If you are interested in learning more about the latest patch which rolled out to the open world role-playing game Elden Ring, you will be pleased to know that the team over at Digital Foundry has wasted no time testing out the Elden Ring Ray Tracing patch and its performance. Rolled out earlier this month, the patch was made available for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC. Although the new feature does not add real-time reflections or graphical improvements in many situations, it concentrates more on ambient occlusion and shadows. Check out the video below to learn more about what you can expect when you enable ray tracing.
Understanding Ray Tracing in Elden Ring
Ray tracing is a rendering technique that simulates the way light interacts with objects in a virtual environment to create more realistic lighting effects. In Elden Ring, the implementation of ray tracing focuses primarily on enhancing ambient occlusion and shadows. Ambient occlusion adds depth to the scene by simulating how light is blocked by objects, creating more realistic shadows and a sense of depth. This can make environments feel more immersive and visually appealing.
However, it’s important to note that the ray tracing in Elden Ring does not include real-time reflections, which are often a hallmark of ray tracing in other games. This means that while the lighting and shadows may look more realistic, you won’t see the same level of detail in reflections on surfaces like water or glass.
Performance Impact and Settings
Enabling ray tracing in Elden Ring does come with a performance cost. Digital Foundry’s analysis shows that the performance hit can be significant, especially on higher settings. On the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, players may notice a drop in frame rates when ray tracing is enabled. On PC, the impact can vary depending on the hardware, but even high-end systems may struggle to maintain a consistent frame rate with ray tracing turned on.
To help manage this, Elden Ring offers multiple settings for ray tracing, allowing players to balance visual quality and performance. Lower settings will have a smaller impact on performance but may not provide as noticeable an improvement in visual quality. Higher settings will offer the best visual enhancements but at the cost of performance.
For those who prioritize visual fidelity and have the hardware to support it, enabling ray tracing can make the world of Elden Ring feel more immersive. However, for players who prioritize smooth gameplay, it may be better to keep ray tracing turned off or set to a lower setting.
Community Reactions and Future Updates
The community’s reaction to the ray tracing update has been mixed. Some players appreciate the enhanced visual quality and the added depth to the game’s environments. Others, however, are disappointed by the performance hit and the lack of real-time reflections. This has led to discussions about whether the trade-offs are worth it and how FromSoftware might improve the feature in future updates.
FromSoftware has a history of listening to player feedback and making adjustments based on community input. It’s possible that future patches could optimize ray tracing performance or add additional features like real-time reflections. For now, players will need to decide for themselves whether the visual enhancements are worth the performance cost.
Source: Digital Foundry
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