Stalker 2 Major Patch: 1,800+ Bug Fixes

A massive update has landed for Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl, packed with over 1,800 fixes, including enhancements to the A-Life feature, as detailed here.

The A-Life system in the game is an AI that allows NPCs to live independent lives, and now, players will encounter these characters more frequently. They can see them from farther away, and even in offline mode, NPCs continue their journeys. You might run into familiar faces if you follow their paths.

Exploring the Zone is now more exciting with diverse NPC groups, eager to expand their territories and take on enemies. Plus, Stalker 2 is available on PC, Xbox, and Game Pass, and it’s already made back its development costs, says GSC World, despite being a bit glitchy. They’re still working on fixes, though. Stalker 2 is considered one of the top PC games for 2024.

The entire list of patch notes is below.

Patch 1.1

A-Life Changes

NPCs no longer sneak up behind players unnoticed.
Wanderers now pop up more often across the Zone.
Players can see A-Life NPCs from much farther away.
In offline mode, A-Life NPCs keep pursuing their goals and can be encountered if players follow their routes.
GameGraph helps NPCs find their paths better offline:
- Multiple pathfinding bugs fixed.
- NPCs no longer get stuck between online and offline states.
NPCs have more drive to claim new lands and face off against foes and mutants.
Fixed issue with fewer NPC encounters than expected.
Smoother transitions between online and offline NPC actions.
More variety in NPC factions and group sizes in the Zone.
NPCs now fulfill their social needs while wandering.

Plus, other development tweaks.

AI Enhancements

Pseudodog phantoms now appear less often.
Zombies’ limbs don’t twist weirdly when knocked down.
Big mutants no longer hide behind tiny objects.
Mutant limbs stretch less when shot.
Rats don’t replay bloody effects after dying from grenades.
NPCs detect players less quickly when they’re sneaking.
NPCs now open doors before entering.
Main story NPCs can’t be controlled by players.
Chimeras don’t try to squeeze into tight spots anymore.
NPCs don’t teleport into safe zones.
Mutants change cover when hit.
Burer’s telepathy effects are improved.
NPC combat from cover is better.
Burer’s throwing animation fixed.
NPCs now engage in mission-related talks without delay.
Mutants don’t attack downed zombies anymore.
NPCs don’t get stuck aiming.
Reanimated zombies don’t repeat death animations.
Neutral NPCs become hostile if attacked.
Broken arms for shooting NPCs are fixed.
Improved NPC behavior in large battles.
Chimeras can’t be killed using the carousel anomaly.
NPCs don’t shoot through walls anymore.
Peaceful NPCs are even more peaceful.
NPCs stop fighting when emissions start.
Mutants can now jump off obstacles.
NPCs don’t get stuck after emissions end.
Bandits behave better post-emission during Bullseye mission.
NPCs don’t teleport if they can’t find a route.
NPCs resume conversations after loading saves.
Mutant corpses don’t fly far from where they died.

And over 50 minor “anomalies” were fixed.

Balance Adjustments

Missions now reward players more.
Artifacts with Physical Protection offer their full potential.
“Goldfish” artifact value set to 14,000 coupons.
Unlimited coupons exploit fixed.
No more infinite money trick with weapons selling.
A-Life NPCs won’t spawn dead with full ammo clips.
Snork’s cooldown time increased by 30%.
Gauss rifle now hits harder.
Increased difficulty for certain fights.
Harpy mission rewards recalculated.
No more instant player death from radiation.
Poltergeist and Burer damage bugs fixed.
POS 8x scope removed from some merchants.
PSY field damage tweaked.

With over 10 more minor fixes delivered.

Crash Fixes, Performance, and Optimization

Gamepad movement and aiming improved for smoother control.
Performance in crowded areas enhanced.
Performance issues with NVIDIA RTX 3000 cards fixed.
Game freezing issues during missions addressed.
Bluetooth controller issues resolved for Razer Kishi Ultra and others.
Visual artifacts in UI with DLSS fixed.
Buildings no longer disappear from view.
FPS drops from water particles reduced.
FPS dips when interacting with corpses in water fixed.
Various crash issues like EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION resolved.
Fatal Errors and Assertion Failures addressed.

Overall, over 200 crashes were investigated and resolved.

Cutscenes

Facial animations and voiceovers improved in multiple scenes.
Missing frames in cutscenes fixed.
NPCs reappear in cutscenes.
Main characters no longer idle or have detached body parts in scenes.
Subtitles in scenes are back.
Haptic feedback returns in scenes.
Final cutscene plays correctly in The Eternal Shining mission.
Back to the Slag Heap mission cutscene starts properly.
Invisible issues during In Search of a Guide cutscene fixed.
Player deaths during cutscenes addressed in The Last Step mission.

Overall, over 80 cutscene issues were addressed.

Interactable Objects

Fixed locked doors during Wishful Thinking mission.
Ammo boxes and lamps now have correct physics.
NPCs no longer block doorways.
Ladder sounds and clipping issues fixed.
Sound interaction with dead bodies fixed.
Doors no longer shake when touched by NPCs.
Loot and body pickup prompts appear correctly.
Healing prompts require medkits now.
Non-interactable consumables issue fixed.

And up to 20 other related issues were fixed.

Main Line Missions and Story Progression

Over 15 bugs in On the Edge mission resolved, including healing and mutant entry issues.
A Minor Incident mission bugs fixed, like journal stage cancellations.
Visions of Truth mission bugs resolved, including dialogue issues.
The Last Wish mission dialogue and softlock issues addressed.
Assault on the Duga mission pathfinding issues fixed.
Just Like the Good Old Days mission progression bugs resolved.
Subtile Matter mission progression issues fixed.
Wishful Thinking mission door issues resolved.
Dogfight mission dialogue blocker fixed.
Hot on the Trail mission dialogue issues addressed.
A Sign of Hope side mission availability fixed.
Escape from the Cage mission endless spawn issue resolved.
Dead Frequency mission journal progression fixed.
King of the Hill mission stealth path fixed.
Camera control issues after loading saves resolved.
There and Back Again mission cutscene issues fixed.
On the Fire mission dialogue blockers resolved.
Bandit Mayhem mission cargo return issue fixed.
Shift Change mission NPC hostility issue resolved.
Red Fortress unintended area access fixed.
Ad astra per aspera mission armor objectives fixed.
Swamps region mission NPC idle issues resolved.
Happiness for Everyone mission progression bugs fixed.
Answers Come at a Price mission softlock resolved.
Dark Times mission completion blockers fixed.
The Boundary mission NPC spawn issues resolved.

Overall, over 250 bugs and blockers were fixed in the Main Missions section.

Side Missions and Open World Encounters

Fixed spectator deaths during Arena fights on Rostok.
Emission issues in The Freedom Colosseum mission resolved.
Rostok Arena balance improved.
Enerhetyk Palace guide issue during Down Below mission fixed.
Mission completion blockers resolved.
Vadyk Firecracker appearance timing adjusted.
A-life NPCs no longer kill key NPCs.
Passage blocking issues in 100 Rads Bar fixed.
Ward technician reputation issues resolved.
Agroprom Underground encounter issues fixed.
Gun mission item bug resolved.
Rookie Village NPC issues fixed.
Locked room access issues fixed.
SIRCAA spawn timing adjusted.
Begging Stalker encounter issues resolved.
Chemical Plant dialogue issues fixed.
100 rads Bar NPC teleportation fixed.
Mission freeze issues in A Matter of Honor resolved.
All that is left mission encounter issues fixed.
The Sound of Music mission NPC presence issues resolved.
On the Edge mission progression bugs fixed.

With over 100 more bugs fixed.

Open World Direction, Exploration, and Zone Experience

Lightning Ball movement issues in Opachychi village fixed.
Arch anomaly artifacts now appear consistently.
Dead body physics improved.
Equipment damage while crouching in Razor fixed.
Corpses no longer disappear.
Tree texture issues resolved.
Toxic Cloud anomaly idle effects fixed.
Rat swarms spawn correctly in Mist anomaly.
Characters no longer become wet in dry areas.
Sharp weather changes at specific times fixed.
Wandering lights artifact spawn issues resolved.
Bulba arch-anomaly appearance fixed.
Non-lootable corpse spawn issues fixed.
Abandoned Hamlet artifact access fixed.
Combat bark distance increased.
Emission doorway blocking issues resolved.
NPC spawn and stuck issues on isolated surfaces fixed.
Bullet penetration effects improved.
Cloth simulation for NPC corpses enhanced.
Blood decal issues resolved.
Nighttime environment brightness fixed.
Zombie waking animations no longer reset when players look away.
Emission cutscene issues resolved.
Post-combat aggression from diggers fixed.

And some other improvements.

Player Gear and Player State Adjustments

Helmets now have Psi and Rad protection.
SSP-100 Discovery and SSP-99 Ecologist armor Psi protection fixed.
Lead Container upgrade issue on PSZ-5V armor resolved.
Smoke from silenced shots reduced.
Magazine attachment arm issues fixed.
Bullet visibility during reload fixed.
Water splash sound for bolts added.
Empty shells no longer eject instead of bullets.
Animation sequences with weapon reload and consumables improved.
Bolt impact sound for long throws fixed.
Rifle scopes appearance minor fixes.
Items now consumed correctly via quick slots.
Main weapon upgrades no longer apply to underbarrel modules.
Jammed weapon animations minor fixes.
Weapon and detector simultaneous equipment issue fixed.
Death screen now displays correct cause of death.
Clipping issues during melee stealth kills resolved.
VFX particles for psy phantoms fixed.
Guitar playing control loss issue fixed.
Unlimited carrying capacity exploit fixed.
Unlimited stamina exploit fixed.

And over 50 other issues were addressed.

Player Guidance, Game Setting, and Menus

Tutorials updated for better first-time user experience.
Random weapon spawn and equip issue fixed.
Trading weapon position swap issue resolved.
X7 suit upgrades enabled.
Pre-installed module detachment revert option added.
Unique markers for electro-collared mutants added.
System notification UI reworked.
Armor upgrade descriptions updated.
Mission marker disappearance issue fixed.
Trading with Noontide base NPCs disabled.
PDA upgrade menu UI elements reworked.
PDA menu icons redesigned.
Upgrade tree UI direction inconsistency fixed.
Ammo type change animation from gamepad fixed.
Threat indication appearance fixed.
PDA mouse scroll sound fixed.
Output device option reset issue resolved.
Specific save file black screen issue fixed.
Redundant settings reset pop-up removed.
Upscaling quality settings translated.
Stashes marker color changed to violet.
Technicians can now install certain armor upgrades.
SSP-100 Discovery armor upgrade issue fixed.
Consumable application via quick slots issue resolved.
Crosshair appearance after reload issue fixed.
PDA note scrolling issue resolved.
Movement and sprinting issues after save load fixed.
HDR White Point option issue resolved.

And almost 100 other “anomalies” were fixed in this section.

Achievements

“The four Winds” achievement issue fixed.
“Bingo” achievement issue fixed.
Achievement unlocking issues in EGS store resolved.

Saves

Save loading issues after unexpected termination fixed.
Save file disappearance after hard reboot resolved.

Other Improvements

Over 15 localization and voiceover updates.
Over 40 audio adjustments and volume tweaks.
Over 20 character and NPC visual improvements.

And over 500 fixes for

Foliage.
Texture flickering.
Navigation mesh bugs.
Collisions.
Object positioning and contextual action errors.
VFX-related issues.
Non-destructible objects.
And more.

In This Article:
Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl