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If Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree stutters or drops frames on PC, first compare your PC with the game’s listed requirements, then check whether Ray Tracing Quality is enabled. Bandai Namco has documented a ray-tracing issue that can cause unstable performance in some PC versions, but neither that setting nor a driver change is a guaranteed fix. The pattern of the drops, your hardware, and your driver version matter.
Start by recording your PC and the symptoms
Before changing settings, note your CPU, GPU, installed RAM, Windows version, and graphics driver version. Also record when the frame drops happen: in particular scenes, after a game or driver update, or in other games as well. These details help distinguish a requirements mismatch from a setting or version-specific issue.
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- Scene-specific drops: note where they occur and whether the same area behaves differently after restarting the game.
- Recent onset: note whether the problem began after a game patch or graphics-driver update.
- Other games affected: if other games also stutter, the cause may not be specific to the expansion.
Compare your PC with the listed requirements
Valve’s Steam listing, accessed in 2026, gives the following PC requirements for Elden Ring. Meeting the minimum is a compatibility baseline, not a promise of stable frame rates in every scene.
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| Graphics | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB or AMD Radeon RX 580 4 GB | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 8 GB or AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 8 GB |
| DirectX | Version 12 | Version 12 |
| Available storage | 60 GB | 60 GB |
Steam’s Elden Ring listing is the source for these specifications. If a component falls below the minimum, that is relevant to diagnosis; it does not identify which part, if any, should be upgraded. A PC that meets the recommended specifications can still have scene-specific or version-specific stutter.
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Check Ray Tracing Quality
Bandai Namco’s version 1.15 patch notes, published September 11, 2024, say: “In some PC versions, Ray Tracing may be unintentionally enabled and cause unstable performance.” Follow the official instruction and inspect System > Graphics > Ray Tracing Quality, from either the title screen or the in-game menu. If it is enabled, turn it off and see whether the symptom changes; this is a targeted check, not a universal cure.
Read Bandai Namco’s version 1.15 patch notes for the official setting guidance.
Use driver notes that match your GPU and version
Driver evidence is specific to the hardware and release. Intel’s December 26, 2024 release notes list a known issue in which Elden Ring (DX12) may stutter during gameplay in certain scenes. This documents a dated Intel driver issue; it does not show that all current stutter is caused by Intel or by a graphics driver.
Intel’s June 14, 2024 release notes describe performance improvements for Shadow of the Erdtree on Intel Arc A-Series graphics compared with driver 31.0.101.5534. The notes do not state a percentage improvement, so no specific FPS gain can be inferred. Check the release notes for your GPU and installed driver version before deciding whether a driver update is relevant.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Decide what to try next
- Capture the baseline: write down CPU, GPU, RAM, Windows version, graphics-driver version, and where the stutter occurs.
- Check the requirements: compare the hardware with Steam’s minimum and recommended specifications above.
- Inspect ray tracing: open System > Graphics > Ray Tracing Quality and check whether it is enabled.
- Compare the timing and scope: note whether the issue is limited to certain scenes, followed a game or driver update, or appears in other games.
- Check current official information: use Bandai Namco’s game support and the relevant GPU vendor’s current notes for your exact game and driver versions.
If these checks do not clarify the cause, share the recorded specifications, driver version, and symptom pattern with official support. The available evidence does not establish a single root cause or a measured improvement from a general workaround, so avoid buying a GPU, CPU, memory, SSD, cooling part, or peripheral based on the symptom alone.
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