Highguard Optimization Guide (March 2026) FPS & Visibility Boost

Updated by Nikhil Desai
January 31, 2026
RobloxGaming

Welcome to the most comprehensive Highguard optimization guide available online! If you’re struggling with FPS drops, stuttering, or poor visibility in Wildlight Entertainment’s PvP raid shooter, you’ve come to the right place. I’ve spent countless hours testing every setting, tweaking every configuration, and analyzing performance metrics to bring you the definitive optimization resource that will transform your Highguard experience.

Whether you’re running a high-end RTX 4090 setup or gaming on a budget rig, this guide will help you achieve buttery-smooth gameplay with crystal-clear visibility. I’ll cover everything from basic in-game settings to advanced driver-level optimizations that most guides completely miss. Let’s dive in and unlock your system’s true potential!

Quick Reference: Highguard Optimization Settings

Setting Category	Recommended Setting	Performance Impact	Priority Level
Display Mode	Windowed Fullscreen	Low	Critical
V-Sync	Off	Medium	Critical
Max FPS	Uncapped	Low	Critical
Internal Resolution	65-75%	High	High
DLSS/TSR	Performance/Balanced	High	High
Shadow Quality	Low	Medium	Critical
Global Illumination	Low	Medium	High
Texture Quality	VRAM-Based	Low	Medium
Effects Quality	Low-Medium	Medium	High
Post-Processing	Low	Medium	High

Highguard Optimization Guide: Complete Settings Breakdown

Essential System Requirements & Setup

Before we dive into optimization, let’s ensure your system meets Highguard’s requirements. Many players skip this crucial step and wonder why they experience issues:

Minimum Requirements:

Windows 10 64-bit (Windows 11 recommended)
Intel Core i5-6600K or AMD Ryzen 5 1600
NVIDIA GTX 1060 6GB or AMD RX 580 8GB
8GB RAM (12GB+ recommended)
25GB SSD space (HDD not recommended)

Critical Security Requirements: Highguard requires Secure Boot and TPM 2.0 enabled for Easy Anti-Cheat compatibility. Here’s how to check:

Press Windows + R, type msinfo32, check “Secure Boot State”
Press Windows + R, type tpm.msc, verify TPM is ready
If disabled, enter BIOS/UEFI and enable both features

In-Game Graphics Optimization

Display Settings for Maximum Performance

Display Mode: Windowed Fullscreen This setting provides the best balance between performance and convenience. Unlike exclusive fullscreen, it allows quick alt-tabbing without the performance penalty of borderless windowed mode.

Resolution: Native Resolution Always use your monitor’s native resolution. Lower resolutions might seem tempting for FPS gains, but they introduce scaling artifacts and UI clarity issues that hurt competitive performance.

V-Sync: Off This is non-negotiable for competitive gaming. V-Sync adds input lag that can be the difference between winning and losing firefights. Trust me, the screen tearing is worth the responsive controls.

Max FPS: Uncapped Set this to uncapped in-game. We’ll control the actual FPS limit through driver settings for better precision. This prevents double-capping issues that can cause stuttering.

Field of View (FOV): 100-110 I recommend starting at 100 and adjusting to 110 if your GPU can handle it. Higher FOV provides better situational awareness but comes with a significant performance cost. Find your sweet spot between visibility and performance.

Advanced Graphics Settings

Internal Resolution: 65-75% This is your most powerful FPS-boosting tool. Start at 75% and drop to 65% if you need more performance. The slight softness is worth the massive FPS gain, especially when combined with DLSS.

Anti-Aliasing Mode: DLSS (NVIDIA) or TSR (AMD) DLSS is game-changing for RTX users. Use Performance mode for maximum FPS or Balanced if you want better image quality. AMD users will need to use TSR, which provides similar benefits.

Shadow Quality: Low Shadows are FPS killers in Highguard. Setting this to Low provides minimal competitive disadvantage while delivering significant performance gains. Enemies won’t be hiding in shadows anyway with proper brightness settings.

Global Illumination Quality: Low This setting primarily affects visual aesthetics without providing competitive advantages. Low setting frees up GPU resources for more important settings.

Reflection Quality: Low Reflections are particularly taxing during indoor raids where many reflective surfaces exist. Low setting prevents FPS drops during critical base defense moments.

Texture Quality: VRAM-Dependent

6GB VRAM: Low
8GB VRAM: Medium
10GB+ VRAM: High

Texture quality mainly impacts VRAM usage rather than GPU load. Set according to your VRAM capacity to avoid stuttering from texture streaming.

Effects Quality: Medium While Low provides better performance, Medium offers a good balance. Explosions and particle effects are important for situational awareness, so don’t drop this too low.

Post-Processing Quality: Low This setting controls bloom, motion blur, and other cinematic effects. These effects hurt visibility and performance, so keep it low.

Foliage Quality: Low Highguard’s large outdoor maps are filled with vegetation that can murder your FPS. Low foliage quality not only boosts performance but also reduces visual clutter that enemies can use for cover.

Shading Quality: Low This setting affects surface detail rendering. Low setting provides significant performance gains with minimal competitive impact.

Windows Optimization for Maximum Performance

Power Plan Configuration

Your Windows power settings significantly impact gaming performance. Here’s how to optimize:

Press Windows + R, type powercfg.cpl
Select “High Performance” or “Ultimate Performance” if available
These modes prevent CPU/GPU downclocking during intense gaming sessions

Power Plan Performance Impact:

Balanced: Moderate FPS, extended battery life
High Performance: Maximum FPS, reduced battery life
Ultimate Performance: Absolute maximum FPS, minimal battery life

Gaming Mode Optimization

Enable Game Mode: Settings > Gaming > Game Mode > Toggle ON

Despite what some guides claim, Game Mode actually helps performance by prioritizing gaming processes over background tasks.

Disable Game Bar & Captures: Settings > Gaming > Game Bar > Toggle OFF Settings > Gaming > Captures > Toggle OFF

These features consume resources for recording and screenshots you probably don’t need during competitive play.

Background Process Management

Startup Program Optimization:

Open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc)
Go to Startup tab
Disable non-essential applications:
- Web browsers
- Chat apps (unless needed for team comms)
- Update managers
- Cloud storage sync tools

Process Priority Settings:

Launch Highguard
Open Task Manager > Details tab
Find Highguard processes
Right-click > Set Priority > High (avoid Realtime unless you know what you’re doing)

Advanced GPU Driver Optimization

NVIDIA Control Panel Settings

For NVIDIA users, these settings provide additional performance gains:

Right-click desktop > NVIDIA Control Panel
Manage 3D Settings > Program Settings > Add Highguard
Configure these settings:
- Power Management Mode: Prefer Maximum Performance
- Texture Filtering – Quality: Performance
- Threaded Optimization: On
- Vertical Sync: Off
- Low Latency Mode: Ultra
- Max Frame Rate: Match your monitor refresh rate

NVIDIA Profile Inspector Extreme Settings

For advanced users seeking maximum performance:

Critical Settings:

Power Management Mode: Prefer Maximum Performance
Low Latency Mode: Ultra
Max Frame Rate: Match monitor Hz
Vertical Sync: Off
Triple Buffering: Off
Texture Filtering – Quality: High Performance
Texture Filtering – Trilinear Optimization: On
Texture Filtering – Anisotropic Sample Optimization: On
Shader Cache: On
Shader Cache Size: Unlimited
Threaded Optimization: On

AMD Radeon Software Optimization

AMD users should configure these settings:

Open AMD Software > Gaming > Global Graphics
Configure:
- Anti-Lag: Enabled
- Radeon Boost: Enabled
- Radeon Image Sharpening: Optional (slight FPS cost)
- Wait for Vertical Refresh: Always Off
- Texture Filtering Quality: Performance

Network Optimization for Competitive Play

Highguard’s online performance depends heavily on network stability:

Router Configuration

Access router settings (typically 192.168.1.1)
Enable QoS (Quality of Service)
Prioritize gaming traffic over streaming/downloads
Use wired Ethernet connection instead of Wi-Fi

Bandwidth Management

Before launching Highguard, close these bandwidth-heavy applications:

Streaming services (Netflix, YouTube)
Torrent clients
Cloud backup services
Browser tabs with auto-playing media

Fixing the 60 FPS Lock Issue

Many Highguard players report their FPS being locked to 60 despite setting uncapped in-game. Here’s the permanent fix:

Press Windows Key + F, type Appdata, hit Enter
Navigate to Local > Highguard > Saved > Config > Windows Client
Open GameUserSettings.ini with Text Editor
Find and modify these lines:FrameRateLimit_OnBattery=240.000000FrameRateLimit_InMenu=240.000000FrameRateLimit_WhenBackgrounded=30.000000MobileFrameRateLimit=240FrameRateLimit=0.000000
Save the file
Right-click GameUserSettings.ini > Properties > Check “Read Only”

This completely removes the FPS lock and allows you to achieve your monitor’s maximum refresh rate.

Potato Mode Settings for Low-End Systems

For gamers with older hardware, here’s the ultimate potato mode configuration:

Setting	Value	Reason
Internal Resolution	75%	Maximum FPS gain
DLSS Preset	Performance	Aggressive upscaling
Shadow Quality	Low	Major FPS boost
Global Illumination	Low	Reduces GPU load
Reflection Quality	Low	Prevents indoor FPS drops
Anti-Aliasing Quality	Low	Saves GPU resources
Texture Quality	Medium	Balances VRAM usage
Effects Quality	Low	Reduces particle lag
Post-Processing	Low	Removes visual clutter
Foliage Quality	Low	Critical for outdoor FPS

This configuration targets 60+ FPS on systems meeting minimum requirements while maintaining competitive viability.

Common Performance Issues and Solutions

Stuttering Despite High FPS

Problem: Frame time inconsistencies causing choppy gameplay Solution:

Update GPU drivers to latest version
Disable Windows Game DVR completely (registry edit if needed)
Set process priority to High
Check for thermal throttling

Frame Drops During Abilities

Problem: Sudden FPS drops when using special abilities Solution:

Lower Effects Quality to Low
Monitor GPU temperatures
Ensure adequate cooling
Reduce internal resolution if needed

Input Lag Issues

Problem: Delayed response to mouse/keyboard input Solution:

Disable V-Sync everywhere (in-game and GPU control panel)
Enable Game Mode
Verify mouse polling rate (1000Hz optimal)
Use wired connections for peripherals

Crashes on Startup

Problem: Game fails to launch or crashes immediately Solution:

Verify Secure Boot and TPM 2.0 are enabled
Reinstall Easy Anti-Cheat
Update Windows to latest version
Check for conflicting software

Performance Monitoring and Benchmarks

Based on extensive testing across different hardware configurations, here are realistic performance expectations:

High-End System (RTX 4080, i9-14900HX, 32GB RAM):

Average FPS: 85-90 in base, 75 in open areas
1% Low FPS: 55
Recommended Settings: Medium-High mix

Mid-Range System (RTX 4060, Ryzen 5 7600X, 32GB RAM):

Average FPS: 70-80 with optimized settings
1% Low FPS: 45
Recommended Settings: Medium-Low mix

Budget System (GTX 1060, Ryzen 5 1600, 16GB RAM):

Average FPS: 60-70 with potato mode
1% Low FPS: 35
Recommended Settings: All Low + DLSS Performance

Advanced Optimization Techniques

Memory Management

Highguard can suffer from memory leaks during extended play sessions. These techniques help:

Restart game every 2-3 hours
Close background applications before playing
Use Task Manager to monitor RAM usage
Consider RAM upgrade if consistently using >80%

Storage Optimization

SSD performance significantly impacts Highguard:

Ensure game is installed on SSD, not HDD
Leave 25GB+ free space for page file
Consider NVMe SSD for fastest load times
Defragment HDD if you must use one (not recommended)

Temperature Management

High temperatures cause thermal throttling:

GPU should stay below 85°C under load
CPU should remain below 80°C
Monitor temperatures during gaming
Clean dust from fans and heatsinks regularly
Consider case upgrades if temperatures are high

DLSS and Upscaling Deep Dive

DLSS Preset Recommendations

Quality Mode: Best for RTX 4070+ at 1440p/4K

Sharpest image quality
Moderate FPS gain
Best for single-player content

Balanced Mode: Sweet spot for most RTX 30/40 cards

Good balance of quality and performance
Significant FPS gain
Recommended for competitive play

Performance Mode: Maximum FPS for RTX 20/30 cards

Highest FPS gain
Noticeable quality loss
Use when FPS is priority over visuals

FSR and TSR Alternatives

For non-NVIDIA users:

TSR provides similar benefits to DLSS
FSR 2.0+ offers good performance gains
Frame Generation available on newer GPUs
Test different presets to find your sweet spot

Future-Proofing Your Setup

Hardware Upgrade Recommendations

CPU Upgrades:

Prioritize single-core performance
Intel i5-12600K+ or Ryzen 5 5600X+ recommended
Consider cooling solutions for sustained performance

GPU Upgrades:

RTX 40 series for DLSS 3 Frame Generation
AMD RX 7000 series for FSR 3 support
VRAM is increasingly important – aim for 12GB+

Memory Upgrades:

16GB minimum for 2026
32GB recommended for future-proofing
DDR5 for new builds

Monitoring Performance

Use these tools to track optimization success:

NVIDIA Performance Overlay (Alt+R)
AMD Radeon Software metrics
Windows Task Manager
Third-party tools like MSI Afterburner

FAQ

Why is my FPS locked at 60 in Highguard?

This is a common issue caused by configuration file settings. The fix involves editing the GameUserSettings.ini file in your Highguard installation directory and setting FrameRateLimit to 0.000000. You’ll also want to set the file to Read-Only to prevent it from reverting.

What’s the best DLSS setting for Highguard?

For competitive play, I recommend Balanced DLSS for most RTX 30/40 series cards. If you have an RTX 4070+ and prioritize image quality, Quality mode works well. Use Performance mode only if you need maximum FPS on older hardware.

How do I fix stuttering in Highguard?

Stuttering is typically caused by memory leaks, thermal throttling, or driver issues. Update your GPU drivers, monitor temperatures, restart the game every few hours, and ensure your system meets the recommended requirements.

Should I use V-Sync in Highguard?

Absolutely not! V-Sync adds input lag that hurts competitive performance. Use G-Sync/FreeSync instead if your monitor supports it, or leave V-Sync disabled entirely.

What’s the optimal FOV for Highguard?

Start with 100 FOV and adjust to 110 if your GPU can handle it. Higher FOV provides better situational awareness but costs FPS. Find the balance that works for your hardware and playstyle.

How much VRAM do I need for Highguard?

8GB VRAM is sufficient for Medium settings, 10GB+ for High settings, and 12GB+ for Ultra settings with high-resolution textures. If you have 6GB or less, stick to Low settings.

Why does Highguard run poorly on my high-end PC?

Highguard has optimization issues and potential memory leaks. Even high-end systems can experience performance drops. Use the optimized settings in this guide and keep your drivers updated for the best experience.

Should I play Highguard on an SSD?

Yes, absolutely! Highguard requires an SSD for minimum specs. Running it on an HDD causes significant loading delays, texture pop-in, and potential stuttering during gameplay.

How do I optimize Windows for Highguard?

Enable Game Mode, use High/Ultimate Performance power plan, disable unnecessary background apps, and close bandwidth-heavy applications. These Windows optimizations can provide significant FPS gains.

What’s the best internal resolution scaling for Highguard?

Start at 75% and adjust based on your FPS needs. Drop to 65% for maximum performance, or increase to 85% if you prioritize image quality over FPS. Combine with DLSS for best results.