: Set this to "High" rather than "Soft Shadows." Soft shadows are significantly more demanding (up to a 29% FPS drop) for a negligible visual difference.
: Some users report that setting VSync "On" in-game, then Alt-Tabbing out and back in, forces the game to refresh its frame rate logic and smooth out performance.
Running Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag at a resolution of (a 16:10 aspect ratio) often presents unique challenges, as the game is natively built for 16:9 displays. This can result in permanent black bars or scaling issues. 1440x900 Thoughts: Assassin's Creed 4 – Black F...
: Locate Assassins4.ini in your "My Documents/Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag" folder. You can manually set DisplayWidth=1440 and DisplayHeight=900 , though the game may reset this if it doesn't recognize the resolution.
: Set these to "Low" or "Off" . The "High" setting consumes considerable resources for a visual effect that is often distracting. : Set this to "High" rather than "Soft Shadows
: This is the most intensive setting. Dropping it from "Very High" to "High" can provide a massive frame rate boost.
For a visual walkthrough on how to further boost your frame rates and fix persistent lag in Black Flag, check out this guide: This can result in permanent black bars or scaling issues
resolution is less demanding than 1080p, allowing for higher settings on mid-range hardware.