Remnant II launched on PC (Steam) in July 2023 from Gunfire Games and publisher Gearbox Publishing. It's a third-person action shooter built in Unreal Engine 5 with a procedurally generated world, deep archetype (class) system, and punishing boss combat designed around co-op and solo play. The PC port received a major optimization patch post-launch that resolved many of the day-1 UE5 stutters. As of 2026, it runs well on modern hardware.
Platform & Availability
| Platform | Notes |
|---|---|
| Steam | Purchase required. No subscription option. |
| Xbox Game Pass (PC) | Included as of launch. Full game + The Awakened King and The Forgotten Kingdom DLC are separate purchases even on Game Pass. |
| Co-op | Up to 3 players online. The host's world state persists; clients bring their character but experience the host's map seed. |
DLC note: The Awakened King (October 2023) and The Forgotten Kingdom (April 2024) each add a new world, boss, archetype, and narrative arc. The full package is worth playing if you liked the base game.
System Requirements
| Tier | CPU | GPU | RAM | Storage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum | Intel Core i5-7600K / AMD Ryzen 5 1600 | GTX 1650 / RX 580 | 16 GB | 80 GB |
| Recommended | Intel Core i7-8700K / AMD Ryzen 7 2700X | RTX 2060 / RX 5700 XT | 16 GB | 80 GB (SSD) |
| High | Intel Core i9-12900K / AMD Ryzen 9 5900X | RTX 3080 / RX 6800 XT | 32 GB | 80 GB (NVMe SSD) |
| Ultra/4K | Intel Core i9-13900K / AMD Ryzen 9 7950X | RTX 4090 / RX 7900 XTX | 32 GB | 80 GB (NVMe SSD) |
UE5 CPU note: Remnant II has a CPU bottleneck at high player counts and dense boss arenas due to UE5's Lumen + Nanite overhead. An 8-core CPU is the practical minimum for sustained 60 fps. On older 4-core CPUs (i5-6600K tier), expect 40–50 fps during intense fights.
RAM note: 16 GB is the hard minimum. UE5 world streaming allocates aggressively. With 8 GB, expect constant streaming stutters as areas load.
PC Settings — #1 FPS Lever: Global Illumination (Lumen)
Global Illumination (Lumen) is the single highest-cost setting in Remnant II. Disabling or reducing it recovers 20–35% frame time on mid-range hardware.
| GI Quality | GPU + CPU Cost | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| Disabled | Lowest | GTX 1650 / RX 5700 — use this at 1080p |
| Low | Low | RTX 2060 / RX 6600 |
| Medium | Moderate | RTX 3060 Ti / RX 6700 XT |
| High | High | RTX 3080 / RX 6800 XT |
| Epic (Lumen HQ) | Very High | RTX 4080+ only — 4K 60 fps target |
Full Settings Breakdown
Shadow Quality: Second most impactful. Medium covers most visual cases well. Drop to Low before disabling shadows entirely.
Reflection Quality: Lumen Reflections add visible cost in metallic/wet environments. At Medium, the difference vs High is minimal in dark dungeons (where you spend most of the game). Go Low for budget builds.
Texture Quality: VRAM-bound. With 8 GB VRAM, use High. 6 GB VRAM, use Medium. Ultra needs 10 GB+ comfortably.
Foliage: Visible in Yaesha (the forest world). The density here hits CPU hard during traversal. Set Medium for CPU-limited builds, High for GPU-limited ones.
Volumetric Fog: Costs ~5% frame time in foggy areas. Low vs Ultra is subtle outside of dense fog regions. Low is safe.
Motion Blur: Off. The game's fast animations cause motion blur to look smeared rather than cinematic. Most players disable it.
Field of View: Wider FOV costs GPU performance (more scene visible per frame). 90° is the gameplay-neutral baseline; 100° is common for third-person sightlines. Don't set above 110° without a strong GPU.
Frame Rate: Set a cap at 60 or 120 — unrestricted frame rates in UE5 can cause physics-pacing issues in some scenarios. Vsync via NVCP/ADRENALIN is better than in-game if you have a G-Sync or FreeSync monitor.
DLSS / FSR / XeSS
Remnant II supports all three major upscalers natively.
| Upscaler | Quality Mode Resolution | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| NVIDIA DLSS 3.5 | ~77% (Quality) / ~59% (Balanced) | Best image quality on RTX 20-40 series. Frame Generation on RTX 40 series is functional. |
| AMD FSR 2.2 | ~77% (Quality) / ~59% (Balanced) | Works on all GPUs. Slightly softer than DLSS on vegetation. |
| Intel XeSS | ~77% (Quality) | Available. Best on Arc GPUs; competitive with FSR on DP4a hardware. |
Recommended combination for mid-range (RTX 3060 / RX 6700 XT): DLSS/FSR Quality mode + Lumen Medium + Shadow Quality Medium → stable 60 fps at 1440p.
Frame Generation caveat: Adds latency. Enable NVIDIA Reflex Low Latency alongside Frame Generation to recover responsiveness — this matters for Remnant II's dodge-timing-dependent combat.
Archetype System — Primer
Archetypes are Remnant II's class system. You unlock and equip two simultaneously (a primary and secondary), gaining both Traits and Prime Perks from each.
Starting Archetypes
| Archetype | Playstyle | Prime Perk |
|---|---|---|
| Challenger | Melee / tanky | DR boost when health drops low |
| Hunter | Long-range precision | Mark system — tagged enemies take bonus damage from all sources |
| Medic | Support healer | Revive at distance; heals entire group |
| Handler | Pet + companion | Dog companion that assists in combat and can revive |
| Gunslinger | High fire rate, reload loops | Fully auto any weapon; infinite ammo burst on kill |
Unlockable Archetypes
| Archetype | How to Unlock | Specialty |
|---|---|---|
| Summoner | Craft Faded Grimoire → Bloodless King trait | Spawning Root minions |
| Alchemist | Craft Mysterious Stone → B'Looshi NPC | Elixirs + Vials with AOE buff/debuff |
| Explorer | Complete the main campaign once | Scavenger's Bauble → passive loot + world resource boost |
| Archon | Complex secret involving specific Engram equip + secret area | Mod power generation + time-stop burst |
| Ritualist (DLC) | The Awakened King DLC | Status ailment cascade builds |
| Invoker (DLC) | The Forgotten Kingdom DLC | Summon elemental spirits |
Dual archetype synergy: The meta most players land on is Summoner/Archon (infinite mod energy from Archon, Summoner's minions gain infinite ammo) or Hunter/Gunslinger (Hunter mark × Gunslinger's sustained fire = top single-target DPS). Medic/Handler is the recommended solo build — sustain is your biggest challenge playing alone.
World System and Rerolling
Each "run" in Remnant II generates a world seed. The world you get on first playthrough is not the same as another player's. This affects:
- Which zone variant you get (Yaesha has two distinct layouts, same world count)
- Which optional bosses appear (some are mutually exclusive per seed)
- Which items and weapons drop from bosses (each boss has primary and alternate drops)
To see a different variant or get a missed item, use Adventure Mode (unlocked after completing a zone for the first time): reroll just that world without affecting main campaign progress. You can reroll Adventure Mode infinitely.
Item you missed: If a boss dropped the wrong item (their alternate drop), reroll Adventure Mode for that world and kill the boss again. You can also reroll in co-op — join a friend whose seed has the item you need.
Combat Mechanics
Dodge and I-Frames
Remnant II's dodge has invincibility frames during the roll animation — approximately 0.4 seconds. Virtually all boss attacks can be rolled through with correct timing. Learning to dodge into attacks rather than away from them (similar to Elden Ring) is the skill gate for most bosses.
Stamina: Rolling costs stamina. Running low means no I-frame dodges. The Fitness trait (Archon progression) increases stamina. Challenger archetype's passive also improves stamina regen.
Status Ailments
| Ailment | Source | Counter |
|---|---|---|
| Bleed | Bleeding weapons / skills | Consumable bandage; Medic's regen |
| Burning | Fire mods / Flamethrower weapon | Roll to extinguish; fire resistance ring |
| Rot | Root-based attacks | Potion or Mudtooth's tonic (consumable) |
| Slow | Several boss abilities | Cleanser tonic; Fitness trait |
| Curse | Specific boss zones | Cursed set items counter this; use Root tonic |
Building into ailments is a playstyle: the Ritualist (DLC) archetype's kit stacks bleeding and rot simultaneously for multiplied damage.
Weakspots
Every enemy has a weakspot — head, glowing sac, exposed organ. Weakspot hits deal 120–200% bonus damage depending on weapon. The Hunter's Mark amplifies this further. Most build guides revolve around consistent weakspot access.
Mod System
Weapons have a Mod slot for special active abilities (deploying an AOE field, firing a tracking projectile, summoning a temporary ally). Mods charge by dealing damage — a full charge lets you fire the Mod. Some weapons have locked mods (part of the weapon's identity); others accept any compatible mod.
Build synergy: pair a high-mod-gen weapon (fast fire rate fills the Mod charge quickly) with a powerful mod to loop activations.
Boss Tips
Remnant II bosses are designed around one mechanic per boss that you must learn, then punish:
| Boss | Core Mechanic | Win Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Root Nexus | Adds that respawn endlessly | Burst-kill the adds or you're overwhelmed — find Root Nexus's spawn point and funnel DPS there |
| Ravager | Phase-in: destroy its armor plating before it rages | Use weakspot shots on exposed spine; dodge charge attacks by rolling into it (not sideways) |
| Faelin/Faerin | Mirror mechanic — which boss you fight depends on which bell pattern you ring | One strategy works vs one variant; the other is much harder — look up which pattern matches your seed |
| Sha'Hala | Two-phase fight; adds during phase 2 | Do not get trapped in phase 2 corners. Save your mod for phase transition. |
| The One True King (DLC) | Multiple phases, parryable attacks | Charged weapon shots on the crown. Time parries with the sound cue, not visual. |
Multiplayer and Co-op Notes
- Host's world persists. Clients gain items and kills but their world map doesn't advance unless they host their own session.
- Scaling: Enemies scale up to 3 players. Solo play is intentionally harder — the Medic/Handler build compensates.
- Cross-play: Not available. Steam and PC Game Pass are separate pools.
- Item sharing: Most items drop per-player (each person loots independently). Crafting materials are unique drops per run.
- Revival: 3 revive tokens per zone. Running out means the dead player is spectating until the next checkpoint or death. Medic can revive at range without using tokens.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
| UE5 shader compile stutters (first 30 min) | Normal on first launch. Let the game sit in the main menu for 5 minutes before entering a zone — shaders compile in background. After first session, stutters stop. |
| Crash after enabling Ray Tracing | Remnant II's RT implementation is buggy on some RTX 20-series cards. Disable in settings; use Lumen High instead (software GI, no RT). |
| RAM insufficient warning | 16 GB is the hard minimum. Close Chrome and Discord before launching. With 16 GB and Chrome open, you may hit the streaming budget cap. |
| Co-op desync (enemies at different positions) | Usually the host's internet. Try the host with a wired connection. Guest can rejoin mid-session without losing progress. |
| Controller input not detected | Use Steam Input: right-click game → Properties → Controller → Enable Steam Input. DualSense / DualShock 4 require this on some systems. |
| Performance regression after Windows update | Driver conflict common on Adrenalin + UE5. Roll back AMD driver to previous version via DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller) + clean reinstall. |
| Game won't launch (EAC anti-cheat error) | Verify files on Steam. EasyAntiCheat requires an active internet connection and Windows Defender not blocking the EAC folder (check exclusions). |
| Save corruption after crash | Backup: %LOCALAPPDATA%\Remnant2\Saved\SaveGames. The game auto-saves frequently but crashes mid-fight can corrupt the last checkpoint. Maintain manual backups before major boss attempts. |
FAQ
Q: Is Remnant II good solo? Yes, but it's harder solo by design. Most content is completable solo with the right build (Medic for sustain, Handler for a permanent ally). Bosses have lower health in solo vs 3-player, but you also have no backup revives.
Q: Do I need to play Remnant: From the Ashes first? No. Remnant II is narratively standalone — it references the first game but the story is self-contained. You'll understand the world immediately.
Q: How long is Remnant II? Main campaign: 15–20 hours. Full completion (all worlds, all Adventure Mode rerolls for missed items, both DLC): 60–80 hours. The procedural variety rewards multiple playthroughs.
Q: Are there missable items? Each boss has two possible drops (your seed determines which one you get first). Nothing is permanently missable — Adventure Mode lets you reroll any world to farm the alternate drop.
Q: What's the best first archetype for a new player? Medic or Handler. Both provide sustain that compensates for the learning curve. Gunslinger is popular among experienced players for its offensive momentum. Avoid Summoner first run — the minion management is complex early.
Q: Does the game support ultrawide? Yes, native ultrawide (21:9 and 32:9) is supported without any mods or workarounds.
Q: Is the DLC worth it? The Awakened King is the better of the two DLC packs — denser content, better boss, the Ritualist archetype is strong. The Forgotten Kingdom is shorter but has the Invoker. If budget is a concern, get Awakened King first.
Q: Does progression carry over to DLC areas? Yes. DLC worlds use your existing character. The DLC areas scale to your World Tier (difficulty level), so you can access them as soon as they unlock in the campaign.
Remnant II is one of the best games UE5 has produced from a pure fun-per-frame standpoint — once you clear the shader compile wall and dial in the Lumen settings for your hardware, it runs cleanly and looks beautiful for the genre. The archetype system rewards experimentation: most players end up replaying the entire campaign in a second archetype combination after their first clear.