GSC GameWorld has just released a new update for STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl. According to the patch notes, Update 2.1 brings many fixes and changes to the Zone. It improves A-Life, fixes quest bugs, updates key areas, and makes combat more reliable. The update also adds new options for how far NPCs and other objects can appear in the world.
One of the main changes is a new option to increase the distance at which A-Life NPCs appear. This lets players see people and mutants from farther away. Binoculars now work with these new distances, too. The game also adjusts how far away players can hear gunfights.
The update fixes many issues with NPCs and mutants. Enemies should no longer spawn in huge numbers in some areas or get stuck in the air. NPCs can now react better to melee attacks, take cover, and fight the player as they should. They should also stop moving during talks and no longer get stuck while looting bodies.
The update also adds fast travel with squad leaders. It brings changes to anomalies, too. Their effects now work better with the new view distance settings. Some visual effects have been improved, and the game now draws anomalies from farther away based on the chosen setting.
Combat gets many small but useful fixes. Enemies should aim in the right direction and attack the player more often when needed. Some attacks now work as they should, and NPCs can move and fight with fewer issues.
The update also fixes many bugs tied to dead bodies. Bodies should no longer float in the air, move after a save is loaded, or appear right in front of the player. Other fixes stop NPCs from getting stuck in fires or falling through the ground.
Several changes also improve combat areas. Cover has been adjusted to help enemy AI act better. The update fixes collision issues in the Zulu boss fight and other areas. It also fixes cases where enemies could walk through closed rooms or get stuck behind hidden walls.
Patch 2.1 fixes a large number of story and side quest bugs. Some missions could not start at all. Others could break during a cutscene or stop the player from moving forward. These issues have now been fixed across many quests.
The patch also fixes missing characters and quest items. Some NPCs could vanish during key story moments, while others could spawn in the wrong place. These bugs have been fixed in missions such as Deal With The Devil, Hot On The Trail, and The Assault on the Duga.
Other fixes cover broken mission goals, missing dialogue, and cutscenes that could be skipped by using fast travel. The update also fixes cases where players could skip parts of a mission by using parkour or reach areas that were not meant to be open.
The team has also fixed several issues with emissions. Some could stop without warning or pause during a mission. Others could kill the player during a cutscene. These changes should help keep quests moving as planned.
Furthermore, Update 2.1 brings many visual fixes across the Zone. It improves hair, lighting, textures, and other effects during both play and cutscenes. Some characters had odd hair lighting or visual bugs, while other objects could pop into view in a way that broke the scene.
Several areas have also been updated. The team has improved level design and art in places such as the CNPP, Generators, Cooling Tower, and Malachite. The X-16 lab and parts of key story missions have also been changed.
Performance has been improved in some missions and areas. The patch fixes frame rate drops near the Perimeter Dam and Underpass Exit. It also fixes a memory leak that could happen when too many map markers were shown. The map should now work better and be less likely to freeze.
Other fixes include better water effects, less bright fog during the day, and improved anomaly visuals. Some trees and leaves have also been fixed. The patch also fixes sound bugs, including gunfire that could sound as if it came from outside when it was fired indoors.
Players using handheld PCs and SteamOS should also see some fixes. The update fixes gamepad issues on portable devices and Steam machines. It also fixes a bug that could stop DLC from being applied on the first launch through SteamOS. GeForce NOW users should now be able to launch DLC as well.
It’s also worth noting that this patch updates some text, fixes typos in the Ukrainian version, and improves the wording of graphics and video settings. It changes the look of the Flare light anomaly and improves how far away anomalies can be seen.
As always, Steam will download this new update the next time you launch its client. Below, you can also find its full patch notes.
STALKER 2 Patch 2.1 Release Notes
Highlights
⚔️AI and Combat
- Fixed the issue with massive NPCs or mutants spawning at the Rostok location.
- Fixed the issue when the NPC had the levitating weapon behind their back.
- Fixed the issue with excessive spawn of mercenary NPCs at the Duga location.
- Fixed an issue where armed NPCs would aim in unintended directions.
- Adjusted NPCs’ reaction to the player’s melee attack.
- Fixed an issue when NPC was able to get stuck while looting the corpse.
- Increased internal height of some covers (this should improve AI behavior while using small covers).
- Fixed an issue when the Amok Run attack might fail to trigger when initiated out of line of sight.
- Fixed an issue where NPCs would not attack the player when not directly looked at.
- Fixed an issue where NPCs could get stuck inside the campfires.
- Extended the audible range of gunfights based on the streaming distance setting.
- Fixed an issue where A-Life NPC and mutants could get stuck mid-air.
- Increased the identification range for the binoculars when using the increased A-life streaming distance setting.
- Fixed an issue where A-Life NPCs would not stop moving during a dialogue.
🛠️🐞⚡ Bug Fixes and Performance
- Fixed the scope mark at Margach D-12MT with FSR FrameGen.
- Fixed the several scopes that have blurry texture when aiming down sights.
- Fixed the sound effects during the cutscene in The destructive power of the mind mission.
- Fixed the animation of PDA-hiding for Dr.Kryvenko during the A Long Overdue Visit mission.
- Fixed the issue when some dead bodies could get stuck in the air during the Dangerous way mission.
- Fixed the visible spawn of NPCs during the The destructive power of the mind mission.
- Fixed the NPCs spawn after the cutscene during the Moving in the shadows mission.
- Adjusted the Scar spawn during the cutscene in Subtle Matter mission.
- Fixed the duplication of the Strider’s shell during the Hot On The Trail mission.
- Adjusted the appearance of subtitles during The price of a miracle mission.
- Fixed the issue when the dead NPCs could stuck midair if were spawned outside the player’s view.
- Fixed the journal objectives behavior during the Dangerous way mission.
- Fixed the issue with the gamepad usage on the portable consoles and Steam machine.
- Fixed an issue where tooltips for unexplored locations appeared on the map.
- Fixed collision issues for the Zulu bossfight area.
- Fixed an issue where a section of the dungeon beneath the SIRCAA location would disappear right in front the player’s view.
- Fixed the performance drops during the To the origins of Freedom mission at the Perimeter Dam location.
- Fixed the issue that caused the missing NPCs on the PS5 platform after the update to the 2.0 patch.
- Fixed the issue on PS5 when Varan was missing during the Deal With The Devil mission.
- Fixed the issue on PS5 when Squint was missing during the A Needle In A Haystack mission.
- Fixed the issue on PS5 when Scar and his squad could be missing during the The Assault On The Duga mission.
- Fixed the issue on PS5 when Sava was missing during the Hot On The Trail mission.
- Fixed the issue when the starting missions of DLC could not be started.
- Fixed the issue on PS5 when the Shcherba could be missing during the In Search Of Past Glory mission.
- Fixed the issue with missing elevator doors during the Law And Order mission.
- Fixed the issue where the player could navigate outside the map during the Wishful Thinking mission.
- Fixed the issue on PS5 when the dead body with the quest item could be missing during the Deal With The Devil mission.
- Fixed the issue where Warden’s guards were located behind the wall during the A Long Overdue Visit mission.
- Fixed the issue on PS5 when the dead body with the key to the basement could be missing during the Chasing Ghosts mission.
- Fixed the issue on PS5 when the dead body with the quest item could be missing during the Deal With The Devil mission.
- Fixed the issue where the player could skip a cutscene via fast travel during the Dangerous Liaisons mission.
- Fixed the issue on PS5 when the NPC Zotov could be missing during the Once More Unto The Breach mission.
- Fixed the issue where the sound of gunfire occurring indoors was produced outdoors.
- Fixed the issue when NPC Harpoon appears only after combat near the Kurin hub.
- Fixed the issue when the Ward NPC did not spawn during the Visions Of Truth mission.
- Fixed the issue with Richter’s hair during some missions.
- Fixed Agatha’s hair glowing effect during the cutscene in Wishful Thinking mission.
- Fixed an issue where the visual effects of some anomalies would freeze at a distance.
- Fixed the lighting of Mavka’s hair during the The destructive power of the mind mission.
- Fixed Mavka’s hair appearance during the cutscene.
- Fixed visual issues with hair during the cutscene in In the heart of the Iron Forest mission.
- Fixed Lens teleported to the roof of his garage in Zalissya when approaching from a distance.
- Fixed the missing Star NPC for PS5 players during the Dawn Of A New Day mission.
- Fixed an issue when corpses could change their positions after loading the saved game.
- Fixed the Skif’s pistol behavior during the cutscene in Moving in the shadows mission.
- Fixed sudden foliage appearance during the end of Moving in the shadows mission.
- Fixed the issue when the Strider could be missing for a couple of frames during the cutscene in Subtle Matter mission.
- Fixed the issue where the player character could not move after loading save near the wall during the “There and Back Again” mission.
- Fixed tracking for the longest kill distance statistic.
- Fixed the issue when the emission during the “Behind Seven Seals” mission could suddenly stop.
- Fixed quest logic breaking exploit for Fair Deal mission, when the user was able to get to the room before Cleaver spawned there.
- Fixed the visible spawn of the Pseudogiant during the elevator sequence in The price of a miracle mission.
- Fixed the visible spawn of Scar and his guards during the cutscene in Subtle Matter mission.
- Fixed the issue with overshadowed leaves on Poplar trees.
- Fixed the issue when the flare triggered while waking up at the end of The price of a miracle mission.
- Fixed the issue where Zen moved to the wrong position and replied with busy topics during Uninvited guests mission.
- Fixed performance issues at the Underpass Exit location during the Dangerous way mission.
- Fixed an issue where Bandits were unable to return to their positions near Chief’s bunker after an emission.
- Fixed an issue where the Faraday anomaly rendered on the GPU when inactive.
- Fixed the issue when zombies were able to leave the restricted area at the Sawmill location during the Fair deal mission.
- Fixed the issue with water drops freezing in the air during movement.
- Fixed an issue where many map markers caused a memory leak and map unresponsiveness.
- Fixed typos in the Ukrainian localization.
- Fixed the way to skip the water bulb anomaly during the Moving in the shadows mission.
- Fixed an issue where the player could receive a stash location for an already looted stash on Master difficulty.
- Fixed the issue when Nitro could be missing during the Unexpected Alliance mission.
- Fixed the issue where the fight with mutants occurred again after loading a save during the Unexpected alliance mission.
- Fixed an issue when dead bodies were spawned and fell on the ground in front of the player’s view.
- Fixed the issue where foggy weather during the day was too bright.
- Fixed the issues with the dead bodies that could spawn right before the player’s eyes.
- Fixed the bug when Zone’s deadliest predator could only be achieved if all mutants were killed in one play session.
- Fixed the issue when the sequence with Chekhov could not be started during the To the origins of Freedom mission.
- Fixed an issue where Skull’s stash was not marked on the map during the Shift Change mission.
- Fixed an issue where some artifacts could be spawned under the level geometry.
- Fixed the issue when the forced dialogue with bandits was missing during the encounter at Garbage region.
- Fixed an issue where the Arch-artifact clock could fall under the texture.
- Fixed the issue on PS5 when Banzai could be missing on the player’s save.
- Fixed the issue on PS5 where Max Subbota could be missing during The Lost Boys mission.
- Fixed the issue when Lt. Kozymkov spawned in the wrong place during the Dead Frequency mission.
- Fixed the issue when enemies could enter the closed room during the Shift Change mission.
- Fixed the issue when Shterev was immediately revived when killed before talking to him during the Dead Frequency mission.
- Fixed the issue where Zulu could teleport upon returning to the snork cave during the The road to the center of the storm mission.
- Fixed an issue with excessive camera shake when Rascal kills Skull during the White Noise mission.
- Fixed an issue when NPC was able to fall through level geometry after death during the Dangerous way mission.
- Fixed an issue when the Spark squad member sometimes was stuck and struggled to reach the combat area during the The Assault On The Duga mission.
- Fixed the issue where the player’s equipment was reset during the early or advanced start of DLC.
- Fixed the issue where the player could die from emission during the In the heart of the Iron Forest mission.
- Fixed an issue where a player could use parkour in the reactor room to reach areas not intended for access, which would block further progression for the Uninvited Guests mission.
- Fixed an issue where NPCs appeared right in front of the player upon entering Zalissya Bar.
- Fixed the material of the lab tables in the Azimuth Station control center during the Chasing Ghosts mission.
- Fixed the issue where the player could die from bleeding during the cutscene in The road to the center of the storm mission.
- Fixed the issue where Zulu’s armor was located in the air after loading a save.
- Fixed the issue where the player could die from bleeding during the cutscene in Dangerous way mission.
- Fixed the issue where the player was unable to trade with Chief after completing the Fair Deal mission.
- Fixed the issue when Shterev was dead during the Dead Frequency mission.
- Fixed the issue with the emission pausing during The destructive power of the mind and The road to the center of the storm missions.
- Fixed the issue where the player was unable to shoot through bushes and tree branches.
- Fixed the issue when NPCs were unable to see or shoot the player through mesh fences and barred walls during the To the origins of Freedom mission.
- Fixed the issue on PS5 when Solder was missing on the Sphere during the An Invisible Threat mission.
- Fixed the issue on PS5 when Kaymanov was missing at the end of the Dark Times mission.
- Fixed the issue where Poltergeists could be located behind an invisible collision during the Shadows of the past mission.
- Fixed the issue on PS5 when Shcherba was missing near Dvupalov at the end of the In Search Of Past Glory mission.
- Fixed the issue on PS5 when the dead body with the quest item was missing in the Diode’s workshop during the The Price Goes Up mission.
- Fixed the broken texture of the dashboard model during the Chasing Ghosts mission.
🗺️ Main & Side Quests, Open World Encounters
- Level Art and Level Design improvements during the To the origins of Freedom mission.
- Level Art and Level Design improvements inside the X-16 lab location.
- Changed the logic of the Gates access at the Chemical Plant location after the Signal.
- Fixed the issue when the Zhuzha’s grave could be missing after the A school of life mission.
- Fixed the issue when the The destructive power of the mind could not be started.
- Fixed the issue when the massive amount of Neutrals could leave the Yaniv hub location on the player’s approach.
- Fixed the issue when the The road to the center of the storm mission could not be started.
- Fixed the issue when the Shadows of the past and To the origins of Freedom missions could not be started.
- Fixed the way to skip the centrifuge sequence during the Moving in the shadows mission.
- Fixed the issue when the Pseudogiant was not activating the tripwires during the In the heart of the Iron Forest mission.
- Changed the final reward for the Mediator mission.
- Fixed the issue when the Territorial war mission could not be started.
- Fixed the ambush logic during the Mediator mission.
- Adjusted the spawn of snorks during the Legends Of The Zone mission.
- Level Art and Level design improvements for Generators region.
- Level Art and level design improvements for Cooling Tower region.
- Level Art and Level design improvements for CNPP region.
- Level Art and Level design improvements for Malachite region.
- Fixed and issued with an invisible anomaly inside the X18 lab.
- Fixed the issue when the emission could start during the The destructive power of the mind mission.
- Fixed the issue when the The destructive power of the mind mission could not be started.
- Fixed the issue when the Distant Mirage mission could not be started.
- Fixed the issue when the player could avoid spawn triggers during the Where hope leads mission.
- Fixed the issue where the player could use parkour to skip the part of The forgotten mission.
- Fixed the issue where the player could run through the radiation field during the The Last Wish mission.
- Fixed the issue when the In the heart of the Iron Forest mission could not be started.
- Level Art and Level Design improvements for The road to the center of the storm mission.
- Fixed collision issues on the stairs in The price of a miracle mission.
- Fixed an issue where the player could get stuck in a building after fast traveling to Zalissya before watching the cutscene.
- Level Art and Level Design improvements for The destructive power of the mind mission.
- Level Art and Level Design improvements for Gunpowder, sweat, and blood mission locations.
🔹 Other Updates
- Fixed an issue where DLC and add-ons were not applied during the first launch on SteamOS.
- Fixed the issue where GeForce OW users were unable to launch DLC.
- Fixed localization for some texts during the new campaign start.
- Adjusted descriptions of some graphical and video settings in the options.
- Changed the visual effects for the Flare light anomaly.
- Increased the render distance of anomalies based on the Streaming distance settings.
John is the founder and Editor in Chief at DSOGaming. He is a PC gaming fan and highly supports the modding and indie communities. Before creating DSOGaming, John worked on numerous gaming websites. While he is a die-hard PC gamer, his gaming roots can be found on consoles. John loved – and still does – the 16-bit consoles, and considers SNES to be one of the best consoles. Still, the PC platform won him over consoles. That was mainly due to 3DFX and its iconic dedicated 3D accelerator graphics card, Voodoo 2. John has also written a higher degree thesis on the “The Evolution of PC graphics cards.”
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