Let's start with the DSfix mod. This mod offers some graphical improvements and increases the maximum in-game FPS to 60.

In order for the DSfix mod to do these things, anti-aliasing and full screen mode must be switched off in the PC settings in Dark Souls:


The DSfix mod can be downloaded here[www.nexusmods.com]. The downloaded zip file must then be unzipped.

The files from the extracted folder must then be copied to the DATA folder in the Dark Souls installation location, e.g. “C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Dark Souls Prepare to Die Edition\DATA”.

One of the copied files is DSfix.ini. This contains the configuration for the mod.
It is recommended to make the following settings:

Know Issues

In rare cases, problems can occur when sliding down ladders. You can fall through the floor, in this case end the game immediately via the game menu as usual and reload the game. You should then be back above the game map. Never slide down the ladder in the game that was affected by the error again.
When you start Dark Souls, you should wait until the auto-save message appears, otherwise the application may hang or not start in full screen. If the latter persists even after restarting, you should reinstall the mod (save DSfix.ini beforehand to avoid overwriting the settings).

Bugfixes

DSfix allows frameless fullscreen, which makes switching between tabs much easier than in the original version. The mod also removes the mouse cursor.
DSfix increases the FPS to 60 and the game also looks sharper with the mod.

Functions

With Ctrl right you can switch the HUD on and off in the game.
(The game now starts without an intro and therefore loads faster.)

(We recommend clicking on the pictures to better see the difference.)

Before:

After :


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After :


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After :


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After :


In the before comparison pictures you can see “DARK SOULS™: Prepare To Die Edition” with adjusted filtering settings from the Nvidia Control Panel and in-game anti-aliasing.
(Due to Nvidia control panel adjustments, the game already looks better than normal).

On the after comparison pictures you can see “DARK SOULS™: Prepare To Die Edition” with the DSfix mod and the adjusted settings in it.
(You can see better lighting and texture filtering here, which looks higher resolution).

https://youtu.be/lqz6cZLodkM

Now we come to the software; Lossless Scaling, Lossless Scaling is a program with which you can create a better visual image thanks to AI algorithms. We use the integrated FSR from AMD, which is represented in Lossless Scaling.

Here is the link to Lossless Scaling:https://store.steampowered.com/app/993090/Lossless_Scaling/

Start Lossless Scaling first:

After you have started it and the program has opened, set the program to full screen mode once to have a clearer view if this is not already the case.

Here are the settings we are all going to make:

First you have to click on “New” at the bottom left, then a window will open in the middle with the heading “New Profile”. Under “Title”, write the name “Dark Souls PTDE” as circled, now set the slider for “Automatic scaling” to On, then click on “Add” and we have already created a new profile, which we will now edit.

Now go to Settings at the top right of the screen as follows:

A window with the heading “Settings” will then open in the middle of the screen. There, select “Start as administrator” as circled in the image above and set this to On. We set it here as Admin, as this can avoid possible problems and can bring better performance, if problems still exist, try not to run it as Admin.
(other settings there are optional)

Now we have selected our profile that we have created by name and continue with the remaining settings:

At Scaling Mode at the top left we now select: “Auto” and below; “Fullscreen”
In the center of the image, where it says Scaling Type, we select “AMD FSR” at the top and set the “Sharpness” to 10 below.
(If you have installed a weaker GPU or have performance problems, set “Optimized version” to On under “Sharpness” to fix these problems if necessary, but at the expense of image quality.)

Now the last settings we will make:

Now set “Vsync” under “Sync mode” if the monitor is compatible and Vsync has been activated in the operating system.
(If this is not the case or performance problems occur, set “Sync mode” to “Off (Allow tearing)”).
Below this, set “Max frame latency” to 1 and “HDR support” to Off.
(“G-Sync support” always remains on Off)
You can switch on the FPS display to see if lossless scaling works as desired later. As “Capture API” we select “DXGI”.
All other categories are collapsed, as all settings there have been set to automatic or off, which you may still need to do.

Now restart “Lossless Scaling” so that it now runs as Admin. Then start “DARK SOULS™: Prepare To Die Edition” and when you are in the game, go to “Scale”. You now have 5 seconds to click back into the game so that this runs primarily in the foreground, if you have done everything correctly you should now see a difference. :D


(It can rarely come to stutters, if this occurs more often, change something in the mentioned settings)