STALKER 2 Patch 1.2: Over 1,700 Fixes, A-Life 2.0 Added

GSC Game World, the developers behind STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl, have released a significant update, Patch 1.2, which addresses a whopping 1,700 fixes and improvements. This comprehensive update touches every aspect of the game, including balance, locations, quests, blockers, crashes, performance, and the much-discussed A-Life 2.0 system.

Since its launch in November, STALKER 2 has enjoyed a positive reception on Steam and achieved over 1 million sales. This is a remarkable achievement for the Ukrainian studio, especially considering the challenging circumstances following Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. However, the game has not been without its issues, notably with the A-Life 2.0 system.

A-Life, a hallmark feature from the original STALKER game, manages AI behavior throughout the game world. It's designed to simulate life in the Zone independently of the player's actions, fostering realistic AI and the emergent gameplay that fans adore. GSC promised that A-Life 2.0 would enhance this experience, making the Zone feel more alive than ever and enabling unprecedented emergent gameplay. Yet, upon release, many players felt that A-Life 2.0 fell short of expectations, with some even doubting its presence in the game.

In an interview with IGN, GSC discussed the challenges faced with A-Life 2.0 and committed to resolving these issues. Patch 1.1, released in December, was the first step in this process, and Patch 1.2, now available, marks significant progress. Below are the detailed patch notes:

STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl Update 1.2 Patch Notes:

AI

• Fixed a bug preventing A-Life NPCs from approaching corpses correctly. They can now loot and switch to better weapons.
• Improved corpse looting behavior for NPCs.
• Fixed issues with NPCs looting body armor and helmets from corpses.
• Addressed faction-specific corpse looting.
• Enhanced NPC shooting accuracy and bullet dispersion across all distances and weapons.
• Added randomization to accurate shots in bullet sprays.
• Reduced wall penetration for certain NPC weapon bullets.
• Improved stealth mechanics.
• Fixed an issue where NPCs could end up behind the player after a melee attack.
• Adjusted NPC identification times.
• Fixed long-distance visibility issues at Malachite location.
• Improved mutant combat behavior.
• Resolved AI getting stuck during scripted combat and jumping mutants getting stuck in the air.
• Fixed Controller ability issues and mutant attack positions.
• Corrected Chimera jumping and attack issues.
• Fixed Deer summon spawns and Poltergeist anomaly interactions.
• Addressed mutants running on unreachable surfaces.
• Fixed Pseudodog summon creation issues.
• Added roar ability for Controller.
• Ensured A-Life NPCs heal friendly wounded NPCs.
• Fixed corpse spawning near the player.
• Addressed A-Life NPC access to quest locations.
• Fixed missing characters causing blockers in the main storyline.
• Resolved endless spawning of A-Life militaries near Rookie Village.
• Fixed stuck guard NPCs at Skadovsk.
• Corrected rat spawn issues in lairs.
• Fixed NPC movement post-Emission.
• Resolved disappearing weapons grabbed by Burer ability.
• Improved NPC animations when walking upstairs and for certain mutants.
• Fixed player damage near zombifying NPCs.
• Addressed NPCs getting stuck in doorways post-emission.
• Fixed mutant limb stretching upon shooting.
• Corrected NPC rifle stand position when using a pistol.
• Fixed NPC spawning in front of the player at Sphere location.
• Improved NPC cover and doorway animations.
• Enhanced open-world combat with Pseudogiant near Abandoned Science Campus at Prypiat.
• Fixed NPCs eating, smoking, and drinking through closed helmets.
• Corrected missing death animations for mutants from anomalies.
• Fixed Lex Legend's group return after Emission.
• Addressed rat movement in narrow places.
• Fixed Burer snatching quest weapons from players.
• Corrected NPC behavior after warning players to hide weapons.
• Reduced Bloodsucker spawn rate before completing "Behind Seven Seals" mission.
• Fixed NPCs blocking doorways at Quiets camp after combat.
• Addressed over 70 additional issues.

Balance

• Reduced the anti-radiation effect of the Weird Water arch-artifact.
• Fixed grenade damage to Burer when shield is active.
• Adjusted the number of shots needed to kill Pseudodog summons.
• Increased the frequency of Blind Dog's Jump Attack.
• Rebalanced pistols and silencer attachments.
• Decreased spawn rate for NPCs in exoskeletons.
• Adjusted NPC armor spawn rates, favoring lower and mid-tier armor.
• Increased radiation damage based on accumulated rad-points.
• Reduced early-game spawns of high-tier weaponry for NPCs.
• Added trading options with additional NPCs at Hubs.
• Tweaked economy for "A Job for the Barkeep" missions on Veteran difficulty.
• Implemented various minor balance adjustments.

Optimization and Crashes

• Fixed FPS drops during the Faust boss fight.
• Addressed performance drops when closing PDA or Pause Menu.
• Improved performance by disabling navigation mesh rebuild for multiple objects.
• Fixed memory leaks related to item manipulation.
• Resolved over 100 EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION crashes and other errors.
• Fixed input lag after enabling VSync with FidelityFX Frame Interpolation.
• Added frame rate lock during pause menu, main menu, and loading screens.
• Implemented other optimization tweaks.

Under the Hood

• Improved flashlight shadow casting.
• Fixed NPC relationship changes.
• Corrected ammo type names.
• Addressed title freezing during dialogues.
• Fixed quest logic issues upon NPC death.
• Improved transitions from cutscenes to gameplay.
• Fixed mission logic breaks when giving items via dialogue.
• Corrected dialogue closing issues after trading/upgrading.
• Fixed player teleportation outside playable areas.
• Added custom Aim Assist logic for invisible targets.
• Fixed missing save backups after losing game saves.
• Corrected broken NPC smoking animations.
• Fixed NPC teleportation outside playable areas.
• Addressed achievement issues for clearing lairs stealthily.
• Fixed corrupted in-game saves after deleting local saves and failed cloud syncs.
• Polished PDA models in low light.
• Implemented over 100 other improvements in Optimization & Crashes and Under the Hood sections.

Story

Main Story Line

• Fixed spawning issues for Col. Korshunov and Cpt. Zotov during the "Wishful Thinking" mission.
• Corrected reputation increases with Sultan bandits or Shevchenko stalkers after "Three Captains" mission.
• Fixed Scar NPC hostility during "Visions of Truth" mission.
• Addressed stealth issues in "Shock Therapy" mission.
• Fixed final dialogue issues with Gaffer during "On the Edge" mission.
• Corrected objective persistence after Dalin's death in "Down Below" mission.
• Fixed Inductor despawning during "Hot on the Trail" mission.
• Addressed optional stage issues in "The Eternal Shining" mission.
• Fixed player movement issues in "Legends of the Zone" mission.
• Resolved dialogue looping with Dr. Dalin and Col. Korshunov in "Wishful Thinking" mission.
• Fixed trading issues with Wreck during "The Boundary" mission.
• Addressed door opening issues at STC Malachite in "A Minor Incident" mission.
• Fixed NPC movement during dialogues.
• Corrected Spark squad behavior in "Visions of Truth" mission.
• Fixed objective completion issues in "King of the Hill" mission.
• Adjusted Chimera behavior during "Ad astra per aspera" mission.
• Fixed Ocheret's battle engagement issues.
• Corrected ward guard positions in "Answers Come at a Price" mission.
• Fixed monolithian presence issues in "The Road to the Foundation" mission.
• Addressed persistent objectives in "Shock Therapy" mission.
• Fixed Chimera non-hostility issues in peaceful zones during "The Road to the Foundation" mission.
• Corrected scientist hostility in "Visions of Truth" mission.
• Fixed Noontider hostility issues in "Hot on the Trail" mission.
• Addressed phantom spawn issues in "Eye of the Storm" mission.
• Fixed auto-completion issues in "Three Captains" mission.
• Addressed mission progression issues in "Shift Change" mission.
• Fixed missing or dead NPCs in "Deceive the Deceiver" mission.
• Corrected persistent objectives in "Shock Therapy" mission.
• Fixed mission progression issues in "Just Like the Good Old Days" mission.
• Addressed Strider disappearance issues in "Dark Times" mission.
• Fixed objective completion issues in "The Boundary" mission.
• Corrected missing encounter mission at Icarus Camp checkpoint.
• Fixed one-shot kill issues with Hosha Mohyla in "Answers Come at a Price" mission.
• Reduced rat numbers at Offloading Terminal in "The Road to the Foundation" mission.
• Fixed persistent rainy weather after "The Boundary" mission.
• Addressed incomplete objectives after "Budmo!" mission.
• Fixed NPC death issues in "The Poppy Field" mission.
• Corrected aggressive Strider presence in "An Act of Mercy" mission.
• Fixed warden guard reactions in "Answers Come at a Price" mission.
• Prevented quest item corpse despawns in "Bullseye" and "Shift Change" missions.
• Fixed Strider's status in "Extreme Simplicity" mission.
• Addressed persistent psi-effects after "A Light in the End of the Tunnel" mission.
• Fixed objective failures in "Answers Come at a Price" mission.
• Corrected Pseudogiant fight issues in "Legends of the Zone" mission.
• Fixed interaction issues with Shcherba in "In the Name of Science" mission.
• Addressed cutscene issues with Scar in "Back to the Slag Heap" mission.
• Fixed Skif's bleeding issues post-bossfight in "Down Below" mission.
• Corrected journal entry issues in "Down Below" mission.
• Fixed trading issues in "The Mysterious Case" mission.
• Addressed mercenary squad spawn issues in "Just Like the Good Old Days" mission.
• Fixed persistent optional objectives in "Extreme Simplicity" mission.
• Corrected stuck NPC issues in "A Long Overdue Visit" mission.
• Removed guide usage during assault in "The Boundary" mission.
• Fixed Richter's presence issues in multiple missions.
• Addressed missing dialogue phrases in "On the Edge" mission.
• Fixed stuck NPCs in "On the Edge" mission.
• Corrected infinite rewards in "On the Edge" mission.
• Addressed NPC blocking issues in "On the Edge" mission.
• Fixed Gaffer's combat behavior in "On the Edge" mission.
• Corrected Warlock NPC presence in "On the Edge" mission.
• Fixed Monolithian hostility issues in "An Act of Mercy" mission.
• Addressed Dalin's inspection issues in "Visions of Truth" mission.
• Fixed radio message logic post-Faust bossfight.
• Corrected persistent psi-effects after "A Light in the End of the Tunnel" mission.
• Fixed monolith troop spawn issues in "Happiness for Everyone" mission.
• Addressed missing NPC issues in "Back to the Slag Heap" mission.
• Fixed mercenary squad attack issues in "Just Like the Good Old Days" mission.
• Corrected NPC disappearance during emission in "In Search of Past Glory" mission.
• Fixed mission progression issues in "Dangerous Liaisons" mission.
• Addressed interaction issues with Dvupalov in "In Search of Past Glory" mission.
• Fixed softlock issues in "Dangerous Liaisons" mission.
• Corrected mercenary squad spawn issues in "In Search of Past Glory" mission.
• Addressed stuck player issues in "A Race against Death" mission.
• Fixed interaction issues with Dvupalov and Scherba in "In Search of Past Glory" mission.
• Corrected NPC disappearance issues in "An Act of Mercy" mission.
• Fixed stuck objectives in "The Boundary" mission.
• Addressed mission start issues in "A Big Score" and "Deceive the Deceiver" missions.
• Fixed interaction issues with Prof. Lodochka in "Hot on the Trail" mission.
• Addressed bandit combat issues in "Deceive the Deceiver" mission.
• Fixed objective failure issues in "On the Edge" mission.
• Corrected NPC death issues in "On the Edge" mission.
• Fixed objective failure issues in "An Act of Mercy" mission.
• Addressed monolith soldier spawn issues in "Visions of Truth" mission.
• Fixed stuck NPC issues in "The Assault on the Duga" mission.
• Corrected inaccessible mercenary spawn issues in "Legends of the Zone" mission.
• Addressed zombie behavior issues during Scar bossfight.
• Improved Korshunov's AI and stats during bossfight.
• Fixed Strelok's movement issues during "The Eternal Shining" mission.
• Corrected Faust's clone transparency issues.
• Fixed stuck stage issues in "Visions of Truth" mission.
• Addressed hunting progression issues.
• Fixed Strider's blocking issues in "Hot on the Trail" mission.
• Corrected Scar's presence issues in "Just Like the Good Old Days" mission.
• Fixed monolithian spawn issues in "In Search of Past Glory" mission.
• Addressed stuck issues with Korshunov during bossfight.
• Over 300+ quest issues were addressed within the Main Story.

Side Missions and Encounters

• Fixed free guide service issue.
• Addressed NPC hostility issues in car scam encounters.
• Fixed mission acceptance issues in "Just Business" mission.
• Corrected NPC teleportation issues during dialogues.
• Improved Rodents' spawn in open-world encounters near Rostok.
• Fixed faction relationship issues after "Black Sheep" mission.
• Added new notes in open world and hubs.
• Fixed reward inconsistencies in repeatable missions.
• Addressed missing travel options in dialogues.
• Fixed narrative inconsistencies in loudspeaker announcements at Skadovsk.
• Corrected encounter mission availability after Monolith comeback.
• Addressed Spark branch-specific encounter mission issues.
• Increased loot value at Bloodsucker village stash.
• Fixed stuck repeatable missions in Journal.
• Addressed Malachite Hub lock issues.
• Improved level design in encounters near Rookie Village.
• Fixed dialogue issues with Zhenya Hulk during "The Key to Freedom" mission.
• Addressed missing NPC body issues in encounters near Duga.
• Fixed Pseudodog summon issues in "Arena: Round Two" mission.
• Corrected armor and helmet looting issues in "The Key to Freedom" mission.
• Fixed player stuck issues after fast travel to Malachite.
• Addressed missing guide issues at Yaniv station.
• Fixed shotgun round issues in "The Freedom Colosseum" mission.
• Corrected NPC search behavior during Arena fights.
• Fixed door issues during "A Minor Incident" mission.
• Addressed peaceful NPC issues during "Visions of the Truth" mission.
• Fixed voiceover issues in dialogues with guide NPCs.
• Addressed combat initiation issues between bandit groups.
• Over 130+ additional issues were resolved.

The Zone

Interactable Objects and Zone Experience

• Improved level design for interactive doors at Wild Territory, Rostok.
• Enhanced level art for destructible medical boxes.
• Added missing damaged state icons for weapons looted from NPCs.
• Fixed arch-artifact respawn issues.
• Rebalanced loot for stash near Hydrodynamics Lab.
• Corrected overexposed artifact models.
• Fixed discharged Burner anomaly damage issues.
• Addressed permanent PSI effect from Weird Kettle archartifact.
• Fixed corpse positioning issues during "Wishful Thinking" mission.
• Corrected destructible wood plank effects.
• Fixed door closing issues during "Just Business" mission.
• Addressed fake psi artifact persistence issues.
• Improved strafing jump mechanics for artifacts.
• Fixed Vortex anomaly damage at Yaniv Station.
• Over 30 additional issues were resolved.

Player Gear and Player State

• Fixed hand misplacement after expulsion anomaly.
• Addressed locked door unlocking with grenades.
• Fixed grenade consumption and disappearance issues.
• Added parkour animation from crouch state.
• Corrected razor anomaly damage issues.
• Added NPC death animations from anomalies.
• Fixed auto lean and weapon up movement issues.
• Improved NPC footsteps synchronization.
• Addressed ladder climbing issues with changed keybindings.
• Fixed persistent psy effect issues.
• Corrected player invulnerability issues.
• Fixed corpse clipping issues.
• Addressed reload animation skipping and cancellation.
• Adjusted player acceleration after sprinting.
• Fixed phantom grenade kill issues.
• Decreased default artifact slots for X7 suit.
• Corrected upgrade slot positions on Bulwark Exosuit.
• Fixed inconsistencies in PA-7 Gas Mask upgrade tree.
• Rebalanced PSZ-5D Universal Protection armor suit upgrades.
• Over 50 additional bugs were resolved.

Player Guidance and Game Settings

• Fixed map tooltips and gamepad zoom issues.
• Addressed dimming effects in inventory and item selector.
• Fixed technician upgrade display issues.
• Corrected ammo counter visibility on HUD.
• Addressed under barrel grenade launcher display issues.
• Fixed stash location notification issues.
• Corrected gamepad item dragging and dropping.
• Fixed caliber display issues after upgrades.
• Addressed cutscene skipping issues with gamepad.
• Fixed "Track" status display for completed missions.
• Corrected audiolog display issues.
• Fixed missing mouse cursor in attachment selector.
• Addressed MSI Claw A1M control issues.
• Integrated Razer Chroma Illumination and Sensa effects.
• Added key binding options for Journal and Notes.
• Fixed new grenade/bolt throw keybinds.
• Addressed missing flashlight button in key bindings.
• Fixed Speaker Name UI size issues.
• Corrected mission stage completion issues during emission.
• Added fire mode change animation in item selector.
• Fixed input loss during inventory while being shot.
• Increased "Point of no return" message duration.
• Improved UX in upgrade menu.
• Fixed grenade ammo counter display issues.
• Over 120 additional fixes were implemented.

Regions and Locations

• Fixed player stuck issues in X-17 Lab.
• Addressed soft lock issues at Cooling Tower.
• Fixed NPC death at burning tank in Sphere location.
• Added teleport anomalies in Old Barge and Fishing Hamlet areas.
• Fixed inaccessible shelter mark issues in Red Forest.
• Removed invalid artifact spawners and anomalies.
• Addressed weather system issues after leaving Pripyat.
• Improved beautification and visual quality in multiple locations.
• Enhanced level design and terrain in various regions.
• Adjusted foliage placement in multiple locations.
• Improved lighting in multiple locations.
• Tweaked collision for multiple objects in various locations.
• Fixed foliage appearance issues after loading saves.
• Addressed player leaving playable areas between Cordon and Zaton.
• Fixed Monolithian spawn in safe zones at Zalissya.
• Adjusted anomaly positions at Waste Processing Station.
• Fixed load distance issues for objectives.
• Updated stashes inventory around Cordon region.
• Added artifact spawn in electrofield at Datacenter of SIIRCA.
• Fixed missing duck sound effects.
• Polished glass and stucco materials in the open-world.
• Over 450 improvements were made in this section.

Audio, Cutscenes, and VO

Cutscenes

• Fixed elevator button interaction issues during "The Last Step" mission.
• Addressed Agatha's model disappearance during "Wishful Thinking" mission.
• Fixed video playback issues for PC Microsoft Store players in "Dangerous Liaisons" mission.
• Corrected missing haptic feedback in multiple cutscenes.
• Fixed disappearing hair issues with different NPCs in cutscenes.
• Other issues were resolved.

Voiceover and Localization

• Improved facial animations for idle NPCs.
• Updated NPC animations in multiple dialogues.
• Enhanced facial animations for key story NPCs.
• Fixed EN voiceover playing for UA localization in car scam encounter.
• Addressed voiceover desync in "The Boundary" mission.
• Fixed subtitle and VO mismatches in "Hot on the Trail" mission.
• Minor fix for Serbian localization.
• Implemented minor fixes to multiple localizations.
• Over 25 additional issues were addressed.

Sound and Music

• Reworked Carousel anomaly sound effects.
• Fixed inaudible Clicker Anomaly at close distance.
• Changed anomaly damage sound effects.
• Corrected Poltergeist sound persistence after loading saves.
• Reworked weapon selector menu sound effects.
• Fixed long-distance mutant sound issues.
• Improved weapon sound occlusion.
• Enhanced audio environment in over 10 locations.
• Fixed disappearing region/location music during transitions.
• Addressed combat music looping issues.
• Fixed disappearing Rostok Region Music after loading saves.
• Added new night music theme for Zalissya.
• Added missing music to discball visual anomaly.
• Fixed disappearing ambient sound at The Poppy Field after loading saves.
• Addressed missing sound effects for lightnings and visual anomalies.
• Added underwater grenade sound effects.
• Fixed critical damage sound issues.
• Addressed duplicated footsteps sound with detector.
• Added surface-specific bolt sounds.
• Improved mutant sounds during psy effects.
• Added sounds for actions in Upgrades and Journal tabs in PDA.
• Added sound for exiting to the main menu.
• Fixed walking sound over wooden sleepers.
• Implemented minor improvements.