Shadow Among Nove Settings Guide: Optimize Your Experience

Accessing the Settings Menu

To begin customizing your experience, launch the game from your Steam library. From the main menu, click the gear icon labeled "Settings" located in the bottom right corner. The menu is divided into several tabs: Graphics, Audio, Controls, and Gameplay. Each tab contains specific options to tailor the game to your preferences and hardware.

For players with lower-end PCs, we recommend starting with the Graphics tab to adjust performance-heavy settings first. If you are new to the game, you might also want to check our comprehensive beginner guide for additional tips.

Graphics Settings

The Graphics tab offers a range of options to balance visual fidelity and performance. The game uses a custom engine optimized for a stylized art style, so even mid-range hardware can achieve smooth frame rates.

Display and Resolution

• Resolution: Set to your monitor's native resolution for the sharpest image. Lower resolutions can improve performance on older GPUs.
• Display Mode: Choose between Fullscreen, Windowed, and Borderless Windowed. Fullscreen offers the best performance, while Borderless Windowed is ideal for multitasking.
• VSync: Enable to prevent screen tearing, but this may introduce input lag. Disable for higher frame rates and faster response times.

Quality Presets

The game includes four presets: Low, Medium, High, and Ultra. We recommend the following adjustments based on your system:

Advanced Options

For fine-tuning, explore these advanced settings:

• Anti-Aliasing: TAA is recommended for a smooth image. FXAA is less demanding but can cause blurriness.
• Texture Quality: Higher settings require more VRAM. If you experience stuttering, lower this to Medium.
• Shadow Quality: Impacts performance significantly. Low disables dynamic shadows, while Ultra adds realistic soft shadows.
• Post-Processing: Includes Bloom, Depth of Field, and Ambient Occlusion. Disabling these can boost FPS by 10-15%.

Audio Settings

Proper audio configuration enhances immersion in Shadow Among Nove, where sound cues and voice acting play a crucial role in the narrative.

Volume Controls

Adjust the following sliders to your liking:

• Master Volume: Controls overall game sound.
• Music: Sets the background score volume. Lower this if you prefer to focus on dialogue.
• SFX: Adjusts sound effects like footsteps, gunshots, and environmental sounds.
• Voice: Essential for understanding character interactions. Keep this at 100% for the best narrative experience.

Advanced Audio

• Spatial Audio: Enable for a more immersive soundscape, especially when using headphones. This helps locate enemies and environmental sounds.
• Subtitles: Turn on subtitles to ensure you never miss critical dialogue, especially in tense scenes.

Controls and Key Bindings

The Controls tab allows you to remap all keyboard and mouse inputs. The default layout is intuitive, but you can customize it for better ergonomics.

Default Key Bindings

Action	Default Key
Move Forward	W
Move Backward	S
Strafe Left	A
Strafe Right	D
Interact	E
Reload	R
Crouch	Ctrl
Sprint	Shift
Pause Menu	Esc

Recommended Customizations

For a smoother gameplay experience, consider these changes:

• Sprint: Remap to Mouse Button 4 (side button) to free up your left hand for movement.
• Quick Save: Assign to F5 for rapid checkpoint creation.
• Inventory: Map to Tab for quick access to items and quest logs.

Gameplay Settings

The Gameplay tab contains options that affect how you interact with the world and its systems.

Difficulty and Assistance

• Difficulty Level: Choose from Story, Normal, and Hard. Story mode reduces enemy health and damage, making it ideal for narrative-focused players.
• Quick Time Events (QTE): Enable "Auto-Complete QTEs" if you struggle with timing-based prompts. This is perfect for players who want to focus on the story.
• Aim Assist: Available for controller users. Set to High for generous aim correction.

Interface and HUD

• HUD Scale: Adjust to make UI elements larger or smaller. Recommended at 100% for 1080p, 120% for 1440p, and 150% for 4K.
• Minimap Rotation: Set to "Rotate with Player" for easier navigation, or "Fixed" for a traditional top-down view.
• Quest Tracker: Keep enabled to always see your current objective on screen.

For more details on how these settings impact your journey, refer to our gameplay overview.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

If you encounter problems after changing settings, try these solutions:

Problem: Game crashes on launch.
Reset your settings by deleting the config file located at %localappdata%\ShadowAmongNove\Settings.ini. Re-launch the game to generate default settings.

Problem: Low FPS after changes.
Revert to the Low preset and gradually increase individual settings. Ensure your GPU drivers are up to date.

Problem: Audio stuttering or crackling.
Lower the Audio Quality setting from High to Medium in the Audio tab. Also, check that your audio drivers are updated.

For further assistance, visit our troubleshooting guide.

How do I reset all settings to default?
Navigate to the Settings menu and click the "Reset to Default" button at the bottom of any tab. This will revert all options to their original values.

Will changing settings affect my save file?
No, settings are stored separately from your save data. You can freely adjust graphics and controls without risking your progress.