Overview
Path tracing is the highest-fidelity rendering mode available in Neverness to Everness. It traces the path of individual light rays through the scene, producing more physically accurate lighting, reflections, and shadows than traditional rasterized rendering. Path tracing is the on-stage feature that Hotta Studio demonstrated during the Gamescom 2024 Hethereau trailer and continues to feature in launch marketing on PC.
Path tracing builds on top of the engine's existing ray tracing support and Lumen global illumination, producing the most physically accurate lighting model available in the game. Where Lumen approximates indirect lighting through hybrid screen-space and software ray tracing, path tracing simulates the full light transport: direct illumination, indirect bounces, refractions, and caustics all flow from the same ray simulation.
How Path Tracing Works
Path tracing differs from rasterization and standard ray tracing in three key ways:
Full light transport simulation. Every visible pixel traces rays through the scene, sampling light sources, surface materials, and reflections in a single unified algorithm.
Multi-bounce indirect lighting. Light rays bounce off multiple surfaces before reaching the camera, producing realistic ambient illumination without baked light maps.
Physically accurate reflections. Reflective surfaces show full scene reflections (not just screen-space approximations), with correct fresnel falloff at glancing angles.
In Hethereau's urban environment, path tracing pays off most visibly on glass building facades, wet streets after rain, polished vehicle bodywork, neon signage reflecting off surrounding surfaces, and the interplay of artificial light sources at night. These are the surfaces and conditions that traditional rasterization handles roughest, and where the difference between path tracing and screen-space approximations is most striking.
Hardware Requirements
Path tracing is the most demanding graphics setting in the game. To run it smoothly on PC, players need:
A modern RTX-series GPU (RTX 30-series, RTX 40-series, or newer). RTX 40-series and 50-series cards run path tracing best because of their improved ray tracing throughput and DLSS 4 Multi-Frame Generation support.
Hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling enabled in Windows settings.
Recent GPU drivers; NVIDIA Game Ready Drivers updated specifically for Neverness to Everness deliver the best path tracing performance.
Sufficient VRAM. Path tracing is memory-bandwidth-sensitive in addition to compute-sensitive.
Players running below the recommended PC spec (RTX 3060 minimum) will likely struggle to maintain a smooth framerate with path tracing enabled. The graphics menu lets players toggle path tracing independently of other settings, so users can experiment without committing to it as their default.
Path Tracing vs. Standard Ray Tracing
Feature | Standard Ray Tracing | Path Tracing |
|---|---|---|
Lighting | Selective ray tracing for shadows, reflections, ambient occlusion | Full light transport simulation across all surfaces |
Reflections | Hardware-accelerated reflections on selected surfaces | Physically accurate reflections everywhere |
Indirect Lighting | Approximated through Lumen | Fully ray-traced multi-bounce |
Performance Cost | Moderate; runs on RTX 3060 and up | High; benefits significantly from RTX 40-series and DLSS 4 |
Visual Difference | Noticeable improvement over rasterization | Highest fidelity; particularly on reflective surfaces and complex lighting setups |
Pairing Path Tracing With DLSS 4
Because path tracing is computationally expensive, DLSS 4 with Multi-Frame Generation is the recommended companion for high framerates. DLSS 4 upscales lower-resolution rendered frames to the target resolution and inserts AI-generated interpolated frames between rendered frames, producing smooth output even when the underlying path-traced render is below the target framerate.
Without DLSS 4, path tracing on most GPUs will run below 60 fps at 4K. With DLSS 4 Quality mode plus Multi-Frame Generation, RTX 40-series cards can hit 60 fps or higher at 4K with path tracing enabled.
When to Enable Path Tracing
You have an RTX 40-series or newer GPU.
You enjoy ambient exploration: walking through Hethereau at night, taking screenshots in photo mode, or simply soaking in the city's atmosphere.
You can pair path tracing with DLSS 4 to maintain a smooth framerate.
You play at higher resolutions (1440p, 4K) where path tracing's reflective fidelity is most visible.
When to Disable Path Tracing
You experience frequent crashes (try toggling Frame Generation off first; if crashes persist, disable path tracing).
You prioritize framerate over visual fidelity, especially during competitive multiplayer or fast-paced combat.
You play on a GPU below RTX 3060.
You play at 1080p, where path tracing's most visible benefits (large-scale reflections, complex indirect lighting) are less prominent.
Tips
Test path tracing in Hethereau at night. The neon-lit streets, wet pavement, and glass facades are the showcase environment.
Use photo mode to capture path-traced screenshots. Static composition is forgiving of any momentary framerate dips.
Pair with the highest graphics preset your hardware can sustain. Path tracing's quality benefits compound with high texture and shadow settings.
Watch for driver updates. NVIDIA Game Ready Drivers tuned for Neverness to Everness can improve path tracing performance significantly between releases.