Stalker 2 may be coming to the PlayStation 5 later this year, but it’s the game’s PC optimization that has been a hot topic since it launched back in November last year. It’s safe to say that there are bugs aplenty, and that’s part of the charm, but it’s less fun when performance issues like crashing or stuttering occur. The devs continue to say that mods may be the problem.

A major update (v1.5) for Stalker arrived a couple of weeks ago, where the devs mentioned that files added or installed to your ‘~mods’ folder could cause issues after the patch; this is the same in the latest v1.5.1 patch. This comes after the official Stalker 2 mod kit, known as the ‘Zone Kit’, was recently released (and requires an enormous 700GB of storage space).

GSC Game World continues to say “disable your mods”

Patch 1.5.1 was released on July 9, and while it’s not nearly as big as the last update, it does come with a whole bunch of fixes.

Patch 1.5.1

• Fixed an issue when some NPCs didn’t go to shelter in offline mode during Emission.
• Fixed an issue when interacting hints could disappear after save/load.
• Fixed issue when NPC could get stuck walking in one place.
• Fixed an issue where two bandits at Varan’s camp attacked Player without any reason during the King Of The Hill mission.
• Fixed an issue when Player was able to leave X-17 lab via elevator without any way to return during Visions Of Truth mission.
• Fixed an issue when NPC corpses could get misplaced after picking it up for the second time.
• Adjusted position of money and weight indicator icon in Player inventory.
• Fixed an issue when Faust could freeze during his bossfight after his emitter was destroyed during special attack ability.
• Fixed an issue when the context menu was impossible to open twice for the same item in the looting window.
• Fixed an issue when an NPC’s corpse could fly away after killing them with a headshot.
• Fixed 2 EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION crashes.
• Fixed an issue when the The Assault On The Duga mission could be stuck if the player had slept before talking to Scar.
• Fixed an issue when the FOV value automatically resets to 110 on ultra wide monitors.
• Fixed an issue when the A-life mutants and NPCs could be found in the restricted areas (such as Hubs, Main Quest locations, etc.).
• Fixed an issue when the NPC’s left hand could be in an improper position when the NPC holds a pistol.
• Fixed an issue when NPCs could stuck in each other during patrolling.
• Fixed an issue when the Windows Scale option affected the game in the Fullscreen Borderless and Windowed modes.
• Fixed an issue when Scherba could not have a dialog option to receive collars during the In The Name Of Science mission.
• Zone Kit: New MOD SDK update will support content base from Patch 1.5.1. Please update to get latest content changes and reduce chances of game instability for your Modifications

⚠️ Warning

The Zone is ever-changing and a new Patch can shift Her structure. If you’ve chosen to walk the path with modifications, know this: they may not withstand the latest shifts. If you have performance or stability issues following the release of Patch 1.5.1, we recommend you to disable your mods.

Source: Steam Community

As you can see, the Zone Kit has been updated to support the content base for v1.51, and you’ll want to be on the latest version to “reduce chances of game instability”. Even still, the devs continue to warn players that these regular updates may not play nicely with existing mods. You can read more on the topic of mod compatibility here.

Considering the popular site Nexus Mods has over 1,000 Stalker 2 mods to download, it’s disappointing to hear that they can cause issues, especially when the most popular focus on improving performance. Either way, with official modding tools now available, we hope to see even bigger and better mods coming to the game, hopefully without any instability.

About the Author

Charlie Noon

Charlie is the Affiliate manager for PC Guide. He has a vast understanding of most PC hardware and consumer essentials, using his knowledge to provide the best products and the biggest deals.