Stalker 2 patch 1.4 brings the Zone back to life

After months of surviving a half-broken Zone, Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl finally feels alive again. GSC Game World has just dropped Patch 1.4, and it's a big one — not just for bug fixes, but for what it revives under the hood. For the first time since launch, A-Life is actually doing something.

If you're new: A-Life is the simulation system that keeps the Zone ticking, allowing NPCs to go about their business whether you're watching or not. Before this patch, that system was basically frozen — Stalkers barely reacted, encounters felt staged, and the Zone was too quiet. Now? Rival Stalkers might show up mid-fight, scavengers scurry around, and you’re no longer the only thing keeping the place moving.

Gunfights feel different, too. Enemies are tougher, faster, and a little smarter. You can’t just peek-and-pop anymore — expect to be flanked or shot through cover more often than before. The devs are calling it “dynamic and difficult,” which is a fair warning if you’ve been playing on autopilot.

“This patch is only the beginning,” GSC says, pointing toward upcoming expansions and plans to restore cut content in future updates.

Stalker 2: Heart of Chornoby 1.4 Patch Notes from game website, 1/5 part of it:

• Persistent A-Life: stalkers are now living their long, happy lives, unless they meet their end in the Zone as a result of their actions outside the player’s view.
• Mutants can now use corpse-eating animation if there are dead bodies nearby.
• Mutants now have an “alert” state if something is happening near or approaching them.
• Improvements to human combat:
• Fixed numerous bugs and problems with cover usage for NPC. Now they can properly use available covers, always try to hide before shooting, and don’t rush forward when not needed.
• Characters use trees as cover.
• Updated combat and cover animations to look more fluent and fast.
• Improved flanking pathfinding and transition to close combat.
• Close combat has become tougher on Veteran and Stalker difficulties.
• Fixed issues in communication and actions synchronization between characters in the squad.
• Characters now communicate tactical actions and reactions more clearly in combat.
• Human characters throw grenades when they want to flush out the target, not on the cooldown.
• Squads now have a finite number of grenades, depending on their rank and faction (bandits have significantly less than military).
• Human characters are able to attack mutants in melee. They use kick melee attacks against smaller mutants.
• Human characters can kick players who are crouched.
• Human characters look around for a brief moment, searching for enemies after combat ends, then proceed to the post-combat activities like looting and healing wounded.
• Humans are no longer able to snipe with shotguns. Fixed problems with pellet dispersion and non-natural ballistic distances.
• Increased number of generic heads for NPC randomization
• Burer can now use his telekinetic abilities to catch and throw grenades
• Improved Weapon stat displaying in the inventory. Updated weapon stats bars and their calculation logic.
• Added new weapon stat — handling.

AI and Combat

• Fixed erratic behavior of A-Life NPCs after attacking enemy lairs.
• Fixed an issue where A-Life NPC didn’t move after transitioning to offline.
• Improved mutant behavior during combat.
• Fixed an issue where a Flesh mutant was hiding to ambush the Player after they avoided a jump attack.
• Fixed an issue where a swarm of rat mutants were ignoring the Player after loading a save made near them.
• Improved path building for NPCs in offline to avoid them getting in restricted areas.
• Fixed an issue where an NPC was able to stay alive after falling in a wounded state underwater.
• Fixed an issue where mutants’ bodies were jumping/shaking/stretching after being killed by shotgun or grenade.
• Fixed an issue where patrolling NPCs could clip with each other.
• Blind Dogs are now playing peaceful barks when not in combat with Player.
• Fixed issues where NPCs were clipping or going through doors while in combat.
• Fixed an issue where mutants were able to get stuck searching for enemies after escaping combat during emission.
• Fixed an issue when NPCs could be stuck in ambush pose.
• Adjusted aim for the NPCs that are in low cover.
• Fixed an issue when the NPCs could stay idle after receiving critical damage.
• Adjusted shooting range of NPCs depending on their weapon.
• Adjusted shooting from cover for the NPCs.

Stalker 2 Balance fixes

• RPM-74: increased armor piercing value
• Explosions now cause more damage on high-ranking targets
• Increased RPG damage
• Decreased lethal distance for grenades
• Increased concussion distance for RPG
• Added some silencers into stashes.
• Added Khors the possibility to upgrade Zircon Suit.
• Fixed an issue where Player was able to install physical protection upgrades twice for PSZ-9I Falcon armor.
• Rebalanced stashes in Zaton region.
• Improved regeneration and spawn of random anomalies after emission.

Bug fixes, crashes and performance

• Made performance optimization of light and shadows in multiple regions and locations.
• Improved LODs for grass in multiple regions.
• Performance optimization for light garland at 100 Rads Bar.
• Some other Under the Hood CPU performance and optimizations tweaks were made.
• Fixed an issue where bullet hit decals would not appear on certain parts of Mutant and NPC bodies.
• Fixed an issue where a Vortex arch-anomaly was throwing NPC corpses under terrain.
• Fixed an issue where an anomaly spawned by an Electric Poltergeist was invisible.
• Fixed an issue where stamina was spent even if action wasn’t available.
• Fixed generic issues where NPCs were unable to reach a scripted animation pose if it was located too far.
• Fixed an issue where Zombies were able to fall under level geometry.
• Fixed an issue where sounds of raindrops were playing for certain props located underground.
• Fixed an issue where Player was able to stuck behind the door in Sidorovich’s bunker.
• Fixed an issue with the HUD opacity option not working.
• Fixed an issue where dynamic shadows cast by flashlight appeared jagged.
• Fixed an issue where some effects could stuck on the player after loading a save.
• Fixed an issue where some effects could not be applied to the player after loading a save.
• Fixed an issue where increment in Psi Protection was displayed on armor stat bar when selecting Radiation Protection upgrade on some exosuits.
• Fixed an issue where Player was able to get to Prypiat ahead of time by jumping over the railroad cistern on Yaniv.
• Fixed an issue where a broken weapon didn’t have a red background when equipped.
• Fixed Trader items being sorted after cancelling trade.
• Fixed an issue where no technicians in the game were able to install “Extra Barrel Upgrade” to SVDM-2 and Lynx sniper rifles
• Fixed an issue where mutants with telekinetic abilities were unable to pick up or throw items or corpses directly at Player.
• Fixed an issue where Bayun didn’t deal any damage during his Jump Attack.

Technical Issues

• Improved pathing for NPCs.
• Minor polishment and improvement for scripted NPC animations.
• Human characters that turn on flashlights are now slightly more illuminated and visible in the dark.
• Improved sound obstruction for grenades thrown outside from indoors location.
• Added a new emission shelter in Chemical Plant’s dining room.
• Added emission shelter to technician room at Ranger Station, Zaton region.
• Improved facial animations and realism.
• Improved impact sounds for the bolt.
• Removed redundant blur effect on Player’s vitals stat panel during trade.
• Added Player’s vitals stat panel in the trade menu.
• Added new death animations and sound effects for electricity, acid, bullet, and rat bites’ damage.

It’s still not a finished game — far from it. But Patch 1.4 finally makes Stalker 2 feel like the sequel it was meant to be. If you’ve been waiting for the right time to jump back in, this is it.