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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsS.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl’s Update 1.6, “Night of the Hunter,” added player night-vision goggles, rebalanced how NPCs see in darkness, adjusted stash loot, and introduced controller-input tweaks—including an option to disable auto-lean. GSC Game World released the update on September 23, 2025. The patch also added the Fireball anomaly, mutant scavenging, save-backup restoration, stash sorting, and a range of combat, stability, mission, and mod-support fixes.
What changed in nighttime visibility and stealth?
Update 1.6 adds Night Vision Goggles for players and rebalances NPC night vision. The official highlights also call out offset aiming and a laser pointer, giving players additional aiming options in low-light encounters. GSC’s release notes do not specify every detail of how these aiming features work.
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As reported by Insider Gaming, GSC explained that NPCs without night-vision goggles cannot see players from far away in darkness, whether outdoors or indoors. That makes darkness a potential stealth advantage when enemies lack NVGs; it does not mean every NPC is unable to detect a nearby player.
Did Update 1.6 increase stash loot?
GSC says it rebalanced loot in stashes throughout the Zone. The notes do not give before-and-after quantities, percentages, or specific changes to individual loot tables, so this should not be read as a confirmed increase in loot everywhere.
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NPCs can also loot mutants, a separate change to how scavenging works in the Zone. GSC did not quantify its effect on the amount of loot players will find.
What controller options were added?
The update includes controller-input tweaks and adds an option to disable auto-lean in the controls settings. GSC’s short summary does not enumerate every input adjustment. Insider Gaming additionally describes customization for stick inputs, dead zones, and curves; those specifics come from that secondary report rather than the official summary.
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What other additions are in “Night of the Hunter”?
- Fireball anomaly: A new anomaly was added to the Zone.
- Character appearance: New face and hair options are available for female characters.
- Save recovery: A local save-backup restoration option was added.
- Stash management: Players can sort stashes.
- New weapon: Honta’s unique “Drahunka” is included.
- Return of an old friend: GSC lists the return among the update’s highlights without specifying more detail in its short summary.
What fixes and technical changes are included?
The detailed changelog extends beyond the headline features. GSC lists improved Chimera combat behavior and fixes involving mutants, NPCs, missions, and encounters. It also covers CPU and projectile-performance optimizations, multiple crash fixes, UI improvements, and changes to mod support, including the mod browser and SDK.
The official release notes do not provide a patch size, a quantified performance gain, or a numerical measure of the loot changes. They also establish the historical release of Update 1.6, not which game build is current today.
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When did Update 1.6 release?
GSC Game World published “Night of the Hunter” on September 23, 2025. Its official Update 1.6 notes are the primary reference for the changes described here. For the NPC-visibility explanation, see Insider Gaming’s coverage, which attributes that explanation to GSC.
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