GSC Game World details that this first update contains more than 650 fixes that address bugs throughout the game, as well as minor errors and technical problems. This last section that affects incidents such as memory leaks and crashes occupies a good part of the corrections. Likewise, more than 120 problems present in main and secondary missions have been resolved, and incidents in the open world, equipment, weapons, interface, facial animations… The patch notes published by the Ukrainian studio are quite generous and you will find them here.
The update also introduces combat-focused balance adjustments. For example, the weight of some quest items has been reduced, the damage of several enemies has been revised, and the health of some creatures including the boar has been lowered. Additionally, the melee range of weapons has been significantly increased and that of the knife slightly.
GSC Game World's involvement with STALKER 2 is far from over. The development team is working on new patches and solving the problems presented by A-Life, which is the world simulation system that controls and changes the behavior of NPCs, enemies, mutants and creatures in the Zone. In short, the goal of A-Life is for the game world to feel alive and responsive to the player's decisions in both the short and long term. The Ukrainian studio continues to ask players to report any bugs they encounter in the game and once again thanks their patience.
All in all, STALKER 2 has «very positive» overall reviews on Steam and its sales surpassed one million units shortly after hitting stores. In addition, the title is available on Game Pass.