Before jumping into Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree expansion on PC, there are two must-have apps that can greatly enhance your gaming experience.
After numerous playthroughs and extensive testing, I can confidently say these apps significantly improve the game’s performance and add essential features for PC players.
Special K: The Free App
First, let’s talk about Special K. Often called the “Swiss Army Knife” of PC mods, this powerful tool can unlock frame rates, inject HDR, and even provide custom button prompts.
It works with many games, but it’s especially beneficial for Elden Ring. Special K can remove the 60 fps cap and add PlayStation button prompts if you’re using a DualSense or DualShock controller.
However, recent updates from From Software have temporarily disabled some of Special K’s features like frame rate unlocking.
You can still use a modified version of Special K by replacing two DLL files with the version 24.6.20 from the Special K Discord. Even with some features currently disabled, Special K is invaluable for improving frame rates and reducing stuttering in Elden Ring.
Things to Consider with Special K
Using Special K means setting Elden Ring to offline mode, which disables online multiplayer, messages, and PvP. You’ll also need to disable the game’s Easy Anti-Cheat software to avoid potential bans. Despite these limitations, Special K’s ability to smooth out performance issues makes it essential for many players.
Lossless Scaling: Safe Frame Generation
If you prefer not to modify game files or want to keep playing online, Lossless Scaling is a great alternative. Available for $7 on Steam, this app offers upscaling and frame generation without altering game files.
It’s particularly useful for Elden Ring, which lacks performance-boosting features like Nvidia’s DLSS or AMD’s FSR.
Lossless Scaling uses a machine-learning-based model to double or triple your frame rate, similar to DLSS 3.5 or FSR 3. It generates additional frames between those rendered by the game, greatly enhancing smoothness. This app works best when your frame rate is consistent, ideally at the 60 fps cap.
Which Tool to Use?
For the best experience, I use Lossless Scaling to achieve the smoothness of 120 fps while maintaining the stability of 60 fps. This approach reduces frame rate variability and provides a seamless gaming experience.
Whether you choose Special K or Lossless Scaling, both tools are essential for enhancing Elden Ring on PC. They address performance issues and add features missing from the PC version, ensuring a smoother and more enjoyable journey through the Lands Between.
Conclusion
Before starting Shadow of the Erdtree, make sure you have Special K and Lossless Scaling ready. These apps are crucial for getting the most out of your Elden Ring experience on PC.