The news of Starfield lacking DLSS disappointed many fans, but there is still hope for this impressive technology feature. Users with AMD cards can easily rely on the built-in FSR2 option. However, NVIDIA card owners should prioritize integrating DLSS into the game in order to enhance performance and image quality.
Although it may appear complex, incorporating an unsupported graphic feature into Starfield is surprisingly straightforward. Thanks to the extensive modding community associated with Bethesda, anyone can add DLSS to their game by downloading and pasting a few files into the game's installation folder. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to do it.
Adding DLSS to Starfield
To start, players should download the required mod files. The initial release of PureDark's Starfield Upscaler on NexusMods has been highly recommended and is on par with other available options. It is worth mentioning that PureDark has gained recognition for introducing DLSS3 support to Skyrim.
Regarding the installation of mods, players need to follow the steps below (all necessary links can be found on the aforementioned Nexus page):
Download the Starfield Upscaler mod and extract it to Starfield's root folder.
Download UpscaleBasePlugin and extract it to the /Starfield/mods/ folder.
Please download the nvngx_dlss.dll file and place it in the /mods/UpscaleBasePlugin folder.
Once you have completed these steps, DLSS will be enabled for Starfield. To verify its functionality, press the END button on your keyboard to access a menu that manages the DLSS upscaler. However, please note that in order for this mod to function, you must enable the FSR2 option in the game's options menu as it will be replaced by DLSS.
Please keep in mind that the performance improvements achieved with DLSS enabled can vary depending on the individual machine. If players experience only minor increases in FPS, it is likely due to their CPU limiting the performance. Furthermore, the mod page states that PureDark's upscaler only supports DLSS2, which is used by RTX 20 and 30-series GPUs. Therefore, it may not have any impact on gamers using RTX 40-series cards, as these primarily utilize DLSS3.
Players using high-end machines should have no difficulty achieving high FPS in Starfield with any graphical preset. Enabling DLSS may enhance the game's performance consistency and improve overall visual quality. If players are unsatisfied with their current FPS in the game, they may consider using modded graphics presets from NexusMods or waiting for a Starfield patch from Bethesda.
Starfield is available now on PC and Xbox Series X/S.
