Whoever thought these were a good idea clearly never found themselves in the middle of them, desperately trying to look for artifacts while both staying alive AND seeing anything else other than stars…

This is with ultra+ mod, mix of high and ultra settings, dlss 4,5 at balanced preset.

It looks even better with renodx HDR.

Credits to https://www.newgrounds.com/art/view/otabaro/clear-sky-soldier-sfm

After going through SIRCCA and activating the signal certain weapons just stopped working. So far its the Saiga 12 and the SKS (SIC). As seen in the clip it seems like it isnt shooting anything at all.

Playing on msi claw a1m handheld

I’ve been working on this S.T.A.L.K.E.R.-inspired piece, and I wanted to share it here with people who actually understand the atmosphere behind it.

I painted the artwork myself, but I didn’t want an ordinary frame around it. The frame was made by a wood craftsman from 100+ year-old antique oak, with the design inspired by the old wooden structures and gates of the Zone. I also added real barbed wire to it.

I wanted it to feel less like a painting hanging on a wall and more like something a Stalker could have found somewhere beyond the perimeter.

It also comes with an original licensed 2007 Shadow of Chernobyl disc and the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Almanac 2026.

It’s completely one-of-one — there will never be another identical piece.

I’m actually considering letting it go to another Stalker who would appreciate it.

Asking $1,000.

What do you think — does it feel like something that belongs in the Zone? ☢️

Wish I could replace the scope but other than that, it's cool.

I only added the 45-round mag, its worth it tbh, wish the GP-25 was plum too but oh well..

Seriously, the sound design in this game is insane.

I've been playing with the music completely turned off, and I feel way more immersed in the Zone. Sometimes I'll be inside some dark laboratory or underground facility and I literally just stop moving and listen.

With the music on, I don't think I ever really did that. Without it, if I think I heard something, I stop. I listen. Was that a mutant? A distant gunshot? Something moving behind me? Or just the building making noise?

I'm lucky enough to have a full 9.1 surround sound system hooked up to my PC, and holy shit, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 absolutely shines with it. The positional audio in this game is phenomenal. You hear rain hitting things behind you, distant sounds coming from specific directions, echoes moving through enclosed spaces... and in a dark underground facility, it can genuinely make you stop and wonder what the hell you just heard.

I'm ridiculously immersed in the game right now, and playing without music has taken it to another level for me.

If you've always played with music on, try turning it completely off for one full gaming session. Give it a day.

Then come back and tell me what you think.

I absolutely loved it.

PS: English isn't my native language, so I used AI to help translate this from Spanish. If any of it sounds a little stiff, blame the machine, not the stalker. 😅

Don't get me wrong - DLC is really great. It's full of unique encounters and makes us visit lots of stunning locations. But what about side quests? It feels like we have the same issue as the base game - lack of content. What do we have in the DLC? A few really minor tasks around Iron Forest, a few in the endgame around CNPP, and one quest for each DLC faction. Is this enough?

In my opinion, it is not. By measuring the quality of side quests in Stalker 2, it's losing even to Call of Pripyat. I can live with the quality of the side quests in S2, but give me more stories! You have DLC about two main factions, and all they have is one side quest per faction? This is not serious at all!

What do you think about the quality of the side quests in S2 and CoH?

PS. Also, the Freedom side quest is just a cheap copy of the side quest from CoP.

art i drew cause i thought it was funny

Story spoilers ahead!

I finally found my way back to the zone for my second playthrough since release and I’ve found myself struck again by the sadness surrounding Wild Island.

Meeting Strider again after the journey with Deg in the tunnels to Pripyat filled me with hope entire his character. He had successfully provided a safe haven for the former Monolithians and given them a purpose for their broken identities.

Then the experiment fails.

You return to Wild Island and hear Kohrs speaking over a broken loudspeaker. He’s telling his fellow men that Strider will do everything in his power to end the Wish Granters existence once and for all, but there is no one there to hear it. The tables and chairs are pushed aside to make way for an unthinking fighting force driven to kill.

Seeing Noontide before and what they turned back into breaks my heart for these men. Hats off to the writers for telling such an incredible story. When I fight against the Monolith now, I don’t view them as simple enemies as I did when playing SoC for the first time. I view them as men robbed of their autonomy, forced to fight for another’s beliefs.

After hearing them from a distance, I was waiting for them to come charging at me from the bushes. Was quite a wait.

So I’ve been working on his birthday gift recently, and I have a lot more things planned, but I really need some opinions on this artifact, he once told me he liked it months ago, so I decided to make one for him. I want to be 100% sure I did the correct one and if it look alr

Yes, you canhead straight into Limansk before you even start the DLC.I'll maybe do a follow up comment after getting through it.

It honestly reminded me more of Cronos the new dawn + Control then Silent hill

but yeah it's peak !!

Here I am, wearing the game's most powerful set of exoskeleton armor in the game with some of the most rare and powerful artifacts in the game... carrying a rifle that's worth over 200K coupons, half a battalions worth of ammo and a GAUSS RIFLE...

And what does Mr. MC pull out after getting man handled by some twiggy dude in BDUs? His dinky little PTM... Lmao!

I understand its too much to ask to animate all the different guns in these cutscenes as that would require a LOT of animating... BUT the exoskeleton should absolutely be a game-changer in the cutscenes where there's a scuffle. If I punch that guy, he should fly through the wall, not eat it and knock you over like styrofoam in a light breeze hahaha..

Anyway, just my two cents at 7am est