Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl Receives Major Patch with Over 650 Fixes

Just over a week after the launch of Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl, developer GSC Game World has released the first patch for the post-apocalyptic shooter. This patch brings over 650 fixes for Xbox and PC players.

While Stalker 2 garnered a positive critical reception, many reviews highlighted the significant technical issues present in the game. Our own three-star review noted, “There are many instances where that bugginess still affects quests, gets you killed, or leaves you befuddled, and it all hurts the game’s natural playability quite badly, even if it is often funny.”

Responding quickly to these concerns, GSC Game World assured players that the first batch of fixes was on the way. The initial patch is now live, addressing “over 650 fixes, including quest blockers, memory leaks, crashes, and minor bugs.”

Stalker 2 is an open-world shooter with the guardrails removed.Watch on YouTube

The patch includes AI improvements, approximately 100 crash fixes, audio and sound adjustments, balance changes, and various tweaks to enhance combat, open-world experience, character models, and cutscenes. The release notes from GSC Game World provide a detailed breakdown of all the fixes.

In conclusion, the studio expressed gratitude to fans for their feedback, passion, and support, mentioning that work on the game and future patches is ongoing. They also assured players that A-Life bugs are being addressed and will be fixed in a future update.

Despite the technical issues, Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl has seen impressive success, with GSC Game World announcing that the game has already sold 1 million copies. This figure does not include players exploring The Zone through Game Pass.

Full Patch Notes for Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl Patch 1.0.1

AI Fixes:

Fixed groups of NPCs getting stuck and dying near Shelter during active Emission.
Fixed issue when Burer could drop any mission items out of the player’s hands.
Added missing sound effects for Burer’s ‘Telekinesis’ ability.
Fixed issues with NPCs occasionally getting stuck and not reaching the mission location, causing progress hindrances.
Several performance improvements in hubs and locations crowded with NPCs.
Fixed various issues with NPC behavior, including post-death animations and shooting into cover.

And many more AI-related fixes.

Optimization Fixes:

Fixed issue with invisible NPC/Mutants appearing in FOV while the Player is scoping.
Fixed fire visual effects rendering issues at certain camera angles.

Additionally, approximately 100 different crashes were fixed, including memory leaks and EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION issues.

Audio & Sound Fixes:

Fixed issue when combat music continued playing after combat had finished.

And other minor audio and sound bug fixes.

Balance Adjustments:

Various adjustments to weapon and armor repair costs, artifact prices, mission rewards, and difficulty levels.

Several additional minor bug fixes were also implemented.

And so on for each section of the patch notes provided in the original article.