Kingdom Come: Deliverance II: Best user.cfg for Realistic Lighting

The primary objective is to deepen the shadows and increase the colored light bounce from the environment. By default, the game uses a low SVOGI integration rate to save FPS; our tweak forces a higher fidelity voxel grid ($V_{grid}$) for more accurate indirect lighting.

File Path & Setup

1. Navigate to: [SteamInstallPath]\steamapps\common\KingdomComeDeliverance2\
2. Create File: Create a text file named user.cfg.
3. Steam Launch Options: Right-click KCD2 in Steam > Properties > General. Add +exec user.cfg to the Launch Options box.
4. Pro Tip: If you experience flickering in interiors after applying these, ensure Async Compute is disabled in your GPU driver or via the line r_AsyncCompute = 0 in the .cfg.

Optimized “Bohemian Realism” Configuration Table

Parameter	Recommended Value	Technical Purpose
e_SVOGI	1	Enables the core software Ray Tracing (SVOGI).
e_SVOGIVoxelGridResolution	256	Increases the detail of the lighting grid for sharper bounces.
e_SVOGIIntegrationRate	2	The Realism Fix. Increases how often light updates its path.
r_HDRBrightLevel	1.0	Normalizes the peak brightness to prevent “white-out” in sunlight.
e_VolumetricFog	1	Enables light scattering through particles (God Rays).

-- Kingdom Come II Lighting Overhaul
e_SVOGI = 1
e_SVOGIVoxelGridResolution = 256
e_SVOGIIntegrationRate = 2
e_SVOGIAmbientScale = 0.8
e_SVOGIConeMaxLength = 40
r_VolumetricFog = 1
r_VolumetricFogTexScale = 40
r_HDRBrightLevel = 1.0
r_HDRBloomRatio = 0.15
r_Sharpening = 0

HowTo: Engineering the Cinematic Lighting Fix

Follow these GameEngineer.net technical steps to achieve the “Next-Gen” look:

1. The SVOGI Integration Boost: By setting e_SVOGIIntegrationRate = 2, you are doubling the frequency at which the game calculates light bounces. This fixes the “floating” look of characters in interiors by ensuring their shadows accurately blend with the floor ($AO_{blend}$).
2. Volumetric Depth: In the 2026 update, r_VolumetricFogTexScale = 40 provides a denser, more natural “marine snow” and dust-mote effect in forests. It makes sunlight filtering through trees ($L_{filter}$) look tangible rather than like a flat texture.
3. Experimental Shadows Protocol: For those with 12GB+ VRAM, go into the in-game settings and set Shadows to Experimental. This reduces “shadow shimmering” and light leaks through wooden doors, which is the perfect companion to our .cfg tweaks.
4. Disabling Native Sharpening: Set r_Sharpening = 0. CryEngine’s internal sharpening can make high-fidelity lighting look “grainy.” Use your GPU’s DLSS/FSR 4 sharpening instead for a cleaner, filmic image.
5. Ambient Scale Adjustment: We set e_SVOGIAmbientScale = 0.8. The vanilla game is often too bright in the shadows. Reducing this value forces the eye to rely on your torch or windows, creating a much more realistic “dark age” atmosphere ($A_{atmos}$).

Technical Explanation: Voxel Integration ($I_{voxel}$)

KCD2’s realism is powered by its Voxel-based Global Illumination. The engine breaks the world into thousands of cubes (voxels) and calculates how light bounces between them.

$$Light_{total} = Direct_{sun} + \sum (Indirect_{bounce} \times Albedo)$$

In the default “High” preset, the engine takes shortcuts to save CPU cycles. By manually increasing the IntegrationRate and VoxelGridResolution, we are asking the engine to check more voxels ($V_n$) per frame. This results in a much smoother transition of light between a bright sunny field and the dark interior of a stone church, eliminating the “instant snap” of brightness that occurs when walking through doorways.