Stalker 2: Patch 1.0.1 fixes over 650 bugs and errors in the game

Stalker 2: Heart of Chernobyl was released on September 5, 2024 for Xbox Series and PC. The mix of first-person shooter and survival horror is well received by critics and viewers and is set to be further improved today with patch 1.0.1. It is the first major update since launch and is intended to address hundreds of bugs and issues on all platforms. Developer GSC Game World presents the patch notes.

Over 650 bug fixes for Stalker 2

The developer writes on Steam: “Attention, stalkers. Thank you for your passion and support since the release, it’s really important to us. Patch 1.0.1 is available on both PC and Xbox. This is our first fix patch that fixes over 650 different bugs and issues.

This is followed by an incredibly long list of improvements and bug fixes. You’ll find fixes for AI issues, audio and sound bugs, optimizations and balance changes for combat and your progression. In addition, playing on the gamepad has been improved, the menus have been adjusted, problems with the game physics have been fixed and a lot of improvements have been made to the open game world.

So there are general problems in the missions that GSC Game World has looked at and there are also improvements to the open world experience. Facial animations and some more general, unspecified adjustments are also part of the first major bug fix. The post-apocalyptic shooter should now feel a little better. You can read the full patch notes here:

AI fixes:

Fixed an issue where groups of NPCs would get stuck and die near Shelter during active emission.
Fixed an issue where Burer could drop mission items from the player’s hands.
Added missing sound effects for Burer’s “Telekinesis” ability.
Fixed issues where NPCs would occasionally get stuck and not reach the mission location. This may have resulted in the inability to interact with the NPC or progress to the next mission stage due to the mission NPC’s inactive behavior.
Issues with performance degradation/potential crashes due to lack of memory in hubs and locations where there are many NPCs during long game sessions have been resolved.
Fixed issue where NPCs would move into A pose or start flying after death.
Fixed an issue where NPCs could not track whether a target in cover was protected from gunfire, resulting in them shooting while in cover.
And also more than 20 different problems with AI.

Optimization fixes:

Fixed an issue where invisible NPCs/mutants would appear in view while the player was scanning the scope.
Fixed an issue with fire visual effects not rendering at certain camera angles.
We also fixed about 100 different crashes, including potential memory leaks and EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION issues.

Audio and sound corrections:

Fixed an issue where battle music would continue to play while the battle was over.
And 7 other minor audio and sound errors.

Balance adjustments:

Weapon and armor repair costs have been reduced.
Significantly increased cost of artifacts (more income from sales).
The cash reward for most missions is increased from 2 to 3.
Armor and weapon buffs on Rookie difficulty.
Damage dealt by mutants is moderately reduced on Beginner difficulty (see Combat Balance section for further changes to mutant health balance).
Damage to the player’s weapon is reduced by 23 percent on Beginner difficulty.
Armor durability is increased by 12.5 percent.
Added a PTM silencer mount to a specific supply in the Small Zone.
Sales prices for exoskeletons have been fixed, sales are now more expensive.
The selling price for improved weapons has been fixed.
Rebalanced Hercules consumable: Removed player speed debuff; The effect parameters were increased (after consumption, the player could now carry more weight).
Some additional minor bug fixes.

Combat Balance:

The weight of some mission items has been reduced (including the weight of the scanners).
Bloodsucker’s damage has been adjusted slightly.
Bloodsucker’s impact protection rank has been reduced (more damage from weapons).
Reduced Boodsucker HP regeneration outside of combat.
The controller’s HP is moderately reduced.
Burer HP is moderately reduced.
The boar’s HP is moderately reduced.
Meat HP is moderately reduced.
Damage taken from headshots to Boar has been changed to 100% of body damage.
Damage dealt to boars by shots to their limbs is increased.
Flesh damage from limb shots is increased.
Significantly increased melee range of the weapon.
Slightly increased melee distance with knives.

Gamepad input:

Increased gamepad dead zones

Characters:

Fixed eyes and teeth on NPC models.
Some minor fixes to NPC models and animations.

Cutscenes:

Added missing footage of TV ads in the final cutscene.
Fixed deer animation issue in opening cutscene.
And 20 other different bugs in the cutscenes.

Game settings and menus:

Fixed garbled text at the bottom of the shader compilation screen.
Fixed an issue where the Nvidia Reflex Low Latency option was not saved on subsequent launches of the game.
And 10 more minor problems.

Interactable objects:

Physics issues with destructible and moving objects, including those floating in the air, have been resolved.
Fixed the prompt to interact with glass doors in SIRCAA’s courtyard, resulting in a barrier to entry.
Fixed missing internal doors in the X-11 laboratory elevator.
And even more minor errors.

Main and side missions:

Numerous mission blockers and errors that occurred under certain conditions have been fixed. Key fixes include:

Fixed missing interaction with dead blind dogs in the Nightingale’s Hunt mission.
Fixed unattainable objectives in the “Seek and You Shall Find” mission.
Fixed several issues in the Out and Back mission, including one where the artifact could not be found.
Fixed dialogue loop with Zotov during the mission “A Needle in a Haystack”.
Progress blockers in the “Answers Come at a Price” mission have been resolved, including issues with bandits after an emission and the lack of the Heavy Key item.
Fixed mission markers for NPC locations in the “Hot on the Trail” mission.
Fixed door issues in “Looking for a Guide” and “The Side Hustle” missions.
Fixed an issue where the cutscene would not start during the “Just Like the Good Old Days” mission.
Fixed an issue where Lodochka was missing from Quite’s camp during the mission “Just Like the Good Old Days.”
Fixed an issue that caused Lodochka to act aggressively after bringing him the Emitter in Like the Good Old Days.
During the mission “Until the Last Drop of Blood” it is now possible to turn off the power in the flooded area.
Fixed several issues in the On the Edge mission, including idle NPCs, stuck doors, and Monolith attack progression.
Fixed progression blockers in the mission “A Minor Incident”, including issues with Bayun’s collar and locked doors.
Fixed performance issues and confusing objectives in the “In Search of Past Glory” mission.
Fixed issues in the Visions of Truth mission, including stuck NPCs and blocked progress after dialogue.
Fixed stuck cutscenes and blocked progression in the Dangerous Visitors, Gray’s Last Hunt and The Eternal Shining missions.
Fixed spawn behavior of NPCs and enemies in “The Boundary” and “Escape from the Cage” missions.
Missions like Down Below, Budmo! and A Big Score have been optimized to fix stuck NPCs, misaligned markers and missing dialogue options.
And about 120 other issues within the mainline, side missions and encounters.

Open world experience:

Fixed stretched or missing limbs on humanoid corpses.
Fixed missing fast travel routes, including the concrete factory for Toadstool.
Fixed issues with speakers, fast travel, and NPC interactions in various locations, such as the Scientists’ Bunker and the Chemical Plant.
Adjusted enemy NPC behavior during Arena missions, including bandit tactics and increased ammunition for tyrant combat.
Mission progression in the missions “Black Sheep” and “The Key to Freedom” has been corrected.
And about 50 other issues were fixed.

Player Guide, Equipment and Weapons:

Fixed a bug that allowed items to be sold to the merchant for more money than they actually cost.
Fixed input blocking issues with the PDA, inventory, and attachments when interacting with artifacts.
Fixed flashlight behavior after save/load.
Fixed issues with grenade type selection, compass marker overlapping, and missing mission markers.
Fixed inconsistencies with weapon and armor upgrade effects, including pricing and upgrade reversals.
Improved HUD behavior and extended duration of Point of No Return notices during the Down Below mission.
Fixed a bug where players could sell mission items via the gamepad.
And about 50 smaller “anomalies”.

Voiceover and facial animations:

Missing facial animations for Sava in the mission “Hot on the Trail” and Sagebrush in the mission “The Eternal Shining” have been restored.
Fixed missing voice lines during the “Leave No One Dissatisfied” mission.
Fixed radio call effects so that NPC voices correctly reflect distance while communicating.
And a few more things have been fixed.

World:

Fixed flickering textures in various locations including the Sphere, Military Base and Chemical Plant.
Fixed movement issues including getting stuck in certain locations during missions such as “Once More Unto the Breach” and “A Tough Awakening”.
Fixed artifact spawn points in some areas.
Fixed NPC behavior during encounters.
Adjusted voice volume during stormy weather to improve audio balance.
And about 50 more errors.