Stories Untold is a free content update for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 Heart of Chornobyl that significantly expands the core experience with new narrative-driven content. The update introduces an extended storyline built around a mysterious transmission, offering more than five hours of additional gameplay shaped by player decisions.
Alongside new missions, the update adds fresh locations, characters, and a powerful new weapon, while also introducing adjustments to Master difficulty and Expedition mode. A collection of fixes and optimizations rounds out the update, improving stability and moment-to-moment gameplay across the Zone.
Patch Notes
New Stories
- Added over five hours of new gameplay, depending on player pace
- Introduced a mysterious transmission causing headaches, nosebleeds, and hallucinations among stalkers
- Added branching narrative choices involving stalkers and scientists
- Enabled player decisions to influence the fates of encountered stalkers
- Added a new PDA message that can be found anywhere on the map, with higher chances near the Burnt Forest
- Made the storyline available after leaving the Zalissya region in the early game
- Added 8 new missions tied to the Stories Untold questline
- Introduced 7 new locations connected to the new narrative
- Added 6 new characters involved in the storyline
- Added 3 new unique items
- Added a unique weapon obtainable through quest completion
New Locations and New Hub
- Opened multiple new locations across the Zone for exploration
- Repurposed previously unused areas once occupied by rusted structures or mutants
- Added the possibility of creating a new hub in the Burnt Forest region
- Increased stalker population in the area if the new hub is established
- Made hub creation optional, depending on player choices during the questline
New Weapon
- Added the GP37V2, a modified version of the GP37 rifle
- Equipped the GP37V2 with a pre-installed suppressor
- Included a low-magnification scope by default
- Modified the trigger group to support single-fire and burst-fire modes only
- Made the weapon available as a reward during the new questline
Master Difficulty and Expedition Mode Changes
- Added an option to simplify the save system for Master difficulty
- Extended the save system option to other difficulties with Expedition mode enabled
- Allowed manual save system activation through the settings menu after starting the game
- Enabled Quick Save using F5 when the option is active
- Enabled regular manual saves through the menu
- Made the manual save option permanent for the current playthrough once enabled
- Updated player progress status display in the Pause menu when saves are enabled
Additional Fixes
- Fixed an issue where multiple artifacts could spawn in a single location
- Optimized multiple mutant models
- Fixed NPC pathfinding issues during Emissions at the Cement Factory location
- Fixed NPC pathfinding issues during Emissions in Zalissya
- Fixed an issue causing massive mutant hordes to spawn at the Plant location in the Garbage region
- Adjusted DualSense controller dead zone settings on PC
- Fixed an issue allowing the Heart of Chornobyl artifact to be obtained from regular anomalies
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 Heart of Chornobyl launched on PC and Xbox Series X|S on November 20, 2024, and later arrived on PlayStation 5 on November 20, 2025.
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