Quick Links
There can be many factors at play to makeStalker 2: Heart of Chornobylfeel much more intense and hardcore than most other games in the genre, which isn’t too surprising if you’re familiar with the previous installments in the series. However, while some may be ready and willing to struggle, others may just want to see the story through with as little pushback as possible.
Fortunately, there is a difficulty setting for all types of players, making the game accessible for all, whether you’re brand new to the series or are a super fan of the series that wants nothing but the most brutal circumstances tossed at them from the moment they step foot into the wasteland until they ultimately see their story end.
Which Difficulty Should You Pick In Stalker 2: Heart Of Chornobyl?
Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobylhasthree difficultysettings for you to select from, allaltering core aspects of the gamesubstantially, making your experiencemore manageable or immensely more challengingas a result, allowing you to (hopefully) find the one that’s just right for your wants and needs.
Theunfortunate aspectof this is that youcannot mix and match specific settingsfrom each difficulty to make a hybrid difficulty, meaningif you like aspects of, say, the Veteran difficulty, you cannot toggle just those options on while leaving the rest on Stalker or Rookie,like you can in some other titles.
Overall, there aresome massive changes that come with each difficulty tier,so youmay want to switch it up periodically if you find it’s too easy or you’re getting rocked in every encounter,no matter what you do. You can learn more about all three difficulty settings in the sections below!
Rookie Difficulty In Stalker 2: Heart Of Chornobyl
Rookieis Stalker 2’s"Easy" difficulty,making it thebest option for players who just want to see the story throughand explore the wasteland without wanting to pull their hair out.If youaren’t well versed in this genre or series,this may also be anexcellent choice when you first start your journey,allowing you toswitch to a more challenging one as you get more comfortablewith the controls and gameplay.
Here,enemies are far-less bullet-spongycompared to the other modes,while Skif(you)becomes the bullet sponge,allowing you to take substantially more damage than them, making combat less stressful. Additionally, you will alsofind more loot and resources,meaning you will rarely be out of ammunition or healing supplies.
That’s not to say you won’t ever be put on your back foot,as the game willstill be challenging here and there,it will just bemuch more manageable and less daunting,especially for newcomers. Choose this option if you’re in it for only the story or are entirely new to the genre!
Stalker Difficulty In Stalker 2: Heart Of Chornobyl
Next up is theStalkerdifficulty, which serves as the game’s"Normal" option,which will stilloffer a decent challengeoverall. This difficulty will be thebest choice for most players,as it provides anexcellent balance between both Rookie and Veteran,giving you the best of both worlds.
Compared to Rookie, theenemies will be much harder to eliminate.While theBloodsuckers and other Mutants will feel perfect,some of thehuman enemies can have the tendency to feel a bit too bullet-spongy,which can get a tad annoying, especially when yourresources are more scarce.
Youwon’t be constantly strugglinghere, but it is anoticeable leap from Rookie,so please keep that in mind if you are new to the genre and series. Youwon’t have nearly as many resourcesto work with, and you will have touse much more ammo to eliminate your targets.You will alsodie much faster.It’s challenging, but the perfect amount of it, in our opinion!
Veteran Difficulty In Stalker 2: Heart Of Chornobyl
Veteranis the final difficulty available in Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl andoffers the most hardcore experiencefor those whowant to struggle in every encounterthey stumble across. Here, youropposition will take substantially more bullets to kill,and Skif will die in the blink of an eye.It’s not for the faint of heart.
Not only that, butyour resources will also be substantially limited,making every bullet count.Like from Rookie to Stalker,Veteran is another noticeable leapup in terms of the challenge it provides, making this difficulty tieronly recommendable to die-hardfans or those who enjoy extreme challenges.
Every battle will seem impossible, andone wrong move will have you reload the checkpoint,as it will cost you your life. While there is something to be said about Veteran feeling right for a game like Stalker 2,it’s certainly not for everyone,and we only recommend it to the super serious Stalkers who want to feel like they’re actually in the wastelands.
How To Change The Difficulty In Stalker 2: Heart Of Chornobyl
Are yougetting destroyed by a Bloodsucker,or are youfinding your adventure a tad too easy?Don’t fret; you canadjust to your difficulty whenever you wish.To do this, open thePause Menuand navigate down toOptions.Open theOptions Menu,then scroll down to theDifficulty Settings.
Once you’re here, you can selectRookie, Stalker, or Veteranas your difficulty. After selecting your difficulty,back out of the menu and apply the changesto confirm them. Again, theremay be instances where the game feels too challenging or easyfor you, so being able to adjust this whenever you want is fantastic to see.
Furthermore, you canfind more settings to tweak underneath the Accessibility tabat the far end of the Options Menu, allowing you to make the game even more manageable. If you’reon PC and are running into performance issues,don’t forget to adjust the graphics settings for better performance as well!
