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The mutant enemies in Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl are very hungry. Hungry not only for your flesh, but also all the bullets in your AK-47. It can take entire clips of ammo to take down some of these tough beasts, and you get nothing back for killing this wildlife except the hollow satisfaction of pest control. Alongside the bugs and performance issues, it’s a common enough complaint to players of the first-person survival shooter that it’s already been addressed by a modder, who has created a tweak to lower the health of various dogs, boars, and bloodsuckers.
The simply named Lower Mutant Health mod by NexusMods user “Fredrik” will cut each enemies health by either 25% or 50%, depending on your preference. “I found that the mutants and creatures of the zone were borderline annoying,” said the modder, who felt strongly enough about it that they reduced the health, even though there are some creatures they haven’t encountered yet. “I haven’t seen them yet and can as such not judge whether or not their health is unreasonable.”
It’s not the only mod that has cropped up. It’s only been a few days since the game’s release but already we have a mod that will reduce the painfully high repair costs of your guns and armour, another that lets you sprint for longer without getting tired, and even one that introduces slow motion “bullet time” to the game.
It’s worth noting that the radioactive sequel, for all its foibles, is meant to be a harsh and tough misadventure that forces you to make firm decisions. It’s one of the many things James liked about it in his review. For example, you need to decide what items you can afford to carry and what you must leave by the roadside to avoid becoming encumbered. But if you’re happy to ignore the design intentions of the game, you can always install this mod that allows for infinite carrying capacity and non-decaying weapons. Fair warning, this will pretty much nullify a core pleasure of the game. Here’s how James described the game’s approach to difficulty:
I’ve been battered and sometimes frustrated by S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, but ultimately there is something admirable about its commitment to challenging you – especially when it simultaneously provides just enough tools to avoid becoming unfair. Between that, its punchy shooting, and some properly superb atmosphere-building, it’s done enough to earn the mantle of Good Game.
One thing I do like, though, is this mod that reduces the stamina cost of jumping and knife attacks. Because, god, the platforming puzzles are already shonky enough without having to take a breath between every leap.