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The latest entry in theDOOMfranchise is finally here. DOOM: The Dark Ages brings the same old-schoolboomer shootergameplay we know and love with some unique gameplay twists to the formula.
In ourreview, we said that “the actual battles against hordes of demons are as fun as ever, and you’re given tons of awesome tools and toys to unleash on them.” The same gameplay you know and love is present here with new twists that may or may not resonate with you. Either way, there are far worse ways to spend a weekend.
Every DOOM Game, Ranked
With the looming approach of DOOM: Dark Ages, we’re excited to rank every game that came before it.
Of course, none of that matters if your game isn’t performing at the highest level. Thankfully, developer id Software included plenty of optimization options to make sure DOOM: The Dark Ages is running as smoothly as possible, no matter how powerful your PC is.
How To Change Your Graphics Settings In DOOM: The Dark Ages
Before reviewing the graphic settings in DOOM: The Dark Ages,we need to know how to change them.
You’ll want to select the video screen icon on the top navigation bar from the pause menu. This pulls up the entire list of graphics settings available in DOOM: The Dark Ages.
Preset Graphics Settings For DOOM: The Dark Ages
Whether you’re running in the highest or lowest graphics settings, DOOM: The Dark Ages is a visually impressive game. While yes, you may tell that the background isn’t as impressive on the lower settings, as indicated by the above screenshot, it’s something you hardly notice in the middle of a firefight.
It’s a testament to id Software’s job well done in optimizing the game. Of course, if you have the horsepower under the hood to run it at full blast, you’re going to want to run it at full blast; I don’t blame you one bit there.
DOOM: The Dark Ages offers six preset graphics settingsthat can deliver an experience your PC can handle without having to tweak every single setting:
These settings are all tied to the game’s advanced graphics settings, most notably the quality of the game’s shadows, reflections, particles, volumetric effects, and shading.
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You’re able to further customize things to, for example, turn your shadows low but your particle quality on high.It’s important to tinker with these settings and find something that works best on your computer setup.
My video card is an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080, which I purchased during the 3080’s launch window. I saw little tono difference FPS wiseif I had the settings on Low or Ultra Nightmare.
With that being said, I recommend running your video options at Ultra Nightmare. If you’re seeing some framerate issues, I’d turn down the Shadow quality to your liking.
Graphics Settings To Turn Off In DOOM: The Dark Ages
No matter what you do,I highly recommend you turn off Motion Blur in DOOM: The Dark Ages.
It’s pretty simple to do this. In the video menu, scroll down to the “Motion Blur” menu, and click it. You’ll have three options: Off, On, and On - Cinematic Only. Select “Off,” and kick Motion Blur to the curb. The game will not only run smoother, but also look far better.
Also,ensure the Film Grain is set to 0.00. It’s a style choice and one that I think isn’t worth it, as I find it more annoying than anything.
Finally,turn off Chromatic Aberration to help improve your performance.It doesn’t give enough of a visual benefit to justify the amount of resources it uses.
DOOM: The Dark Ages: Difficulty Setting Explained
DOOM: The Dark Ages offers many difficulty options, allowing players to create a custom experience catered to their skill level.
