Dying Light 2 – Definitive Tweak Guide

This guide explains how to get better visuals in the Dying Light 2 game.

Easy Tweaks for Better Visuals

All credit goes to AngelGraves13!

Foreword

• 2k and 4K Shadow Maps Unlocked.
• Voxel Global Illumination “Ultra” Unlocked.

How-To

Video Settings Configuration

• %USERPROFILE%\Documents\dying light 2\out\settings\video.scr

Open video.scr by opening it with Notepad either by going to Right-Click -> Open with… Notepad or Drag and Drop the file into an open Notepad window.

Shadow Maps

ShadowMapSize

• Default value: 924 [ShadowMapSize(924)]
• Recommended value: 1024*, 1536*, 2048*, 4096*

Notes

• *1024 – super low-end
• ** 1536 – low-end
• *** 2048 – mid-end/high-end
• **** 4096 – ultra high-end

Shadow Mapping is used in Dying Light and Dying Light 2 Stay Human. The resolution of the shadow map is usually written in values such as 512, 1024, 2048, and 4096. The default value for ShadowMapSize in Dying Light 2 Stay Human is 924 compared to 2048/4096 in the previous game. This seems to have been an oversight when developing the game for console and likely a remnant of developing for consoles alongside PC.

Increasing the shadow map size will render better shadows with less pixelation, but performance will be affected negatively. If the game isn’t running optimally, then this setting isn’t for you. Increasing the value past 924 will increase the quality of shadows by rendering a much larger shadow map.

There is another setting for SpotShadowMapSize which is for the flashlight casting shadow and its default value is set to 4096 for crisp and detailed shadow maps. As of right now, it is unclear if this setting has any direct effect as the flashlight does not cast shadows. This will likely be patched in the future. Stay tuned.

Voxel Global Illumination

VoxelGiQuality

• Default value: User preference [VoxelGiQuality(3)]

Dying Light 2 uses voxels for calculating global illumination in the game world. In-game, the setting is locked to a maximum value of 3 or High but can be unlocked to 4 or Ultra.

Enable Ultra Voxel GI by setting it to VoxelGiQuality(4)

Images

Shadow Maps at 4096 (4K)