GSC Game World has released Patch 1.2 for STALKER 2, a substantial update addressing a vast range of issues. The patch notes detail fixes for over 1,700 problems, demonstrating the development team’s commitment to improving the game. These fixes span numerous areas, including artificial intelligence (AI) behaviour, game optimisation, and numerous balance adjustments. This marks the second major update for STALKER 2, and it is expected to fix many of the most significant, game-breaking bugs that players have encountered. The sheer volume of fixes suggests the development team has been working hard to address a large number of player concerns.
STALKER 2 Update
Patch 1.2 focuses heavily on improving the game’s AI, fixing bugs and refining character behaviour. Notable improvements include A-Life NPCs now being able to heal friendly wounded NPCs, creating a more dynamic and believable world. NPC shooting accuracy has been addressed, likely leading to more engaging and challenging combat encounters. Furthermore, the patch tackles issues with AI pathfinding, resolving instances where NPCs would become stuck on obstacles during scripted combat sequences. These are just a few examples of the many AI improvements included in this update.
With the extensive list of fixes and updates in Patch 1.2, STALKER 2 may now be a more enjoyable experience. Many of the initial criticisms of the game stemmed from bugs and optimisation problems. This large update tackles many of these core issues, and the sheer number of fixes is a positive sign for the game’s future. It suggests that the developers are actively listening to player feedback and working to make STALKER 2 the game it was intended to be.
STALKER 2 Patch 1.2 Release Notes
AI
- Fixed a bug with A-Life NPCs unable to properly approach corpses. Now they can pick up the best loot and weapons from them, and switch to more powerful weapons.
- Improved corpse looting behavior for NPCs.
- Fixed an issue where NPCs could loot body armour and helmets from corpses.
- Fixed an issue where NPCs could not loot the corpses of NPCs from another faction.
- Fixed NPC shooting accuracy
- Reconfigured bullet dispersion accuracy for all distances for all weapons.
- Added randomization of accurate shots in bullet sprays.
- Reduced wall penetration from certain NPC’s weapon bullets.
- Improved Stealth
- Fixed an issue where after a melee attack, the NPC could end up behind the player.
- Adjusted the time of identification of the player character by NPCs.
- Fixed an issue where NPCs at the Malachite location could notice players at a long distance and through the objects.
- Improved mutant behaviour in combat
- Fixed an issue where AI wouldn’t avoid obstacles and get stuck during scripted combat.
- Fixed an issue where jumping mutants could get stuck in the air in certain conditions.
- Fixed that Controller ability does not work through grate doors.
- Fixed that mutants were not able to attack in certain positions.
- Fixed an issue where Chimera could jump through objects.
- Fixed issue where Chimera did not use jump attack.
- Fixed an issue where Deer summons could spawn in the player’s field of view.
- Fixed an issue where Poltergeist could activate an anomaly and receive damage from it.
- Fixed an issue where mutants with the ability to jump were running around the Player on elevated, unreachable surfaces.
- Fixed an issue where Pseudodog couldn’t create summons when retreating.
- Added roar ability for Controller.
- Fixed an issue where A-life NPCs did not heal friendly wounded NPCs.
- Fixed an issue where A-life could spawn corpses near the player.
- Fixed an issue that could cause A-Life NPCs to have access to quest locations.
- Fixed the absence of some characters that could lead to a blocker during the walkthrough of the main line.
- Fixed an issue where A-Life militaries could spawn endlessly near Rookie Village.
- Fixed the issue with a stuck guard NPC in the doorway at the Skadovsk location.
- Fixed issue where more rats spawned in the lair than there should have been.
- Fixed an issue where NPC may stuck after loading saves made right after Emission ends.
- Fixed an issue where weapons grabbed by the Burer ability would disappear.
- Fixed an issue with NPC animations when walking upstairs with a gun in hand.
- Improved animations for some mutants.
- Fixed that the player takes damage near the NPC that is going through zombification.
- Fixed an issue where NPC may be stuck in the doorway after emission and block player.
- Fixed an issue where shooting at mutant limbs could stretch them.
- Fixed use of NPC rifle stand position when standing with a pistol.
- Fixed an issue where NPCs could spawn in front of the player at the Sphere location.
- Fixed NPC’s repeatable cover animations.
- Fixed an issue where NPCs would stop in doorways on Rostok.
- Fixed NPC’s walking animation during stand-in combat.
- Fixed an issue where enemy NPCs did not react to flying bullets.
- Improved open-world combat with Pseudogiant near Abandoned Science Campus at Prypiat.
- Fixed an issue where an NPC with a closed helmet could eat, smoke and drink through the helmet.
- Fixed an issue where animations of death from an anomaly could be missing for some mutants.
- Fixed an issue where Lex Legend and his group could not return to the quest location after the end of Emission.
- Fixed a problem that made it difficult for rats to move in narrow places.
- Fixed an issue where Burer could snatch a quest weapon from the player’s hands.
- Fixed an issue where NPC could start searching for an enemy after warning players to hide weapons.
- Reduced spawn rate for Bloodsuckers before the completion of the Behind Seven Seals mission.
- Fixed the issue when NPC can block a doorway in the Quiet camp after the combat.
With an additional 70+ issues fixed.
Balance
- Weird Water arch-artifact anti-radiation effect was reduced.
- Fixed the issue when a grenade could deal damage to Burer when the shield was active.
- Now NPCs need fewer shots to kill Pseudodog summons.
- Increased frequency of Jump Attack for Blind Dog mutant.
- Rebalanced pistols and silencer attachments.
- Decreased spawn rate for NPCs in exoskeletons.
- Reconfigured armour distribution for NPCs:
- Increased chance of spawning low and mid-tier armour.
- Reduced chance of spawning top-tier armour.
- Increased radiation damage based on accumulated rad-points.
- Reduced chance of NPCs spawning with high-tier weapons in the early game.
- Added ability to trade with additional NPCs at Hubs.
- Economy tweaks for “A Job for the Barkeep” repeatable missions on Veteran difficulty.
And a few more minor balance tweaks were made.
Optimization and Crashes
- Fixed performance drop when closing PDA or Pause Menu.
- Slightly improved performance by disabling navigation mesh rebuild properties for multiple objects.
- Fixed memory leak related to item manipulation.
- Fixed over 100 EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION crashes and other errors (including some other minor memory leaks).
- Fixed input lag when enabling VSync with FidelityFX Frame Interpolation enabled.
- Added framerate lock during Pause Menu, Main Menu, and loading screens.
And some other optimization tweaks.
Under the Hood
- The player’s flashlight now casts shadows on objects.
- Fixed an issue where relationships with NPCs didn’t change properly.
- Renamed some ammo types.
- Fixed an issue where the game could freeze unexpectedly during dialogues.
- Fixed quest logic failures due to NPC deaths.
- Improved transitions from cutscenes to gameplay.
- Fixed generic issue where mission logic could break if Player gave an item to an NPC via dialogue option.
- Fixed issue where dialogues with NPCs would close after exiting Trade/Upgrade menus.
- Fixed the issue where the Player could be teleported outside the playable area.
- Added custom Aim Assist logic for invisible targets on all supported controllers.
- Fixed an issue where save backups could be missing after losing game saves.
- Fixed NPC animation glitches while smoking.
- Fixed an issue where NPCs could teleport outside the playable map area.
- Fixed achievement for sneakily clearing the lair.
- Fixed an issue where in-game saves became corrupted after deleting local saves and failing cloud syncs.
- Polished PDA model appearance in low-light areas.
