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Best The First Descendant settings for the NVIDIA RTX 4090 (2026)

On a NVIDIA RTX 4090 (paired with a balanced Intel Core i9-14900K-class CPU), The First Descendant runs at roughly 80 FPS at 4K with our optimized settings — up from about 81FPS with everything maxed. Here's the configuration and what each setting costs.

The NVIDIA RTX 4090 is a flagship 4K-class graphics card with 24GB of VRAM, and The First Descendant is a demanding, graphically heavy game. Paired with the Intel Core i9-14900K, it runs well at 4K — about 80 FPS with FrameCoach's optimized settings. That already clears a smooth frame rate on High, so our tuning keeps the visuals as high as possible instead of chasing extra frames.

Across resolutions you can expect around 195 FPS at 1080p and 141 FPS at 1440p, dropping to roughly 80 FPS at 4K. The First Descendant supports ray tracing and the NVIDIA RTX 4090 can technically run it, but it's the single most expensive option here — we keep it off to hit a smooth frame rate and suggest turning it on only if you have frames to spare. Its 24GB of VRAM is plenty for The First Descendant, so textures can stay maxed. The biggest free win is DLSS upscaling — set it to Quality for a large FPS boost at little visual cost.

ResolutionAll-High FPSOptimized FPS
1080p195195
1440p143141
4K8180
Recommended settings
Upscaling — DLSSOff
The First Descendant (Unreal Engine 5) supports DLSS, FSR and XeSS plus Frame Generation. The biggest, easiest FPS lever.
Ray TracingOffsaves FPS
Ray-traced reflections and shadows. Heavy and pointless in a fast looter-shooter - keep Off for high refresh.
TexturesUltra-1% FPS
Surface sharpness - cheap if it fits your VRAM. High on 8GB cards, Ultra for 12GB+.
Global IlluminationHighbaseline
Bounced Lumen lighting (Epic uses Lumen) - the heaviest non-RT setting. High over Ultra is a big saving.
ReflectionsHighbaseline
Reflection quality on water, glass and metal. High is a clean step below Ultra.
ShadowsHighbaseline
Shadow resolution and range. Medium/High is standard for fast play.
EffectsHighbaseline
Ability and gunfire effects. Lowering smooths chaotic boss fights.
Post-ProcessingHighbaseline
Bloom, motion blur and depth of field. Cheap; set to taste.
VegetationHighbaseline
Plants and scenery density. A small, safe gain when lowered.
VisibilityHighbaseline
Controls level-of-detail / how far objects, buildings and enemies render before culling. Mild pop-in when lowered.
Anti-AliasingOnbaseline
Edge smoothing. Cheap; leave On to cut shimmer.
Shader QualityHighbaseline
Material and surface shading detail. High is a clean, cheap trade.

⚡ Fine-tune this for your exact CPU & target FPS →

🎯 Can the NVIDIA RTX 4090 run The First Descendant? See the verdict →

The First Descendant on other GPUs
Other games on the NVIDIA RTX 4090
Frequently asked

What FPS does the NVIDIA RTX 4090 get in The First Descendant?

With FrameCoach's optimized balanced settings, the NVIDIA RTX 4090 averages around 80 FPS at 4K in The First Descendant — up from about 81 FPS with everything on High.

Can the NVIDIA RTX 4090 run The First Descendant at 1440p?

At 1440p with optimized settings, the NVIDIA RTX 4090 averages roughly 141 FPS in The First Descendant — a smooth experience.

What are the best The First Descendant settings for the NVIDIA RTX 4090?

Use a balanced preset, keep ray tracing off for maximum FPS, and ease the heaviest options like Global Illumination and Reflections down a notch. The full per-setting breakdown is above.

FPS figures are estimates from a generalized model (hardware tier × game load × per-setting weights), not live benchmarks — real performance varies by scene, drivers and game version.