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All

2h 40m

30fps

2h 51m

40fps

2h 18m

60fps

2h 8m

3h 5m
13.0w
30fps
LCD
Configuration
Graphics preset default
Screen refresh rate 60fps
Framerate limit 30fps
Average framerate 30fps
Tdp limit none
resolution 1280 x 800
System
Proton version 7.0-5
Steamos version 3.4
Note
I tinkered with this for a long time and came to the conclusion that the smoothest way to play the game on Deck (and with the longest battery life) is as follows:
  • Default settings to begin with (leave the advanced graphics preset on recommended/low)
  • Change scaling mode to FSR 2 Quality Mode
  • Turn off Film Grain and Chromatic Aberration
  • Uncap the FPS limit in game and use the 30 FPS cap in Steam's Quick Access Menu instead. This will enable you to more easily increase the limit if you choose to during less hefty sections of the game and appears to have better frame pacing.
  • Beyond that, I recommend using CryoByte33's CryoUtilities to change the RAM swap file size to 16GB with a swappiness of 1. I also changed my VRAM to 4GB. These are both simple but optional tweaks that may yield extra performance.
If you liked this report, give it a like! I strive to test for a long time on all my reports before publishing them to find the best balance between performance and battery.
Keebz
(3 reports)
Playtime: 2h / 11h
2h 0m
20.0w
30fps
LCD
Configuration
Graphics preset medium
Screen refresh rate 60fps
Framerate limit none
Average framerate 30fps
Tdp limit none
resolution 1280 x 800
System
Proton version 7.0-5
Steamos version 3.4
Note
At the time of this post (early access). These are settings to play at a smooth and enjoyable framerate. keep in mind, there are some stutters which are missing some shader cache which at that point. We have to wait for a patch. The patch is out and so is the shader cache. This game is also very demanding so be ready to chew on battery very quickly.

Game settings are set to Custom.
  • Effects: High (setting this to Low will help a bit. But, will reduce some effects significantly)
  • Material: Ultra (don't see much of a performance loss when set to Medium or let alone, Ultra)
  • Fog: Medium (the difference isn't noticeable, though, gains some frames. It can be pushed to Medium)
  • Sky: Low (same as fog)
  • Foliage: Low (keep this low at all costs, this will ruin frames!)
  • Post-Processing: Medium (can be pushed to Medium, doesn't affect much on performance)
  • Shadow: High (shadow is already fine at low. Although, for some reason, it doesn't affect much on frames. Can be pushed to High or Ultra.)
  • Texture: Medium (can be pushed to medium but, to keep at a stable 30 or 40. Best to leave this at low)
  • View Distance: Low (same reason as Foliage)
  • Population: Medium (seems like fewer people show up, but does help with frames. Keep this at Low)


The game is locked at 30.
vSync: on
FSR 2: Balance
Sharpness: 0.35 (personal preference)
Motion blur: on (personal preference)
Depth of Field: on (personal preference)
Chromatic Aberration: on (personal preference)
Film Gain: on (personal preference)

TDP: unchecked
GPU Clock: unchecked
Half-Rate Shading: unchecked (can be checked but will introduce some graphical problems)

Last edit: 2/15/23 (Patch update)
Herolies
(19 reports)
Playtime: - / 81h
(last edit: about 3 years ago)
2h 8m
23.5w
60fps
OLED
Configuration
Graphics preset medium
Screen refresh rate 60fps
Framerate limit 60fps
Average framerate 60fps
Tdp limit none
resolution 1280 x 800
System
Proton version 9.0-3
Steamos version 3.6
Note
With this setup,  you can expect about 60 FPS (50-70) the majority of the time with mostly medium settings. I will say straight-up that this is a lot of work to set up; however, it is possible to get an experience that surpasses last-gen console performance by using CryoUtilities 2.0 @ recommended settings, setting the UMA Frame Buffer Size to 4 GB VRAM in bios, and installing Proton-GE, along with the adjustments written below. Additionally, I undervolted my Deck, which helps the game feel smoother. You'll also want to use Decky and the Decky FrameGen plugin (in the Decky Plugin Store) to install the FrameGen mod for Hogwarts Legacy.

Tutorials for these prerequisites:
An important note: make sure the game is installed on your main SSD and NOT on an SD card. If you have something crazy like a SanDisk Extreme Pro, you might be able to get away with it, but you will have a way better experience playing on the internal SSD.

After your Deck is setup and the FrameGen mod is installed, launch the game, set Nvidia DLSS (it's actually FSR 3) to Quality, and set the upscale sharpness to 0. Frame Generation should be set to x2. 

Enable HDR and calibrate as follows:
  • White point: 1000
  • Black point: 0
  • HDR brightness: 24
Set framerate to 40 FPS. (Don't worry, you will get higher FPS than this!)

All effects (Motion Blur, DoF, Chromatic Abberation, and Film Grain) should be turned off.

In the graphics settings, most settings will be Medium. Turn Material Quality on High. Then drop Fog Quality, Sky Quality, and Population Quality to Low.

In GameScope, set the frame limit to 80FPS/80Hz. Enable Allow Tearing. Finally, set the Manual GPU Clock to 1600 MHz. It seems like lowering the GPU clock a bit can help to stabilize frame times in Hogsmeade, as it is a CPU-bound game, but in my testing, it doesn't stabilize them enough to justify the drop in FPS. You can feel free to experiment with this, if you want.

For added stability, close the game, go into desktop mode, and navigate to "<SteamLibrary-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/990080/pfx/drive_c/users/steamuser/AppData/Local/Hogwarts Legacy/Saved/Config/WindowsNoEditor" and open Engine.ini. Then paste in the following at the bottom and save it: 

[SystemSettings] 
r.bForceCPUAccessToGPUSkinVerts=True 
r.GTSyncType=1 
r.OneFrameThreadLag=1 
r.FinishCurrentFrame=0 
r.TextureStreaming=0 
r.Streaming.PoolSize=2048 
r.Streaming.LimitPoolSizeToVRAM=1 

[ConsoleVariables] 
AllowAsyncRenderThreadUpdates=1
AllowAsyncRenderThreadUpdatesDuringGamethreadUpdates=1
AllowAsyncRenderThreadUpdatesEditor=1

Please note that sometimes doors in the castle will take a second to open. In super demanding locations, like Hogsmeade, you'll feel the frametimes lagging a little, too, but they should be pretty smooth most of the time. It should also be noted that FrameGen introduces a little input lag. Most of that is mitigated with the settings above, so you should barely have any, but a tiny bit is to be expected.

This method was simply compiled and tested by me using info and research from multiple sources. I have to thank CryoByte33, Steam Deck HQ, Sam Alexander, Deck Wizard, and the lovely Reddit community for doing all of the hard work.
ADHDefy
(39 reports)
Does not own this game through Steam
(last edit: about 1 year ago)
1h 49m
22.0w
40fps
LCD
Configuration
Graphics preset default
Screen refresh rate 40fps
Framerate limit none
Average framerate 40fps
Tdp limit none
resolution 1280 x 800
System
Proton version 7.0-5
Steamos version 3.4
Note
Chromatic aberration, film grain and kinetic blur set off. FSR 2 with quality mode.
Stromduster
(11 reports)
Playtime: - / 50h
2h 16m
22.0w
30fps
OLED
Configuration
Graphics preset medium
Screen refresh rate 90fps
Framerate limit none
Average framerate 30fps
Tdp limit none
resolution 1280 x 800
System
Proton version 9.0-3
Steamos version 3.6
Note
You can get a really stable 30 FPS that rivals last-gen console performance by using Cry Utilities 2.0 @ recommended settings, 4 GB VRAM, and Proton-GE. Set in-game FSR 2 to Quality and the sharpness at 1 (max). Enable HDR and calibrate the white point to 1000, black point to 0, and HDR brightness to 24. This is one of the very rare instance where I do recommend enabling V-Sync and motion blur--I hate motion blur, personally, but it does help here. All other effects (DoF, Chromatic Abberation, and Film Grain) can be turned off. In the graphics settings, most settings will be Medium. Turn Material Quality on High. Then drop Fog Quality, Sky Quality, and Population Quality to Low. Please note that you *can* get away with turning the Low settings up to Medium and even setting Texture Quality to High, but you will get little dips below 30 FPS and more stuttering. In GameScope, cap the game at 30fps/90hz. Please note that sometimes doors in the castle will take a second to open and the game will stutter a bit when loading in new assets as you move around Hogwarts. The game should sit at a steady 30 FPS, though, and with V-Sync and Motion Blur enabled, it will feel smoother. For added stability, go into desktop mode and navigate to "<SteamLibrary-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/990080/pfx/drive_c/users/steamuser/AppData/Local/Hogwarts Legacy/Saved/Config/WindowsNoEditor" and open "Engine.ini", then paste in the following at the bottom and save it: [SystemSettings] r.bForceCPUAccessToGPUSkinVerts=True r.GTSyncType=1 r.OneFrameThreadLag=1 r.FinishCurrentFrame=0 r.TextureStreaming=0 r.Streaming.PoolSize=2048 r.Streaming.LimitPoolSizeToVRAM=1 [ConsoleVariables] AllowAsyncRenderThreadUpdates=1 AllowAsyncRenderThreadUpdatesDuringGamethreadUpdates=1 AllowAsyncRenderThreadUpdatesEditor=1
ADHDefy
(39 reports)
Does not own this game through Steam
(last edit: about 1 year ago)
3h 8m
16.0w
30fps
OLED
Configuration
Graphics preset medium
Screen refresh rate 90fps
Framerate limit 30fps
Average framerate 30fps
Tdp limit none
resolution 1280 x 800
System
Proton version 9.0-2
Steamos version 3.5
beerisvictory
(130 reports)
Playtime: - / 104h
(last edit: almost 2 years ago)
2h 3m
19.5w
30fps
LCD
Configuration
Graphics preset medium
Screen refresh rate 60fps
Framerate limit 30fps
Average framerate 30fps
Tdp limit none
resolution 1280 x 800
System
Proton version 7.0-5
Steamos version 3.4
Note
All medium presets
Ricky.Stehouwer
(1 report)
Playtime: - / -
2h 0m
20.0w
40fps
LCD
Configuration
Graphics preset medium
Screen refresh rate 40fps
Framerate limit 40fps
Average framerate 40fps
Tdp limit none
resolution 1280 x 800
System
Proton version 8.0-4
Steamos version 3.5
Note
Consistent 40FPS
Make sure to lock FPS in SteamOS to 40hz.
Display options:
AA Mode = TAA low
Upscale Type = Nvidia NIS
Upscale Mode = Nvidia NIS Quality
Sharpness = .5
Video: (Set to medium and change below)
Material Quality and Texture Quality = High
FOG, Sky, Foliage, view distance, and Population = Low
Consistent 30FPS
Same as above but change view distance to medium or if you want better graphics experience leave view distance as low and change post processing to high. Make sure to lock FPS in SteamOS to 30hz. 
NOTE: Changing post processing will give decent performance in indoor and nighttime. In open areas on parts of Hogwarts and Hogsmeade frame will dip. 
JIMMT
(3 reports)
Playtime: - / 46h
4h 16m
11.7w
30fps
OLED
Configuration
Graphics preset medium
Screen refresh rate 90fps
Framerate limit 30fps
Average framerate 30fps
Tdp limit 9w
resolution 1280 x 800
System
Proton version 10.0-1
Steamos version 3.7
Note
Intel XeSS on Quality 
Grumpy Lancer Ru
(6 reports)
Playtime: - / 3h
3h 42m
13.5w
30fps
OLED
Configuration
Graphics preset low
Screen refresh rate 90fps
Framerate limit 30fps
Average framerate 30fps
Tdp limit 11w
resolution 1280 x 800
System
Proton version 9.0-3
Steamos version 3.6
Note
XESS/FSR=Quality, Everything to low, effects to medium. Use mod „Ascendio” version dedicated to Steam Deck. Alternative use mod to replace DLSS with FSR 3.1.
Rzephinio
(3 reports)
Playtime: - / 96h
1h 44m
23.0w
40fps
LCD
Configuration
Graphics preset medium
Screen refresh rate 40fps
Framerate limit 40fps
Average framerate 40fps
Tdp limit 15w
resolution 1280 x 800
System
Proton version 8.0-4
Steamos version 3.4
Note
Windowed mode, FSR 2.0 upscale sharpness 0.9 quality, texture settings medium, everything else low. Turn off motion blur, depth etc.. If possible turn off fog (watch youtube how to do it), this can increase like 20mins play time and give much stable 40fps framerate. Game is gpu power demanding, so make sure you install cryoutilities and increase vram to 4gb and everything else suggested for more gpu performance. If anyone else saying this game can run lower than 20 watts, well they are lying because even at 480p 30 fps, i still cant lower it down to less than 20w all the time (16-22w, and indistinguishable character faces)
Shahbiq
(24 reports)
Playtime: - / 75h
(last edit: over 2 years ago)
1h 36m
25.0w
30fps
LCD
Configuration
Graphics preset default
Screen refresh rate 60fps
Framerate limit 30fps
Average framerate 30fps
Tdp limit 10w
resolution 1280 x 800
System
Proton version 7.0-5
Steamos version 3.4
Note
Game settings

AMD FSR 2.0 QUALITY in game= 0.2
ANTI-ALIASING:TAA-low
DEPTH OF FIELD:off
EFFECT QUALITY:low
MATERIAL QUALITY:high
FOG QUALITY:medium
SKY QUALITY:low
FOLIAGE QUALITY:medium
POST PROCESSING QUALITY:medium
SHADOW QUALITY:medium
TEXTURE QUALITY:medium
VIEW DISTANCE QUALITY:medium
POPULATION QUALITY:medium


snape
(1 report)
Playtime: - / -
2h 50m
14.1w
45 / 60fps
LCD
Configuration
Graphics preset low
Screen refresh rate 60fps
Framerate limit 60fps
Average framerate 45fps
Tdp limit none
resolution 1280 x 800
System
Proton version 7.0-5
Steamos version 3.4
Note
preset on LOW 1280x800 amd fsr 2.0 upscale sharpnes 0.2 vsync ON field depth ON NO USING cryobyte33 script + BIOS memory update ON THIS TEST
miguel10016
(1 report)
Does not own this game through Steam