GSC Game World’s hit open-world survival shooter, STALKER 2, has just received a new update titled Patch 1.4, which has been implemented for the Xbox Series X|S and PC versions (via Windows and Steam).
Much like the Patch 1.2 and Patch 1.3 updates, Patch 1.4 is purely about improving the game with over 700 fixes and improvements, but this update is mainly focused on upgrading the enemy AI during combat.
These AI improvements include enemies now properly taking cover, enhanced flanking pathfinding maneuvers before engaging in melee combat, kicking players while they’re crouching, using grenades more often to flush players out of cover, and more.
This patch also includes major changes and bug fixes to the combat, balance, Quests, and technical performance.
Seeing as the full list of patch notes is too big to list here (you can read on the STALKER 2 website), here is a list of the biggest changes made with STALKER 2’s 1.4 Patch, as stated on the game’s Steam page.
Warning: Some of the patch notes contain spoilers for the game’s story in the Quests section.
STALKER 2 1.4 Update: Patch notes
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl — Launch Trailer – YouTube
Highlights
- 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.
Balance
- 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.
Main & Side Quests, Open World Encounters
- Fixed an issue where the objective Find Spirit could not end if the player talks to Spirit again right after finishing the dialogue during The Boundary mission.
- Fixed an issue where Faust was not appearing on the roof of Comm Center during the boss fight in Once More Unto The Breach mission, if the Player distracted him with a grenade.
- Fixed an issue where Scar didn’t approach Visiograph to start dialogue with the Player during the Visions Of Truth mission.
- Fixed an issue where Snork’s collar wasn’t counted as collected if Snork’s corpse is already despawned in the In The Name Of Science mission.
- Fixed an issue where the Player was able to get stuck closed behind two bunker doors in airlocks during The Last Step mission.
- Fixed an issue where Max Saturday was already dead and despawned for some users during The Lost Boys mission.
- Fixed an issue where a part of the world was missing at the exit from an underground teleportation room near Death Valley in certain conditions during the Through The Valley Of The Shadow Of Death mission.
- Fixed an issue with an unresponsive Korshunov in A-pose after the bossfight during the Down Below mission.
- Fixed an issue when the A Matter Of Honor mission wasn’t completed if the player killed all Duty members after repelling the Monolith attack.
- Fixed an issue when Skif could die from bleeding in the cutscene after the boss fight with Korshunov during the Down Below mission.
- Fixed an issue where the door leading out of Noontide base was locked during the Just Like The Good Old Days mission.
- Fixed an issue that prevented re-entering the tunnel after it was opened by a scanner during The Boundary mission.
- Fixed an issue with missing Richter during The Boundary mission.
- Fixed an issue with the inability to progress the walkthrough of Just Like The Good Old Days mission if the fuse was thrown out of the inventory.
- Fixed an issue where the Ganja mission The Freedom Colosseum was absent if the player character teleported to Rostok via the guide.
- Fixed an issue with the inability to talk to Dubniy during the Hot On The Trail mission.
- Fixed an issue with a locked bunker during the The Boundary mission.
- Fixed an issue when it was unable to talk with Roosevelt in the mission Legends of the Zone.
- Fixed an issue where the “Get to the helicopter pad” journal objective was not ending during the Law And Order mission.
- Fixed an issue where the Player’s Camera could get stuck panning at Darwin’s corpse, if the Player did save/load during an encounter mission at Ruined Bridge, Backwater region.
- Removed redundant invisible collision in the middle of Ganja’s bar at Rostok base.
- Fixed an issue where Richter and Warlock’s comments in the A Tough Awakening mission could get stuck, resulting in permanent Emission weather after the Hot on the Trail mission.
- Fixed an issue where friendly NPCs were not interactable during the Dawn Of A New Day mission if the Player threw grenades inside Rostok Depot.
- Fixed an issue where the emission shelter at Noontide base didn’t protect the Player after save/load during the Just Like The Good Old Days mission.
- Fixed an issue where repeatable missions from multiple vendors were stuck on the reward stage.
- Fixed an issue where the Player couldn’t talk to Squint during A Needle In A Haystack mission if they sold his artifact.
- Fixed an issue where Gray’s Last Hunt mission was not finished if the deer mutant was despawned.
- Fixed an issue where the Player was unable to give a briefcase to Sultan during The Mysterious Case mission, if they killed ambushing stalkers before talking to them.
- Fixed an issue where the game didn’t progress after talking to Senkevych in the Like A Moth To The Flame mission due to the missing radio operator NPC nearby.
- Fixed an issue where a marker was missing on Richter during the Bring the collar to Richter journal stage of the A Minor Incident mission.
- Fixed an issue where the Player was able to get stuck in a basement near a cemetery during the Eye of the Storm mission.
- Fixed an issue where Scar was not appearing at the Malachite secret entrance after clearing out X17 in the Visions Of Truth mission.
- Fixed an issue where the Player could leave X17 lab via the elevator without a way back during the assault in the Visions Of Truth mission.
- Fixed an issue where Akopyan refused to talk with the Player during A Big Score mission.
- Fixed an issue where the Player wasn’t able to progress the story after reaching Generators during emission in the Through The Valley Of The Shadow Of Death mission.
- Fixed an issue where the Player was able to break the cutscene with the pod and get stuck in the room with Richter during The Last Wish mission.
- Fixed an issue where the dialog with Scar was not available for some users during the Visions Of Truth mission.
- Fixed an issue when the On the Edge mission could start after the death of all stalkers in Zalissya.
- Fixed an issue when the All That Is Left mission could not be finished if the player agreed to throw the Warden’s body into an anomaly.
- Fixed an issue where Strelok was dashing too often and almost didn’t attack the Player during his boss fight.
Technical Updates
- 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.
STALKER 2 is available for purchase on Xbox Series X|S and PC via Windows and Steam. It is also available on the Xbox Game Pass library, allowing Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers to play it on Xbox, PC, and Xbox Cloud Gaming.
