Ashes of the Singularity II Performance Guide

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Ashes of the Singularity II Performance Guide

Why Ashes of the Singularity II drops frames in big battles, what the benchmarks show and the settings changes that actually help.

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Ashes of the Singularity II is a game about thousands of units, and it runs like one. The launch build has no DLSS or any other upscaler, a short list of graphics options and a requirement to restart the client after changing display settings. If you are dropping frames in a large battle, this guide explains where the cost comes from and what you can do about it.

The short version: this is a CPU-heavy RTS, the late game is the worst case and the biggest single lever is the number of units on screen.

What the benchmarks show

Notebookcheck tested the launch build on mobile GPUs and found a wide range:

Two conclusions follow. First, the game scales with resolution and preset like a normal GPU-bound title in the early game. Second, the 1% low is much lower than the average, which is the stutter you feel when a big fight starts.

Intel Arc GPUs are a separate problem: Notebookcheck reports that an Arc 140V could not run the game and an Arc B390 had missing textures. If you are on Arc, check the latest driver before buying.

The CPU is the limit in big fights

Community reports describe low GPU and CPU utilization at the same time in late-game fights, with frame rates in the 10–40 FPS range on a Ryzen 7 9800X3D and an RTX 4070 Ti Super. That pattern is typical of an RTS simulation bottleneck: the renderer is waiting on the game logic that moves and resolves thousands of units.

That matters because no graphics setting fixes a simulation bottleneck. If your frame rate collapses only when 5,000 units are fighting, lowering shadows will not save you. What helps:

• Play smaller matches. 1v1 and 2v2 have far fewer units than an 8-player game.
• Avoid stacking multiple 100-unit armies in one spot.
• Reduce the number of visual effects on screen by lowering the effects setting, if available.
• Accept that the last fight of a long game will be slower than the first.

Settings that help

The graphics menu is short, and the game requires a restart after changes. Make one change at a time and test it in the same saved battle so you are comparing like with like.

1. Resolution. The single biggest GPU lever. If you are on a 4K display and dropping below 50 FPS, run 1440p. There is no upscaler, so this is the only resolution scaling available.
2. Preset. Move from Extreme to High, then High to Medium. The visual difference is smaller than the frame difference in large fights.
3. Shadows. Usually the most expensive per-pixel effect in an RTS. Lower it first if the game exposes a separate control.
4. Effects and particles. Large battles are full of explosions; lowering this reduces the worst-case load.
5. VSync. Turn it off for testing. It caps frame rate and adds input latency, which makes a slow battle feel worse.

If the game exposes only a preset and a resolution option, use the preset. Do not spend an hour on individual settings that do not exist.

The restart rule

Changing any graphics setting requires a client restart in the launch build. That is unusual, but it is confirmed by hands-on reports. Plan your testing: change one setting, restart, load the same battle, measure. Do not change five settings and guess which one helped.

Drivers and the launch hotfix

The November 10 hotfix fixed a Microsoft Smart App Control issue that prevented some Windows 11 players from launching the game. If you cannot start the game at all, update to the hotfix build first.

For GPU drivers, use the latest Game Ready or Adrenalin driver for your card. The game is DX12, and launch-window drivers often include fixes for new releases.

What to expect on common hardware

• RTX 3060 / RX 6600 class: 1080p Medium is the target. Expect 45–55 FPS in normal battles and drops in the largest fights.
• RTX 4070 / RX 7800 class: 1440p High should hold 60 FPS outside the biggest late-game battles.
• RTX 4080 / 4090 class: 4K High is playable, but the simulation bottleneck still applies in 8-player games.
• Steam Deck and handhelds: the game is not Steam Deck verified at launch; the CPU load is the limiting factor.

Do not chase Ultra

The difference between High and Extreme is mostly visual, and the frame cost lands exactly when you need frames: in the biggest battle. For a competitive game, High at 1440p is a better setup than Extreme at 4K with stutter.

If you want to see the game at its best, play the campaign on Extreme and switch to High for multiplayer. The campaign's unit counts are lower and the visuals carry more of the experience.

For the next step, read Ashes of the Singularity II Best Settings for Performance→.

FAQ

Why does Ashes of the Singularity II run badly in late-game fights? The game simulates thousands of units on the CPU. In large battles the simulation becomes the bottleneck, so the GPU is not fully utilized and frame rate drops regardless of graphics settings.

Does the game support DLSS or FSR? No. The launch build has no upscaling support, so resolution is the main performance lever.

Why do I have to restart after changing settings? The launch build requires a client restart for graphics changes. It is a known limitation, not a bug on your machine.

Sources

• Notebookcheck GPU benchmarks ↗
• Steam store page ↗

Official source: Notebookcheck GPU benchmark ↗