Dragon Age The Veilguard graphics modes: Performance VS Fidelity breakdown

The best graphics mode to play Dragon Age: The Veilguard on consoles.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard / EA/Bioware

Dragon Age: The Veilguard is out now, and it’s well optimized for consoles. Whether you’re playing on PS5, Xbox Series X, or Xbox Series S, Dragon Age has a lot to offer, with a strong art style and a unique visual flair that you won’t find in other modern RPGs.

In this guide we’re breaking down the differences between the Performance and Fidelity modes in the game, and which modes we recommend using for each console. We’ve performed hours of own testing while playing the game, but some information here is courtesy of the tech wizards at Digital Foundry.

Performance vs Fidelity breakdown

1. Performance Mode breakdown – Dragon Age: The Veilguard
2. Fidelity Mode breakdown – Dragon Age: The Veilguard
3. Which is best, Performance or Fidelity? – Dragon Age: The Veilguard

Make sure to brush up on your lore by reading our Dragon Age story recap before playing The Veilguard.

Performance Mode breakdown – Dragon Age: The Veilguard

The fine details are lost on the rigging ropes draping the background ships in Performance mode. / EA, Bioware

Performance mode, as you would expect, aims for a locked 60fps on all platforms, though it doesn’t always hit that mark. This is a strong showing for Dragon Age on PS5 and Xbox Series X, as – while the game is upscaled – the art style retains a lot of detail.

The gameplay is generally more enjoyable at 60fps, and if you’re using a VRR display, you won’t notice any drops. One of our staffers complained that the Performance mode was “too blurry” and decided to stick with Fidelity mode, but aside from that one outlier, Performance mode’s 60fps output was generally preferred by our team on both PS5 and Xbox Series X.

Xbox Series S is a little more difficult, as it clearly has a low internal resolution, leading to the image to look a bit, well, ugly. Otherwise, like the other consoles, it manages to stick to its framerate target well.

Fidelity Mode breakdown – Dragon Age: The Veilguard

Fidelity mode adds more detail to those ropes back there. / EA, Bioware

Fidelity mode’s 30fps output means a bit more input latency and less visual fluidity for sticklers, but if you want the best possible image quality, this mode is for you. Yes, it runs at a higher resolution, but on both PS5 and Xbox Series X you will be benefiting from increased detail, in addition to ray traced reflections and ambient occlusion in some scenes.

It’s generally a better looking game in Fidelity mode, but it’s a big ask when stepping down from 60fps. Xbox Series S, meanwhile, has a pretty dramatic visual increase in Fidelity mode.

Which is best, Performance or Fidelity? – Dragon Age: The Veilguard

The main character stands on a beach in Dragon Age The Veilguard as an eclipse dominates the skyline / EA/BioWare

This is always a matter of personal preference, but if you can’t see an immediate difference between Performance and Fidelity modes, you should probably be using the Performance mode on PS5 and Xbox Series X.

The difference is far more noticeable on Xbox Series S, where we recommend using the Fidelity mode in order to appreciate the game’s visuals.

A slim few of you may prefer Fidelity mode and a 30fps output on PS5 and Xbox Series X, but the majority of people will likely have the best experience playing in Performance mode.