Best Deadlock Graphics Settings for Clear Animations
For the clearest animations and smoothest gameplay in Deadlock, the top pick is a hybrid setup: keep Texture Quality and Effects Quality on High, but set Shadow Quality to Low and Post-Processing to Medium. This combination preserves the readability of hero abilities and character models while eliminating the frame-time spikes that heavy shadows and blur effects cause in team fights.
What to Look For
Deadlock is a MOBA-hero shooter hybrid where a single missed dodge or unclear ability telegraph can lose a team fight. When tuning graphics, prioritize these four factors over raw visual fidelity:
- Animation Clarity – Ability wind-ups, dashes, and melee attacks need to be readable at a glance. Effects like motion blur and depth of field can obscure these cues.
- Frame Time Consistency – Average FPS matters less than the 1% lows. Stutters during team fights are what cause missed parries and failed escapes.
- Visibility of Enemy Models – Shadows and lighting that hide enemies in dark corners or under foliage are a direct disadvantage.
- Input Latency – Lower graphics settings reduce GPU queuing, which lowers the delay between your mouse click and the game registering it.
Option 1: Competitive Low (Best for High Refresh Rate Monitors)
Settings: Everything on Low or Off, except Texture Quality on Medium and Effects Quality on Low.
Strengths: Maximizes FPS and minimizes input latency. The game looks flat, but enemy silhouettes stand out clearly against the muted environment. This is the choice for 240Hz+ monitors where every millisecond counts.
Trade-offs: Ability effects like Kelvin’s ice path or Viscous’ goo can be harder to see at range, and the game loses its atmospheric lighting. Some visual cues from the environment (like destructible walls) are less obvious.
Who it suits: Players with mid-range GPUs (GTX 1660 or RTX 2060 class) who play at 1080p and want to hit 200+ FPS, or anyone who prioritizes reaction speed over looks.
Option 2: Balanced Clarity (The Top Pick)
Settings: Textures High, Effects High, Shadows Low, Post-Processing Medium, Ambient Occlusion Off, Motion Blur Off.
Strengths: This is the sweet spot. High textures keep hero models and ability icons sharp, Effects High makes ability zones and projectiles very visible, while Low shadows removes the dark patches that hide enemies. Post-Processing on Medium keeps anti-aliasing without the blur of depth of field.
Trade-offs: You won’t get the cinematic lighting of Ultra, and some ground clutter is reduced. Frame rates will be lower than the Competitive Low preset, but typically still above 144 FPS on a modern GPU.
Who it suits: The majority of players with mid-to-high-end GPUs (RTX 3060 to RTX 4080) who want a good balance of readability and smoothness at 1440p or 1080p.
Option 3: High Fidelity with Motion Blur Off
Settings: Everything on High or Ultra, but Motion Blur Off, Depth of Field Off, and Shadow Quality on Medium.
Strengths: The game looks stunning. High shadow quality provides better depth perception for judging jumps and distances. Keeping Motion Blur and Depth of Field off preserves animation clarity during fast camera swings.
Trade-offs: This is the most demanding preset. You’ll need a strong GPU (RTX 3070 or better) to maintain 144 FPS at 1440p. In heavy team fights, you may still see occasional frame drops.
Who it suits: Players with high-end hardware who want the visual experience without sacrificing gameplay readability, and who play on 1440p or 4K monitors.
Option 4: DLSS/FSR Quality Mode
Settings: Enable DLSS (Nvidia) or FSR (AMD) in Quality mode, keep Textures High and Effects High, lower Shadows to Medium.
Strengths: Upscaling gives you a significant FPS boost while maintaining near-native image quality. This is the best way to get high frame rates on a 4K monitor or on a laptop GPU. The AI upscaling actually sharpens some ability edges, making them pop.
Trade-offs: In rare cases, upscaling can cause shimmering on thin particle effects like Ivy’s vines or Grey Talon’s arrows. This is less noticeable in Quality mode than in Performance mode.
Who it suits: Players with RTX 20-series or newer Nvidia GPUs, or RX 6000-series or newer AMD GPUs, especially those gaming on 4K or high-refresh 1440p displays.
Option 5: Minimum Spec Survival
Settings: All settings Low, Resolution scale at 75%, disable all post-processing, and cap FPS to 60.
Strengths: This gets the game playable on integrated graphics or very old GPUs (GTX 960, Intel Iris Xe). The low resolution scale makes models blocky but the game runs at a stable 60 FPS, which is better than a stuttering 30 FPS.
Trade-offs: Animation clarity suffers significantly. At 75% resolution, ability telegraphs can be hard to see, and you’ll be at a disadvantage against players with clearer visuals.
Who it suits: Players on low-end laptops or desktops who just want to play the game without crashes, and who are willing to accept the visual downgrade.
How to Choose
Start with your monitor. If you have a 60Hz or 75Hz monitor, you only need to hit 60-75 FPS consistently. That means you can afford higher quality settings. If you have a 144Hz or 240Hz monitor, you need to prioritize frame rate over visuals.
Test in the practice range first. Deadlock has a full practice mode where you can spawn bots and use abilities. Change settings there and watch how the game looks during a simulated team fight. Look at how clearly you can see the enemy’s dash animation and parry window.
Common trade-offs: The biggest trade-off is between Shadows and Effects. High shadows look nice but can hide enemies in dark areas. High effects make abilities very visible but can cause FPS drops when many are used at once. Most players should keep Effects High and Shadows Low. If you have a weaker GPU, drop Effects to Medium first, then Textures.
For laptops: Always check if your laptop has a MUX switch or hybrid mode. If it does, set the game to use your dedicated GPU. Also, cap your frame rate to your screen’s refresh rate to avoid overheating and thermal throttling.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I turn off VSync?
Yes, turn off VSync in the game settings. It adds input lag. Instead, use the game’s frame rate limiter or your GPU driver’s control panel to cap FPS slightly below your monitor’s refresh rate to avoid screen tearing.
Does Deadlock have a built-in benchmark?
No, but you can use the practice range or a custom game with bots to test performance. Watch your FPS counter during a team fight with multiple abilities being used.
Will lowering graphics settings reduce input lag?
Yes, but only if you’re GPU-bound. If your GPU is at 99% usage, lowering settings reduces the time it takes to render each frame, which lowers latency. If your GPU is not the bottleneck, it won’t help.
Is DLSS worth using in Deadlock?
Yes, if you have an RTX card. DLSS Quality mode looks nearly identical to native resolution but gives a 20-30% FPS boost. It’s especially useful at 1440p and 4K.
What’s the best way to check my FPS in Deadlock?
You can enable the FPS counter in Steam (Settings > In-Game > In-game FPS counter) or use the game’s console command. The Steam overlay is the easiest.
Should I set the resolution scale to 100%?
Yes, if you can maintain your target FPS. Lowering resolution scale below 100% makes the image softer and can reduce clarity of distant enemies. Only lower it if you’re desperate for FPS.
Bottom Line
For the best combination of clear animations and smooth gameplay, use the Balanced Clarity preset: High Textures, High Effects, Low Shadows, Medium Post-Processing, and Motion Blur Off. This gives you the readability you need for parries and dodges while keeping frame times stable. If you have a high-end GPU, you can raise shadows to Medium, but never use Motion Blur or Depth of Field in a competitive game. Start with this preset, adjust based on your FPS, and you’ll be set for ranked play.
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