Tuesday, December 16, 12:55 P.M. ET: STALKER 2 fans will have to wait a little longer to get their hands on all the content in the Stories Untold update, as it's been delayed on Xbox, PC, and PlayStation until December 18 "due to the last-minute complications." It's unfortunate that it won't be ready until later this week, though at least the delay is only a short one.
Original article: For fans of single-player FPS titles, one of the biggest releases in recent memory was STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl — GSC Game World's 2024 survival-horror shooter, and sequel to the original trilogy of STALKER games. STALKER 2 has been supported since launch with extensive fixes and improvements alongside small additions like night vision goggles and tougher difficulty options, but hasn't gotten any significant content updates yet. This week, however, that's changing.
That's because it's getting a surprise "Stories Untold" patch on December 16 (tomorrow, at the time of writing) that's bringing several hours' worth of free new content to the Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PS5 (it just came to Sony's console last month) shooter.
At the core of the update lies a new storyline that will feature eight quests "that can take hours to complete," along with seven additional locations to explore, six new characters "with their own backgrounds and stories," a unique new weapon, and a hub area that you can create based on the choices you make.
Based on its description in this new blog post from GSC as well as its trailer (you can watch it below), we know this questline will focus on a mysterious radio signal causing scientific research teams in the Malachite area of The Zone — as well as other stalkers — to experience "headaches, nose bleeds, and hallucinations," and even death in some cases.
The story will also take you to the infamously dangerous Red Forest region to the northeast of Malachite, with two new characters — a scientist named Professor Medulin and "radio enthusiast" Banzai — seemingly playing a central role in the narrative.
As you progress through the questline, you'll have the opportunity to pick up a unique version of the GP37 rifle called the GP37V2 that features a pre-installed suppressor and a low-magnification scope, along with the option to switch between single and burst-fire modes.
In terms of locations to visit, GSC says exploring both the Fairy Tale Pioneer Camp and the Old Mine in Red Forest is "worth your time," and on top of that, the narrative "will lead you through Car Dump, Army Warehouses, City Boiler Room, Rail Depot near Malachite, and Volkhov SAM." Certain choices you make in the story may also bring you to "completely uncharted places."
Your decisions can also lead to an outcome where an entirely new NPC hub gets formed in a barren section of the Burnt Forest zone, complete with a trader, technician, medic, and guide, along with a bed to sleep in and a stash you can manage your loot with. Right now, it's unclear what alternate outcomes there will be that don't lead to this hub's creation and instead bring about something else, but with the update coming tomorrow, we're sure to find out soon enough.
Overall, this sounds like quite a substantial update for one of my favorite FPS titles, and I'm excited to check it out as soon as I get home from a visit to see family for the holidays. We'll have to wait until 2026 for the game's first major story DLC, but this new questline will serve as a nice appetizer ahead of what's on the way.
Note that between this imminent content update and a new 40% off sale on Xbox and Xbox on PC (also playable with Xbox Ally) that runs until January 7, there's never been a better time to jump into STALKER 2 if you're involved with the Xbox ecosystem (except for when it was on Xbox Game Pass, before it left the service).
That brings the $59.99 FPS down to just $35.99, though notably, you can get the Steam version for even cheaper thanks to a deal that knocks it down to $33.49 at Loaded.
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