
The much-anticipated addition to the DOOM series, DOOM: The Dark Ages, has officially launched, offering players the nostalgic, fast-paced action typical of the franchise, while also introducing some innovative gameplay elements.
This iteration retains the beloved mechanics fans have come to expect, but it also offers unique twists that may or may not resonate depending on personal tastes. Nonetheless, if you’re seeking a thrilling way to spend your weekend, look no further than this title.
As always, game performance is crucial for an optimal experience. Fortunately, developers at id Software have prioritized high-performance optimization, ensuring that DOOM: The Dark Ages runs efficiently, regardless of your PC’s specifications.
How to Adjust Graphics Settings in DOOM: The Dark Ages

Before diving into the graphic settings, it’s vital to understand the process of changing them.
To access the graphics settings, select the video screen icon from the top navigation bar in the pause menu. This will display a comprehensive list of available graphics options for DOOM: The Dark Ages.
Preset Graphics Settings for DOOM: The Dark Ages

No matter if you’re gaming on low or high settings, DOOM: The Dark Ages impresses visually. Although lower settings may diminish background details, such subtleties are often overshadowed in the chaos of combat.
This is a testament to id Software’s optimization efforts—if you possess a powerful rig, you’ll want to maximize your graphical settings for the best experience.
The game offers six preset graphics configurations designed to match your PC’s capabilities without requiring extensive manual adjustments:
- Low
- Medium
- High
- Ultra
- Nightmare
- Ultra Nightmare
These presets correlate to advanced settings, including shadow quality, reflection details, particle effects, volumetric graphics, and shading options.
You can further fine-tune these settings to, for instance, maintain low shadow quality but enhance particle effects.It’s essential to experiment with these adjustments to find the optimal setup for your system.
For context, with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080, I noticed minimal differences in frame rates between Low and Ultra Nightmare settings, demonstrating the game’s efficiency.
For optimal performance, I recommend setting your graphics to Ultra Nightmare. However, if you encounter frame rate drops, consider reducing the shadow quality until you achieve a smoother gameplay experience.
Graphics Settings to Disable in DOOM: The Dark Ages

No matter your preferences, I strongly suggest disabling Motion Blur in DOOM: The Dark Ages.
Disabling this is straightforward: navigate to the video menu, scroll down to “Motion Blur, ”and choose the “Off”option. This not only enhances performance but also improves overall visual clarity.
Additionally, ensure that Film Grain is set to 0.00. I find this effect more distracting than beneficial.
Lastly, disabling Chromatic Aberration is advisable as it consumes resources without delivering significant visual advantages.
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