A fan of STALKER 2 took matters into his own hands and improved hundreds of game’s elements

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Four months have passed since the launch of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, and overall, it’s been positively received (boasting 82% positive reviews on Steam). However, some seasoned players feel that there are various elements that could be refined even further. Instead of merely voicing their concerns, one player took action and developed the Stalker Infinity – Vanilla 2.0 Overhaul modification. This modification alters numerous gameplay aspects to enhance the experience, making it more captivating and enjoyable overall.

This article highlights numerous alterations, more than we can cover here, yet they can essentially be classified under several main groups.

  • Economy: The in-game economy has been redesigned so that it no longer revolves around tediously collecting and selling weak weapons. Instead, money is earned primarily by doing interesting things, such as completing quests, hunting for artifacts, exploring the map for hidden stashes, or killing mutants, which now carry loot. Rewards for all these activities have been at least doubled, making them reliable sources of income. Prices have also been appropriately adjusted.
  • Combat: Advanced ballistics have been introduced (the creator built this aspect on the foundation of his previous mod called FUBAR), as well as improved realism for armor and ammunition. The power of explosions has been increased, and enemies have become significantly more dangerous. This was done in a balanced way—opponents now behave more intelligently and naturally, but they no longer have superhuman vision allowing them to hit targets flawlessly from long distances, as sometimes happens in the base game. Enemy equipment has also been diversified, making it more varied in terms of both quality and item types.
  • Artifacts: Artifacts have undergone a thorough rework because they were quite disappointing in the base game, mainly due to their limited effects. To change this, the mod introduces dozens of new effects, making them far more useful. At the same time, obtaining them has been made more challenging—now, the best ones can only be found using high-quality detectors.
  • Other Mechanics: Many other aspects of the game have been adjusted. For example, medkits no longer heal instantly, requiring a short wait before they take effect. Hunger negatively impacts stamina and regeneration rate. Running has been made easier, but radiation effects have been strengthened. Additionally, sleep is now very important. In the base game, its balance was broken, and players could effectively avoid sleeping altogether by using energy drinks.

It’s clear that the updates are substantial. They’re so substantial, in fact, that your old save files won’t be compatible—you’ll have to start a fresh game if you want the modified mechanics and loot system to function correctly. Additionally, the creator suggests playing at the Veteran difficulty level, as the modification has been tailored with this setting in mind.

  1. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl on Steam

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2025-04-06 12:01