Honkai: Star Rail: Best UserCustomData.xml for PC Performance

The primary goal for Honkai: Star Rail optimization is Visual Stability during Alpha Effects. When Seele or Acheron triggers an Ultimate, the game spawns massive amounts of particles and alpha-blended textures. If your configuration isn’t tuned, this leads to frame-time spikes. By modifying the custom data, we can optimize the Shadow Map resolution and Anti-Aliasing clusters, ensuring the transition from exploration to combat is seamless.

Hardware Compatibility & Expectations

• VRAM Management: HSR is more VRAM-intensive than Genshin due to higher-resolution character textures. 6GB VRAM is recommended for “Very High” textures at 1080p.
• CPU Threading: The game scales well up to 8 threads. If you are on a laptop, ensure “High Performance” mode is active to prevent the CPU from throttling during world exploration in Penacony.
• SSD Recommendation: Even though it is turn-based, the game streams assets constantly. An SSD is vital to prevent “character model popping” during dialogue scenes.

Backup and Preparation

1. Completely exit Honkai: Star Rail and the HoYoVerse Launcher.
2. Navigate to your local AppData folder (path below).
3. Copy the UserCustomData.xml and save a backup as UserCustomData.xml.bak.
4. Open the original with Notepad++.

File Location

The configuration file is located in your local web cache/settings directory: %USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\Cognosphere\StarRail\UserCustomData.xml (Note: Some advanced graphics flags are also stored in the Windows Registry under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Cognosphere\StarRail.)

Best UserCustomData.xml Settings for PC

Search for the <GraphicsSettings> node. Update the values as follows for a “High-Efficiency” setup:

<GraphicsSettings>
    <TextureQuality>3</TextureQuality>        <ShadowQuality>2</ShadowQuality>         <ReflectionQuality>1</ReflectionQuality>  <CharacterQuality>3</CharacterQuality>   <EnvDetailQuality>2</EnvDetailQuality>   <BloomQuality>1</BloomQuality>
    <AntiAliasing>1</AntiAliasing>           <MSAA>0</MSAA>                           </GraphicsSettings>

Pro Tip: If you want to unlock the 120 FPS cap (which is officially hidden on PC), you cannot do it via this XML alone. You must navigate to the Registry path mentioned above and change the GraphicsSettings_Model_h2986158880 binary key’s FPS value. However, setting ShadowQuality to 2 (Medium) in the XML provides the single largest performance jump in the game.

Key Parameters Explained

Parameter	Recommended Value	Impact
ShadowQuality	2	Reduces shadow map resolution. “High” renders shadows for distant NPC objects that aren’t necessary.
ReflectionQuality	1	Penacony uses many reflective surfaces. Setting this to 1 uses a simplified cube-map, saving massive GPU power.
CharacterQuality	3	Keeps the “Cel-shading” and outlines of your Trailblazers sharp and detailed.
EnvDetailQuality	2	Controls the distance at which trash cans, crates, and distant buildings simplify their meshes.

In-Game Graphics Strategy (Settings Menu)

To complement your XML tweaks, match these in-game Display settings:

• Render Res: 1.0. Avoid 1.2 or 1.4 as it drastically increases the pixel count the GPU must process without a significant visual gain for anime-style art.
• V-Sync: Off. Use your GPU driver (NVIDIA/AMD) to cap frame rates for better frame pacing.
• Light Quality: Medium. This affects the “Point Lights” in cities like Belobog and Penacony.

Troubleshooting & Common Fixes

• Ultimate Animations Stutter: This is usually a shader cache issue. Ensure your GPU drivers are updated. If it persists, lower BloomQuality to 0 in the XML.
• Blurry Textures: Ensure TextureQuality is set to 3. If it keeps resetting, your VRAM is likely full, and the game is auto-downgrading your settings.
• Settings Not Saving: HoYoVerse games frequently overwrite local XMLs with Cloud Sync data. After editing, right-click the file > Properties > Read-only.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Conclusion and Expected Results

By manually refining your UserCustomData.xml, you are optimizing how the engine handles the contrast between high-detail characters and complex environments. You can expect rock-solid performance during flashy Ultimates, faster loading between world zones, and the removal of unnecessary GPU strain in reflective areas like the Golden Hour.