What is Anisotropic Filtering and should you use it in Valorant? (2023)

Valorant is known for its impressive optimization, which allows it to be compatible with most system configurations, including low-end PCs. However, Riot Games doesn't compromise on graphics and delivers a hiccup-free performance.

The titular hero shooter title, emphasizing the shooting aspect, is a visual treat for anyone who enjoys magical abilities and fantastical backgrounds. The developers have also added a few dedicated settings that allow players to tweak their graphical experience in Valorant, depending on their system specs.

Anisotropic filtering is a popular yet mysterious term for those new to the game. Simply put, it is a graphical setting that lets players enhance certain in-game textures and some other visual aspects.

Read on to learn the purpose of anisotropic filtering and gain insights on the most favorable value for this setting.

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Everything you need to know about Anisotropic Filtering in Valorant

Anisotropic filtering (AF) is a graphical enhancer built to improve in-game texture noticeably. Unlike the usual graphic-based parameters, anisotropic filtering does not impact your system's performance as much. Hence, this allows you to enjoy sharper image quality in-game without having to worry about frame drops.

AF doesn't replace low-quality textures for one with higher resolution. Instead, it tweaks the texture's appearance when viewed at oblique angles, which is how most gamers usually experience a video game.

Experts vouch for this technique, which reduces texture distortion while keeping the performance quotient intact. Valorant, like many other similar games, offers AF as an in-game setting that players can tweak according to their preferance.

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How to change the anisotropic filtering value in Valorant?

You can enable, disable, or change AF values from the in-game settings. In order to do so, click on the COG icon on the top-right of Valorant's lobby screen to open settings and navigate to Video > Graphics Quality.

Here, scroll down to locate the settings and click on the downward arrow to expand the dropdown list. Now, choose a value for anisotropic filtering according to your liking.

High-end PC owners can be generous and set anisotropic filtering to the highest value of 16x or 8x for Riot's tactical shooter. Players with low-end and mid-end PCs can set the value according to what their system can endure.

That said, 4x AF seems to be an ideal value for most system configurations, including low and mid-end PCs. Note that with 2x AF, changes may not appear evident enough.

If you enable the settings for the first time, you'll notice a visible difference in object textures. Gun skins, map environments, and characters will appear detailed, and you may experience a smoother gameplay experience than before.

You can also combine anisotropic filtering with anti-aliasing (AA), another graphics-enhancing concept, to increase texture quality and sharpness. For example, select MSAA 2x or MSAA 4x for AA and 8x or 16x for AF to improve in-game visuals in Valorant.

Turning on or boosting the AF value shouldn't cause a performance drop in Valorant, but some low-end systems may show signs of strain. If you notice frame drops after experimenting with the settings, switch back to the default values and check if the issue persists. You can also try reducing the value.