Upscaling used to be a compromise. You enabled it when your hardware couldn’t handle native resolution, accepted the image quality hit, and moved on. That’s not where the technology is in 2026. DLSS 3, FSR 3, and XeSS have all matured to the point where the gap between a well-implemented upscaling solution and native rendering is small enough that the performance gains make upscaling the smart default choice for most players rather than a fallback for struggling hardware.
Arknights: Endfield ships with all three. The implementation quality varies significantly between them, and the differences matter more in Endfield specifically than in many comparable titles because of what the game is asking upscaling to handle. Industrial environments with complex geometric detail, factory production chains with fine structural elements, combat particle effects against detailed environmental backgrounds — these are demanding test cases for upscaling algorithms, and they expose weaknesses that simpler visual environments would hide.
This is not a theoretical comparison. It’s a practical assessment of how each solution performs in the specific visual contexts Endfield presents, what the real-world image quality differences look like, and which configuration you should be running based on your hardware.
Why upscaling matters more in endfield than Most games
Before getting into the comparison, it’s worth understanding why the upscaling decision carries more weight in Endfield than in a typical action RPG.
Most games that implement upscaling have relatively forgiving visual environments — open landscapes with organic geometry, character models in motion, environments where softness or minor artifacting blends into the overall image. Endfield’s Talos-II is different. The industrial architecture is built around precise geometric lines, repeating structural patterns, and fine mechanical detail across factory infrastructure. These are exactly the visual elements that upscaling algorithms struggle with most — high-frequency detail in regular patterns at various distances.
Additionally, the AIC factory system means that players spend significant time in environments they have personally constructed, with intimate familiarity with the specific geometry. Upscaling artifacts that would go unnoticed in a generic open-world environment become visible when you’ve been staring at the same conveyor belt configuration for twenty hours.
The combat system adds a second demanding context: fast-moving particle effects from ability activations against detailed environmental backgrounds, with four characters simultaneously generating visual output. Upscaling algorithms that handle static environments well sometimes introduce ghosting or shimmer on fast-moving elements. In Endfield’s combat, that manifests as visible artifacts on ability effects that compound when multiple characters are active simultaneously.
Understanding these specific demands explains why the gap between upscaling solutions in Endfield is larger than benchmark comparisons in other games might suggest.
DLSS 3 the clear recommendation for NVIDIA Hardware
DLSS 3 Quality mode in Arknights: Endfield is the best upscaling implementation in the game by a margin that is not particularly close. Hypergryph’s integration of DLSS is among the stronger implementations in recent live-service titles, and the results at 1440p specifically are impressive enough to shift the recommendation from “acceptable alternative to native” to “preferred default configuration.”
At 1440p with DLSS Quality mode on an RTX 3070, the rendered internal resolution is approximately 960p before the AI upscaling reconstructs it to output 1440p. The image quality at normal gameplay viewing distances is genuinely difficult to distinguish from native 1440p. Endfield’s industrial geometry — the precise structural lines of factory infrastructure, the architectural detail of Talos-II’s frontier buildings — retains its sharpness without the aliasing that native rendering without anti-aliasing would introduce. Fine detail in repeating geometric patterns, which represents upscaling’s hardest test case in Endfield’s environments, holds together well.
The performance uplift from DLSS Quality at 1440p on RTX 3070-class hardware is 20 to 30 percent depending on scenario. In Endfield’s most demanding contexts — large active factory areas with complex production chains running simultaneously, multi-phase boss encounters with dense particle effects — that headroom is the difference between a consistently smooth experience and occasional frame dips that interrupt the tactical flow of combat.
DLSS Performance mode at 1440p — rendering internally at approximately 720p — produces visible softness on fine geometric detail that Endfield’s environments make apparent. The frame rate gain over Quality mode is substantial, but the image quality regression in the game’s industrial environments is noticeable enough that Performance mode is difficult to recommend for regular use. Ultra Performance mode at 1440p is not appropriate for Endfield’s visual complexity.
At 4K, DLSS Quality renders internally at approximately 1440p and produces output that holds up well under close inspection. The frame rate gains at 4K DLSS Quality on RTX 4070-class hardware are significant enough to make 4K a practical target on hardware that couldn’t achieve it natively — an RTX 4070 at 4K native Ultra struggles to maintain 60fps in demanding scenarios, while 4K DLSS Quality on the same hardware delivers a stable and visually excellent experience.
DLSS Frame Generation, available on RTX 40 series hardware, adds meaningful frame rate headroom in Endfield’s more demanding scenarios. The input latency trade-off is real and noticeable during high-difficulty combat encounters where reaction timing matters. The practical recommendation is to use Frame Generation during exploration and factory management — where the additional frames genuinely smooth traversal and interface interaction — and evaluate whether the latency trade-off is acceptable for your personal combat tolerance in challenging content.
FSR 3 the capable alternative for AMD Hardware
AMD’s FSR 3 Quality mode is the correct upscaling choice for AMD GPU owners, and it delivers respectable results in Endfield despite sitting clearly behind DLSS in overall image quality. The gap is real and worth characterizing accurately, but it doesn’t make FSR 3 a bad option — it makes it the best available option for hardware that doesn’t support DLSS.
FSR 3 Quality mode at 1440p renders internally at approximately 960p, matching DLSS Quality’s internal resolution. The output image is softer than DLSS Quality on fine geometric detail, particularly visible on the precise edges of Endfield’s factory infrastructure and on the repeating structural patterns of Talos-II’s industrial architecture. This softness is most apparent in static comparison but present during normal gameplay for players who are sensitive to image sharpness.
Where FSR 3 performs most competitively with DLSS in Endfield is in character model rendering during combat. The AI upscaling handles organic geometry — character models, enemies, the flowing elements of operator ability animations — with quality that approaches DLSS output in motion. The gap between the two technologies narrows considerably when the camera is moving and attention is distributed across multiple simultaneous elements, which describes a significant portion of Endfield’s combat.
FSR 3’s Fluid Motion Frames — AMD’s equivalent of DLSS Frame Generation — functions in Endfield on compatible AMD hardware. The implementation produces less consistent results than DLSS Frame Generation in the game’s most demanding combat scenarios, with occasional frame pacing irregularities during dense particle effect sequences. For traversal and factory management, Fluid Motion Frames delivers smooth additional frame rate that improves the experience. For high-difficulty combat content, disabling it and relying on base frame rate produces more consistent results.
FSR 3 Performance mode at 1440p in Endfield is not recommended. The internal resolution drop produces visible upscaling artifacts on the industrial geometry that Endfield’s environments prominently feature. Fine structural detail on factory components and architectural elements shows noticeable aliasing and shimmer that Quality mode handles acceptably. The frame rate gain over Quality mode at 1440p on mid-range AMD hardware is real, but the image quality cost in Endfield’s specific visual contexts makes it a poor trade.
For 1080p on AMD hardware, FSR 3 Quality renders at approximately 720p internally. The upscaling at this resolution shows more visible softness than at 1440p, and the recommendation shifts toward native 1080p rendering with quality settings adjustments rather than FSR upscaling for players on capable enough hardware. FSR 3 Quality at 1080p makes sense primarily on minimum-to-mid spec AMD cards where native rendering at acceptable frame rates requires aggressive settings compromises that FSR can partially offset.
XeSS honest assessment for intel hardware
XeSS is the most hardware-dependent of the three upscaling solutions in Endfield, and the honest assessment splits cleanly along that hardware line.
On Intel Arc graphics cards, XeSS uses a dedicated hardware path that produces image quality meaningfully better than the generic XeSS implementation. Arc hardware owners running XeSS will see results that sit between FSR 3 Quality and DLSS Quality in overall output — better than FSR on fine geometric detail in Endfield’s environments, not quite matching DLSS in temporal stability during fast movement. For Arc GPU owners, XeSS is unambiguously the correct upscaling choice and delivers a legitimate quality advantage over FSR that justifies the platform.
On non-Intel hardware — NVIDIA and AMD GPUs running XeSS through the generic compute path — the results are noticeably weaker. The generic XeSS implementation in Endfield produces more visible upscaling artifacts on the game’s industrial geometry than FSR 3 Quality, with particular weakness on the fine repeating patterns of factory infrastructure. Temporal stability during combat is also less consistent, with shimmer on fast-moving ability effects that FSR 3 handles more gracefully.
The practical conclusion for non-Intel hardware is clear: if you have an NVIDIA GPU, use DLSS. If you have an AMD GPU, use FSR 3. XeSS on non-Arc hardware in Endfield produces inferior results to the native solutions for both platforms and should not be the upscaling choice simply because it appears as an option in the settings menu.
The configuration recommendations
For NVIDIA RTX 20 series and above targeting 1080p: DLSS Quality is the default recommendation over native rendering. The image quality is competitive with native while recovering frame rate headroom that improves consistency in demanding scenarios. Native 1080p is acceptable on RTX 3060 and above where frame rate targets are met comfortably without upscaling assistance.
For NVIDIA RTX 30 and 40 series targeting 1440p: DLSS Quality is the clear default. Native 1440p is appropriate only on RTX 3080 and above where the hardware delivers comfortable frame rate margins without upscaling assistance. RTX 40 series targeting 4K should use DLSS Quality as standard configuration.
For AMD RDNA 2 and RDNA 3 hardware: FSR 3 Quality at 1440p delivers the best balance of performance and image quality available on the platform. Native rendering at 1080p is preferable to FSR 3 at 1080p on hardware with sufficient performance headroom.
For Intel Arc hardware: XeSS at Quality mode is the correct choice at both 1080p and 1440p and delivers results that make Arc a viable platform for Endfield at the game’s intended visual quality.
The bottom line
DLSS 3 Quality is the best upscaling implementation in Arknights: Endfield and one of the stronger DLSS integrations in recent live-service titles. FSR 3 Quality is a capable and recommended alternative for AMD hardware that serves the platform well despite sitting behind DLSS in overall output quality. XeSS is excellent on Intel Arc hardware and the wrong choice on everything else.
The broader takeaway is that upscaling in Endfield is not a compromise — it’s a performance strategy. DLSS Quality at 1440p on an RTX 3070 is not a lesser experience than native 1440p. It’s a smarter use of available hardware capability that delivers more consistent frame rates in the game’s most demanding scenarios without meaningful visual cost. Running native out of principle when DLSS Quality is available is leaving performance on the table for no practical benefit.
Know your hardware. Use the right solution. Endfield looks good enough that getting this decision right matters.
