Sea of Thieves runs on a heavily modified Unreal Engine 4. The game’s water is a proprietary system that combines FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) waves with a complex shader. The standard in-game “Cursed” to “Mythical” settings change the ocean’s LOD (Level of Detail) and reflection frequency. Modifying the GameUserSettings.ini allows you to strip away the “visual noise” of the water—such as foam and screen-space reflections—which provides a clear tactical advantage when scanning the horizon or checking for ladders.
Hardware Compatibility & Expectations
- Competitive PvP Players: Removing the ocean’s “shimmer” makes spotting the silhouette of a mermaid or a boarding pirate significantly easier.
- Steam Deck & Handhelds: Essential for maintaining a locked 60 FPS during heavy storms or when multiple ships are in close proximity.
- G-Sync/FreeSync Users: This guide focuses on eliminating “Frame-time Jitter” caused by the engine’s water physics updates.
Backup and Preparation
Before editing, ensure the game is not running.
- Completely exit Sea of Thieves.
- Navigate to the local configuration folder.
- Copy GameUserSettings.ini and save it as a backup on your desktop.
- Open the file with Notepad++.
File Location
You can find the configuration file in your local AppData directory: %LocalAppData%\Athena\Saved\Config\WindowsClient\GameUserSettings.ini
Best Config Settings
Open the file, find the [ScalabilityGroups] section, and update the values as follows. For the best balance between seeing “through” the water and performance, use these settings:
[ScalabilityGroups]
sg.ResolutionQuality=100.000000
sg.ViewDistanceQuality=3
sg.AntiAliasingQuality=1
sg.ShadowQuality=0
sg.PostProcessQuality=0
sg.TextureQuality=3
sg.EffectsQuality=0
sg.FoliageQuality=0
sg.ShadingQuality=0
[/Script/Athena.AthenaGameUserSettings]
WaterDetail=0
LightingDetail=0
ShadowDetail=0
ModelDetail=4
AnimationQualityLevel=0Pro Tip: Setting
WaterDetail=0(Cursed) removes the foam and extra ripples, making the water more “transparent,” which is the gold standard for competitive play.
Key Parameters Explained
| Parameter | Recommended Value | Impact |
| WaterDetail | 0 | Removes unnecessary ripples and foam; best for spotting swimmers. |
| ModelDetail | 4 | Forces high-quality player and ship models to stay visible at long distances. |
| sg.AntiAliasingQuality | 1 | Reduces the “blur” in the water, making the horizon line much sharper. |
| sg.ShadowQuality | 0 | Disables dynamic shadows, giving a massive FPS boost in islands and outposts. |
| AnimationQualityLevel | 0 | Reduces the CPU cost of non-essential animations (like distant flags or foliage). |
In-Game Settings vs. Config
Match these in-game “Video Settings” to your new config:
- Display Mode: Always use Fullscreen (Exclusive) to reduce input lag.
- V-Sync: Off.
- Buffering: Double or Triple (Use Quadruple only if you experience severe screen tearing).
- Resolution Scaling: Keep at 100. Lowering this will make the ocean look like a pixelated mess, making it impossible to spot ships at the horizon.
Troubleshooting & Common Fixes
- Ocean Looks “Flickery”: This is a side effect of low Anti-Aliasing. If it’s too distracting, set
sg.AntiAliasingQualityback to2or3. - Settings Reverting: If your changes don’t stick, right-click GameUserSettings.ini, select Properties, and check Read-only.
- Invisible Ship Parts: This usually happens if
ModelDetailis too low. Ensure it is set to4(Mythical) in the config to avoid gameplay disadvantages.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Does “Cursed” water give me an advantage?
Yes. High-quality water has more foam and complex lighting reflections that act as camouflage for boarders. “Cursed” water is flatter and simpler, making any object (like a pirate’s head) pop out immediately.
Why set TextureQuality to 3 (Mythical)?
Sea of Thieves is surprisingly well-optimized for VRAM. Keeping textures at Mythical doesn’t usually hurt FPS but keeps the “X Marks the Spot” maps and ship liveries looking sharp.
Does this work on the Microsoft Store / Game Pass version?
Yes. The file path and parameters are identical for both the Steam and Microsoft Store versions of the game.
Conclusion and Expected Results
By manually refining your GameUserSettings.ini, you move away from the “cinematic” water and toward a “tactical” ocean. You can expect higher FPS during naval combat, clearer visibility of underwater boarders, and a sharper horizon line for spotting sails at maximum distance. You are now truly ready to rule the seas.