STALKER 2’s June 25, 2025, Patch 1.5 update added mutant-part looting, the Three-Line Rifle and Kora handgun, and developer-described changes to A-Life simulation and NPC visibility. It also revised ammunition and weapon balance. A follow-up patch, 1.5.1, arrived July 10, 2025, with a fix for A-Life characters appearing in restricted areas.
What changed in STALKER 2 Patch 1.5?
GSC Game World announced Patch 1.5, titled “Guns & Looting,” on June 25, 2025. Its headline additions were changes to how characters are simulated in the Zone, two named weapons, and the ability to loot mutant parts. The update also included ammunition and combat adjustments, new features, and numerous quest, performance, crash, interface, and stability fixes.
The official Patch 1.5 notes are the source for the changes below. They describe the original release, not the game’s current patch state.
Did Patch 1.5 improve A-Life?
GSC said the update simulated Zone life for all characters, including those outside the player’s view: “Life in the Zone is now simulated for all characters, not just those in the player’s view.” According to the notes, characters continue pursuing their goals until they die, so the player may encounter the same stalkers again. The update was also intended to make it more common to see characters resting or interacting with the world.
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GSC said characters would no longer respawn directly in front of the player. Respawning was moved farther away while maintaining the Zone’s population, and the visualization range was increased slightly to reduce pop-in. Relevant animations and equipped weapons were also meant to appear as characters entered view. These are the developer’s descriptions of the changes, not a quantified or independently verified guarantee of a particular gameplay or performance result.
Combat and AI adjustments
The AI and combat notes include fixes for Snorks, Controllers, Pseudogiants, Rodents, Chimeras, and Burers, as well as improved mutant attack behavior when the player stands still. NPCs received ballistic falloff over long distances, and the update addressed cover and movement issues.
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Patch 1.5.1 corrected restricted-area appearances
The follow-up patch is important context for where A-Life characters could appear. On July 10, 2025, GSC said Patch 1.5.1 fixed an issue that allowed A-Life mutants and NPCs to appear in restricted locations, including hubs and main-quest areas. That was a correction to the 1.5 behavior, not one of the original update’s headline features. See the official Patch 1.5.1 notes.
Which new guns are in STALKER 2 Patch 1.5?
The update names two additions: the Three-Line Rifle and the Kora handgun. GSC’s notes also detail ammunition changes that affect several weapons:
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- The machine-gun and sniper-rifle ammunition rework replaced 7.62×39 mm ammo with 7.62×54 mm ammo in the listed cases.
- The SVDM-2, SVU-MK S-3, and M701 Super no longer use light steel core ammo without an upgrade; they use supersonic and armor-piercing ammo.
- PKP machine guns, the Mark I EMR, and the Three-Line Rifle can use light steel core ammo by default.
- Supersonic ammunition causes less damage to weapon durability.
The notes also list armor-penetration changes for the Grom S15 and AS Lavina, plus a damage rework for the unique Cavalier weapon. These are in-game balance changes; the weapon and ammunition labels should not be read as claims about real-world specifications.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Can you loot mutants in STALKER 2 now?
Yes. Mutant-part looting was added in Patch 1.5. GSC’s notes confirm the feature but do not provide a complete list of eligible species, parts, yields, prices, or crafting uses, so those details cannot be established from the official update notes.
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What else did the update add?
Beyond its headline changes, Patch 1.5 introduced the Water Electric Tornado anomaly, an unlockable technician “Fix all” repair option, weapon reload renewal, a larger player stash, and artifact-slot display in the armor upgrade tab. It also added official mod support through the Zone Kit and the mod platforms listed by GSC.
Other listed changes include rebalanced artifact effects and a new Durability artifact effect, stash and marker adjustments, a Ukrainian lip-sync rework, support for 21:9 and 32:9 aspect ratios, and improvements to NPC pathing and sounds. The notes also cover a broad set of quest, performance, crash, interface, and stability fixes.
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