Stalker 2: Cost of Hope pushes The Zone to new heights

The Shacknews Most Improved Game of 2025 just got better.

Stalker 2 was good when it was released on November 20, 2024. It was great when it won the Shacknews Most Improved Game of 2025 award last year. It’s somehow better now, and I’m stuck in a loop where I grapple with understanding how GSC Game World manages to improve on something already exquisite and just being thankful that it exists and I get to spend so much time in The Zone.

A new adventure begins

The Cost of Hope DLC kicks off at the Slag Heap in the Garbage zone. Skiff has heard about a place called the Iron Forest and fancies having a walkabout. First, he needs to find out where it is, which leads him to buying a few wobbly pops for a stalker who insists he doesn’t have loose lips. He does, and soon after you’re on your way to the Iron Forest.

There are multiple ways to get into the Iron Forest, but I opted to take the front door. This approach gave me a side quest to track down a missing IPSF patrol, which led me to a Freedom camp in the northeast part of the region, meeting new people and figuring out what this place was all about.

Nothing is ever simple in The Zone, so soon I was smack in the middle of a quest to find the origin of some strange blasts that had begun occurring in the Iron Forest. These blasts are followed by massive attacks from a variety of mutants, so the locals were serious about putting an end to them. I teamed up with a couple of folks who I won’t name, and together we started unraveling the mystery. This took us all over the Iron Forest (and the rest of The Zone), including deep into underground facilities and tunnels. I’m still shaken up over my experience in that one tunnel. Anyway, during my travels I was able to experience everything that Update 2.0 brings to the table.

What’s in the box?

We’ll get back to Cost of Hope in a bit, but first I want to set the table with what players can expect from Update 2.0. This is the most substantial update to Stalker 2 in its lifespan and is free for all players, even if the Cost of Hope DLC isn’t in their library. It changes The Zone in numerous ways, each one for the better.

The most noticeable changes will be the improved foliage, effects of fog, and improved lighting. It’s been reworked across the entire map and makes every moment more immersive than it was previously. It also goes hand-in-hand with the A-Life update, which again improves your encounters while you’re on the path, be it with humans or mutants. GSC Game World mentioned that encounters between people and mutants will happen more organically. So far, my experience mostly supports this, as it's far more common to bump into patrols you didn't see thanks to the dense foliage and thick fog. I did find the odd spot where enemies would continuously come in waves faster than I could loot the bodies I’d piled up. This is the exception, not the norm.

The unsung hero of Update 2.0 is the option for Custom Rules. Instead of cookie cutter settings, you can now fine tune various aspects of Stalker 2. Disable the tutorial, turn Expedition Mode on or off, tweak the economy, make people or mutants more or less deadly, or tweak the overall survivability of The Zone. It’s a massive step in the right direction, but I do hope to see even more customization options arrive down the line. It’s good where it is, but I do think GSC Game World can take this idea much further. Options are never a bad thing.

It wouldn’t be a Stalker 2 update without new toys to play with. There are new weapons and attachments to seek out, as well as the binoculars. They’ve been planted all over The Zone, so if you’re wondering if you should start a new playthrough, yes, you should. The strength of Stalker 2 is how it tempts you to explore that abandoned building, or climb that tower, just so you can see if the suppressor or night vision goggles (NVGs) or binoculars you need are there. Your curiosity leads to becoming more formidable but also gets you into trouble. In my case, perhaps that tower is where you’ll be spending the night, because even with NVGs there’s no way I’m wandering through the Burnt Forest after dark.

The Zone provides

I mentioned we’d get back to the Cost of Hope and here we are. I’m being cagey about it because narratives are best experienced firsthand. What I will say is that, while I enjoyed Stalker 2’s campaign, it’s easier to keep track of the main cast in Cost of Hope. It’s more focused, which is common for DLC. While there are multiple paths to take and thus reason for multiple playthroughs, you can start it from the main menu, your stash full of goodies, or you can let it come to you as you embark on a full game playthrough. If you’ve finished the game and don’t feel you have another in you, just hop into the Cost of Hope directly. That was my choice given the limited time I had to play and write about it, but there’s a fresh playthrough coming my way because Update 2.0 is hiding incredible experiences and loot in every nook and cranny of The Zone.

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