Once upon a time, Korshunov, two Fausts, four bandits and Scar walk into the studio, and Solder says… Ok, it's not the time for dad jokes. It's time for Voices that fueled S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2: Heart of Chornobyl with life and charisma. Be ready for emotions and memorable moments behind the scenes!

Listen to the Voices of the Zone now!

The Zone welcomes Patch 1.3.2 — an update that addresses technical and story progression issues. Don’t miss the list of updates, while we continue collecting your feedback and already working on the next patch. Thanks for staying in the Zone and being active about how to make this place even better.

• Fixed an issue where the doors and underground tunnel was closed for some users during the Once More unto the Breach mission.
  
• Fixed an issue where the Powerplug and Star NPCs were dead during the Dawn of a New Day mission for some users and the mission could not progress.
  
• Fixed an issue where the quest marker for Sgt. Ivaylov could lead to the wrong location during the In Search of Past Glory mission.
  
• Fixed an issue where NPCs in Zalissya could not reach their designated location for the final scene during the On the Edge mission which blocked the mission from progression.
  
• Fixed an issue where the dialog with Prof. Ozersky could not be started after killing Spark NPCs during the A Minor Incident mission.
  
• Fixed an issue where the Answers Come at a Price mission could not progress if the player fled from Depot during the attack and then looted Chornozem NPC.
  
• Fixed an issue where the quest marker on Chornozem NPC could lead to the wrong location during the Answers Come at a Price mission.

• Fixed an issue when NPCs did not use flashlights and did not notice the player for a long time.
  
• Fixed an issue when NPCs could not reach their designated place outside the player's field of view which blocked some missions.
  
• Fixed an issue where the dialog with the Scar NPC could not be started during the Visions of Truth mission.
  
• Fixed an issue where col. Korshunov could disappear after the end of cutscene during the The Last Step mission.
  
• Fixed an issue where col. Korshunov could slide to the elevator during the cutscene in the The Last Step mission.
  
• Fixed a crash that occurred at the top of Red Fortress during the The Last Wish mission.

We encourage you to share your feedback on the game here on Steam and other Socials, as your messages and comments help us improve the Zone. And don’t forget, if you see the anomaly that is not supposed to be in the Zone — report it to the Technical Support Hub. Our colleagues will investigate the issue, so the dev team could fix it in the nearest updates.

https://support.stalker2.com/hc

They say the Zone is open to newcomers.

If you know where to get in, whom to ask, and what price to pay…

Today, thanks to a special agreement with IPSF, you can have 20% OFF for your first entry on Steam.

Grab your Pass to the Zone and Colonel Korhunov will show you the ropes once you are here.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1643320/

Stalkers!

Since launch, we’ve been digging into your feedback and aligning it with our own plans and vision for improving and enhancing the gameplay experience. Q1 was all about tackling the big issues — two major updates and multiple hotfixes rolled out, building on last year’s patches.

The Zone is evolving and will continue to. Throughout the year, we will be delivering updates and hotfixes dedicated to making the game better in every aspect. With proper planning, double testing (internal and closed beta for big updates) of all features and fixes, and your feedback, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl will become the game we imagined — and you deserve.

To keep things clear and on track, we’re breaking the roadmap down into quarterly updates. Every three months, you’ll get the full scoop on what’s coming. Patch notes will confirm when it’s live in-game.

As always, we welcome you in the comments to share your thoughts and ideas. We follow them closely, as your feedback is one of the pillars that drives the future of the Zone.

See you in the Zone!

Patch 1.3.1 is ready to be downloaded! It is focused mostly on resolving some story blockers and fixing technical issues. To cut the story short, here is the list of updates:

• Fixed an issue where Scar could be missing at X-17 lab during the Visions of Truth mission.
  
• Fixed an issue where the “Get the Control Emitter from the technician” mission stage of the Dawn of a New Day mission could not be started due to the death of Powerplug.
  
• Fixed an issue where the mission objective Find Spirit could not end if the player talks to Spirit again right after the first dialog during The Boundary mission.
  
• Fixed an issue where mission Chasing Ghosts could not progress after activating tower equipment.
  
• Fixed an issue where the mission objective "Talk to Scar" could not be completed for some users if Richter is dead during The Road to the Foundation mission.
  
• Fixed an issue where the player could fall into the elevator shaft without any possibility of getting out during the Let No One Leave Unsatisfied mission.
  
• Fixed an issue where the “Get inside the underground lab” objective could start without obtaining Emitter from Powerplug during the Dawn of a New Day mission.
  
• Fixed an issue where Simon Dubny could be missing The Faust's cell during the Hot on the Trail mission.
  
• Fixed an issue where the doors to the underground tunnel and Location D could be closed for some players during the Once More unto the Breach mission.
  
• Fixed an issue where the mission Dark Times could be blocked due to the death of Jarl.
  
• Fixed an issue where the NPC could block the entrance to the watch post during The Assault on the Duga mission.
  
• Fixed an issue when the dialog with Roosevelt did not start during the Legends of the Zone mission.
  
• Fixed an issue where the door to the Forestry location could be locked at the Extreme Simplicity mission start.
  
• Fixed an issue where monolith NPCs could enter safe zone in Prypiat during the The Road to the Foundation mission.
  
• Fixed an issue where Richter's body could be missing after the bossfight with Korshunov.

• Fixed an issue where NPCs could not return to their designated places after the Emission.
  
• Fixed an issue where the sound effect for entering Ribs' anomaly could loop and repeat every 10 seconds.
  
• Fixed an issue when the crosshairs could not be disabled through the settings.
  
• Fixed an issue where all drag'n'drop actions are done with a delay in any item container at the STC Malachite location.
  
• Improved voiceover positioning. Fixed issue when the player could only hear the voice through one earbud.
  
• Fixed an issue where item highlighting did not move to the next item when looting with a gamepad.
  
• Fixed a dozen of EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION errors, and other crashes.

Thanks a lot for your continuous feedback and support. Comments you write in Social Media and bug reports you send to the Technical Support Hub help the Zone become a better place with each update. Please, continue sharing your thoughts here on Steam and other socials, and if you see the anomaly that is not supposed to be in the Zone — report it to the Technical Support Hub:

https://support.stalker2.com/hc

The Chornobyl Exclusion Zone is a mesmerizing and ever-changing marvel, unique in its atmosphere and emotions throughout the year. Spring is always exceptionally charming. After the harsh winter season, it’s time to take a deep breath of fresh air.

Thanks to your continuous support and feedback, the Zone is becoming a better place. We know what things stalkers have discussed in bars and near campfires this winter. We always listen to stalker's stories.

Our current focus is enhancing the single-player experience, with further details on their way. Quite a few changes have already been made — we listen and hear you, and we’re moving forward steadily.

Meanwhile, another winter is behind us, and, as you can see in this new trailer, the Zone awaits in all its raw, untamed glory in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, available now on Steam. Customize, or completely turn off the HUD, tweak the FOV, and lose yourself in the Zone.

Are you ready for the expedition of a lifetime?

We are ready to share the Patch 1.3 with over 1200 changes, fixes, and improvements, related to AI/A-Life, Balance, Story Progression, Performance, Locations, Audio — well, all aspects of the game you can name. This work wouldn’t have been possible without your feedback and comments on your personal experience with the Zone, thanks for sharing it here on Steam, Reddit, Discord, and other socials.

Now, let’s jump to the highlights:

• Made mutants movements during combat smoother.
  
• Improved the reaction of NPCs to the sound of footsteps.
  
• Polished ambush behavior for mutants, when Player is hiding behind or on top of props.
  
• Fixed an issue where mutants didn't attack other NPCs once Player was in the safe zone.

• Archiartifacts rebalance:
  
  
  • Weird Water: decreased radiation protection.
    
  • Weird Nut: increased bleeding degeneration speed, further slowed down healing with equipped artifact.
    
  • Weird Flower: Increased smell masking effect.
    
  • Weird Ball: increased stamina gain, increased maximum weight of the artifact, but slowed down weight gain when being shot.
    
  • Weird Kettle: Debuff received from consuming food is now not random, and corresponds to specific type of food.
    
  • Non-Stop Limited Edition energy drinks now have an additional special effect when used with Weird Kettle.
• Made A-life encounters a bit more rare on average.
  
• Nerfed base anomaly damage protections for “combat” armors
  
• Buffed anomaly damage protection for “science” suites
  
• Slightly reworked anomaly damage for different anomalies
  
• Increased damage from destructible explosive props.
  
• Fixed an issue where the Weird Flower artifact was initially in a dried state instead of an active one after being picked up.
  
• Increased overall durability for unique weapons found during missions.

• Fixed a bug that could let players permanently stack the effect of unequipped artifacts.
  
• Fixed a bug that could prevent players from being able to use sprint after chaotic movement.
  
• Fixed an issue that caused some psy-phantoms of blind dogs to have misleading trails.
  
• Fixed the crash caused by zombification of NPCs.
  
• Fixed an issue when looting some story NPCs could block the mission.
  
• Fixed an issue when players could be locked inside the Ranger Station.
  
• Fixed an issue that could permanently keep visual effects of sleepiness if the save was made during a Main Quest line.
  
• Fixed issue with light from the flashlights in cutscenes.
  
• Fixed an issue where high ranked NPCs were able to spawn at Rookie Village location.
  
• Phantom stalkers that appear under the influence of Psy-effect no longer can damage other NPCs by throwing grenades.
  
• Fixed an issue where the HUD would sometimes appear transparent after closing the inventory or finishing a cutscene.
  
• Fixed visual bugs on character costumes (texture stretching caused by awkward animation poses).
  
• Fixed memory leaks issues when navigating inventory/looting menus (e.g. opening Player stash at Rostok).
  
• Resolved issues where NPCs got stuck in one place and obstructed player movement.
  
• Fixed the issue when the output device was resetted after restart of the title.
  
• Fixed an issue where a guide NPC was missing at Yaniv hub after unlocking Prypiat region.
  
• UI Update: Fixed localization issues, improved stability, resolved visual bugs in widgets, corrected text corruption, and SFX for a smoother experience.

Also, almost 100 crashes and EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION errors were fixed.

• Fixed an issue where player could not complete Escape from the Cage mission via the stealth path due to NPCs with high perception level.
  
• Fixed an issue where the player could destroy the Jammer before the start of the In the Name of Science mission.
  
• Fixed an issue where the Escape from the Chemical Plant objective did not complete if the call from the Strelok or Scar was interrupted by a loudspeaker during the Escape from the Cage mission.
  
• Fixed an issue where no new journal objective appeared and Dark Times mission was stuck after killing Jarl NPC.
  
• Fixed an issue with Eye of the Storm mission not progressing after reaching the Generators.
  
• Fixed an issue where side mission A Big Score was not progressing if emission happened while Player was at the Car Park.
  
• Fixed an issue when Player is not able to loot Faust's body after receiving a call from Scar during Visions of Truth mission.
  
• Fixed an issue where Foma NPC could become invincible during the Chasing Ghosts mission.
  
• Fixed an issue where an encounter mission with Headlight NPC near Bulba Arch anomaly was not starting after completion of Nightingale’s Hunt mission.
  
• Fixed an issue where Yaryk Mongoose was hostile to the player during the For Science! mission.
  
• Fixed an issue when the Snork collar was not counted as collected if snork was killed not by a player character during the "In the Name of Science" mission.
  
• Fixed an issue where Korshunov could disappear at the start of 2nd phase of bossfight during the "Down Below" mission.
  
• Fixed an issue where All That Is Left mission didn't cancel after Mateus death, resulting in redundant markers on artifact location.
  
• Fixed an issue where Akopyan was non interactable at the car park during A Big Score mission.
  
• Fixed an issue where plank bridges leading to Faust cell were collapsed for Players first arriving at Noontide base during Hot On The Trail mission.
  
• Fixed an issue where a Chemical Plant encounter mission with wardens shooting fleshes was stuck after luring mutants out.
  
• Fixed an issue when Jumper and Bluish sometimes was dead during Hot on the Trail mission.
  
• Fixed an issue when the door to forestry was locked during Extreme Simplicity mission if Player was encountering the emission while leaving the swamps.
  
• Fixed an issue when a quest NPC was able to be distracted by A-life enemies during the Three Captains mission.
  
• Fixed an issue where the bayun in collar was at the Detention Center instead of the Boathouse location during the A Minor Incident mission.
  
• Fixed an issue where the player could not progress through the mission if Heart of Chornobyl artifact was looted directly to the artifact slot from the Strelok's body.
  
• Fixed an issue where Richter could be non-interactable at the Slag Heap location during the Back to the Slag Heap mission.
  
• Fixed an issue where Doctorant Shcherba could be dead for some players during the In Search of Past Glory mission.
  
• Fixed errors with some mission markers being not displayed correctly.
  
• Fixed an issue that could stop the progression of Escape the Chemical Plant mission.
  
• Fixed an issue that made players able to sell the key from the Northern Checkpoint which makes it unavailable to pass through.
  
• Fixed issues with Help Solder and Talk to Solder mission objectives.
  
• Fixed an issue where interaction prompt for dialogue with Richter could be missing after defending Yaniv during the The Boundary mission.
  
• Fixed an issue when Richter stops at the beginning of the path through the river during the Through the valley of the shadow of death mission.
  
• Fixed an issue where the doors to underground tunnel and Location D could be closed during the Once More unto the Breach mission.
  
• Fixed an issue where the player could stay in a closed location after a cutscene in the Dangerous Liaisons mission.
  
• Fixed an issue where the dialogue with prof. Ozersky was unavailable if the player killed Spark NPCs during the A Minor Incident mission.
  
• Fixed an issue where Dalin could be missing at the infirmary at the Chemical Plant location during the Escape from the Cage mission.

• Added multiple new death screens that vary based on the cause of the death.
  
• Improved facial animations in the mainline.
  
• Improved audio obstruction for mutants' sounds.
  
• Improved the positioning of various sounds.
  
• Added a new night music theme for Slag Heap.
  
• Added music for the elevator in SIRCAA.
  
• Added missing localizations for tutorials.
  
• Added descriptions that explain what is the difference between armor-piercing and expansive ammo.
  
• Improved some bullet-caused decals.
  
• Improved the visibility of enemies at nighttime by increasing the intensity of the NPC flashlights.
  
• Improved the shadows cast by the player's flashlight.
  
• Several attachments and upgrades have been moved from “point of no returns” end game sequence to Prypiat stashes.
  
• Updates and fixes of NPC movement and shooting animations.
  
• Added option to change Melee weapon attack button in control settings.
  
• Added additional idle animations for NPCs with weapons drawn.
  
• Added new VFX animals and a new type of a visual anomaly.

---

You may have a question: “Where is the long patch note we got used to”?

And the answer is — on the official S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 website. We are slightly changing the approach to patch notes, so from now on, on Steam we will share only highlights and key changes. And on the website you’ll find the familiar full patch note:

https://www.stalker2.com/en/news/patch-1-3


Thanks a lot for staying with the Zone, stalkers. We already started working on the next update, and will be glad to hear your feedback on this patch in our socials, or here on Steam. Your comments are helping us identify areas to work on.

Please, if you face an unexpected “anomaly”, that is not supposed to be in the game, report it to our Technical Support Center. Our colleagues will take a closer look at it to annihilate and destroy the danger to the Zone.

https://support.stalker2.com/hc

Flowers are breaking through the concrete, the wind is humming in empty bunkers and underground laboratories. The wind of spring, the warm wind of change. They say no one has been here since the last time Strelok went down to X-16.

Dvupalov promised that everything would change. As if a brave one would arrive, ready to look into the dark corners of the Zone. To find something of their own. In the spring, everyone gains strength and becomes a little bit more confident, who knows? This may be the right time.

We're pleased to announce that S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is participating in the Steam Spring Sale 2025 with a 15% discount. The discount is valid from 13.03 to 21.03, so get your gear ready and embark on a new journey.

The Zone has never been so loud before! At the rest stops, stalkers are singing songs and playing the guitar. Laughter is heard everywhere: from Zalissya to Wild Island and beyond! At some point even the Quiet’s Camp turned into a traffic jam.

Today we are celebrating the 6 million stalkers who have come to play S.T.A.L.K.E.R.2: Heart of Chornobyl. Six million! A scope that is hard to comprehend, but it is real thanks to you. We are incredibly grateful and proud that each of you has left a unique mark in the Zone.

Good hunting, stalkers!

As always, by listening to your feedback here on Steam and other social media, we prepared Patch 1.2.1. It is dedicated mostly to fixing crashes, including those on loading save files. Here is the list of changes:

• Fixed one of the crashes on loading save files related to AI logic.
  
• Fixed one of the crashes on loading save files that were recorded when player had effects applied.
  
• Fixed a few crashes related to lightning ball anomaly interaction with artifacts.
  
• Fixed crash mostly occurred when moving away from hubs and during the Emission.

Thanks for staying with the Zone and making it a better place. We continue working on the game and implement improvements based on your comments and feedback. If you spot an anomaly, that is not supposed to be in the Zone, please, report it to our colleagues at Technical Support Hub. That will help us spot and investigate potential issues, and deal with them as fast as possible.

https://support.stalker2.com/hc