified performance and optimization as known improvement areas. It is superseded for present-day planning by the current storefront listing above; do not combine the two sets of requirements.
The same announcement warned that hardware was not automatically detected, so players might need to adjust presets manually. It also described shader-compilation or PSO behavior that could cause poor performance on first boot. Those are dated pre-alpha issues, not confirmed characteristics of the current release. If your installed build stutters only during its first launch, allow any compiling process shown by the game to finish before judging the final settings; if the behavior persists, retest after a restart and compare a repeatable scene.
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The developer’s historical statement was: “The game won’t be releasing until next year and we admit that the performance and optimization isn’t that great right now.” It describes that 2025 development stage, not a verified assessment of the 2026 build.
When settings are not enough
If your PC is materially below the current minimum, software adjustments may not produce a stable 30 FPS. The listed RX 5600 XT and GTX 1660 Ti are concrete comparison points for a possible GPU upgrade, but neither card guarantees a particular frame rate in your system. The result also depends on your CPU, power supply, cooling, available VRAM, drivers and the game version. Check those constraints before buying anything.
- Check the CPU first if resolution changes have little effect and busy scenes remain slow.
- Check RAM capacity if the system has less than the listed 16 GB or if the operating system is heavily paging.
- Check GPU memory and power delivery before selecting a replacement card.
- Keep the SSD requirement in mind for installation, while treating storage as separate from FPS performance.
Because the storefront requirements may change around launch, compare your parts with the current listing and the installed build before making a purchase decision.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Launch-day and patch checks
The detailed control inventory comes from a demo reference, while the Steam page was still showing a pre-release countdown in the October 2026 snapshot. At launch, open the in-game menu and confirm the exact names, available upscalers, frame-generation support, ray-tracing switch and preset behavior. Do not assume a demo option survived unchanged.
After a major update, revisit the requirements and reset any option that a patch may have changed. If the game reports shader compilation or another first-run preparation step, let it complete before comparing performance. Save a screenshot or note of your known-good settings so a reset does not force you to repeat the entire tuning process.
A practical low-end checklist
- Use Low as the initial Quality Preset.
- Enable a GPU-supported DLSS, FSR, TSR or XeSS mode, or lower Resolution Scale gradually.
- Disable Ray Tracing when performance is the priority.
- Reduce Shadow Quality, then Effects Quality, testing each change.
- Keep Textures Quality within available VRAM; lower it only for memory-related symptoms.
- Use View Distance, Anti-Aliasing and Post-Processing as later, one-at-a-time adjustments.
- Set a Frame Rate Limit only if it improves consistency on your machine.
- Check that the Low image remains bright and readable.
- Compare every change in the same scene and avoid treating demo-menu advice as a tested benchmark.
- Recheck requirements after launch or a major update.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the safest first preset for a low-end PC?
Choose Low, enable a supported DLSS, FSR, TSR or XeSS mode, and disable ray tracing. Then test shadows and effects before lowering textures. This is general menu guidance, not a guaranteed FPS preset.
Can Valor Mortis run below the listed minimum?
It may launch on some weaker systems, but the Steam minimum target—30 FPS at 1080p Low with upscaling—applies only to the listed Ryzen 5 3600/Core i5-10600K, RX 5600 XT/GTX 1660 Ti, 16 GB RAM and SSD class. There is no controlled result for every below-minimum card.
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Should I lower textures before shadows?
Usually no. The settings reference describes shadows as a large GPU cost, while textures primarily affect surface detail and VRAM use. Lower textures when you see memory-related symptoms, not automatically for every low frame rate.
Which setting helps during large fights?
Test Effects Quality independently because the menu reference describes effects as heavier in large fights. Shadows can also matter, but change one control at a time in a repeatable encounter so you can identify the actual limit.
Does an SSD increase FPS?
The current listing requires an SSD, so it is necessary for installation and expected loading behavior. That requirement is not evidence that replacing a hard drive will raise frame rate.
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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchIs frame generation a solution for weak hardware?
The demo inventory includes FSR frame generation, but availability and requirements can differ by GPU and release build. First make the base rendered image playable; then evaluate frame generation only if your installed version supports it.
Why did performance change after the first launch?
The 2025 pre-alpha announcement mentioned shader-compilation or PSO behavior that could hurt first-boot performance. That is historical, not confirmed for the current build. If your version shows a compiling step, let it finish before judging settings.
Should I buy an RX 5600 XT or GTX 1660 Ti for this game?
Those cards are the current minimum comparison points, not guaranteed upgrade outcomes. Check your CPU, power supply, cooling, VRAM, drivers and the current game requirements before buying, and do not assume either card ensures a particular FPS.
The Bottom Line
For a cautious starting point, select Low, use a supported upscaler, disable ray tracing, and reduce shadows before effects. Keep textures within your VRAM budget, cap frame rate only when it improves consistency, and test every change in the same demanding scene. The Steam listing’s 30 FPS at 1080p Low target is tied to specified minimum hardware; it is not a promise for every older PC. Recheck the installed build and requirements after the October 13, 2026 launch and subsequent patches.
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