How to Fix ARC Raiders' Blurry, Over-Sharpened Graphics
It's a simple .ini tweak that will save your eyes from that crunchy, "deep-fried" look.
I love the art style of ARC Raiders, but my god, that default sharpening filter is aggressive.
It's a common problem in modern Unreal Engine games. The default anti-aliasing can make things a bit soft, so developers crank a post-process sharpening filter to 11 to "fix" it. The result is that crunchy, shimmery, over-processed look that gives me a headache after an hour.
the fix
Thankfully, there's a simple fix, but it means you have to get your hands dirty in a config file. Don't worry, it's easy, and I'll walk you through it.
First, Find Your Config File
You need to find the folder where your personal settings are stored. It's buried in your AppData folder, which is usually hidden.
The easiest way to get there is to press your Windows key, then copy and paste the entire line below into the search/run box and hit Enter.
%userprofile%\AppData\Local\PioneerGame\Saved\Config\WindowsClient
This will open the exact folder you need. In there, you're looking for a file named GameUserSettings.ini. Double-click it, and it should open right up in Notepad.
Add the Magic Lines
Scroll all the way to the very bottom of that text file. You're going to add two new lines right at the end.
Just copy and paste this block of text exactly as it appears:
[SystemSettings] r.tonemapper.sharpen=0.5
This is the magic part. That 0.5 value cuts the game's sharpening strength in half. I'm running this on a 1440p monitor with DLAA, and it looks absolutely perfect.
If you want to adjust it, you can. A value of 0 will remove sharpening entirely (which I find a bit too soft), and 1 is the default. I'd stick with something between 0.4 and 0.7 to find your sweet spot.
One More Fix While You're In There
Since you've already got the file open, you might as well fix another one of the game's annoying visual quirks: lens distortion.
In that same GameUserSettings.ini file, press Ctrl+F to open the search box. Type in LensDistortionEnabled and hit "Find Next."
You'll see a line that says LensDistortionEnabled=True.
Just change that True to False. This will get rid of that subtle, weird fish-eye warping effect at the edges of your screen.
Save and Enjoy
All you have to do now is click File > Save in Notepad, then close the file.
Launch ARC Raiders, and your eyes will immediately thank you. The game will look cleaner, smoother, and a whole lot less like a deep-fried .jpeg.