Moving fast, Valve has added FidelityFX Super Resolution support to DotA 2, making it the first game to be added to the support list post-release, and the second Valve game to enjoy its frame rate boosting capabilities. Early results suggest it can make a noticeable improvement to performance, without inhibiting the visual quality of the game much, making it a potential solution for those who struggle to run the game, or who want a smoother and more responsive game to improve their competitive edge.
DotA 2 is not a heavy handed game, able to run on just about anything. However, higher frame rates lower input lag so the greater your frame rate, the greater potential you have to respond faster than your opponent. As Nvidia famously said, frame rates win games. FidelityFX Super Resolution helps boost frame rates by lowering the input resolution of a game and using upscaling and sharpening to bring the look of the game to a similar standard to a higher resolution, making 1080p look like 1440p, and similar.
The result can be a big boost in frame rates, with some games able to deliver as much as 300% at the most extreme FSR "Performance" setting. That can typically have a very detrimental effect on how a game looks, however, so Quality, and Ultra quality modes tend to be a better bet.
They can still make a difference though, and in DotA 2, that's much the case. Whether playing at 1080p, 1440p, or even 4K, FSR can add anywhere from 10 to 50% improvement in frame rate without having a particularly big impact on the look of the game.
To take advantage of it, you'll need to lower the Game Screen Render Qualtiy in the DotA 2 settings, you can then turn on FidelityFX Super Resolution.
You can do this on any AMD or Nvidia GPU or APU from the past five years. Let us know below what setting you like with DotA 2 and what kind of performance boost you've seen.
Image source: Alexander Coccia/YouTube
