DOOM: The Dark Ages has reached new visual heights with the latest Path Tracing (PT) update, a stunning evolution of the game’s already impressive graphics. This title, an entry in the legendary DOOM franchise, takes the thrilling demon-slaying action we loved in DOOM 2016 and DOOM: Eternal and ramps it up even further. With the introduction of Id Tech 8, developers are honing in on improving graphical fidelity without sacrificing the game’s fast-paced essence. 
With support for NVIDIA’s latest DLSS 4 technology, it makes these visual enhancements not only possible but accessible, even on the most demanding settings.
Path Tracing Enhancements
DOOM: The Dark Ages initially featured ray tracing (RT), but with the PT update, the visual experience reaches a whole new level. Path tracing amplifies lighting, shadow details, and reflections, offering a more immersive world. However, such quality comes at a price: enabling Path Tracing significantly impacts performance, especially on mid-tier GPUs. To maintain a fluid experience, NVIDIA’s DLSS 4 and Frame Generation (MFG) support are crucial tools, providing improved frame rates even with demanding settings. Path Tracing can reduce FPS drastically, making it essential for users to optimize their settings to maintain a playable experience.
Performance Benchmarks
Testing the flagship NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 with an Intel Core i9-13900K setup at 4K resolution demonstrates just how taxing Path Tracing can be. While native ray tracing delivers an average of 90 FPS, enabling Path Tracing drops the FPS to around 35-more than a 60% drop in performance. However, with DLSS 4 and MFG enabled, frame rates shoot back up to 60+ FPS with DLSS Quality mode, and up to 200 FPS with higher MFG modes. Even with the 5090’s power, achieving smooth gameplay with Path Tracing requires these optimizations.
Ray Tracing vs. Path Tracing
The differences between Path Tracing and Ray Tracing are immediately noticeable. While RT provides solid visuals, Path Tracing enhances lighting and shadow effects, particularly in large open areas. Whether it’s the realistic reflections in wet surfaces or the improved global illumination (GI) in outdoor environments, the PT update brings a more lifelike atmosphere. However, this comes at the expense of performance, especially when trying to maintain high frame rates on older GPUs. Users with RTX 30 and 20 series cards will feel the performance hit the most, but DLSS still provides some relief, keeping FPS around the 100-mark.
Conclusion
DOOM: The Dark Ages is pushing the envelope in terms of visual fidelity and performance, thanks to Path Tracing and DLSS 4. The game’s stunning graphics now deliver an even more cinematic experience, but the demanding nature of Path Tracing means that only the latest NVIDIA GPUs can handle it without compromises. For the best experience, players need to enable frame generation and upscaling, and even then, older GPUs will find it challenging to run the game at high settings. Nevertheless, the overall visual uplift is undeniable, and those with the right hardware will enjoy the pinnacle of DOOM’s graphical achievements. Id Tech 8 is here to stay, and it’s clear that the game’s future will continue to impress.