The Steam Deck has been a phenomenon for PC gaming since its initial launch in 2022. This portable, linux-based handheld gaming PC has made playing AAA titles easier than ever and is also one of the driving forces behind the popularization of Linux gaming in recent years.
This handheld gaming PC is capable of running most AAA titles with relative ease, such as FromSoftware’s critically acclaimed Elden Ring, and it’s DLC expansion – Shadow of the Erdtree.
The game does require a fair bit of tweaking to get running though. As such, the best Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree Steam Deck settings can be found detailed below, for easy reference.
Optimized Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree Steam Deck settings
It is entirely possible to play the Elden Ring DLC on the Steam Deck from start to finish, without major hiccups in frame rates. Valve’s excellent work on the Proton translation layer has ensured a smooth experience, and readers can expect 35-40 FPS with medium settings on the Deck.
The list of ‘Deck optimized’ settings can be found below:
- Screen Mode: Fullscreen
- Resolution: Keep this at the Deck’s default value of 1280×800
- Auto detect best rendering settings: Keep this disabled
- Ray Tracing Quality: Keep this disabled at all times
- Quality Settings: Medium
Further customization can also be carried out using the Advanced Settings tab under the Graphics Settings submenu.
To further fine tune your Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree experience, you can adjust your Steam Deck’s settings as follows:
- Frame Rate Limit: Cap frame rate to 40 FPS to ensure a smoother experience
- TDP: 15 W
- Battery Drain: 25 W
Additional parameters such as FSR Image Sharpness can be adjusted using the Deck’s settings menu without affecting your in-game performance.
While it is entirely possible to cap the game to 30 FPS, (in order to ensure absolutely zero drops to frame times), it is generally not recommended. Despite the fluctuations, Shadow of the Erdtree (and by extension, Elden Ring) feels a lot snappier when using the 40 FPS preset on the Steam Deck.
