Last updated: August 2026
Performance & Stability Settings
Tears of Metal performance guide for patch 0.10.57598: Drift Correction control fix, texture reductions from 0.9, Steam Deck presets, co-op stability tips, and handheld tuning.
Why Performance Matters in Musou Crowds
Tears of Metal fills the screen with Scottish soldiers, invaders, Emblem VFX, and boss telegraphs. Frame dips during Act 2 elites make dodge windows harder to read and worsen co-op desync when hosts hitch. Patches 0.9.57408 and 0.10.57598 already reduced texture sizes and fixed Drift Correction locking controls — this page maps the settings that matter most on PC and Steam Deck.
Start from a clean client: Settings → About should show 0.10.57598 before you chase GPU tweaks. Pair this guide with Steam Deck Guide and System Requirements.
Drift Correction & Mouse Stutter — 0.11.57874.1
Hotfix 0.11.57874.1 (August 9, 2026) targets sudden mouse stutter some players reported after 0.11.57863, tentatively linked to the Epic Online Services overlay. If cursor movement hitches mid-fight, update to the latest build, disable redundant overlays (Discord hardware acceleration, Xbox Game Bar capture, third-party FPS tools), and retest before changing in-game sensitivity.
Hotfix 0.10.57598 fixed a bug where setting Drift Correction to 1 locked player controls. If your stick or mouse feel “stuck” after changing this option on an older build, update immediately, then re-open Settings → Controls / Gameplay and confirm Drift Correction values again.
Use mild Drift Correction for worn controllers; leave it off or minimal on healthy pads and mouse. Extreme values can fight intentional micro-adjustments during block and parry windows.
Tears of Metal — Xbox Announce Trailer
Textures, Resolution & Visual Budget
Patch 0.9 reduced texture sizes to improve memory use on lower-end PCs and handhelds. Prefer 1080p with medium textures over 1440p ultra if Act fights hitch. Disable heavy ambient occlusion and excessive shadows first — musou readability depends more on frame consistency than soft lighting.
Steam Deck and handheld PCs: start on the verified/playable preset, cap FPS to 40 or 45 if battery or thermals dip, and lower crowd-heavy effects if the battalion fills the frame. See Steam Deck Guide for layout tips that keep battalion orders on paddles.
- Update to 0.11.57874.1 before diagnosing input, mouse stutter, or Charm UI bugs
- Lower texture / shadow quality before cutting render resolution
- Cap FPS on handhelds to stabilize co-op host hitching
- Close overlays (Game Bar, Discord hardware accel) if stutter spikes
Co-op Stability Tips
Host-distance desync remains a Paper Cult priority alongside mid-campaign saves. Prefer the geographically closest stable host, wire when possible, and keep all clients on the same default-branch build. Mixed Steam ↔ Game Pass parties still need the Crossplay beta while default Crossplay stays disabled — details on Crossplay Guide.
If lobbies fail after a patch, compare Settings → About strings character-for-character. Version mismatches block more sessions than weak Wi-Fi during Early Access.
Related Pages
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Drift Correction lock my controls?
A bug on pre-0.10 builds locked input when Drift Correction was set to 1. Update to 0.10.57598 to fix it.
Did 0.9 improve performance?
Yes. Texture size reductions in 0.9.57408 target lower-end PCs and handheld memory. Combine with lower shadows for denser Act fights.
What FPS should Steam Deck target?
Many players prefer a stable 40–45 FPS cap over unlocked 60 with dips during boss add waves. Prioritize consistency for dodge timing.
Will mid-campaign saves help performance?
No. Mid-run saves are a progression feature, not a performance fix. See the Mid-Campaign Saves guide for status.