KF2 Graphics Settings Explained: What Each Option Costs in FPS

This (Russian-language) guide walks through every Killing Floor 2 graphics option and its effect on FPS, aiming for maximum stability without losing image quality. For file-level tweaks see large server FPS tweaks and low-end PC tweaks.

Display settings

• V-Sync. Recommended on: it barely affects input latency, but removes tearing and stabilizes average FPS. Even strong systems drop to 50-60 FPS in heavy fights on higher difficulties, so do not disable it.
• Aspect ratio. Supports square (5:4), widescreen (16:9 and 16:10, including 4K) and ultrawide (21:9). Keep Default if you do not know your monitor's format. Multi-monitor is supported but clumsy and unfinished, so playing on two monitors is not advised.
• Screen mode. Choose Fullscreen so the game manages PC resources better.
• Variable frame rate. Limits the game to 60 FPS; recommended on.
• Film grain. Turn it off: in KF2 it looks poor even at low values.
• Nvidia Flex (not to be confused with Nvidia Reflex). NVIDIA-only: better physics and visuals for gunfire and Zed gore. Since 2016 NVIDIA drivers refuse to work correctly with it, so enabling it will almost certainly crash the game. Fallout 4's "shards" use the same technology and suffer similarly. Turn Flex off in any game, including KF2.

Detail and effects

• Environment detail. Affects draw distance and location resolution; depends on VRAM and loads the CPU slightly. With more than 2 GB VRAM go above Medium.
• Character detail. Same: Excellent if you have more than 2 GB VRAM. While memory suffices it does not affect FPS.
• Effects. Very sensitive to single-core performance and mainly improves explosions. On weak CPUs it can cost a lot of FPS in fights. With strong single-thread performance choose High; with a weak CPU choose Low or Medium. Minimum 4 cores and 4 threads recommended; on a dual core FPS in fights approaches 30 and below even on low effects.
• Texture resolution. Excellent with at least 3 GB VRAM; no FPS effect while memory suffices.
• Texture filtering. Improves textures at angles. 16x is fine from a GTX 560 or AMD equivalent, with a minor FPS cost.
• Shadow quality. Range and resolution of shadows. On cards from 2016 onward High is fine, since it does not greatly affect fights.
• Real-time reflections. Recommended on. Few mid-range systems at launch could handle them, but on modern systems they barely affect frames since no advanced technique such as SSR is used; they improve surfaces such as metal.
• Anti-aliasing. Only FXAA is available. Enable it despite slight blur, especially on brightly lit maps. Play at Full HD or higher, as FXAA blurs far more at lower resolutions. Costs at most 1 frame.
• Bloom (mistranslated in the Russian UI). Makes bright colors richer and costs about 2-3 FPS on GPUs from 2014. The author suggests High.
• Motion blur. A matter of taste: slightly blurs while running, costs 1-2 FPS. The author keeps it on.
• Ambient occlusion. SSAO for weak cards; HBAO needs at least a GTX 1050 Ti. SSAO costs about 3 FPS on modern systems, HBAO 5-8 depending on the location.
• Depth of field. Adds a cinematic look by slightly blurring distant areas. No FPS effect; taste.
• Volumetric light rays (god rays). The most demanding option in the game: volumetric light rays that noticeably improve some maps. Enable only with a GTX 1050 Ti or better; costs up to 10 FPS on open-sky locations. Turn it off if FPS drops hard.
• Lens flares. Pretty flares on lights, panels and lamps; greatly improves the picture with no FPS cost. Turn off only if you dislike it.
• Crepuscular rays. Improves lighting on some open-sky maps; can cost up to 7 FPS but such maps are rare. Optional.

Loading speed

The game starts very slowly on HDDs (especially old ones): both the game and the maps load slowly. An SSD at least on SATA 3 is recommended and will speed loading up at least twofold. Another way to save space and speed loading is CompactGUI compression.

Support

The author promises to keep updating the guide if readers show interest, with better option descriptions and more images, and asks for problems to be reported in comments.