Enshrouded: Best settings.json for Voxel Base Building FPS

The objective is to reduce the computational cost of distant voxel chunks while maintaining high-fidelity lighting on the structures directly in your line of sight.

File Path & Access

File Path: %USERPROFILE%\Saved Games\Enshrouded\settings.json

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Press Win + R on your keyboard, paste the path above, and press Enter.
2. Locate the file named settings.json. (Crucial: Create a backup named settings_backup.json before editing).
3. Right-click the file and select Open With > Notepad.
4. Modify the values to match the “Builder’s Optimization” profile below.
5. Save the file and launch the game.

Optimized “Architect” Configuration Block

{
  "graphics": {
    "voxel_detail": 1,
    "draw_distance": 2,
    "lod_quality": 1,
    "global_illumination": 1,
    "shadow_quality": 1,
    "texture_resolution": 3,
    "point_light_shadows": 0,
    "volumetric_fog": 1,
    "ssao": 1,
    "anti_aliasing": "dlss",
    "dlss_mode": "balanced"
  }
}

Parameter Details & Technical Purpose

Parameter	Recommended Value	Technical Purpose
voxel_detail	1 (Medium)	The Base Fix. Reduces the polygon count of distant voxel shapes, significantly lowering CPU draw calls.
point_light_shadows	0 (Off)	Prevents the game from calculating shadows for every torch/lamp in your base—a major FPS killer in large builds.
global_illumination	1	Lowers the resolution of light bounces. In complex bases, “Ultra” GI creates exponential calculation load ($GI_{calc}$).
draw_distance	2 (High)	Keeps distant mountains visible while culling small decorative voxels that you can’t see from afar anyway.
lod_quality	1	Forces a more aggressive Level of Detail transition, which is essential when your base has thousands of individual blocks.

Best Practices for 2026 Voxel Performance

To maintain a smooth building experience in Enshrouded, follow these additional GameEngineer.net technical steps:

• The Light Source Rule: In 2026, the Enshrouded engine still struggles with too many overlapping light sources. Try to use Glowing Blocks (Luminous voxels) for ambient lighting instead of hundreds of individual torches. Glowing blocks are baked into the voxel lighting grid, whereas torches are dynamic and expensive.
• NVMe Caching: Voxel data is constantly being written to and read from your drive as you modify the world. Ensure the game is installed on an NVMe SSD to prevent the “Building Lag” where blocks take a second to appear after being placed.
• Shader Cache Management: If you experience stutters after building a massive structure, the shader cache may be overloaded. Clear your NVIDIA/AMD Shader Cache in your GPU control panel to force the game to re-evaluate the new geometry.
• RAM Latency: Because voxel engines are highly dependent on the CPU-to-Memory bus ($BW_{mem}$), ensuring your RAM is running at its rated XMP/EXPO speed is more important in Enshrouded than in traditional polygon-based games.