S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl

The return to the post-apocalyptic world of Chernobyl. Players can finally wander through a large open seamless world, containing iconic elements of the original trilogy such as the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, the city of Pripyat, the village of Novichkov, as well as secret facilities like the Duga radar antenna.

Heart of Chernobyl is a first-person shooter, survival, and sandbox game, with RPG and horror elements. The sequel retains the original's characteristic atmosphere of gloom, despair, and constant danger in the abandoned territories.

In S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, there are over 30 types of firearms: pistols and submachine guns, assault and battle rifles, light machine guns, sniper rifles, and weapons based on new physical principles. The shooting model and technical specifications are chosen with an emphasis on realism. Weapons, consumables, and ammunition are of USSR/NATO standards.

Players can customize each "gun" on the fly by attaching scopes, silencers, grenade launchers, etc., but changing the weapon itself can only be done by technicians without the fanaticism level of Escape from Tarkov. Through upgrades, the arsenal can be tailored to suit one's play style.

Campfires now play an important role; near them, the player (and other NPCs) can rest and regain strength, but they are much fewer than before.

The events of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 take place in an alternative reality, in the area of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ). The area, which became desolate after the 1986 accident, was taken over by a group of scientists studying the hypothesis of the noosphere — the informational field of Earth.

In the network of X-laboratories deployed in the CEZ, the existence of the noosphere was confirmed, work was underway on advanced weaponry, and the ability of living beings to generate directed psi-radiation was discovered, leading to the creation of biological and technical psi-emitters that zombify anyone approaching them.

The goal was to break into the noosphere and subjugate it. For this purpose, Generators were built a kilometer from the Chernobyl blocks, and the scientists united into a collective consciousness known as "O-consciousness." However, on April 12, 2006, the experiment failed.

The energy of the noosphere surged into the CEZ (the first emission), altering the laws of physics, creating anomalies and artifacts, as well as the mysterious "Monolith." The area around the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant is enveloped by a high-intensity psi-field that burns the brain of anyone who enters it. Over time, monsters appeared in the Zone: some mutated, while others had artificial origins.

In an attempt to stop the spread of the infection pouring from the Zone, the military surrounded it with barbed wire and minefields. The authorities' attempts to understand what happened continued for many years, but inevitably ended in failure. However, the stalkers — daring illegals who secretly ventured into the Zone — enjoyed greater success.

They brought out almost magical artifacts, talked about anomalies, and shared tales of encounters with deadly mutants. To a large extent, the settlement of the Zone was aided by groups of stalkers, the largest among them being the ideologically driven "Duty" and "Freedom". The "Mercenaries" took on any job, while "Bandits" robbed newcomers at the borders of the Zone.

Over time, one of the stalkers known as the Shooter or the Marked (the protagonist of S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl and one of the characters in S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky and S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat) managed to uncover the background of the Zone's formation and learn about the "O-consciousness".

After making several forays in 2011-2012, the Shooter becomes known as the "Brain Scorcher", breaks into Chernobyl, uncovers the secret of the Monolith, and destroys the "O-consciousness". He passed on this and other knowledge about survival in the Zone to the state, becoming a consultant at the newly formed institute for the study of the Chernobyl anomalous zone (NIICHAZ).

Heart of Chernobyl offers over 60 km² for exploration: predominantly rugged terrain with patches of rural villages, factories, plants, military bases, and settlements; a large portion of the cities of Pripyat and Chernobyl; the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant itself. The buildings are recreated in the characteristic architectural style of the USSR.

The open world includes altered locations from the first trilogy: The Border, The Swamps, The Wild Territory, The Dark Valley, The Radar, and the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (blocks 1-4). Iconic places of interest are also present with almost no changes — the village of Novichkov, the church in the Swamps, the railway under Jupiter, the Brain Scorcher, and the Ferris wheel in Pripyat.

New locations in Heart of Chernobyl include: the Chemical Plant, the military town of Chernobyl-2 near the "Brain Scorcher", the unfinished blocks of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant No. 5 and No. 6, and the Cooling Towers (located southeast of the main station), as well as new laboratories.

As you move from the Perimeter to the center of the Zone, the danger increases: deadly anomalies and mutants appear, and stalkers don exoskeletons. Exploring the world will take over 100 hours, as you'll have to run on foot; there is no transport in the Zone. Fast travel is available in a non-standard form.

After the events of "Shadows of Chernobyl", the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone lived its own life and changed externally. There is tall grass everywhere, many shrubs, and mighty trees with impressive crowns. In the Swamps, there are impenetrable thickets of rushes and an abundance of reeds. From above, the Zone resembles an ordinary dense green forest, with only the anomalous fields breaking the uniform green expanse.

The events of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl begin 6-8 years after the ending of "Call of Pripyat" and continue the story of the first trilogy — it's advisable for newcomers to play it for a better understanding of what is happening.

Players can expect a large-scale branching storyline lasting several dozen hours, with decisions that impact other characters in the game, quests, and even the Zone itself as a whole. She is a separate character, threatening all of humanity and finding protection among experienced stalkers. One of them, the Stranger, vowed to protect her from any threats, making him the main antagonist.

The main character of "Heart of Chernobyl" is a stalker nicknamed Scythian. He is no longer a novice, but a seasoned veteran, yet who he is, what he seeks, and which side he fights for is unknown. Scythian is fully voiced in dialogues, which is a novelty in the storytelling for the series. During the gameplay, the player will meet many new characters with developed backstories, as well as a couple of old acquaintances.

In Heart of Chernobyl, there will be familiar Stalkers, Bandits, Duty, Freedom, and Monolith (their ideological direction hasn't changed), as well as new factions. One of them is Varta.

Scythian is a free stalker, but to progress in the story, he will have to join one faction or another, and this choice will directly affect the ending. The player's choice will be influenced by the ideology pursued by the respective faction.

Among familiar mutants are blind dogs, pseudo-giants, burers, and bloodsuckers. New mutants in "Heart of Chernobyl" willexist, but are not shown. A new feature of the game is regions with lairs, where mutants live in large groups and aggressively hunt all outsiders.

Mutants have different behavior models, considering even subspecies and habitats. Their behavior is less predictable, and various tactics will be needed for their extermination.

In S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, A-Life 2.0 works, a reworked concept of life simulation from the original. Thanks to it, the situation of factions and mutants is never static: they constantly fight for living space, migrate, capture new areas, or retreat under the pressure of competitors. And all this happens even without the player's involvement.

The main tasks in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl have changed little compared to the original trilogy:

The sequel differs from the original by reworked game mechanics that meet modern standards, affecting all aspects of gameplay.

The head of the studio, Sergey Grigorovich, confirmed that a network mode is planned, but it will be added after the game's release. It is also known that by multiplayer, the authors mean classic competitive shootouts, not some battle royale with loot boxes.