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What did Update 1.5 add?
The “Guns & Looting” update introduced a mix of world-simulation changes, loot and combat additions, and modding tools. GSC’s complete patch notes are the authoritative record of what the studio said it changed; they are not independent performance testing.
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- A-Life and AI: GSC described changes to how characters behave beyond the player’s view, how they pursue goals, and how encounters and respawns work.
- New content: the Three-Line Rifle, Kora handgun, Water Electric Tornado anomaly, and the ability to loot mutant parts.
- Mod support: access through Steam Workshop and Mod.io, with Zone Kit named as the content-creation tool.
- Combat and gear: weapon and ammunition balance changes, an artifact effect called Durability, an expanded stash, and a repair-all option that can be unlocked.
- Fixes and options: quest, stability, pathing, audio, interface, and display changes, plus an Auto Detect graphics-settings option.
What changed about A-Life and NPC behavior?
GSC said the update would simulate life for characters outside the player’s view. Characters could continue living and pursuing goals over time, and players might encounter the same stalkers again later. The studio also described more characters resting or interacting at locations, fewer immediate respawns in cleared areas, and respawns occurring farther from the player while maintaining the Zone’s population.
GSC also said it slightly increased character-visualization range, with characters appearing alongside relevant animations and weapons. These are descriptions of intended behavior in the patch notes, not independently measured results or a guarantee that every encounter will play out in a particular way.
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Other AI and combat adjustments
The notes include ballistic damage falloff for NPCs at long distances and changes to mutant attacks when the player stands still. They also list fixes involving Snorks, Controllers, Pseudogiants, Rodents, Chimeras, and Burers, as well as NPC use of cover and characters walking in place in peaceful hubs.
What weapons, loot, and anomaly were added?
New weapons and mutant loot
Update 1.5 added the Three-Line Rifle and Kora handgun. It also introduced the ability to loot mutant parts, expanding what players can take from encounters with mutants.
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Water Electric Tornado
The Water Electric Tornado was the update’s new anomaly. GSC’s notes also cover changes to some stash contents and ammunition placements.
Weapon, ammunition, and artifact balance
The patch adjusted ammunition for machine guns and sniper rifles, along with armor penetration and weapon damage. It revised some artifact effects and added a new artifact effect named Durability. The notes do not establish one universal before-and-after damage value for these changes; consult the official patch record for its individual balance entries.
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What inventory and equipment changes did the patch make?
- The player stash window was expanded.
- An unlockable “Fix all” button was added for equipped gear.
- Reload renewal was added for all weapons.
- The armor upgrade tab gained an artifact-slot display.
- The patch fixed an issue with “Take all” in the loot window and improved inventory sorting and scrolling.
Does Update 1.5 include official mod support?
Yes. GSC announced official mod access through Steam Workshop and Mod.io. The studio named Zone Kit, available through the Epic Games Store, as the tool for modifying existing content or creating new content.
Mod support does not mean every mod will remain compatible across game updates. GSC’s Patch 1.5 article warns that mods may break after updates and recommends disabling them if performance or stability problems arise after installing the patch. For the full compatibility advice and any later changes, see GSC’s Update 1.5 notes.
What other fixes and settings are listed?
Beyond the headline changes, GSC’s notes list performance and crash fixes, quest-progression fixes across main and side missions, improved NPC pathing, changes to distant and indoor gunshot sounds, and improved Ukrainian lip-sync. The patch added support for 21:9 and 32:9 aspect ratios and an “Auto Detect” option for graphics settings.
Those are highlights, not a reproduction of every quest, interface, audio, and stability entry. For the exhaustive list, use the official patch-notes index.
Is Update 1.5 the latest version?
No. Update 1.5 is a dated release from June 25, 2025, not a description of the game’s latest state. GSC’s patch index lists hotfixes 1.5.1, 1.5.2, and 1.5.3, followed by Updates 1.6 and 1.7. GSC later announced Update 2.0, which describes further A-Life and Zone Kit changes. Check the relevant later notes for current behavior and version-specific details rather than assuming every Update 1.5 implementation remains unchanged.
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