It may have taken forever forSTALKER 2to come out, but GSC Game World wasted no time putting out the title’sfirst major patch.
The long-awaited sequel to the STALKER seriescame out in a sorry state, but it nonetheless managed tocapture the imaginationof stalkers worldwide due to its immersive atmosphere.
STALKER 2: Best Early Game Armor
In the Zone, it’s drip or drown.
A single patch is nowhere close to bringing the game to where it needs to be, butthis big update is exactly the kind of energy GSC needed to showto inspire confidence among players.
Unfortunately, a GSC representative has confirmed on Discord thatthe major A-Life fixes did not make itto this patch.
Without further ado, here are the main changes forSTALKER 2: Heart Of Chornobyl, patch 1.0.1. This update is available for both PC and Xbox players.
STALKER 2 Patch Notes, Version 1.0.1
These notes are stacked by order of priority, based on extensive experience with the game over the entire month.
Story Fixes
Soft locks begone, at last. The patch cleared a lot of issues that prevented certain quest objectives and in some cases main story missions, from triggering properly.
Fixed quests include, but are not limited to:
The size of this list leaves you wondering if it wouldn’t have been shorter to name the quests that didn’t need fixes instead.
Optimization
The new patch fixes memory leaks that made the game nearly unplayable for long stretches.
When aiming down sights, the game will no longer render inactive, invisible NPCs managed by the A-Life system.
Nvidia Reflex settings should now stick between playing sessions.
Combat Balancing
Following complaints thatmutants are too tanky, which dominatedthe Nexus Modspage forSTALKER 2, the developers did a major balancing pass on most enemies.
Bloodsuckers, controllers, burers, boars, and fleshes now have less HP. Additionally,the bloodsucker got its armor rating and health regeneration nerfed.
Boars and fleshes take more damage from limb hits as well.
For stalkers who are not afraid of blood, melee distance for knives and weapon strikes was increased.
Economy Balancing
After a lot of complaints, it is easier to make money inSTALKER 2.
Mission coupon rewards have increased by 2-3 times, while gear repair is significantly cheaper. Armor durability also got a 12.5% buff, making trips to the technician less frequent.
STALKER 2 Modders Are Already At Work With Weaker Mutants, Smoother Frames, And More
STALKER 2 has averaged over one mod per hour so far.
Exoskeletons, upgraded weapons, and artifacts now sell for considerably more.
Loot runs should become more viable now, especially since quest items got their weight slashed, combined with a boost to the Hercules carry weight.
The infinite money glitch has been patched outas well, so go earn those coupons honestly, you bandit.
Combat music will no longer blast after a fight is over, putting an end to “is that the last of them” panic.
Quality of Life
Gamepads now have a higher dead zone by default, which should make aiming less jumpy on non-accurized thumb sticks.
Cutscenes and NPCs
The Zone must have had a good dentist move in, as characters in patch 1.0.1 have normal teeth at last.
Facial animations got a pass across the board to make them more natural, which should remove some of that uncanny valley feeling.
During emissions, NPCs near shelters will no longer get stuck on random objects, dying a horrible death in the process.
It is sad news for jank nostalgics, ashuman corpses will no longer strike a T-poseupon their demise. This should also fix the occasional flying stalker. Missing or outstretched limbs should also no longer occur.
Buildings with peeling paint (like the Sphere or Icarus) no longer have flickering walls.
Finally, missing fast travel routes with certain guides have been restored.
Once more, there is no A-Life fix in this patch, with GSC stating this will come shortly after. You canread the full patch notes here, on the STALKER 2 Steam page.
STALKER 2: The Price Goes Up Quest Guide
How to find Diode’s workshop, Nestor’s stash, and which path to pick afterward.
