GSC says STALKER 2 balance updates are in the cards for future patches, so maybe soon we can all stop complaining about tanky mutants

What you need to know

• GSC Game World's open-world survival shooter STALKER 2 came out last week on Xbox and PC, and while the game has been very successful and well-liked so far, it's not without issues.
• Chief among these are bugs with the AI simulation system A-Life 2.0, quests, and performance, but many players have also taken issue with aspects of STALKER 2's gameplay balance.
• Specifically, the community feels that several mutant enemies are too tanky and have too much health, and also that the cost of repairing your gear is too high relative to the amount of money you can make. Some also dislike how short the day/night cycle is.
• GSC has stated in the official STALKER Discord server that it's looking into ways to address these concerns in future updates, though patches will focus on bug fixes and performance improvements for now.

The long-awaited open-world survival shooter STALKER 2 finally arrived last week, with the Xbox and Windows PC exclusive scoring well with critics, soaring up the Steam charts, and selling over 1 million copies in just a few days. But while the title has undoubtedly had an incredibly successful launch, it hasn't been without its problems.

Bugs with quests and the dynamic AI simulation system A-Life 2.0 not working properly as well as the lack of controller deadzones on Xbox and performance woes are amongst the biggest issues, but another part of STALKER 2 that players have a problem with is its overall gameplay balance. Specifically, many feel that several of its mutants are far too tanky and have too much health, and also that repairing broken weapons and armor is unreasonably expensive. The day/night cycle in The Zone is fairly short, too, which some don't like since it's hard to get things done in daylight hours before night falls.

STALKER 2's first hotfix is scheduled to come this week, but it's mainly going to include critical bug fixes for things like broken main story quest and widespread performance problems. Developer GSC Game World has now confirmed, however, that it's looking into addressing issues that fans have with aspects of the gameplay experience.

"A-life is main one. Others are still in the discussions, can't share exact details on what we are planning until we are 100% set on doing that. For example, some topics of discussions are mutant balance, day-night cycle, economy balance," wrote the studio's community manager, Mol1t, in the official STALKER Discord. "But since we have clearly bugged things, like A-life, optimization and quest issues, they have higher priority. In the meantime we are looking at feedback on some more complex by-design things and approach them cautiously without, you know, overreacting. Just so you know that we are aware of main suggestions from the community and not ignoring them."

In other words: A-Life, quest fixes, and performance optimizations are what the developers are primarily working on, but the team is also hashing out how to best tweak things like mutant health and The Zone's economy. Those changes aren't likely to be implemented rapidly since they're being considered lower priority, but should come once STALKER 2 is in a more stable state.

It's worth noting that another thing GSC has its eye on is "visibility" issues, which have come up in the community due to the absence of binoculars in STALKER 2 (they were in every previous STALKER game, and were very useful for scoping out locations). Mol1t says players shouldn't expect them to be added soon, though; if they come, it will be in "future bigger patches after [the] hotfix period."

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Personally, I'm glad that the studio is taking some time to carefully decide how to address balance concerns, as I'm not sure a simple mutant health reduction is the answer for that problem. Something I've noticed in my 60+ hour playthrough is that while enemies like bloodsuckers and poltergeists feel unreasonably tanky in the early game, they're a lot less troublesome once you get quality weapons with higher armor penetration. Perhaps reducing their armor values or the effects of damage falloff would be the best way to adjust them. I also don't want GSC to overnerf the price of gear maintenance, as equipment durability and repair costs have always had a major influence on deciding whether you should take a fight or flee from it in this series. The Zone wouldn't be The Zone without its friction.

Still, it's unfortunate that it'll be a while before major changes are made. Something to keep in mind if you're on PC, though, is that the first STALKER 2 mods are already here, and many of them make percentage-based adjustments to the gameplay balance you can use until the developers update the game with their own tweaks. There are also mods that help reduce performance problems like stuttering and add useful console commands that can be used as workarounds for broken quests, so installing them is definitely worth considering.

STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl has arrived on Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC, and is one of this year's best Xbox games and best PC games. It has a $59.99 MSRP, but notably, you can get it for a discount at CDKeys right now. You can also play it through Xbox Game Pass, PC Game Pass, and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl | $39.79 at CDKeys (Steam, PC)

Despite some issues with gameplay balance and irksome bugs, STALKER 2 stands tall as a triumph for GSC Game World. It's one of the most captivating open-world shooters I've ever played, and is a must-play if you have Xbox Game Pass.

Xbox: Amazon (Physical) | Game Legends (Limited Edition, Physical)
PC: GOG (Digital) | Game Legends (Physical)