If Deadlock runs like a slideshow, this is the low-end PC guide. It was built by checking the game's own files, so it leaves out launch options the game doesn't read.

First: measure

Turn on the FPS counter: Settings, Video, then under HUD Telemetry set Show frame time and FPS to Always. Change one thing at a time and test in the same place, such as the Hero Sandbox.

A quick test: if lowering your render resolution barely changes your FPS, your processor is the bottleneck, not your graphics card.

Video settings

They're under Video, in the Performance section.

  • Rendering quality: set to Low as a baseline, then raise what looks worse than it costs.
  • Upscaling: the biggest win. Use FSR2 or FSR3 at 1.5x scaling (try 1.7x, then 2x if you still need frames). On an RTX card, use NVIDIA DLSS. If it looks blurry, raise FSR sharpness first.
  • Shadow quality: Low.
  • Screen space AO: off, since the game lists its cost as moderate.
  • Fog quality: Low.
  • Texture quality: depends on graphics memory. With 4 GB or less, use Low or Medium.
  • Area lights: off. The game warns they can cost more on low-end systems.
  • Post process bloom and Effects bloom: off. Small savings that add up.
  • Depth of field: leave it as you like, since the game lists its cost as negligible.
  • Anti-aliasing: only matters when upscaling is off.

Frame cap and input lag

  • By default the cap is 120 FPS. If you bounce between 50 and 70, cap at 60: a steady frame rate feels smoother.
  • Set Dashboard maximum FPS to 60 too, or your PC runs flat out in the menus.
  • Turn VSync off, since the game says it adds input lag.
  • Set NVIDIA Reflex or AMD Anti-Lag 2 to Enabled. Skip Boost, which draws more power and can cost frames.
  • Play in Full Screen.

Steam launch options

Right-click Deadlock in Steam, open Properties, and use the Launch Options box under General.

The famous ones (novid, high, nojoy) don't appear anywhere in Deadlock's game files; they're leftovers from older Valve games. What works:

  • `+fps_max <number>` sets your frame cap, even beyond the slider's range.
  • `-dx11` forces DirectX 11, which helps if the game crashes after you switch to Vulkan.

Better yet, test DirectX 11 against Vulkan in the Rendering option and keep the winner.

Outside the game

  • Update your graphics driver. The game warns you when it's out of date.
  • On a laptop, plug in, then in Windows Graphics settings set Deadlock to High performance so it uses the real graphics card.
  • Close browser tabs, overlays and recording software, especially if the processor is your bottleneck.
  • Install on an SSD. It won't raise FPS, but it loads much faster.

Recap

Low preset, FSR at 1.5x, shadows and fog on Low, AO off, a frame cap you can hold, Reflex on, and skip the fake launch options.