Best Graphics Settings For Destiny 2: Fix Lags, Stutters, and Improve FPS

In this guide, we’re gonna take a look at how to optimize performance for Destiny 2. This guide will also help you increase FPS, reduce lag, stuttering, and many other annoying problems that you may encounter especially if you’re on a low-end PC.

D2 lightfall

Destiny 2: Best Graphics Settings To Fix Lag, Stutters, and FPS Drops

First, launch Destiny 2 and head over to the Video Settings in the game. Then, copy these settings to your game:

    • Window Mode: Fullscreen
    • Resolution: Preferred Resolution (Lower Resolution = Better Performance & More FPS)
    • Vsync: Off
    • Framerate Cap Enabled: Off
    • Field of View: Preferred FoV (Lower FoV = Better Performance & More FPS)
    • Screen Bounds: Custom (No impact on performance)
    • Brightness: Custom (No impact on performance/FPS whatsoever)

Next, head over to your Advanced Video Settings and copy these:

  • Graphics Quality: Custom
  • Anti-Aliasing: SMAA
  • Screen Space Ambient Occlusion: Off
  • Texture Anisotropy/Anisotropic Filtering: 2x
  • Texture Quality: Lowest
  • Shadow Quality: Lowest
  • Depth of Field: Off
  • Environment Detail Distance: Low
  • Character Detail Distance: Low
  • Foliage Detail Distance: Low
  • Foliage Shadow Distance: Low
  • Light Shafts: Low
  • Motion Blur: Off
  • Wind Impulse: Preference (Doesn’t affect performance)

Once done, you can head over to your Additional Video Settings tab and set the following:

  • Render Resolution: 100% (Reduce only if you need the extra FPS)
  • HDR: Automatic
  • Chromatic Aberration: Off
  • Film Grain: Off

These are all the in-game graphics settings in Destiny 2 that you should use to get the maximum FPS in the game.


How To Fix Lag, Stutters, and Performance Issues

After knowing the best settings for Destiny 2 as shown above, the next step is to optimize your PC or system to the best possible knowledge. These changes also help to improve the overall performance and FPS for Destiny 2. Check them out…

AMD and NVIDIA Control Panel Settings

Check out the settings and changes you can make to the control panel of AMD as well as NVIDIA to improve the overall performance for Destiny 2, especially, post-Lightfall Release.

NVIDIA Settings

  • Ambient Occlusion: Off
  • Anisotropic Filtering: Application-controlled
  • Antialiasing – FXAA: Off
  • Antialiasing – Gamma Correction: Off
  • Antialiasing – Mode: Application-controlled
  • Antialiasing – Transparency: Off
  • CUDA – GPUs: All
  • DSR – Factors: Off
  • Low Latency Mode: Ultra
  • MFAA: Off
  • Power Management Mode: Prefer Maximum Performance
  • Preferred Refresh Rate: Highest Available
  • Shader Cache: On (Always use On)
  • Texture Filtering – Anisotropic sample options: Off
  • Texture Filtering – Negative LOD Bias: Clamp
  • Texture Filtering – Quality: High Performance
  • Texture Filtering – Trilinear Optimization: Off
  • Threaded Optimization: Auto
  • Triple Buffering: Off
  • Vertical Sync: Use the 3D application setting

AMD Settings

Since I do not use an AMD system, I cannot tell you the exact settings for this. However, try to focus totally on the performance of the GPU and leave the rest of them as they are. You will benefit a lot by doing this since this has worked for my friends who own AMD GPUs.


G-SYNC Settings (If your monitor supports it)

To enable G-SYNC for your enabled Monitor, go to the NVIDIA Control Panel by right-clicking on the desktop and selecting NVIDIA Settings from there. After that, do the following:

  • Head over to “Display”
  • Then select Setup NVIDIA G-SYNC
  • Click on the box Enable G-SYNC, G-SYNC Compatible
  • Enable it for Fullscreen Mode.
ALSO READ:  Hurtworld | Complete Item ID List

Doing this can improve your overall performance for Destiny 2 so I would recommend that you give it a go.


Set the Highest Refresh Rate for the Monitor

This is an obvious but overlooked change that you should make. Make sure your monitor is set to its highest refresh rate. Also, in some cases, the refresh rate can be overclocked to more Hz so make sure to do that.

You should also make sure that the highest refresh rate is selected from the NVIDIA Control Panel.


Windows Power Options

My personal recommendation would be to use the “High Performance” Mode here since this will give you the maximum system output to play Destiny 2. To go to this setting, type “Power Option” in the windows search bar and select “Power and Sleep Settings”. You can change the settings from the subsequent menu.


Windows Mouse Settings

When it comes to a smooth experience and reducing lag, mouse settings are quite important. Even though your system may be performing well, the wrong mouse setting can make the gameplay lackluster.

Make sure your pointer speed is set to the default value with no multiplier, this value is 6. Also, make sure Enhance Pointer Precision is not enabled.


Use SSD Instead of HDD

If possible use either an NVME or SSD drive to install your game. The prices for these storages are reasonable nowadays and you can easily acquire one.

This also helps everyone else as the P2P nature of D2 means things like loading into maps are affected by each player. I have seen a significant difference in load times when all of the players are running D2 on an SSD.


Network Tweaks and Settings

Make sure you allow two UDP ports on your router’s Port Forwarding URL or page. The two UDP ports to use are 3074 and 3097. Make sure these ports are open to the IP of the PC you are playing Destiny 2 on. This will make sure your NAT Type is Open or at least Moderate in D2’s settings.

I cannot tell you how many times I thought my system was not up to the mark until I discovered that it was not my system but the network settings or the ISP itself.

You can also use a VPN to bypass a bad routing caused by your ISP. Both of these methods have been tested by me and they work like a charm.


Those are all the listed tips I can give you regarding Destiny 2. These changes will come in handy, especially post-Lightfall where you may see major changes in the performance aspect of the game.

I hope you have enjoyed reading this guide as much as I have made it. Do check out our Destiny 2 page for more such guides.


Thanks for dropping by!


Last Updated on January 5, 2024

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *