Last month, we shared some gorgeous screenshots from the in-development Dark Souls 2 path tracing mod "Lighting Engine". Now, modder Ganaboy has released a beta version that can be downloaded by anyone through the DSLighting Engine Discord channel.
This build of the Lighting Engine adds path tracing and also removes almost all of the game's default 'fake lights'. The author recommends playing with as little player light as possible; the torch and light mechanics are crucial in the early game, and timers should be preserved as much as possible when not needed. There is minimal post-processing because the path tracing mode must capture precious little light in the game's dark areas.
Ganaboy also reconfigured area lights for each zone. The modder reckons players shouldn't need a torch in a sunny area, even if it's indoors and there's a window or door open. This is the essence of path tracing, and the Dark Souls 2 path tracing mod is configured to work this way by capturing every window and door portal.
HDR (which, of course, was missing from the original game) is natively supported. When it comes to anti-aliasing options, the author recommends using NVIDIA DLSS or AMD FSR 4 rather than SMAA. Do note that the mod will use your full monitor resolution as the output resolution (the game's own resolution setting is bypassed), and the Flip model swapchain must be enabled to use upscaling.
How to Install and Set Up the Dark Souls 2 Path Tracing Mod
Here's the full extent of the requirements to check out this path tracing mod:
- The Windows 11 operating system. This is necessary as Shader Model 6.6 is required for it to function correctly.
- A working copy of Dark Souls 2: Scholar of the First Sin (not the vanilla game) from the Steam version.
- An RT-capable graphics card: NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 2000+ series or equivalent GPU from AMD and Intel.
To install it:
- Back up the shader folder from the game's default directory. Usually, it can be found in C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Dark Souls II Scholar of the First Sin\Game.
- Copy the shader folder, ds2le_atmosphere_presets folder, dxgi.dll, and nvngx_dlss.dll, nvngx_dlssd.dll, and nvngx_dlssg.dll to the aforementioned directory.
- In the in-game settings, turn everything on except for antialiasing and camera motion blur.
In the mod's own settings, you can improve the visuals even further by selecting the Hardware Ray Traced Sun Shadows over the default PCSS. Furthermore, the installation of texture mods is supported. However, you should make sure that they were made specifically for the Dark Souls 2 Path Tracing mod, or they may not display correctly.
Lastly, Ganaboy warns users to avoid the Lighting Engine's FrameLimiter feature, which is now deprecated. He recommends using emoose's DS2FrameUnlimiter instead.
About the author: With over two decades of experience in gaming journalism, Alessio Palumbo has led the gaming vertical at Wccftech since August 2015. He started working at a young age for Italian websites like Everyeye.it, Gamestar.it, Nextgame.it, and Multiplayer.it before kickstarting the indie English-language publication Worlds Factory as its founder and Editor in Chief. In the last decade, he has coordinated the overall output of Wccftech's gaming section, managed PR relations, assigned reviews, produced daily news coverage, edited gaming content as needed, and delivered game reviews. Arguably, his trademark content is the long series of exclusive developer interviews that have been cited by Wikipedia and by the biggest news media and gaming publications. His passion for technology also makes him knowledgeable when it comes to gaming hardware and tech. His favorite genres include RPGs, MMORPGs, and action/adventure games.
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