How to Fix Elder Scrolls Online Low FPS

Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) has been out for a few years and players are still enjoying it. But the low FPS issue or sudden FPS drops still troubles many. The good news is that there are some known fixes available. We’ve tested a few and in this article, we’ll go through the ones that have worked for most.

Try these fixes…

You don’t have to try them all, just work your way down the list until you find the one that does the trick!

1: Turn off CPU and RAM extensive apps

2: Change your graphics power plan settings

3: Update your graphics driver

4: Adjust in-game settings

5: Delete unused mods and add-ons

6: Modify the user settings

Fix 1: Turn off CPU and RAM extensive apps

Programs that are running in the background, especially those using a lot of CPU/RAM, can affect your FPS dramatically. You can turn off those RAM extensive apps via Task Manager to bring up your FPS:

1. Right-click your taskbar, then click Task Manager.
   
2. Under the Processes tab, look for the processes that are CPU and memory-hogging. Take Chrome here, for example, right-click it then click End task.
   

Check if your problem is solved. If this doesn’t help, check out the next solution.

Fix 2: Change your graphics power plan

You can adjust the power plan in the graphics settings to allow ESO to utilize more CPU resources at a higher speed. Here’s how:

1. In the search bar next to the Start button, type graphics then click Graphics settings.
   
2. Click Browse.
   
3. Locate your game file and add it to the list. It’s usually in C:Program Files (x86)enimax OnlineThe Elder Scrolls Onlinegameclient.
4. Once ESO is added to the list, click Options.
   
5. Select High Performance, then click Save.
   

Run ESO and check if your FPS is still low. If this doesn’t work, try the next solution.

Fix 3: Update your graphics driver

An outdated or faulty graphics driver could cause a lot of problems, including low FPS in our case. You may want to keep it up-to-date to make sure it’s functioning properly.

One way to keep your graphics card driver up-to-date is to manually update it via Device Manager. If Windows suggests your driver is up-to-date, you can still check if there’s a newer version and update it in Device Manager. Go to the manufacturer’s website, and search for the latest correct driver. Be sure to choose only the driver that is compatible with your Windows version.

• NVIDIA
• INTEL
• AMD
• Asus

Automatic driver update – If you don’t have the time, patience, or computer skills to update your driver manually, you can, instead, do it automatically with Driver Easy. Driver Easy will automatically recognize your system and find the correct driver for your exact video card and your Windows version, then it will download and install it correctly:

1. Download and install Driver Easy.
2. Run Driver Easy and click the Scan Now button. Driver Easy will then scan your computer and detect any problem drivers.
3. Click the Update button next to the flagged graphics card driver to automatically download the correct version of the driver, then you can manually install it (you can do this with the FREE version).
   
   Or click Update All to automatically download and install the correct version of all the drivers that are missing or out of date on your system. (This requires the Pro version which comes with full support and a 30-day money-back guarantee. You’ll be prompted to upgrade when you click Update All.)
   

Restart your PC for the new driver to take effect. Check if you get a higher FPS now. If this doesn’t work in your case, proceed to the next solution.

Fix 4: Adjust in-game settings

The solutions we’ve talked about so far mainly have to do with your PC settings. There are also some tweaks you can apply in the game to fix the low FPS issue. Here’s how:

1. Launch ESO. On the log-in screen, click Settings.
2. Select the Video tab for in-game graphics settings.
3. Look for the below settings and adjust as needs.
   
   Recommended:
   
   Display Mode: Fullscreen
   
   Vertical Sync: Off
   
   Anti-Aliasing: Off
   
   View Distance: 0 – 1/3 of the value
   
   Shadow Quality: Off
   
   Water Reflection Quality: Off
   
   
   Optional:
   
   Texture Quality: Medium or Low
   
   SubSampling Quality: Low
   
   Maximum Particle Systems: 1/3 to 1/2 of the value
   
   Particle Suppression Distance: 1/3 to 1/2 of the value

Save the settings and check your FPS in game. This should bring a major FPS boost. If this doesn’t give you luck, move on to the next solution.

Fix 5: Delete unused mods and add-ons

Add-ons and mods are quite popular among ESO players and they can be really helpful in optimizing the gaming experience. But if you’ve installed too many add-ons and don’t actually use all of them, consider removing some and keep those necessary only. Follow these steps to improve your FPS:

1. On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and E to open the Windows File Explorer.
2. Navigate to C:Users<username>DocumentsElder Scrolls Online.
3. For NA megaserver, enter the “live” folder;
   For EU megaserver, enter the “liveeu” folder.
4. Find the “AddOns” folder and open it. You can look for the subfolders with the add-on’s name and delete these subfolders.
5. Go back to the “live” folder and open the “SavedVariables” folder. Remove the entries for the add-ons you deleted in Step 4.
6. Go back to the “live” folder, then delete AddOnSettings.txt.
7. Relaunch the game, and make sure the mods and add-ons that you don’t want have been removed.

Check if your problem is solved. If this doesn’t work, try the last solution.

Fix 6: Modify the user settings

You can directly make changes to a file containing the user settings. Many players like to make these tweaks for higher FPS, but there can be risks if not done carefully. Follow the steps to modify the user settings:

1. Press the Windows logo key and E to open the Windows File Explorer.
2. Go to C:Users<username>DocumentsElder Scrolls Onlinelive.
3. Open UserSettings.txt. Make sure to make a copy of this file before you make any changes.
4. Search for the setting one by one and only adjust the values as follows:
   
   SET HIGH_RESOLUTION_SHADOWS “1” >> “0”
   
   SET SHADOWS “4” >> “0”
   
   SET GPUSmoothingFrames “10” >> “0”
   
   SET REFLECTION_QUALITY_v3 “2” >> “0”
   
   SET PARTICLE_DENSITY “3” >> “0”
   
   SET MIP_LOAD_SKIP_LEVELS “0” >> “1”
   
   SET ANTI_ALIASING_v2 “1” >> “0”
   
   
5. Once you’re done, save the changes and close this file.

Run the game to see if you get a higher FPS now.

Hopefully this article solves your problem and you get a higher FPS in ESO now! Please feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions or suggestions.

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