Steam Deck HQ test (October 12, 2026)
| Valve status | Deck Unknown |
|---|---|
| ProtonDB | Gold |
| In-game settings | Low · FSR Performance · 30 FPS cap |
| Power draw | 15–21 W |
| Battery | About 2.5 hours |
| Deck score | 3/5 |
Recommended settings
Steam Deck HQ used a 90 Hz refresh rate with no TDP limit, no GPU clock limit, the Linear scaling filter and Half Rate Shading off, without forcing a Proton version. In game it chose Low quality, FSR upscaling on Performance and a 30 FPS limit. The default Low with FSR Balanced reaches 50 to 60 FPS in quiet areas but is less stable.
What to expect in combat
Fights can dip to around 40 FPS on the default settings, and larger multi-enemy battles go lower, which makes parry timing harder. The reviewer also saw CPU-related stutter while moving through levels, possibly from shader compilation. Power draw sat between 15 and 21 watts with temperatures of 70 to 75 degrees Celsius.
Verdict and the first patch
Steam Deck HQ scored the Deck experience 3 out of 5 while rating the game itself 8 out of 10. Before launch, the developer said it was working on handheld optimisation but did not confirm full Deck support.
The October 16 First Update targets crashes and performance, and recommends that playtest or demo players delete their old GameUserSettings.ini. Check the patch notes for later optimisation updates before changing your settings.
Sources and further reading
- Valor Mortis Steam Deck review — Steam Deck HQ
- Developer working on Steam Deck support — Steam Deck HQ
- Valor Mortis - First Update (October 16, 2026)
- Valor Mortis — Steam