Elden Ring runs at a stable 60 FPS on the ROG Ally at Medium settings — something the Steam Deck simply cannot match at 30 FPS. Whether you’re exploring the open fields of Limgrave or pushing through the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, this guide covers the exact settings table, Armoury Crate profile setup, and when to switch to Turbo mode for the best Elden Ring ROG Ally experience.
For a full overview of the ROG Ally’s capabilities, see our ROG Ally complete setup and settings guide.
Why Elden Ring Is a Showcase Title for the ROG Ally
Elden Ring is one of the best games to highlight the ROG Ally’s advantage over the Steam Deck. On Steam, the game carries Windows-equivalent compatibility — there are no Proton translation layers, no Verified badge concerns, and no runtime quirks. It installs and runs like any PC game.
The performance gap is significant. The ROG Ally’s AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme APU (or Ryzen Z1 in the base model) delivers substantially more GPU compute than the Steam Deck’s RDNA 2 chip. In practice:
- ROG Ally: 60 FPS at Medium settings, 1080p or 900p with FSR
- Steam Deck: 30–40 FPS at Low–Medium, typically capped at 30 FPS for stability
That 60 FPS target transforms how Elden Ring feels — FromSoftware’s demanding combat is noticeably more responsive at double the frame rate.
ROG Ally Performance Modes Explained for Elden Ring
The ROG Ally has three power modes, each with a different TDP (Thermal Design Power) ceiling:
| Mode | TDP | Best For | Battery Life |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silent | 9W | Not recommended for Elden Ring | 2.5–3h |
| Performance | 15W | Main game, open world, most legacy dungeons | 1.5–2h |
| Turbo | 25–30W | Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, demanding legacy dungeons, Volcano Manor | 60–90 min |
Performance mode at 15W TDP is the go-to configuration. It sustains 60 FPS in the majority of Elden Ring’s open world areas and standard legacy dungeons, while keeping the device cool and giving you roughly 1.5–2 hours of play time on a full charge.
Turbo mode at 25–30W is worth switching to for areas with heavy particle effects, large enemy counts, or the more demanding DLC zones. The frame rate benefit is real, but battery life drops to 60–90 minutes.
Recommended Elden Ring Settings for ROG Ally (Performance Mode, 15W)
These settings target a stable 60 FPS at 1080p in Performance mode. Resolution can be dropped to 900p with FSR Quality enabled to recover 5–10 FPS in more demanding areas without a noticeable visual penalty on the 7-inch display.
| Setting | Recommended Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Texture Quality | Medium | High is possible on ROG Ally X (24GB VRAM pool) |
| Antialiasing Quality | Medium | High has minimal visual difference at 7 inches |
| SSAO | Medium | Off recovers ~3 FPS if needed |
| Depth of Field | Medium | Cinematic blur during cutscenes |
| Motion Blur | Off | Reduces input lag feel |
| Shadow Quality | Medium | Biggest FPS saver — drop to Low if struggling |
| Lighting Quality | Medium | High is GPU-heavy; keep at Medium |
| Effects Quality | Medium | Affects boss particle effects |
| Volumetric Quality | Low | Low vs Medium has minimal visual impact |
| Ray Tracing | Off | Not viable at 15W TDP on integrated graphics |
| FPS Cap (in-game) | 60 | Essential — prevents frame spikes on the 120Hz panel |
Shadow Quality and Lighting Quality are the primary FPS levers. Dropping either from Medium to Low recovers 5–8 FPS in dense areas like Stormveil Castle or Leyndell. Effects Quality governs boss particle density — keep at Medium unless frame rates drop below 50 FPS during bosses.
For a deeper dive into optimising PC games beyond handheld settings, see our complete guide to PC game settings optimisation.
Hitting 60 FPS: The ROG Ally Advantage Over Steam Deck
The 60 FPS target is the single biggest reason to play Elden Ring on ROG Ally rather than Steam Deck. Here is how the two handhelds compare on the same settings:
| Handheld | Settings | Target FPS | Typical Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| ROG Ally (15W) | Medium 1080p | 60 FPS | 55–65 FPS |
| ROG Ally (25W Turbo) | Medium–High 1080p | 60 FPS | 60–70 FPS |
| Steam Deck (12W) | Low–Medium 800p | 30 FPS | 27–35 FPS |
| Steam Deck OLED (15W) | Low–Medium 800p | 40 FPS | 35–42 FPS |
In the most demanding Elden Ring areas — Leyndell Royal Capital, Crumbling Farum Azula, and Malenia’s arena — the ROG Ally may dip to 50–55 FPS in Performance mode. Switching to Turbo stabilises these areas at 60 FPS.
Shadow of the Erdtree DLC: Use Turbo Mode
The Shadow of the Erdtree expansion (June 2024) is significantly more demanding than the base game. The DLC areas — particularly the Scadu Altus plateau, Enir-Ilim, and the final boss arena — can push the ROG Ally below 55 FPS in Performance mode.
Switch to Turbo mode (25–30W) before entering the DLC. This restores 60 FPS consistency across all Shadow of the Erdtree areas at Medium settings. The shorter battery life (60–90 minutes) is a worthwhile trade for the DLC’s demanding boss encounters where frame rate drops are most punishing.
You can also try lowering Shadow Quality to Low and Volumetric Quality to the minimum before Turbo-mode switching. Some players achieve stable 60 FPS in DLC areas at Performance mode with these adjustments.
Setting Up an Armoury Crate Performance Profile for Elden Ring
Armoury Crate SE (pre-installed on the ROG Ally) supports per-game performance profiles that activate automatically when you launch a title. Here is how to create one for Elden Ring:
- Open Armoury Crate SE from the taskbar or by pressing the Armoury Crate button on the device
- Navigate to Content → find Elden Ring in your library (it syncs from Steam)
- Tap the Edit icon next to Elden Ring
- Under Operating Mode, select Performance
- Set GPU Power Limit to 15W (or leave on Auto within Performance mode)
- Enable FPS Limiter and set to 60 FPS
- Save the profile
The profile activates automatically each time you launch Elden Ring. When you want Turbo mode for DLC areas, return to Armoury Crate, select the Elden Ring profile, and change the Operating Mode to Turbo before launching. You can also hold the Armoury Crate button during gameplay to switch modes on the fly without closing the game.
Battery Life: Performance Mode vs Turbo
Elden Ring is one of the more battery-intensive games on the ROG Ally due to its sustained GPU workload. Expect these real-world durations from a full charge:
- Performance mode (15W): approximately 1.5–2 hours
- Turbo mode (25–30W): approximately 60–90 minutes
- Silent mode (9W): not recommended — frame rates drop below 45 FPS, which hurts combat responsiveness
For longer sessions, plug into the 65W USB-C charger included with the device. The ROG Ally charges at near full speed while playing in Performance mode, so you can effectively play indefinitely when plugged in. Turbo mode draws more power than the 65W charger supplies, so the battery slowly discharges even when plugged in during extended Turbo use.
Controller Experience on ROG Ally
Elden Ring has native Windows controller support and was designed for gamepad play from the ground up. The ROG Ally’s built-in Xbox-layout gamepad works perfectly — every FromSoftware button prompt maps correctly without any remapping required.
The ROG Ally also has two rear macro buttons and two analogue triggers that can be customised in Armoury Crate. Useful Elden Ring mappings include:
- Left macro: Quick item swap (useful for switching flasks)
- Right macro: Two-hand weapon toggle
The gyro sensor on the ROG Ally is available through Steam Input, though Elden Ring’s combat does not benefit as much from gyro aiming as first-person games. Most players will use the standard controller configuration.
Display Settings: 1080p at 120Hz with a 60 FPS Cap
The ROG Ally features a 7-inch 1080p display running at up to 120Hz. For Elden Ring, the recommended display configuration is:
- Resolution: 1920×1080 (native 1080p) or 1600×900 with FSR Quality for extra headroom
- Refresh rate: 120Hz in display settings — this does not consume extra power
- In-game FPS cap: 60 FPS — cap at 60, not 120; Elden Ring’s physics are tied to frame rate, and running above 60 FPS can cause issues
- V-Sync: Off in-game; the FPS cap handles frame pacing
The 120Hz panel means the 60 FPS target displays at exactly 2ms per frame with perfect cadence — a clean 2:1 multiple. This gives smoother perceived motion than running 60 FPS on a 60Hz display. The Elden Ring 60 FPS cap is also a hard technical requirement, not just a recommendation: the game uses physics calculations that become unstable above 60 FPS.
ROG Ally vs Steam Deck: The Full Elden Ring Comparison
If you are deciding between the two handhelds specifically for Elden Ring, the performance gap is one of the clearest examples of the ROG Ally’s advantage:
| Feature | ROG Ally | Steam Deck |
|---|---|---|
| Target FPS | 60 FPS | 30 FPS (LCD) / 40 FPS (OLED) |
| Settings | Medium 1080p | Low–Medium 800p |
| DLC performance | 60 FPS with Turbo | 25–30 FPS, unstable in heavy areas |
| Controller | Native Windows, no Proton | Proton (excellent but adds complexity) |
| Display | 1080p 120Hz IPS | 800p 60Hz IPS (LCD) / 800p 90Hz OLED |
| Battery (gaming) | 1.5–2h (Performance) | 2–2.5h (10W TDP cap) |
The Steam Deck OLED gets closest to the ROG Ally experience at 40 FPS with 15W TDP, but still falls 20 FPS short of what the ROG Ally delivers at the same power draw. For Elden Ring specifically, 60 FPS makes a meaningful difference during boss encounters and fast-paced PvP. For our full Elden Ring PC settings breakdown beyond handheld play, see the Elden Ring best PC settings guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Elden Ring run on ROG Ally?
Elden Ring runs at a stable 60 FPS on the ROG Ally at Medium settings in Performance mode (15W TDP). It has full Windows-native support with no compatibility issues. The ROG Ally is one of the best handhelds for Elden Ring due to its GPU power advantage over the Steam Deck.
ROG Ally vs Steam Deck for Elden Ring: which is better?
The ROG Ally is the stronger performer for Elden Ring. It achieves 60 FPS at Medium 1080p, while the Steam Deck targets 30 FPS at Low–Medium 800p. If 60 FPS matters for FromSoftware combat, the ROG Ally is the clear choice. The Steam Deck offers longer battery life and a lower price point.
What are the best settings for Elden Ring on ROG Ally?
Set all main settings to Medium, disable Motion Blur and Ray Tracing, set Volumetric Quality to Low, and apply a 60 FPS cap in-game. Use Performance mode (15W TDP) in Armoury Crate. For Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, switch to Turbo mode (25–30W) for stable 60 FPS in the more demanding areas.
Does the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC run well on ROG Ally?
Yes, but it requires Turbo mode (25–30W TDP) for consistent 60 FPS. The DLC areas are 15–20% more GPU-intensive than the base game. In Performance mode, expect occasional dips to 50–55 FPS in the heaviest DLC zones. Lowering Shadow Quality to Low in Performance mode can partially close the gap.
References
- ASUS ROG Ally X Official Page
- Elden Ring on Steam
- Tom’s Hardware ROG Ally Coverage
- PC Games N ROG Ally Features
I've been playing video games for over 20 years, spanning everything from early PC titles to modern open-world games. I started Switchblade Gaming to publish the kind of accurate, well-researched guides I always wanted to find — built on primary sources, tested in-game, and kept up to date after patches. I currently focus on Minecraft and Pokémon GO.