STALKER 2 has just rolled out its most extensive update to date, featuring over 1200 fixes and changes that tackle nearly every issue in the game. Dive in to discover the key improvements and what they enhance.
STALKER 2 Patch Fixes Over 1200 Issues
Balance Fixes, Better Performance, Tweaks to Main and Side Quests, and More
Horror-themed action and immersive sim S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, commonly known as STALKER 2, has released Patch 1.3, promising an enhanced gameplay experience. Fans can now re-enter the revamped Chornobyl Exclusion Zone, benefiting from over 1200 tweaks and improvements. These range from gameplay enhancements like combat mechanics and balance changes, to fixing main and side quests, and addressing hundreds of bugs and performance issues for a more immersive experience.
Developers GSC Game World have meticulously documented every change in the full patch notes, available on the game’s official website. For those eager to jump back into the action without sifting through extensive notes, the key highlights are conveniently summarized on the game’s Steam community page.
The patch's highlights include combat improvements such as smoother AI pathing for mutant enemies and enhanced ambush tactics, making the Zone's hostile environment more challenging. The Archiartifacts have been rebalanced, with significant adjustments to the Weird Kettle, which now applies a specific debuff based on the type of food consumed, rather than being randomized.
Several critical bugs have been eliminated, including a glitch that allowed players to permanently stack the effects of unequipped artifacts, various bugs that halted story or quest progression, and NPC-related issues like missing guide NPCs or NPCs blocking player movement.
GSC Game World remains committed to ongoing game improvements following a challenging and buggy launch. At the conclusion of the patch notes, they invite players to submit feedback to the game’s Technical Support Center, urging them to report any "unexpected anomaly" for their team to "take a closer look at it to annihilate and destroy the danger to the Zone."
Huge Patches Are Normal For STALKER 2
While 1,200 bug fixes in Patch 1.3 might seem daunting, it's par for the course for STALKER 2 and GSC Game World, who have a history of releasing substantial update patches. The preceding Patch 1.2 introduced over 1,700 fixes, so many that the Steam community page couldn't list them all. However, Patch 1.1 was the largest, with a massive 110 GB of patch content and 1,800 fixes.
With each major update delivering at least 1,000 fixes, the developers have their hands full. Yet, the decreasing number of fixes per patch suggests ongoing improvements and fewer issues to resolve.
