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Warps the background for heat haze, shockwaves and similar effects.
FPS
Low
Visual
Medium
VRAM
Very low
CPU
None
Latency
None
What it does
Warps the background for heat haze, shockwaves and similar effects. It is most costly when many transparent distortion layers overlap.
Games may also call it: Heat Haze, Screen Distortion, Refraction Effects Quality
Decision guide
Lower it when
Lower it after the biggest settings are tuned and you still need a little more headroom.
Keep it high when
Keep it higher when the effect supports the art direction and performance remains stable.
Handheld advice
Treat this as a secondary handheld tweak after resolution, upscaling, shadows and heavy lighting are under control.
Restart
Usually not required
Some games still apply changes only after reloading a scene or restarting.
Do not overread the meter
It is most costly when many transparent distortion layers overlap. This score is an editorial cross-game estimate, not a measured result for every engine.