Stalker 2 Patch 1.0.1 notes fix NPCs getting stuck & blocked mission progress

Hundreds of other bugs, improvements, and balancing are also included in GSC Game World's hefty first patch.

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Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl’s first major update has launched and it’s a doozy. GSC Game World has spent the days since launch narrowing in on a variety of bugs, such as the one where NPCs get stuck and can either die in the Emissions or not go where they should be for your mission progress. With that in mind, Patch 1.0.1 has fixes for these issues and quite a few more, and it’s out now.

Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl Patch 1.0.1 notes

GSC Game World released Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl Patch 1.0.1 and its accompanying notes this week. The group says it contains about 650 fixes for the game, although some of the more minute details aren’t fully listed. Nonetheless, it fixes some annoying bugs in the game (and some pretty funny ones, for better or worse), so players should be able to enjoy a theoretically less janky experience in the Zone. Here’s the rundown of what was changed:


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. This might have caused inability to interact with NPC or progress to the next mission stage due to idle behavior of mission NPC.
  •     Fixed issues with performance drops/potential out-of-memory crashes in hubs and locations crowded with NPCs during long play sessions.
  •     Fixed issue when NPCs would move to A-pose or start flying after death.
  •     Fixed issue when NPCs could not track whether a target in cover was covered from shots, which caused them to shoot into cover.

And other, more than 20 different issues with AI.

Optimization fixes:

  •     Fixed issue with invisible NPC/Mutants appearing in FOV while the Player is scoping.
  •     Fixed fire visual effects that were not rendering at certain camera angles.

Also, we fixed approximately 100 different crashes, including potential memory leaks and EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION issues.

Audio & Sound fixes:

  •     Fixed issue when combat music was still playing while combat was finished.

And 7 other minor audio & sound bugs.

Balance adjustments:

  •     Weapons and armor repair cost is decreased.
  •     Significantly increased cost of artifacts (more revenue from selling).
  •     Money reward for most missions is increased from 2 to 3 times.
  •     Rookie difficulty armor and weapons buffs.
  •     Damage from mutants is moderately decreased on Rookie difficulty (more mutant health balance changes in Combat Balance section).
  •     Damage to player's weapon is decreased by 23 percent on Rookie difficulty.
  •     Armor durability is increased by 12.5 percent.
  •     Added silencer attachment for PTM to specific stash on Lesser Zone.
  •     Fixed sell prices for Exoskeletons, they are now more expensive to sell.
  •     Fixed sell price of upgraded weapons.
  •     Rebalanced Hercules consumable: player speed debuff removed; increased the effect parameters (now more weight could be carried by player after consuming).

Some additional minor bugfixes.

Combat Balance:

  •     Reduced some mission items' weight (including weight of scanners)
  •     Slightly rebalanced Bloodsucker’s damage.
  •     Decreased Bloodsucker’s strike protection rank (more damage from guns).
  •     Reduced Boodsucker’s HP regeneration outside the combat.
  •     Controller HP is moderately reduced.
  •     Burer HP is moderately reduced.
  •     Boar HP is moderately reduced.
  •     Flesh HP is moderately reduced.
  •     Damage to Boar from headshots changed to 100% of body damage.
  •     Damage to Boar from shots to the limbs is increased.
  •     Damage to Flesh from shots to the limbs is increased.
  •     Significantly increased weapon melee distance.
  •     Slightly increased knife melee distance.

Gamepad Input:

  •     Increased gamepad dead zones

Characters:

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

Cutscenes:

  •     Added missing footage to TV displays in the final cutscene.
  •     Fixed issue with deer animation in the opening cutscene.

And 20 other different bugs in the cutscenes.

Game Settings & Menus:

  •     Adjusted unreadable text at the bottom of the Shader Compilation screen.
  •     Fixed issue with the 'Nvidia Reflex Low Latency' option not being saved on subsequent boots of the game.

And 10 more minor issues.

Interactable Objects:

  •     Fixed physics issues with destructible and movable objects, including those floating in the air.
  •     Fixed interaction prompt with glass doors in SIRCAA’s inner yard, which caused a walkthrough blocker.
  •     Fixed missing inner doors in the X-11 laboratory elevator.

And more minor bugs.

Main and Side Missions:

  •     Resolved numerous mission blockers and bugs encountered under specific conditions. Key fixes include:
  •     Fixed missing interaction with dead Blind dogs in the Nightingale’s Hunt mission.
  •     Fixed uncompletable objectives in the Seek, and You Shall Find mission.
  •     Fixed multiple issues in the There and Back Again mission, including one where the artifact couldn’t be found.
  •     Resolved dialog loop with Zotov during the A Needle in a Haystack mission.
  •     Fixed progression blockers in the Answers Come at a Price mission, including issues with bandits after an emission and missing the Heavy Key item.
  •     Corrected mission markers for NPC locations in Hot on the Trail mission.
  •     Fixed door-related issues in the In Search of a Guide mission and The Side Hustle mission.
  •     Fixed issue when cutscene does not start during the Just Like the Good Old Days mission.
  •     Fixed issue when Lodochka is missing in Quite's Camp during the Just Like the Good Old Days
  •     mission.
  •     Fixed an issue during Just Like the Good Old Days when Lodochka acts aggressively after bringing him the Emitter.
  •     It is now possible to turn off electricity in the flooded area during the To the Last Drop of Blood mission.
  •     Fixed multiple issues in the On the Edge mission, including idle NPCs, stuck doors, and the Monolith attack progression.
  •     Fixed progression blockers in the A Minor Incident mission, including issues with Bayun's collar and locked doors.
  •     Addressed performance drops and confusing objectives in the In Search of Past Glory mission.
  •     Fixed issues in the Visions of Truth mission, including stuck NPCs and blocked progression after dialogs.
  •     Resolved stuck cutscenes and blocked progression in the Dangerous Visitors, Gray’s Last Hunt, and The Eternal Shining missions.
  •     Corrected spawn behaviors for NPCs and enemies in The Boundary and Escape from the Cage missions.
  •     Tweaked missions like Down Below, Budmo!, and A Big Scoreto resolve stuck NPCs, misaligned markers, and missing dialog options.

And approximately 120 other issues within the main line, side missions, and encounters.

Open World Experience:

  •     Fixed stretched or missing limbs on humanoid corpses.
  •     Fixed missing fast travel routes, including to the Concrete Plant for Toadstool.
  •     Resolved issues with loudspeakers, fast travel, and NPC interactions in various locations, such as the Scientists' Bunker, and Chemical Plant.
  •     Adjusted hostile NPC behavior during the Arena missions, including bandits’ tactics and increased ammo for the Tyrant fight.
  •     Corrected mission progression in the Black Sheep and The Key to Freedom missions.

And approximately 50 other issues were fixed.

Player Guidance, Gear, and Weapons:

  •     Fixed a bug that allows to sell items to the trader for more money that they actually cost.
  •     Fixed input blocking issues with the PDA, inventory, and attachments when interacting with artifacts.
  •     Corrected flashlight behavior after saving/loading.
  •     Resolved issues with grenade type selection, compass marker overlaps, and missing mission markers.
  •     Fixed inconsistencies with weapon and armor upgrade effects, including pricing and upgrade reversals.
  •     Improved HUD behavior and prolonged the duration of "Point of No Return" hints during Down Below mission.
  •     Fixed a bug where player could sell mission items using gamepad.

And approximately 50 minor “anomalies”.

Voiceover and Facial Animations:

  •     Restored missing facial animations for Sava in the Hot on the Trail mission and Mugwort in The Eternal Shining mission.
  •     Fixed missing voice lines during the Let No One Leave Unsatisfied mission.
  •     Corrected radio call effects so NPC voices properly reflect distance during communication.

And a couple more things are fixed.

World

  •     Fixed flickering textures in various locations, including the Sphere, Military Base and Chemical Plant.
  •     Resolved movement issues, including getting stuck in certain locations during missions like Once More Unto the Breach and A Tough Awakening.
  •     Corrected artifact spawn points in some areas.
  •     Fixed NPC behavior during encounters.
  •     Adjusted voice volume during storm weather for improved audio balance.

And approximately 50 more bugs.


That covers the Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl Patch 1.0.1 notes. Be sure to follow the Stalker 2 topic on Shacknews for plenty of guides and news and coverage to complement your adventure in the Zone.

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.

From The Chatty
    • reply
      November 29, 2024 6:21 AM

      S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 Heart of Chornobyl PATCH 1.0.1 IS OUT!!!
      https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1643320/view/4455844537830474602?l=english

      The is a GINORMOUS amount of fixes in this patch, and it's 130GB in file size, but looks worth it!!

      • reply
        November 29, 2024 6:29 AM

        Well shoot, I'm gonna have to patch up before I go back to exploring the Zone. I just got done scrubbing. The Swamps for artifacts, headed up to The Circus, and fished two great artifacts out of there in one trip (including maximum fire / maximum bleeding protection).

        With two liquid rocks, compass, and that new one, I'm essentially post-nuclear wasteland Jesus, anointing the lambs of the Zone with a torrent of righteous gunfire and I'm committed to saving everyone.

        • reply
          November 29, 2024 6:32 AM

          With everything else I've installed recently, I think I'm going to wait to even start the game until the A-Life stuff is fixed, which might be a couple weeks or so. Which is fine to me. :) Loving your posts about the game though!! Makes me excited to start!

          • reply
            November 29, 2024 6:40 AM

            it was roushi’s posts that made me install the game, and also his apt description of the pre-patch time frame as the “limited time meta-game you get to try to beat” inspired me to jump in immediately lol

            • reply
              November 29, 2024 6:44 AM

              Meta game in a SP is my love language.

              • reply
                November 29, 2024 7:02 AM

                As my available gaming time has decreased, I’ve forgotten to appreciate it

          • reply
            November 29, 2024 6:46 AM

            God yes, even with the state of the various systems at launch it's been fun as hell. I can't wait to see what it's like after more refinement and patching. Thankfully it seems like it was a commercial success so it should have a decently long tail of support (thinking mostly for consoles since community mods aren't an option).

            I ran into a really annoying instance of enemies spawning right in front of my face while raiding a base last night. The giant voice was announcing that the place was under quarantine and to not enter, but there weren't any guards and the gate was wide open so I was like "lol, fuck y'all. I'm coming in"

            Next thing you know over a dozen guys just popped in existence in a nice line in front of me and started shambling for the gate. Somehow their AI wasn't registering that I was in their base killing their dudez. There's an achievement for getting 5 headshots in 10 seconds but I swear on the rotting corpse of that guy I threw into an anomaly, I would have double dinged it if the game let me. I just did a little rat-a-tat-tat and the next thing you know there was just a line of bodies. It wouldn't let me loot any of them, which sucked.

        • reply
          November 29, 2024 8:52 AM

          I just found a unique silenced MP5 in Dark Valley in Stalker 1 (and by found I mean killed the dudes who turned out to have it), and now I'm just MURDERING the bandits in the mission complex.
          They don't even react to the first 5 rounds.
          "WTF?! Holes? In my chest and neck?"

          • reply
            November 29, 2024 8:55 AM

            You are most certainly playing the game the right way now, baby! No sense in grinding money to buy nice weapons when you can take whatever junk weapons you find to kill the guys with nice weapons to make it easier to get more nice weapons. Also, given how the game restricts me from shooting or killing certain characters, I'm assuming I can't softlock myself by satisfying my murderous impulses. I did manage to ice a dude that was important later on, but the game just respawned him like nothing had happened 10 hours prior.

      • reply
        November 29, 2024 6:40 AM

        Cool, I'll probably pick it up when A Life is working.

        • reply
          November 29, 2024 7:11 AM

          You're in for a treat! I'm going to miss being able to so savagely abuse the AI in the launch version, but I'm looking forward to having an experience closer to the prior games. Especially when it comes to actually hunting and tracking people/monsters. The current system of spawning within a certain radius of set points around the map makes it easy to avoid everything and casually zip through the wasteland, but I want to see a patrol off in the distance with my scope, sneak in a bit, and casually pick off people from well outside of their visual range.

          Scripted encounters like the sniper battle aren't going to change or anything, but I love dicking around with that emergent piece.

        • reply
          November 29, 2024 7:13 AM

          Yeah, that seems like a major part of the game. Anyone playing through it now is going to have a different, inferior experience to anyone who plays it after that system is working properly.

      • reply
        November 29, 2024 7:09 AM

        1.0.1 is a truly bold numerical increment, lol

        • reply
          November 29, 2024 11:01 AM

          It's correct for once though, if there are just bug fixes and no added features.

          • reply
            November 29, 2024 11:08 AM

            Tbf, fixing some of the systems is basically like adding features, as anyone who has been using the economy mod patch can likely attest :)

            I'm wondering if a-life 2.0 will get implemented before I finish it or if I'll have to wait for the next playthrough. I'm definitely doing another playthrough at some point, because daaaaaayum

      • reply
        November 29, 2024 7:12 AM

        Awesome news but I’ll wait on A-Life to get fixed before diving in.

        • reply
          November 29, 2024 7:16 AM

          I'm sad about the following fix:

          Fixed groups of NPCs getting stuck and dying near Shelter during active Emission.

          Getting large groups of NPCs stuck outside during emissions and then looting their corpses afterwards was such a fun time. Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever actually paid money for any weapons. I've always just looted them from people I've killed or schleps that couldn't figure out how to make it over the barrels I pushed in front of the door.

          • reply
            November 29, 2024 2:26 PM

            HAHAHAH seeing a white dot spinning a tight circle on my mini map - "Ah he found a Whirligig!"

      • reply
        November 29, 2024 7:14 AM

        Hmmmm it doesn't appear to be out for Game Pass yet. Mine has yet to update.....

      • reply
        November 29, 2024 7:16 AM

        Patches that fix things are good.

      • reply
        November 29, 2024 7:17 AM

        Wow those economy bullet points. Repair cost mod is uninstalled and I'm going in!

        • reply
          November 29, 2024 7:30 AM

          I was grabbing artifacts last night just in case the economy got adjusted like this. I'm gonna be right AF as soon as I'm patched up.

        • reply
          November 29, 2024 8:17 AM

          Apparently there is a bug when "a-life" spawns enemies where it accidentally gives the player their guns. It was happening to me before the patch but now it's happening to me a ton. I just got 7 guns, mostly broken, in the space of 10 minutes. :/

        • reply
          November 29, 2024 8:28 AM

          I did the math on repairs and it looks like repair costs are decreased 33%.

          • reply
            November 29, 2024 8:29 AM

            Glad I waited to repair my stash! Between the decreased rates and the increased revenue from selling, it should be pretty easy for me to get all of my shotguns, sniper rifles, pistols, submachine guns, and rifles patched up and ready for any scenario!

            (I've also got a couple different body armors that need to be fixed :( )

      • reply
        November 29, 2024 7:35 AM

        Hmm they say controller input has been fixed

      • reply
        November 29, 2024 9:00 AM

        point release, 130GB. lol.

        • reply
          November 29, 2024 5:24 PM

          Download is 13.7GB, disk consumption is 132GB.

      • reply
        November 29, 2024 9:12 AM

        Wont download on gamepass

        • reply
          November 29, 2024 9:15 AM

          not out yet because microsoft

          • reply
            November 29, 2024 1:20 PM

            Maybe they should have demonstrated a viable steam alternative before buying half the industry…

            • reply
              November 29, 2024 1:33 PM

              available now, and curiously only 11GB!

              • reply
                November 29, 2024 10:49 PM

                And WTF is happening, it is maxing out my 750mb line....

            • reply
              November 29, 2024 3:06 PM

              Microsoft Xbox division is like the shitty rich kid who thinks people will play with them if they buy enough stuff.

      • reply
        November 29, 2024 10:54 AM

        That's not a patch that's an entire game rewrite

      • reply
        November 29, 2024 11:05 AM

        130GB patch release that addresses 650+ bugs & issues. That's not how patches work!

        • reply
          November 29, 2024 11:55 AM

          Over 100 crash fixes. Crazy, so many.

    • gmd legacy 10 years legacy 20 years mercury mega
      reply
      November 29, 2024 11:41 AM

      not on game pass yet, SAD

      • reply
        November 29, 2024 11:49 AM

        Supposed to hit "later today". Honestly, I'm thankful otherwise I never would have focused on finishing my schoolwork for the week

      • reply
        November 29, 2024 1:10 PM

        It just updated for me.

    • reply
      November 29, 2024 1:18 PM

      Y patch was on 13gbs

      • reply
        November 29, 2024 1:19 PM

        Holy fuck android keyboard

        My patch was only 13GBs

    • reply
      November 29, 2024 2:29 PM

      Just installed the update. I was playing early today, paused the game and came back to find it had crashed. And then kept crashing when I tried loading it back up.

      So far so good, loaded up and haven't crashed yet...

      • reply
        November 29, 2024 3:09 PM

        I was having issues when leaving it paused adbmmnd suspended the system. Sometimes when I came back it would work fine, other times it'd keep telling me I needed a controller. I'd have to force quit and start it up clean again.

        If that's fixed, I'll be happy. Shit, I'm already happy about the flashlight fix (state is preserved from save / loading instead of resetting on load). That was a real annoyance

        • reply
          November 29, 2024 5:09 PM

          The controller dead zone issue for me is gone thankfully. No more Tokyo drifting while I try and run away.

    • reply
      November 29, 2024 5:05 PM

      They actually left something huge out of the patch notes. On the compiling shaders screen there is a little spinning radioactive symbol. The edges of it were cut off in a square shape which made the game unplayable, and the edges are no longer cut off. Can't believe they didn't add that to the notes.

      • reply
        November 29, 2024 7:46 PM

        Lol I noticed that too. I just smiled and shook my head literally to myself

    • reply
      November 29, 2024 5:08 PM

      These traders are cheapskates. Why would I use a decent quality gun when it is so expensive to repair? Seems wiser just to use broken guns and drop those when you need to lose weight.

      • reply
        November 29, 2024 5:21 PM

        Man, all you need are pistols, shotguns, and sniper rifles. Everything else can get sold

      • reply
        November 29, 2024 6:43 PM

        Don't upgrade your Skif's Pistol (suppressor is ok to add) and use it as much as is reasonable. It's free to repair.

    • reply
      November 29, 2024 5:13 PM

      So I went into the fucking poppy fields and got the idol. Gave it to the guy who offered me a "one of a kind gun" for it. The gun is shit, so I shotgun blasted him in the back of the head and took the idol back and gave it to its rightful owner. Holy shit this gun is trash, but I love this game.

      • reply
        November 29, 2024 5:36 PM

        There’s no downside to killing every quest giver is there

        • reply
          November 29, 2024 5:49 PM

          It won't let you kill anyone critical for the story as far as I can tell I've made it a point to "tie up loose ends" on every quest I could and it hasn't bitten me in the butt yet. Fuckers saw my face, man. Can't let them live after that

        • reply
          November 29, 2024 5:59 PM

          Not that I've found.

      • reply
        November 29, 2024 6:44 PM

        That is the best possible way to do that mission.

    • reply
      November 30, 2024 7:25 AM

      Um, they just released 1.0.2 now, a day later.... lol

      • reply
        November 30, 2024 8:41 AM

        GSC is not fucking around with these updates. Good lord.

        Hopefully the bug I reported in a quest winds up fixed in the next patch :D

      • gmd legacy 10 years legacy 20 years mercury mega
        reply
        November 30, 2024 9:41 AM

        I think I’ll wait a week to start it

    • reply
      November 30, 2024 10:21 AM

      I am so disappointed with this game. 😞
      The A-Life system was the "special sauce" that made STALKER so endlessly replay-able but according to the modders working on fixing it, "A-Life 2.0" is just a glorified scripting system that's much more basic than the old version. ConnerRia, the guy who does the best of the current A-Life patches ( https://www.nexusmods.com/stalker2heartofchornobyl/mods/210 ) has a great explainer on his description page and it's a pretty discouraging read.

      Here's a quote: "A-Life does not exist in Stalker 2 in the sense that the system seemingly operates so vastly differently that trying to use the old A-Life as a mental benchmark is pointless."

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