Despite being in early access, the game is deemed playable on the Steam Deck, with some occasional FPS dips.
There is ongoing optimization efforts and I'm optimistic about the game's potential as it currently hovers around the 30 FPS mark. The recommended settings for the Steam Deck involve selecting performance settings, with the exception of anti-aliasing set to quality and the performance boost to temporal super resolution on balance mode.
While Intel XeSS balance can enhance visuals, it comes at a 5 FPS performance hit, which I find slightly too much for the current stage of the game. Thus, the suggested configuration is TSR balanced with anti-aliasing on quality for an enjoyable experience on the Steam Deck.
The game is gorgeous, especially in areas like the desert or indoors. However, performance struggles when there's a lot happening outside, particularly in the forest biome.
The combat mechanics require some adjustment, and the survival mechanics are fairly complex. While the game is lauded for its depth, there is lots of enjoyment to be had over the various activities and the game's single-player focus. The only downside is the always-online requirement, even for single-player mode, which the developers have highlighted to be changed in the future.
Also, GeForce Now support for Nightingale has been added to the game. Footage from GeForce Now Ultimate demonstrates the game running at full ultra settings with NVIDIA's DLSS performance boost. There is a significant visual difference when playing on GeForce Now, showcasing the enhanced graphics made possible by the cloud-based Nvidia RTX 4080.