Summary
- The first post-release STALKER 2 update is coming on the week of November 25.
- The patch will introduce fixes, improvements, and changes related to crashes, quest progression blockers, gameplay balance, visual glitches, and more.
- Controller deadzone settings and fixes for STALKER 2's A-Life system issues won't be part of the upcoming update, but both are promised to be on the way.
GSC Game World has revealed a number of bug fixes and other changes that will be included in the first post-release update for STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl. The upcoming STALKER 2 patch is scheduled to roll out in late November 2024.
The fourth entry in GSC's immersive sim series hit the digital and physical store shelves on November 20. STALKER 2 had already received several updates by that time, the latest of which came close to completely replacing the game's preload build on the Xbox Series X/S. Of course, only the players who had access to a review copy of the game were able to actually see the improvements that these updates have introduced.
STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl Reaches Big Sales Milestone
GSC Game World announces that STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl has reached a major sales milestone in less than 48 hours after launch.
As for STALKER 2's first post-release update, developer GSC Game World has just announced it on Saturday, November 23. The new patch is planned to be released on the week of November 25. It will roll out to both the Xbox and PC versions of STALKER 2 simultaneously. GSC listed half a dozen categories of fixes and improvements that will be part of the upcoming release, including those targeting crashes, quest progression, gameplay balance, visual issues, and user interface elements.
Specifically, a number of cases of memory allocation failures leading to STALKER 2 crashes are promised to be fixed by the upcoming update. Ditto for a variety of bugs blocking main quest progression, including instances of NPCs getting stuck in terrain or objects, broken quest markers, and glitched cutscenes. The patch will also fix a peculiar bug that can soft-lock players if they place ammo in the wrong slot while using a gamepad in the trading interface, preventing them from exiting the menu.
Upcoming STALKER 2 Update Won't Address All Known Issues With the Game
The patch won't address all known issues with the game that GSC has acknowledged since November 20. Among them is the lack of controller stick deadzone settings in STALKER 2—a feature the developer has already promised, but one that's still lacking a firm release window. Since the day-one version of the game also doesn't have a default deadzone offset, it can be challenging to control on gamepads with even minimal stick drift.
Another set of issues that GSC is still working on addressing concern STALKER 2's A-Life system. According to some early adopter impressions, the game has a tendency to frequently spawn mobs too close to the player, to the point that such behavior breaks immersion. GSC confirmed that A-Life fixes are on the way but won't be part of its first update targeting STALKER 2's launch issues.
STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl – Late November 2024 Update: Preliminary Patch Notes
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Crash Fixes, including:
- Issues and memory allocation failures, which previously caused the game to exit unexpectedly, particularly around rendering, skeletal meshes, and quest-related cutscenes.
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Main Quest Progression Fixes, including:
- Several bugs blocking the main quest progression, NPCs getting stuck in objects, incorrect quest markers, and issues with quest cutscenes.
- Revision of the main quests (like Visions of Truth or A Minor Incident) to ensure smooth transitions, avoiding rare cases of players not being able to proceed further.
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Gameplay & Balance Adjustments, including:
- Fixing the price of the weapons with upgrades installed compared to their value without attachments.
- NPCs behavior, including the way they act when lacking a shelter during the Emissions.
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Cutscenes & Visual Fixes, including:
- Rarely missing facial animations, misplaced NPCs, and visual inconsistencies like detached heads and clothes clipping.
- Quality and stability improvements of the visual effects.
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Softlock Fixes, including:
- Issue where players were unable to close the trade screen after putting ammo in a wrong slot while playing on a gamepad.
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User Interface Improvements, including:
- Quest notifications now showed correctly during dialogues.
- Corrected texts and missing interaction prompts.
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Noted to be addressed in future updates:
- Analogue sticks dead zones bugfixes.
- A-Life system bugfixes.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 75 /100 Critics Rec: 64%
- Released
- November 20, 2024
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco
- Developer(s)
- GSC Game World
- Publisher(s)
- GSC Game World
WHERE TO PLAY
Chornobyl Exclusion Zone has changed dramatically after the second massive explosion in the year 2006. Violent mutants, deadly anomalies, and warring factions have made the Zone a very tough place to survive.
Nevertheless, artifacts of unbelievable value attracted many people called S.T.A.L.K.E.R.s, who entered the Zone for their own risk, striving to make a fortune out of it or even to find the Truth concealed in the Heart of Chornobyl.
EPIC NONLINEAR STORY IN SEAMLESS OPEN WORLD
Take over a role of the lone stalker and explore photorealistic seamless open world in a 64-km² radioactive zone with a variety of environments that reveal post-apocalyptic atmosphere from different angles. Make your way through the Zone to define your destiny as you choose your paths within highly branching epic story.
VARIETY OF ENEMIES AND HUNDREDS OF WEAPON COMBINATIONS
Meet members of different factions deciding who of them worth your friendship and who deserve a bullet. Engage intense gunfights with a variety of enemies that follow different tactics trying to outsmart you. Choose your preferable firearms from 30+ types of weapons with numerous modifications that allow creating hundreds of distinctive lethal combinations.
LEGENDARY MUTANTS WITH DIFFERENT BEHAVIOUR MODELS
Prepare to encounter horrifying mutated creatures that will try to slaughter you following different behaviour model. Each mutant may appear in different subtypes which makes their behaviour less predictible. Truly extreme danger represent regions with lairs with numerous mutants hunting in large groups.
ARTIFACTS OF INCREDIBLE VALUE AND UNFORGIVING ANOMALIES
The most valuable artifacts and secrets of the Zone are hidden in the most dangerous places. Beware of the hazardous anomalies and unique devastating arch-anomalies as you hunt for highly valuable artifacts scattered around the Zone. Will you dare to unveil the mysteries of the Zone that took lives of many others before you?
GOOD HUNTING, STALKER!
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 5
- Franchise
- S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC
- Genre(s)
- First-Person Shooter, Open-World, Post-Apocalyptic, Survival
