GSC Game World has released Stalker 2 update 1.1, and it comes with an absolutely astonishing number of fixes for over 1500 of the game's bugs, including changes to the controversial A-Life system and more.
Earlier this month, GSC Game World explained that much like the rest of Stalker 2, the game's A-Life AI system (that's AI in the trad sense, not the generative sense) is riddled with bugs, but some of those bugs have been addressed in today's update.
You should now encounter more roaming NPCs in the Zone, and NPCs should no longer spawn behind your back. Additionally, A-Life NPCs should now be visible at greater distances, and groups exploring the Zone should be "more diverse regarding possible factions and group sizes".
It's not just A-Life, either. Other changes have also been implemented, like a reduction in number for Pseudodog clones, which could threaten to overwhelm you in certain circumstances.
Rewards for "several missions" have been increased, and "multiple improvements" have been made to characters' facial animations and voice work in "several cutscenes".
You can also look forward (or perhaps that's the wrong phrase) to Stalker 2's infinite money glitch being gone from the game. No more can you exploit the Zone's weird logic to make yourself rich. You'll just have to do it the old-fashioned way.
Since there are almost 2000 fixes in this update, there are far too many for me to list here. Be sure to check out the full Stalker 2 update 1.1 patch notes if you want to see everything that's changed.
If you're not familiar with Stalker 2, it's the sequel to 2007's influential cult classic Stalker: Shadow of Chernobyl (which was the spelling being used at the time, and it hasn't been retroactively changed at time of writing).
The game was in development for some time; originally announced in 2010, it went through a lengthy development cycle and at least one development reboot before being fully re-revealed in 2021.
Following that, the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 led to many development setbacks for Ukrainian studio GSC Game World, causing the game to be delayed numerous times before its eventual release earlier this year.
You can check out Stalker 2 right now on PC and Xbox Series X|S, and it's also on Game Pass (for certain tiers, anyway). Make sure to take a look at our very own Robert N. Adams' review here to find out how things have changed in the Zone over the last 17 years or so.
