The developers of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl have announced the release of the first major patch for the game, expected this week for both PC and Xbox platforms. GSC Game World shared this information on the game's Steam page.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl was released on November 20, and the game has been mostly received positively, with the major issues highlighted being optimization and technical problems, which the developers promise to gradually fix.

The upcoming patch aims to fix a range of game stability issues as well as some technical bugs that can complicate gameplay or the overall perception of the game. Among the key fixes to be expected, the developers noted:

Stability Fixes

• Address memory allocation issues that previously caused unexpected game crashes, especially during rendering and quest scenes.

Quest Progression Fixes

• Fixed several bugs that blocked the progression of main quests such as NPC interactions and incorrect quest markers.
  
  
• Improved the sequence of side quests like "Impressions of Absolute Truth" and "Invisible Incident" to avoid situations where players could not progress through the game.

Gameplay and Balance Changes

• Fixed upgrade costs for weapons and armor to match the applied modifications.
  
  
• Resolved the issue with NPC behavior where they did not seek cover during attacks.

Cutscene and Visual Effect Enhancements

• Fixed rare cases of animation skips, incorrect NPC placement, and visual flaws (e.g., "floating" heads or clothing tears).
  
  
• Improved the quality and stability of visual effects.

Game "Freezing" Fixes

• Resolved the issue where players could not close the trading screen after equipping ammo during the game.

User Interface Improvements

• Quests will now be correctly displayed in dialogues.
  
  
• Fixed missing texts and interaction prompts in various situations.

The developers also shared plans for further fixes in upcoming patches, including:

• Resolving issues with "dead" zones of sticks.
  
  
• Fixing errors in the A-Life system to improve gameplay dynamics.

Studio GSC Game World thanked players for their feedback and support, assuring fans that work on improving the game is ongoing. With this update, the development team is addressing both urgent issues and planning long-term enhancements to ensure a smoother and more enjoyable journey through the Zone.

According to the official statement, over a million players are already exploring the Zone, and this patch aims to enhance their experience by resolving critical issues and implementing gameplay improvements.